| C4 | |
|---|---|
 Snake setting a C4. | |
| User | Snake |
| Universe | Metal Gear |
C4 (C4爆弾 C4 Bomb) is Snake's down special move. When used, Snake bends down a plants a C4 on the ground where he's standing. By using the move a second time, he takes out a remote with a flourish and exclaims "Now!" as he presses the button, detonating the explosive, which does 17% damage and can KO at medium-high percentages. The detonation can be cancelled if Snake is attacked before he presses the button.
Should Snake be close to and facing a wall, using the C4 will stick it to the wall instead of the ground. If used in midair, Snake will drop the C4 with a less obvious animation, which falls straight down and lands on the ground below. Should he lose his Cypher to the grab release glitch, Snake can fastfall to catch up to the dropping C4 and bomb jump to regain his recovery. If Snake is standing near an opponent, he can attach the C4 directly to them. The C4 then acts as a Gooey Bomb, able to transfer between players should they pass by each other; the small dark green box is much harder to see than an active Gooey Bomb, so Snake must be careful it has not migrated back to himself before he blows it up. C4 stuck on characters will fall off after 15 seconds and can also fall off if the character takes a strong blow.
If Snake chooses not to detonate the C4, it will explode automatically after 26 2/3 seconds. The C4 also does not explode automatically when Snake is KO'd (unlike his down smash mine), which combined with the auto-detonation can allow Snake to KO opponents even when he has no stock remaining.
There is a 1-in-6 chance that Snake will plant a butterfly-shaped C3 explosive instead of the regular brick-shaped C4. This is an easter egg and does not change the attack in any way.
Origin
Composition C-4 is one of the most common forms of plastic explosive (aka plastique) in the world. Like all plastic explosives, the C4 has the consistency of clay, allowing it to be molded into any shape and is incapable of being detonated by anything other than the detonator itself, making it safer. Unlike other plastic explosives, such as the C3, a C4 retains its clay-like consistency in all conditions. These properties have led to it being used worldwide, particularly in the US Army. The C4 is a recurring item in the Metal Gear series, and it is always required to progress through the game, particularly as the item required to destroy the TX-55 Metal Gear in the first game.
The C3 butterfly is from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. In one cutscene, Naked Snake (Big Boss) models a C3 pack into a butterfly, throws it into in the air, catches it, and exclaims "Gotcha this time!" before slamming it against one of the Shagohod's liquid fuel tanks, which in itself is a reference to an earlier event in which Snake is unable to grab an actual butterfly out of the air due to a lack of depth perception after losing his right eye.
Gallery
C4 can be planted on an opponent.
C4 being detonated.
C4 being planted on a wall.
