Sam Fisher

Samuel "Sam" Fisher is the main protagonist of the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell franchise.

A highly decorated Navy SEAL and CIA paramilitary ops/clandestine officer, Fisher was once a member of Third Echelon, a top-secret initiative within the National Security Agency (NSA), where he successfully carried out black bag operations as the very first field operative of the initiative's "Splinter Cell" program.

In Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Fisher became the commander of a covert unit called Fourth Echelon after he briefly carried out missions for Paladin Nine Security, a PMC headed by his old friend Victor Coste.

Personality
Fisher is a man that prefers to be alone, whether it is in the field or in his personal life. He doesn't have a lot of close friends except former Director Lambert, Frances Coen and William Redding, and enjoys the company of a few selected ones including his daughter, some old friends from his SEAL days (Vic "Husky" Coste, his former C.O. Arthur Partridge and ex-Marine Doug Shetland, the Displace CEO who Sam had killed on the rooftop of a bathhouse in Tokyo) and Grim from whom he has learned a great deal when it comes to technology and others. Thus this makes him an individualist; a self-dependent human being, a loner.

As a reserved man, Sam doesn't talk as much but he tends to be good and somewhat philosophical with the use of words when doing so, depicting the long years of experience through the things he says and in times the dark sense of humor he's known for. That doesn't mean that he has lost that certain childish and even innocent sense of humor to the point where it could be confused with his sarcasm. Sam tends to rely on the usual 'smart' comment when remembered of things that seem too obvious for him or when treated like either too old, or too young, although the sole mention of him being 'old' bothers him a lot. Few are the ones that manage to get away with those jokes towards him and bring a smile to his face.

Although the suave, sophisticated style isn't his, Fisher tends to be somewhat flirty with nearly every woman he sees, but he's able to hold himself back and knows his limits, always being respectful. Even if he is flirty, he fears relationships because of the many failed ones that usually ended with the other one dying or suffering. Call him selfish, and perhaps he is, but he is certainly afraid of being hurt again knowing that it will be extremely difficult for him to consciously hurt someone he would be so attached to - something that he learned the hard way through life - and knowing that if hurt, his wounds don't heal as fast. However, he grows attached really fast to the people he cares for and would go as far as to kill and/or die for them. Sam loves a good challenge, any kind of challenge whether it is risking his life as usual or trying to convince a lady for a date, or having a date that is a challenge for him whether in an intellectual point of view or even physical point of view. Sam usually takes a methodical approach to things - planning them first and acting on them later. However, sometimes his tactics make his strategy turn riskier than he planned. This had earned him a few injuries, but injuries that he rarely regrets. He's a street-smart man that relies a lot on 'experience over books'. However, even if he doesn't give the impression of being very smart, he is, and even if he might not look the part, Fisher is indeed a 'bookworm.' In fact, Sam is a man that learns and adapts quickly to either a technological advance or a change in world politics. An example of this is the highly advanced equipment he easily uses for the job that requires it. However, even if all this equipment could help him a lot, he tries not to rely too much on the technology in order to keep himself self-dependent.

Even if Fisher seems like a man of a calmed and collected manner most of the time, some people have been able to know him by his anger. It's good to point out, that is rare to see Sam losing his determination or focus because of emotional distress but it's not something that hasn't been seen. When in extreme anger against his enemies, he's able to stay determined and focused on his goal although it's certain that his enemies do suffer the consequences. Sam tends to be a character with a certain burst of depression whether it is because of something that is currently happening, or because of the painful things that he had been gone through in his life or both. He 'stacks' every painful memory, so to speak, and most resorts on the self-destruct mechanism of blaming himself for the negative effect of something even when it wasn't his fault. It's true that only hard enough situations are the ones that usually work like the trigger of said mechanism. Fisher keeps himself away from alcohol of any sort when he can. This is mostly because of how alcohol plays a dangerous part when in deep depression, clouding his mind.

Fisher is quickly angered by the casual slaughter of civilians or unarmed military personnel by his enemies. Also, liars, cowards, and arrogant people tend to cut his patience short as well as people who overuse their power such as bureaucrats which were the main reason for him to leave the CIA. Sam approaches his enemies in a ruthless and no-nonsense manner and usually keeps a light conversation with his temporal hostages. He doesn't have too much patience when it comes to interrogating and resorts on his dark sense of humor and threats that are everything but idle. Do mind, he's not a sadistic man, but will do anything he needs to do to get the job done.

Fisher is a man that believes in respect, dignity, and compassion towards even the most unlikely individuals as proven during the first three years of his NSA/3E career, in which he had gone to the point of disobeying direct orders because of what he believes is right. Loyalty seems to be another one of his strong points to the point in which he has sacrificed himself various times despite the knowledge of a possible betrayal by the person/agency that he holds in high regards. Call him determined or stubborn, Sam is more than just a focused soldier and a patriot. He is a man that is driven by the roots of his moral fiber in doing what he believes is right. This pushes him through even the toughest circumstances like the death of loved ones.

Athletic Skills
Sam Fisher is extremely agile and athletic. He is capable of many different climbing and scaling abilities, such as step-jumping to climb raised walls, performing the infamous "Split Jump,", a split leg maneuver, to keep himself supported for a long period of time, as well as being able to hold on tightly to ceiling pipes or even the undercarriage of a moving train. He is also strong enough to lift the body of a full grown man onto his back and carry it around and can run somewhat faster than the average soldier.

Fisher uses unorthodox climbing techniques (e.g. split jumps, half split jumps, difficult techniques to climb pipes, and so on). In the novel version of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Fisher's acrobatic maneuvers extend to using not only walls but also furniture and even human beings to push off from in order to escape. Strictly speaking, these are not unarmed combat techniques – they might almost be some form of the French gymnastic art of Parkour. He also utilizes some aspects of parkour while surmounting obstacles, albeit in a slightly slower and stealthier way.

Stealth Tactics
As the nature of Fisher's job relies on stealth and non-detection, he is highly adept at blending into shadows and moving silently. With an expertise in fieldcraft, he is able to sneak up on most opponents undetected and quickly subdue them using either lethal or non-lethal means. During the Third Echelon Conspiracy, Fisher relied on improvised techniques on top of the training he received during his time with Third Echelon. Biometrics data indicated that he's actually better at identifying targets while operating from concealment, which makes him a very dangerous threat to his opponents in dark environments.

Fisher is also skilled in marking and executing multiple targets simultaneously. His standard M.O. starts with a hand-to-hand take-down, after which he picks his targets and positions himself to eliminate them. He's also been known to mark explosives and environment-based traps this way. (In Blacklist, Sam is able to move while executing his targets and also will automatically take-down an enemy in close proximity during the execution in a new gameplay feature known as "Killing In Motion" -an upgraded version of M&E, used to help Sam get through tough situation quick and easy then did in Conviction, in which Sam was only able to tag foes and execute them from a stationary position.)

Even if the enemy thinks he's not targeting them directly, they may still be in the line of fire. Fisher can vanish, flank his enemies and leave them shooting at the spot where they thought he was, right up until the moment he eliminates them. Although enemies are aware of his actual position, Fisher always catches them off guard by making them rely on his last known, which gets them killed.

Close Combat
Sam Fisher is a seasoned combat veteran of exceptional skills. He is well-versed in the arts of warfare in close combat, particularly hand-to-hand combat. His style of choice being mainly Krav Maga, a combination of different forms of martial arts. He also utilizes several different unarmed combat disciplines (see below). He is an exceptional knife fighter who carries up to 3 or 4 different types of edged weapons, preferring the combat knife he inherited and learned to fight with-in the Navy SEALs: the Fairbairn Sykes commando dagger, as well as an expert with a karambit, which he learned to fight with while "training abroad."

Fisher's knowledge in Krav Maga in the novels is extensive, however, in the video games, it was not until Conviction that it was demonstrated.

The games prior to Conviction depicted Sam's hand-to-hand combat skills in a limited capacity. In the original Splinter Cell game, the only techniques demonstrated were elbow strikes to the face or head. In Pandora Tomorrow, more techniques were shown but still very limited. In Chaos Theory, Fisher knocked out enemies with a palm strike to the nose, punch to the neck or a knee in the head. Chaos Theory and Double Agent also demonstrated Sam's ability to kill enemies by breaking their back with his knee while restraining them in a stranglehold.

The fact that Sam Fisher uses Krav Maga was originally introduced in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (novel). He not only uses Krav Maga for unarmed combat but for split-second decisions as well. Meaning "Contact Combat," KM is a form of self-defense and physical training, first developed by the Israeli army in the 1940s, based on the use of reflexive responses to threatening situations. Israeli military personnel, especially its Special Forces, use them as a way of defense and offense. He has reached the advanced level of 3B under the tutelage of his instructor, Katia Loenstern[23] who later became his girlfriend but was later accidentally killed.[24]. This system is widely used by special operators, police, and similar personnel. It also bears mentioning that he had an excellent working relationship with Israeli security services, and he seemed intimately familiar with Israeli weapons (including brand new ones).

In Conviction, Sam's proficiency at Krav Maga is showcased for the first time with a large array of techniques including the use of punches and strikes to kill enemies, the ability to disarm enemies before taking them hostage in a stranglehold and incorporating attacks with firearms.

In Blacklist, Sam employs an even larger array of Krav Maga techniques and shows proficiency in more unconventional means of hand-to-hand combat like Russian Systema, Filipino Kali, and Jujitsu.

Handedness
Although Fisher is right-handed, as exclusively shown in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Pandora Tomorrow, he is ambidextrous (as shown in Chaos Theory, Double Agent. and Conviction) which allowed him to switch which hand he fired his weapon with in order to maintain cover without any apparent loss of accuracy. It is unknown whether he acquired and perfected this talent in the time between Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory or he always had this ability (without it being included) in the mechanics of the first two games.

Weaponry

 * SC-20K M.A.W.S. Assault Rifle (FN F2000 5.56x45mm Assault Rifle) with a suppressor. (SC through SC: Double Agent)
 * SC Pistol 5.7mm (FN Five-seveN Tactical model) with a suppressor. (SC through SC: Double Agent)
 * Five-Seven FDE 5.7mm (FN Five-seveN USG model) with Flat Dark Earth color scheme and a modified compensator. (SC: Conviction through Ongoing)
 * SC Protector Combat Knife (Gerber Guardian Double Edge Knife). (SC: Chaos Theory & SC: Double Agent)
 * "Panther's Claw" Karambit (Combat Karambit Knife). (SC: Blacklist)

Trivia

 * Splinter Cell lead character artist Martin Caya established in early interviews for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cellthat during his career Fisher had served in Afghanistan (during the Soviet invasion), where he had an experience in which he was forced to hide under dead bodies in order to avoid being killed.
 * The end of the training mission in the Xbox/PC version of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, the first game of the series, established that Sam saw action in Kuwait while serving in the Gulf War (1990–1991) when Lambert tells him "I hope you don't mind I told him [Vernon Wilkes, Jr.] some of your stories from Kuwait." Wilkes makes a comment stating "I've heard crazy things about your work".
 * Splinter Cell: Essentials altered earlier details stating how long he had been working with the NSA and was one of the "first agents recruited into Third Echelon in the 1990's."[3]. Sam's Splinter Cell training was moved back to the 1990s and he had apparently met Grímsdóttir earlier. It shows in one such mission in 1999 where he was involved in the NATO bombings in Yugoslavia. However, dialogue between Sam and Lambert implies that Sam has been retired since the mid 90's. Ubisoft has not given an explanation for the anachronisms. Essentials may be following the history established in the novels which also places the founding of Third Echelon, Sam Fisher's membership, and his meeting with Grímsdóttir meeting several years before 2003.
 * An intermission cutscene in Conviction shows that Sam is still haunted by his decision to kill Lambert in Double Agent when he is in an elevator while at Third Echelon.
 * A picture of Sam during his Navy SEAL days shows posing with a FAMAS, a French assault rifle. This is odd, considering that the FAMAS is not a service weapon with the Navy SEALs (nor any other branch of the U.S. military). In the game, during the Gulf War flashback level, Sam is armed with the H&K MP5D-N sub-machine gun, at the time was the Navy SEALs' weapon of choice.
 * In Version 2 of Double Agent, Sam has a tattoo (i.e. Navy SEAL Trident a.k.a. Special Warfare Badge) on his right bicep.
 * His signature weapon is considered to be the Five-seveN, as he has used it in every Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell game and Victor Coste refers to it as, "[Sam's] favorite pistol."
 * Sam Fisher will be portrayed in an upcoming film by famed actor Tom Hardy, who has appeared in several hit films such as The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Black Hawk Down, Lawless, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Warrior.
 * About five minutes into the end credits of  Splinter Cell: Conviction, Victor Coste can be heard telling the story about the time a man tried to sell Sam an elephant and Sam told the man he already had one. This joke is mentioned during the end credits of Splinter Cell: Blacklist.
 * While walking towards Kobin's Mansion in Conviction, a civilian can be seen sitting and reading a newspaper with Sam's mugshot from Splinter Cell: Double Agent on it.
 * In Splinter Cell: Fallout it is said that Sam and Lambert served together in the U.S. Special Forces (Green Berets) and later in Delta Force. This doesn't make sense considering that there is no mention nor visual evidence that they were both actually part of the unit. It is most likely that Sam (a Navy SEAL) and Lambert were part of JSOC.
 * In the cutscene for the "Lighthouse" mission in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, while aboard the USS Walsh, Arthur Partridge asks Sam Fisher "when was the last time he saw him" to which Sam replies by saying "I'm afraid I have no recollection of that, Senator," which is a reference to a line said in Clear and Present Danger.
 * In the book Splinter Cell Blacklist Aftermath, that takes place after the events from the game, Sam Fisher uses a SIG P226 Mk.25 (the pistol used by Navy SEALs) in addition to his FN Five-seveN.
 * In the book Splinter Cell (chap. 5 p. 47), Sam Fisher owns a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 with 265hp and the V8 engine.
 * As of 2019, Fisher is around 59-62 years old around the LA Cruz mission.