Introduced in Metal Gear Solid, Ocelot is normally clothed in a duster, spurs, and gunbelts, the traditional garb of gunslingers in spaghetti westerns, as well as a black armband on his left arm, and wields the Colt Single Action Army revolver, which he refers to as "the greatest handgun ever made".

[3] While Kojima acknowledged fans finding the idea of Liquid's arm possessing Ocelot's mind ridiculous, he promised to answer the reason behind it in Metal Gear Solid 4.

[4] He challenges Solid Snake to a gunfight in the game's first boss-encounter,[5] but their fight ends with Ocelot losing his right hand from an encounter with the Cyborg Ninja.

During Snake's torture, Ocelot reveals he was originally from the former Soviet Union and a former member of Spetsnaz, secretly wishing for Liquid's and Big Boss's dream world as well.

He gains a new, surgically attached right-arm that originally belonged to Liquid, resulting in a dormant personality which takes over Ocelot's mind whenever Solid Snake is nearby.

[7] During the game's introductory Tanker Chapter, he is seemingly under Sergei Gurlukovich's employ, but ends up betraying his old friend when Ocelot hijacks Metal Gear RAY, framing Snake and Otacon for the deed.

[10] The young version of Ocelot, also known as ADAM (アダム, ADAMU), plays a minor (yet significant) role in the direct sequel Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.

Ocelot acts as the Diamond Dogs' interrogator, frequently clashing with Kazuhira Miller over matters involving Skull Face and the White Mamba.

Ocelot ultimately declares his support for Big Boss's covert war, foreshadowing his involvement in later Metal Gear Solid games.

Over the years, the character's motion capture has been performed by Taro Kazanawa, Kenichi Yoshida, Bill Yokoyama, Troy Baker, and Matthew Carlsen.

[30] UGO.com speculated that, because of being born from the medium The Sorrow, Ocelot could communicate with dead people which ended in Liquid Snake taking possession of his body.

[35] VentureBeat were bemused by Ocelot's portrayal in Metal Gear Solid V, writing how he was "calm and the voice of reason" instead of being an "eccentric, sadistic man".

They theorized, however, that Ocelot was merely being himself and showing his true allegiances with Big Boss, rather than working as a triple agent or being under self-hypnosis akin to his previous appearances.