On October 26, Hideo Kojima stated that "Kanał," directed by Andrzej Wajda, is one of his favorite films and claimed it had a significant influence on Metal Gear. However, he did not elaborate on which specific elements of the game were inspired by it.
Released in 1956, "Kanał" (Sewer) tells the story of Warsaw Uprising participants who enter the city's sewers to evade German forces, facing exhaustion, fear, and deepening despair within the underground labyrinth. The film was directed by Andrzej Wajda, with a screenplay based on the story by Jerzy Stefan Stawiński.
Some analyses suggest that "Kanał"'s portrayal of individual fate and tragedy in war thematically resonates with Metal Gear's focus on the cost of violence and the consequences of decisions beyond the battlefield. However, this connection remains analytical and has not been explicitly confirmed by Hideo Kojima regarding specific creative elements.
This statement adds to the cinematic influences on Metal Gear: Hideo Kojima's film experience includes not only Hollywood action movies but also European classics dealing with the tragedies of war. Since he has not identified corresponding shots, narrative techniques, or themes, no specific scene in the series can currently be directly attributed as an adaptation of "Kanał."