How Many Snake Clones Are There? Metal Gear Explained

In the main Metal Gear Solid storyline, there are three recognized clones of Big Boss known as Snake: Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, and Solidus Snake. Big Boss himself is their genetic source, while Venom Snake is a body double, so neither should be added to the clone count.

Ingredients

This is a quick lore-counting guide, not a food recipe. Treat the names below as the ingredients in the answer: each is one distinct character or reference point that helps keep the count straight.

1 genetic source: Big Boss, also known earlier as Naked Snake. He provided the genetic material used for the cloning project; he is not one of his own clones.
1 Solid Snake: David, the operative most often meant when someone says Snake in the original Metal Gear Solid games.
1 Liquid Snake: Eli, Solid Snake’s genetic counterpart and the principal antagonist of Metal Gear Solid.
1 Solidus Snake: George Sears, a later clone who becomes central to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.
1 often-confused body double: Venom Snake, a different person made to resemble Big Boss, not a genetic clone.

The short count is three named clones. The extra two reference points—Big Boss and Venom Snake—are included because they commonly cause confusion when people count every character who uses the name Snake or looks like Big Boss.

Instructions

Choose what you mean by “Snake.” In this question, “Snake clones” means the named characters cloned from Big Boss in the Metal Gear storyline. It does not mean every playable character, every soldier using a Snake codename, or every character who resembles him. Setting that boundary first prevents the answer from changing just because the word Snake appears in several names.
Identify the original genetic source. Big Boss—known as Naked Snake earlier in the series—is the template for the Les Enfants Terribles cloning project. He is a separate individual, not a clone produced by that project. Count him as the source of the clones, not as one of them. “Naked Snake” and “Big Boss” are names used for the same person at different points in the story, not two characters to add to the tally.
Count Solid Snake once. Solid Snake, whose given name is David, is one of the project’s surviving, named results. He is the protagonist of Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid. Do not count appearances of Solid Snake in different games as separate clones: they are appearances of the same character at different points in his life.
Add Liquid Snake as a second individual. Liquid, whose given name is Eli, is Solid’s genetic counterpart and the central antagonist of Metal Gear Solid. The pair are often discussed together because their relationship and the project’s intended genetic outcomes drive much of that game’s plot. They are two distinct people, so Liquid adds one to the count rather than being another name for Solid.
Add Solidus Snake as the third. Solidus is another clone of Big Boss and a major character in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. His given name is George Sears, and he was also known as President George Sears. He is not simply an older version of Solid or Liquid. The series presents him as a separate clone with his own history, so he belongs in the total.
Check the commonly confused cases without adding them. Big Boss is the donor and original; Venom Snake is a medic transformed into a convincing double of Big Boss. Neither is one of the three named clones. Likewise, the nickname Old Snake refers to Solid Snake late in his life, not to a fourth clone. With those exclusions made, the count remains three.

This method gives the clearest answer for the main game continuity: three named Big Boss clones. Some discussions use “clone” more loosely to include body doubles or characters with Snake in their title, but that broader wording mixes different kinds of relationships. When precision matters, say “three named genetic clones: Solid, Liquid, and Solidus.”

Tips

Separate genetic identity from disguise. A character can look like Big Boss without sharing his DNA. Venom Snake’s resemblance comes from his role as a body double and the procedures and conditioning used to make him represent Big Boss. Calling him a clone blurs an important story distinction.
Keep names and people in separate columns. Big Boss and Naked Snake are two names for one person. Solid Snake and Old Snake are also one person. In contrast, Solid, Liquid, and Solidus are three separate characters. This simple name-versus-person check prevents accidental double counting.
Use the game context when discussing the number. Solid and Liquid are the central pair in Metal Gear Solid, so a conversation focused only on that game may mention two. The count across the broader main storyline rises to three when Solidus, introduced as a key figure in Metal Gear Solid 2, is included.
Be cautious with embryo or project totals. The project’s production history and the number of attempts are not the same as the number of named surviving characters. If a source gives a larger number for embryos or experimental subjects, it does not automatically mean there are that many playable, named Snake clones. State what is being counted.

Serving Suggestions

For a concise answer in a discussion, use: “There are three named clones of Big Boss—Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, and Solidus Snake.” If the conversation includes Venom Snake, add that he is a body double rather than a genetic clone. That one clarification usually resolves the disagreement without needing a full plot summary.

For a spoiler-light explanation, say that the series has three principal named clones and leave their later roles unexplained. If the listener has played the games, naming each character is more helpful than giving only the number, because the count is easy to confuse with Big Boss’s aliases and the separate Venom Snake storyline. If the question comes from a particular game, identify that game too: a discussion centered on the first Metal Gear Solid often focuses on Solid and Liquid, while the broader count includes Solidus.

Variations

Strict named-character count: This is the most useful everyday interpretation. Count Solid, Liquid, and Solidus, for a total of three. It focuses on distinct named characters who are clones of Big Boss, not on every stage or attempted outcome of the cloning program.

Metal Gear Solid-only conversation: If someone is asking specifically about the original Metal Gear Solid game, they may be asking about its two featured clone brothers, Solid and Liquid. That is a narrower game-specific count, not the total across the broader storyline. Mentioning the scope avoids making either answer sound contradictory.

Broad “Snake look-alikes” count: If the question includes people who impersonate Big Boss, it may also bring up Venom Snake. In that broader category there are additional Snake-related identities, but it is inaccurate to call all of them genetic clones. Label the category “clones and doubles” rather than reporting an inflated clone total.

Alias-based count: If you count names instead of people, the total becomes misleading. Naked Snake and Big Boss are aliases for one person, and Old Snake is a later name for Solid Snake. The series contains many codenames, but a codename is not a new person or a new clone.

Storage and Reheating

There is no dish to refrigerate or reheat here; this section is a practical way to keep the answer useful as the series’ names and timelines get mixed together. Save the core note as three names—Solid, Liquid, Solidus—and keep the exclusions beside it: Big Boss is the source, and Venom is the double. That compact note is easier to revisit than a long list of codenames without explanations.

If you return to the question after playing another game, refresh the distinction between a character’s identity and the name used in a particular era. Solid Snake does not become a new clone when he is called Old Snake, and Naked Snake does not become a clone when he is called Big Boss. For a spoiler-sensitive conversation, share just the count and ask whether the other person wants the character names before explaining the plot connections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there two Snake clones or three? There are three named Big Boss clones in the broader main storyline: Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, and Solidus Snake. Two is the count people often use when they are thinking only of Solid and Liquid, the central pair in the first Metal Gear Solid game.

Is Big Boss a clone? No. Big Boss, also called Naked Snake earlier in the story, is the genetic source used for the cloning project. He is the original person from whom the clones were made, not a clone created by that project.

Is Venom Snake one of the clones? No. Venom Snake is a medic who is made to serve as Big Boss’s double through physical transformation and conditioning. He is important to the Snake identity in the series, but he is not a genetic clone of Big Boss.

Is Solidus the same person as Solid Snake? No. Solidus and Solid are separate characters. Solidus is also known as George Sears and plays a major role in Metal Gear Solid 2. Similar names and their shared connection to Big Boss can make them easy to confuse, but they are not alternate names for one person.

Does Old Snake count as another clone? No. Old Snake is Solid Snake later in his life. The name reflects his age and circumstances in Metal Gear Solid 4; it does not refer to a newly created character or a fourth clone.

Why do some explanations give a different number? They may be counting only the two clones most prominent in Metal Gear Solid, or they may be mixing named clones with embryos, aliases, and body doubles. Ask what the count includes. For three distinct named clones across the broader storyline, the answer is Solid, Liquid, and Solidus.

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