Hideo Kojima finally explains why he hasn’t used more Japanese actors in his games, and how new tech helped change that in Death Stranding 2.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach officially launched earlier this week, and fans are already deep into its wild, emotional, and often surreal journey. As with the first game, this sequel features a star-studded cast from Hollywood: Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux, Elle Fanning, Troy Baker, and more.
The level of talent Kojima Productions brings in is massive. But with so many international stars returning, many have once again asked a familiar question: why aren’t there more Japanese actors in Kojima’s games?
Kojima Opens Up About Technical and Casting Challenges
In a new interview by IGN Japan, Hideo Kojima gave the most detailed answer yet. When asked about casting Japanese actress Shioli Kutsuna in Death Stranding 2, he used the moment to talk openly about the technical and language barriers that have made it hard to include more Japanese talent in his work.
To start, Kojima explained that recreating Asian faces in CG, especially women and younger actors, has been a huge challenge over the years. According to him, their skin tends to be “so smooth and beautiful that it ends up looking too artificial” when scanned and rendered in 3D models. The result? Characters that just don’t look quite right.
“It’s really hard to recreate Asian faces accurately in CG, Kojima said. “Especially women and younger people, their skin is so smooth and beautiful that it ends up looking too artificial. This isn’t just limited to Japanese people; many Asians have incredibly fine and delicate skin, so when it’s rendered in CG, it tends to look fake.
“On the other hand, older people or those with freckles scan with more detail. I’ve tried using Japanese actors before, but they never quite looked right… That said, this time we used new technology, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. Of course, I still want to improve even more next time.” (machine-translated)
There’s also the challenge of working from a studio in Los Angeles, where actors record together. That means everyone on set needs to be fluent in English to keep the process smooth.
“I really do want to include Japanese actors. But we record with other actors at a studio in Los Angeles, so if someone doesn’t speak native-level English, it’s kind of tricky.
“I searched really hard for someone who speaks both English and Japanese, and that’s how I ended up working with Kutsuna. She grew up in Australia and speaks great English. And when I met her, she was amazing.”
In Death Stranding 2, Kutsuna plays Rainy, a key new character who’s already becoming a fan favorite. She’s not the only new face either. Kojima also brought in Italian actor Luca Marinelli, who plays a character that fans say looks a lot like Solid Snake, something even Marinelli thought at first, until Kojima famously told him, “You’re not Snake. You just have a bandana on your head.”
Other returning names include Norman Reedus as Sam, Léa Seydoux as Fragile, and Troy Baker as Higgs. The cast is packed, but it’s clear Kojima is now more open than ever to working with Japanese actors, especially now that the tech is catching up.
So, what do you think? Do you want to see more Japanese talent in Kojima’s future games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
