A “real” heroIs a hero universal or is he subject to individual judgment? In general, heroes are subject to the whims of a society. Therefore, a hero is bent and altered from the mindsets of a culture. In extreme cases, a man who kills a murderer may be a hero in a culture, even though in a geographic area only a few miles away; he could be considered an equally bad person. Therefore, heroes vary from culture to culture and may be best defined by their cultural origins, or by an additional method of determining the hero called the hero's journey, a 12-part journey used by the majority of stories of heroes. Japan is a culture. it is very different from cultures described as Western. (Europe Americas, Australia) Since World War II, Japan has experienced rapid technological growth, borrowing from Western culture while remaining largely unique with its rich heritage. Japan's rapid industrialization was accompanied by a reliance on technology. Although they have a variety of interesting literature, in their history, during the late 20th century and early 21st century, Japanese culture primarily revolved around technology. Visual novels were certainly popular, but electronic media was the primitive form of storytelling. The inevitable consequence of this was that the "hero" of Japanese culture was better represented in technology, such as video games. One such game, which reflects both the hero's journey and Japanese cultural beliefs, is the third installment in the Metal Gear Solid series, written and directed by Hideo Kojima. Although the "hero" of the game is an American spy during the Cold War, he holds a wealth of Japanese culture in the hero's journey - which is...... middle of paper...... eh , the hero experiences a sort of resurrection. In this phase he reflects on past events and how they have changed him. Snake enacts this as he, in a final moment, confronts his former mentor and overcomes her, symbolizing the completion of his goal and the end of his development. Finally, at the end of it all, the hero returns with what he was looking for, giving meaning to the journey. Snake implements this upon his return. Whereupon he is nicely decorated and given the position of mentor. Thus, Snake fulfills the cultural requirements as well as the hero's journey model. As such, he can safely be considered a "hero" in a critical light. The Metal Gear Solid series is a masterpiece directed by Hideo Kojima and produced by Konami. It's a perfectly written story that will keep viewers in suspense from start to finish...