The central romance subplot involves Meryl Silverburgh, a female soldier and Colonel Campbell's niece (later revealed as his daughter), who serves as Snake's heterosexual love interest; players can achieve a canon ending where they escape together after resisting torture. Supporting characters include female operatives like Mei Ling and Naomi Hunter, plus antagonists such as Sniper Wolf, all integrated organically into the military conspiracy plot without foregrounding identity or systemic oppression narratives. The game's core themes of genetics, anti-war critique, betrayal, and the military-industrial complex unfold through straightforward action-espionage storytelling that avoids activist framing or identity politics.

Solid Snake remains the unchanging lead throughout, and the heterosexual dynamic with Meryl drives key emotional beats without any gender-swapped casting or forced diversity elements. This traditional approach keeps the focus on narrative tension and gameplay rather than contemporary social messaging, resulting in minimal progressive content overall.