The director of Death Stranding 2, Hideo Kojima, has explained that he has experienced some technical difficulties including Asian actors in his games, due to it being difficult to realistically reproduce their likenesses in CG. Death Stranding 2 has incredible visuals with extremely realistic-looking character models, and while there are some Asian characters, it seems including more Asian actors at this level of visual quality would have been difficult.
While there are comparatively fewer Asian characters in Hideo Kojima's latest games, one notable new addition to the cast, Rainy, did appear. Her inclusion and the work with the actress who portrayed her was something that Kojima discussed during his interview.
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PostsIn a talk with IGN Japan, Kojima expressed that while he wants to include more Japanese actors, in general, recreating Asian faces in CG has been a difficult task. Kojima says that Asian faces, especially those of women and young people, tend to look unrealistic when scanned and converted into 3D models because "...Asians, and not just Japanese people, are known for their beautiful, smooth skin," which looks fake when rendered in CG. However, the technology excels with minor imperfections on the skin, so using older actors in Death Stranding 2 and people with facial features like freckles look excellent when scanned in. Some characters based on real people of Asian descent who did make it into the game include Ma Dong-seok as Samson Hook, Lauren Tsai as The Artist, Mamoru Oshii as The Pizza Chef, and Gen Hoshino as The Musician.
CloseDeath Stranding's Rainy Actress Got the Role For Several Reasons
While fewer Asian characters are in the Death Stranding series, one new performer joining the franchise is a Japanese actress named Shioli Kutsuna who played Rainy in Death Stranding 2. Kojima says that this time they used a new type of technology for scanning actors, and that it worked well, though he wants to improve upon it even further. Kutsuna not only got the role for her acting ability, but because of her ability to speak both native-level English and Japanese. As the games are shot in a studio in Los Angeles, Kojima says it would be difficult to work with someone who doesn't speak English fluently. Kojima liked her upon meeting in person, and decided to cast her in the role.
Interestingly, as computer graphics have progressed and improved, a certain level of fine detail in textures has come to be expected. The visuals of Death Stranding 2 are so refined that one can even see pores on the face of Sam Bridges. Minor cosmetic details like these have been included on realistic-looking characters in other games, as well. A notable example is Aloy of the Horizon series, who has minute facial details like reddish freckles and even peach fuzz. While many players are still eagerly exploring Death Stranding 2, it will be interesting to see how Kojima's next game tackles these graphical concerns.
