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Fictional character in the videogame and novel series "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell"

Samuel Leo Fisher is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series of video games developed by Ubisoft as well as a series of tie in novels. He was created by the writer JT Petty and designed by artist Martin Caya. Fisher was originally voiced by veteran actor Michael Ironside in the first five installments of the series. In 2013, Eric Johnson provided the voice and motion capture for the character in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Ironside later returned to the role in 2018, participating in a crossover downloadable content for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands and again in 2020 for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. He was also added as a playable character in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, voiced by Jeff Teravainen, and as a supporting character in Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, voiced by Nigel Barber.

Sam Fisher was created for the video game Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. He initially worked for the National Security Agency in the organization's "Third Echelon" program. His design was created by lead character artist Martin Caya. Initially, Caya professed that he was trying to come up with a design that would "look cool," examining military magazines, comics, and movies to be inspired. During a sketching session, Caya came up with the idea of a "dark silhouette hiding in the shadows, and the only thing visible would be the reflection of some lights bouncing off the lenses of some night vision goggles." This became the "visual foundation" for Sam Fisher. He noted that, while it was unrealistic for a stealth game, it looked "fucking cool." He was voiced by Michael Ironside in Splinter Cell as well as multiple other games in the Splinter Cell series. Fabien Noel, a member of the sound team, was responsible for directing Ironside's performance. Noel noted that Ironside became more invested in the character as time went on, becoming attached to him.

An alternate version of Sam Fisher appears in the 2023 animated series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix. This version of Fisher is depicted as an amputee who lost his legs in battle. Following the rise of the Eden megacorporation and its takeover of the United States, he becomes a revolutionary fighting against their control, while his daughter Sarah willingly joins Eden, becoming the warden of its Supermaxx prison.

Sam Fisher has been generally well received since his appearance in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, being hailed as one of the biggest characters on Xbox and one of the console's synonyms in 2002, with praise going to the characterization used by Microsoft Game Studios and Ubisoft. In 2008, PC Zone staff felt that Fisher started as an iconic character, but the "genuine lack of imagination" let him down. Although Fisher ultimately did not make the cut, Game Informer staff considered his inclusion in their "30 characters that defined a decade" collection, with writer Bryan Vore stating that while he may seem like "a poor man's Solid Snake," his "quiet and deadly efficiency, gruff yet sarcastic demeanor, and the willingness to disobey orders he doesn't believe in" set him apart. Fellow Game Informer writer Nolan Good felt that Michael Ironside's portrayal of Sam Fisher was as iconic as Fisher himself, stating that Ironside's performance was enhanced by Fisher's "quintessential design." Writer Scott Beattie discussed how Fisher's actions were essentially terrorism, that if he did what he did while working for Al Qaeda, it would be indistinguishable. While discussing Fisher's mindset, that regular guards are not his enemy, Beattie invoked writer Kurt Vonnegut's view on the "expendability of bit characters in American literature," talking about how players are given ethical dilemmas while controlling Fisher.