This year’s Tokyo Game Show gave Hideo Kojima a special stage for his highly anticipated Death Stranding 2. Norman Reedus returns alongside a cast of new and old characters, making this post-apocalyptic world… feel like Hollywood.
Here are the confirmed characters returning, as well as fresh faces into the world of Kojima-san.
SAM PORTER BRIDGES
Played by Norman Reedus, it’s hard to imagine the world of Death Stranding without the Porter himself. Sam returns to this reformed world, seemingly connected after the first game's events.
After the disaster at Edge Knot City and everything involving Cliff Unger, Sam's eyes are on the future alongside his newfound group of friends. This time around, Death Stranding 2 will take him to places outside North America, completely outside of their Chiral network.
FRAGILE
Played by Lea Seydoux, Fragile has stepped up and gained new confidence for her post-apocalyptic delivery express. Now transformed into a massive conglomerate known as Drawbridge, she oversees the innings and outings of our journey as we travel from one place to another.
Inside the DHV, Magellan, Fragile, and the others reconnect to a broken world after the mysterious Death Stranding event. Using the metallic hulk, they can traverse great distances and bypass dangerous tar. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will focus primarily on this new quest across strange new lands.
HEARTMAN
Portrayed by Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn, Heartman’s return was expected, given his expertise on the Beach. His special heart condition is a convenient plot device for him to traverse between worlds. Time and time again, he continues to search for his missing family, but to no avail.
Heartman continues to help the team uncover the mystery behind the Beach. We can see him back in his cozy cabin filled with heart-shaped items.
TOMORROW
Played by Elle Fanning, Tomorrow is the first brand-new character introduced in Death Stranding 2. She’s full of mystery as players are still speculating about her identity. No one knows who she is and what she’s capable of, but her presence alone makes her a key character in the overarching story.
The crew found her trapped in a chrysalis filled with black tar, similar to the one found in BTs. Fans have speculated that she possesses DOOMS, a condition that grants individuals access to the ‘other side.’
RAINY
Played by Shioli Kutsuna, Rain is the other new main character in the sequel. Rain is part of Sam and Fragile’s Drawbridge expedition. Unfortunately, we know little about her except that she’s pregnant. She is also a close friend of Fragile and Tomorrow, as revealed by its impressive photo mode.
TARMAN
Portrayed by George Miller, Tarman is a member of Drawbridge and is the captain and pilot of the DHV Magellan. He also serves as a doctor on the ship and is responsible for taking Tomorrow out of her chrysalis. His origins and intentions are still unknown.
DOLLMAN
Portrayed by iconic director Fatih Akin, Dollman is another member of Drawbridge and a new character for the sequel. He is a living doll that moves in an odd stop-motion-like fashion. He is a complete mystery; not even the trailers give enough hints. What’s he doing in Drawbridge?
HIGGS
Troy Baker’s Higgs will also make his return in this sequel. After losing to Sam on the Beach, Higgs resurfaces in the real world to exact his revenge on Norman Reedus and his funky fetus. The trailers didn’t give any context to his return, but we can see him taking Amelie’s likeness.
He exudes a badass persona with anger management issues and an electric guitar.
With all these new and familiar characters, one mystery remains unanswered: Where is BB? Sam’s adorable baby, Lou, isn’t found in promotional trailers or pictures. Fan theories say that Elle Fanning’s Tomorrow character is Lou in adult form. No one knows, so we can only speculate until Kojima drops another trailer.
Death Stranding 2 is still far away, but Hideo Kojima recently said he intends to release it sometime next year.