Hugging Elite

The nicknamed Hugging Elite can be seen in a special/non-canon cutscene at the end of Halo: Combat Evolved by beating The Maw on Legendary difficulty.

A Stealth Elite is seen wrestling with Sergeant Johnson over an MA5B Assault Rifle. They cease their fight when they hear and notice the nearby Pillar of Autumn beginning to explode. Johnson then spreads his arms, saying, "Oh shi...This is it, baby. Hold me." Before the nuclear explosion envelops them, the Elite obliges Johnson by hugging him and additionally feeling his bottom.

However, players who don't wish to beat The Maw on Legendary, can see a cutscene of the cinematic on the Halo 2 Conversations from the Universe disc or even view it in its entirety on a video upload site such as YouTube.

The cutscene, while only viewable on the legendary difficulty setting, it is not considered canon in the Halo universe. It was made specifically for fan-based humor. This is backed up in the novel Halo: First Strike that "is" official canon, which shows that Johnson and a few other survivors, making it onto the Pelican just in time to escape the explosion, which throws the existence of this specific Elite in to doubt. It could, however, be simply a case of another Sergent Johnson, as some levels have more than one. According to Bungie members on commentary of the Halo: Combat Evolved cut scene, the original idea for the cutscene on Legendary, didn't involve the Hugging Elite at all. In fact, Johnson was supposed to be onboard the Longsword fighter, hidden away, until the Master Chief found him a few seconds later. It is assumed this was not added as it would demean the character. It is also unknown how the Hugging Elite lost its weapon.