Konami Reveals Voice Actress Behind Eva in Metal Gear Solid 3 After 20 Years, and It Is, in Fact, Ariel From The Little Mermaid

Konami has revealed the voice actress behind Metal Gear Solid character Eva after keeping it a secret for 20 years, and it is, in fact, Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

Part 3 of the Metal Gear Solid Legacy Series documentary, below, features series star David Hayter speaking with Jodi Benson, the voice of the aforementioned Ariel, Barbie from Toy Story, Thumbelina from Thumbelina, and, as it turns out, Eva from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

Eva, a spy who fought alongside protagonist Naked Snake in the third game and also appeared in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, was originally listed in the credits with voice actress Suzetta Miñet.

Fans quickly deduced this wasn’t a real name though, and even though those in entertainment often use pseudonyms, Miñet appeared not to be a real person at all. This set Metal Gear Solid fans on the hunt for the true voice actress, with many suspecting Benson, given the similar sound to Ariel, but the mystery has now, finally, been solved.

Benson explained why there was so much secrecy around her work on the military stealth action game. “The various projects that I am affiliated with in my career are sort of family-based, children-based,” she said. “It was actually Kris Zimmerman Salter, our director, she kind of sat down with me and she was like, ‘Maybe we need to change your name.'”

Fans can enjoy hearing Benson’s voice again in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (officially Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater), though whether or not she’ll be credited herself or as Miñet remains to be seen.

This remake is still listed as a 2024 release despite this growing increasingly (incredibly) unlikely given it’s now November. Whenever it does release, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.

Beyond a new first-person perspective, the game is otherwise shaping up to be an exact recreation of the original. “Metal Gear Solid Delta seems more like a very shiny HD remaster than the elegant remake it could have been,” IGN said in our preview. “It’s an admittedly beautiful nostalgia trip, but almost faithful to a fault.”

Photo by Frazer Harrison/WireImage.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.