Hideo Kojima Initially Had Other Ideas For Death Stranding 2’s Peculiar Mannequin Charlie, Including Making Them An Invisible Man, Glowing Silhouette, Or 'A 2D Anime-Style Figure'

The Origins of Charlie (or Potentially “Not-Charlie”)

Before we got the uncanny, mechanical mannequin we now know as Charlie in Death Stranding 2, Kojima was juggling some truly ambitious (and occasionally ridiculous) concepts. To maintain Charlie’s enigmatic nature, Kojima mulled over multiple forms that could hide the character’s true identity. The goal? Keep players guessing while letting Charlie act as this oddly captivating conduit of communication.

Initially, Kojima thought about an invisible man approach. You know, because what’s better than having conversations with someone literally not there? Then there was the glowing silhouette idea. Sure, it screams “sci-fi voyeur,” but hey, it fits the apocalyptic, high-tech vibes of Death Stranding. And then, in a move that was both surprising and very Kojima, he considered turning Charlie into a flat, 2D anime-style character. Yep, in a game full of photorealistic drama, Charlie might’ve looked like they wandered straight out of Dragon Ball Z.

Why These Ideas Didn’t Make the Cut

Kojima eventually scrapped the ideas because, shocker, blending these forms with the ultra-realistic world of Death Stranding 2 was a bit of a nightmare. Kojima himself admitted that while the anime approach worked for certain cameos (looking at you, Pekora), it created issues when juxtaposed with the game’s 3D characters.

It’s one thing for Kojima to throw curveballs that immerse you in existential dread or tug at your heartstrings. It’s another to have players pause mid-cutscene to wonder if a Tokyo Ghoul character got lost on the way to Shibuya Crossing.

Still, the decision to settle on the mannequin wasn’t just about aesthetics. Kojima said he wanted Charlie to have emotional depth, despite being inorganic. That led to one of the game’s most bizarrely human touches: the inclusion of manpu symbols (a staple of manga), like sweat drops or stress marks, to add emotional context. Because when in doubt, why not slap a giant metaphorical sweat bead onto your emotionally charged mannequin character, right?

Why Charlie Works (and Is Peak Kojima)

The mannequin became a sort of proxy for identity and emotion in Death Stranding 2. Mechanically awkward and eerily detached, the form perfectly complements the cryptic persona of Charlie. The whole “synthetic voice of a former ally” thing? Equal parts unsettling and genius. It’s the kind of weird you can’t look away from, like speed-walking past a street performer only to stop and gawk two seconds later.

Charlie transforms what could’ve been just another NPC into a conversation piece, adding layers to Death Stranding 2’s already stuffed narrative. And yes, once you get the big reveal of who Charlie truly is, everything retroactively makes even more sense. That’s the Kojima way, after all.

What This Says About Kojima’s Process

Honestly, we shouldn’t be surprised. Kojima thrives on this kind of creative chaos. He’s the type of director who will overthink even the tiniest detail until it becomes a core narrative moment. Take every bizarre creative decision in the Metal Gear series, throw it into a blender with sci-fi philosophy, and you still couldn’t predict what Kojima will come up with next.

But that’s why Kojima stays relevant. Not every idea makes it into his games, but every idea informs the creative process. Even the concepts that get axed (like invisible men or glowing Charlie) serve as stepping stones to something uniquely Kojima-esque.

Final Thoughts

Charlie’s mannequin form in Death Stranding 2 may have seemed like an odd choice at first (I mean, seriously, that initial reveal was pure uncanny valley), but with Kojima steering the ship, every detail serves a purpose. Whether it’s leveraging manga-inspired symbols or obsessing over visual cohesion, Charlie turned into something more than just a mysterious game mechanic. Charlie became a testament to Kojima’s ability to take even the strangest ideas and make them, against all odds, emotionally resonant.

Oh, and for the record, while the glowing silhouette might’ve been cool, I think we all dodged a bullet with “2D Anime Charlie.” Can you even imagine Norman Reedus side-eying a flat Pokémon wannabe? Kojima, we love you, but sometimes, less is more.

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