Missionary

Template:Infobox SH monster

For the film incarnation, see Missionary (film).

“

He's the one who killed your father. I merely gave the order. —Claudia Wolf, pointing at the Missionary.

”

The Missionary is a major boss from Silent Hill 3.

He appears on the roof of Heather Mason's apartment, having murdered Harry Mason not long before in order to enrage her. After a brief and heated conversation, Claudia Wolf commands him to attack Heather.

The Order's church, seen near the end of the game, is home to a few similar beings called Scrapers. The Book of Lost Memories labels Scrapers as different entities, so they are not the same as the Missionary, making him unique.

Appearance

He is a tall, humanoid monster that seems to be able to comprehend orders. He wears a brown sack over his head and a noose around his neck. The beast wears a set of robes, much like a butcher's smock, and has bicep-length rubber gloves stained in blood.

On closer inspection of the boss, he has a human face with an expression of pain. The most notable features are his mouth and nose. This could explain why he is partially blind, since his eyes are not visible.

His weapons of choice are two tonfa-like objects with long blades jutting from the handle.

Character

Silent Hill 3 - Boss Missionary

Heather facing the Missionary.

The Missionary attacks with his tonfa-like bladed weapons. He often meanders about, seemingly aimlessly, until he springs an attack. He is fairly lithe and extremely quick-footed for a Silent Hill monster, increasing his overall deadliness. His reflexes are nearly super-human in quality, as he's able to deflect handgun bullets with his weapons with perfect timing; however, he's still vulnerable to melee and shotgun attacks, making these the best methods in which to take him down. Like many other monsters in the game, he is constantly twitching.

The Missionary blocks Heather's attacks if he is attacked from the front.

The easiest way to defeat the Missionary is by attacking him from behind or while dashing around; should Heather attack him from the front or while the abomination is running towards her, he will almost certainly lift his arms to shield himself from harm. Shooting the Missionary successfully and consecutively can prove challenging with his speed, so the player must be prepared to pursue the creature from a distance and also be poised to either dodge or block his frequent and very violent assaults.

The Missionary's main method of attack is slashing out with his elongated blades, this being one Heather can counter and avoid harm should she time her blocking move correctly. However, the boss can also make a running slash at her in which he will charge and then rake his blades to either of his sides through Heather, an attack which will not only knock her down, but immediately put her health at critical.

Symbolism

The Missionary is a member of the Order that has become monstrous due to Claudia's power. In Heather's eyes, the appearance he takes is that of a monster. The word "missionary" refers to a person sent on a religious mission to persuade and convert another person to their belief, which is precisely what Claudia is trying to do with Heather.

There is a running theme of maternity and femininity in Silent Hill 3 and its monsters due to the central conflict of the game centering on impregnation in the cult's attempts to force Heather to birth their god. The combination of the Missionary's title, his clothing, and his weapons may be seen as symbolism of abortion: "Missionary" here meaning one who is sent on a mission (in this case being a mission to kill, perhaps dually symbolic of being sent to kill Harry, and of a doctor sent to kill an unborn fetus); rubber gloves, a mask, and a smock being reminiscent of surgical attire; and the long, sharp weapons being exaggerated imagery of abortion tools.

Trivia

• The Missionary is the first monster in the series to canonically kill a protagonist.

• It speaks to Claudia's character that she abandons the Missionary to be killed by Heather on the rooftop; she likely doesn't intend for the Missionary to kill Heather, and knows Heather is more than angry enough to kill.

• The Missionary cannot see Heather if she turns off the flashlight and stands somewhere dark on the roof. The Missionary will charge Heather, then wander around aimlessly, as he needs light to see her. This may show that the Missionary is somewhat human, or even partially blind.

• Defeating the Missionary in under two minutes in the Silent Hill HD Collection unlocks the trophy/achievement "Eye for an Eye".

Gallery

Concept art of the Missionary/Scraper.

The Missionary drawn by Masahiro Ito.

The Missionary walking to Heather.

The Missionary holding his weapon.

Statue.[1]

Model.