Memes. Before the word meant a picture of a cat with a funny caption, Richard Dawkins used it to describe how ideas spread like viruses. In 2013, PlatinumGames and Kojima Productions took that academic concept and shoved it into the mouth of a purple, dual-wielding cyborg ninja who can literally pull himself apart. Metal Gear Rising Monsoon isn't just a boss fight; he’s a philosopher with a sai. He represents the moment Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance stops being a silly spin-off about cutting watermelons and starts being a terrifyingly accurate mirror of how the internet actually works.
Most people remember him for the difficulty spike. You're cruising through Denver, slicing up generic cyborgs, and then you hit the World Marshal lobby. Suddenly, you're facing a guy who turns into magnetic smoke every time you try to hit him. It’s frustrating. It’s chaotic. It is, quite honestly, the peak of the game's combat design because it forces you to stop button-mashing and actually learn how to parry.
The nihilism of the Stains of Time
Monsoon is a nihilist. Born in the killing fields of Cambodia, he saw the absolute worst of humanity before he could even shave. That trauma didn't make him a hero; it made him believe that nothing matters except the "memes" we pass on—our anger, our hatred, our culture of violence. When he starts his monologue about "the DNA of the soul," he isn't just rambling. He’s telling Raiden that his sense of justice is a lie.
He’s the only boss in the game who truly breaks Raiden. He gets under his skin by pointing out that Raiden enjoys the killing. This interaction triggers the "Jack the Ripper" transformation, which is a massive gameplay shift. It’s rare to see a boss fight where the primary weapon isn't a sword, but a psychological assault. Monsoon uses the red phosphorus grenades to blind you, then strikes from the mist, laughing. It's spooky. It feels more like a horror movie than a character action game for those first few minutes.
The music, "The Stains of Time," is arguably the best track on a soundtrack full of bangers. It’s fast. It’s frantic. It mirrors the rain falling in the boss arena and the relentless pace of his attacks. When that chorus kicks in while he’s throwing a literal tank at your head, the adrenaline is unmatched.
Why his magnetic powers are a mechanical nightmare
Let’s talk about the Lorentz Force. Monsoon’s body is composed of individual segments held together by magnetism. This is why you can’t just cut him. In a game where the selling point is "cut anything," fighting a guy who is already "pre-cut" is a brilliant subversion of player expectations.
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You swing. He splits. You miss.
To beat Metal Gear Rising Monsoon, you have to use the EMP grenades or perfectly timed parries to stun his magnetic field. If you don't have EMPs, you're in for a long night. Most players on their first run get stuck here because they haven't mastered the parry system. Monsoon is the teacher. He’s the mid-term exam that checks if you’ve actually been paying attention to the mechanics or if you’ve just been lucky.
He does this move where he joins his legs together into a massive wheel and tries to flatten you. Then he jumps onto a pillar and starts chucking APCs and helicopters. It's ridiculous. It's peak PlatinumGames. But beneath the spectacle, the fight is a rhythmic dance. You block, you strike, you wait for the opening in his magnetic shell.
The Cambodian connection and real-world trauma
Monsoon’s backstory is darker than Sundowner’s or Mistral’s. He mentions the Khmer Rouge. While the game is over-the-top, this grounding in real-world history gives his nihilism weight. He isn't a cartoon villain who wants to rule the world. He’s a man who saw the world at its most broken and decided that trying to fix it was a fool's errand.
He tells Raiden: "Feudalism, religion, fascism... every system is just a way to justify the killing."
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It’s a cynical worldview that resonates weirdly well in the 2020s. We see the "memes" he talks about every day on social media—ideas that spread through outrage and tribalism. Monsoon was ahead of his time. He’s a villain who wouldn't be out of place in a modern political thriller, despite the fact that he wears a tactical mask and has a glowing purple chest piece.
Surviving the fight: A tactical breakdown
If you're actually trying to beat this guy on Revengeance difficulty, stop jumping. Seriously. Jumping gets you killed. Monsoon’s aerial tracking is insane. You need to stay grounded and keep your finger on the light attack and forward directional input for that parry.
- Phase 1: He’s fast but predictable. Just parry the sai strikes.
- The Smoke Screen: Don't panic. Watch the red glint of his eyes. That’s your cue to parry. If you mess up, you lose half your health.
- The Magnetic Junk: When he starts throwing vehicles, enter Blade Mode. You don't just dodge them; you slice them into bits to find the repair nanopaste hidden inside.
- The Stun: Use your EMP grenades. It forces his head to separate from his body, allowing you to deal massive damage.
Honestly, the hardest part isn't the combat; it's the camera. Because Monsoon moves so fast, the lock-on system can sometimes lose its mind. You have to be proactive with the right stick. Keep him centered. If he goes off-screen, he’s probably about to hit you with a long-range kick.
What we get wrong about the Memes speech
People joke about the "memes" speech because the word has changed meaning. But Monsoon (and Kojima's writing team) was using the original definition. He’s talking about cultural inheritance. He’s arguing that Raiden isn't a person, but a collection of the violence he’s been taught.
It’s a deep conversation for a game where you play as a robot ninja.
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That’s why Monsoon sticks with people. He isn't just a hurdle; he’s a challenge to the player's morality. He’s asking: "Why are you even playing this game? Is it because you like the violence?"
By the time you finally land the finishing blow—slicing him into hundreds of tiny cubes in Blade Mode—you feel a sense of relief, but also a bit of the "Jack the Ripper" bloodlust he was talking about. He wins the argument even if he loses the fight.
Moving forward with your Revengeance run
If you've just finished off Monsoon, don't get cocky. The difficulty in Metal Gear Rising stays high, but you've just cleared the biggest skill check in the game. You now have his Dystopia sai, which is one of the most useful secondary weapons for stunning enemies from a distance.
Next Steps for Players:
- Upgrade the Dystopia: Use the BP you got from the fight to level up the sai's damage. It’s a literal life-saver in the later Denver streets.
- Practice the Parry: If you struggled with Monsoon, go to the VR Missions. You cannot beat the final boss, Armstrong, without the parry skills you learned here.
- Listen to the Codec: After the fight, call Kevin and Courtney. They provide a lot of context on the Khmer Rouge and Monsoon’s magnetic tech that isn't in the main cutscenes.
Monsoon is the soul of Metal Gear Rising. He’s weird, he’s fast, he’s loud, and he’s surprisingly smart. He’s the reason people are still talking about this game over a decade later.