Video Games

11 of Hideo Kojima’s celebrity guest fits, ranked

The fabulous and the frightening

Josh Broadwell

Kojima Productions

Hideo Kojima’s celebrity guest list is so extensive that it’s almost easier to name people who haven’t visited the Death Stranding maker. It’s a bit of an occasion, whether they’re just visiting for a chat or Kojima’s scanning them into his next open-world game, and Kojima always takes a few pictures to commemorate it. 

Friends and colleagues might wear something special for the visit or just turn up in casual clothes, depending on the mood. So we’ve picked out 11 of Hideo Kojima’s celebrity guests and ranked their fits from worst to best, because why not.

Neil Druckmann

There’s nothing wrong with a T-shirt and jeans, but Neil Druckmann overlooked a few little caveats during his visit to Kojima’s studio. One of them is that it’s impolite to wear your grungy yardwork clothes during professional business trips, and the second is that it’s usually good when shirts actually fit you well. There’s no visual interest, and he just looks sloppy. C’mon, man.

Elijah Wood

I’m not sure what’s going on here. One buttoned, collared shirt with a nice pair of jeans is fine. It’s good! But that hiking jacket makes it look like two buttoned, collared shirts on top of each other, which is… well, it’s a choice. Combine it with a pair of what looks like Wellington boots under those jeans, and you’ve certainly got a memorable fit, if not for the reasons you’d want people to remember. Maybe it’s just Wood promoting Mandy six years later or something.

Nicolas Cage

The individual pieces of Cage’s outfit are pretty swell. Together? Not so much. The jacket’s color clashes horribly with Cage’s skin tone, and while the cream-colored Polo shirt underneath it is decent enough, it’s hard not to think a darker color would’ve better suited him (and the jacket). The black jeans are fine, except with the jacket, and at the risk of repeating myself, the biker boots just do not go with that jacket, or at least that jacket's color. A few different color choices would’ve made this a much better fit.

Timothee Chalamet

Chalamet’s coat is pretty slick if you’re into anime-chic. He’s got just enough belts and loose straps to qualify as the hero or villain of a piece, and while it’s a bit too overexaggerated for my tastes, it’s eye-catching and unique. It’s also way too big for him, an impression not helped by his equally massive shoes, and it looks like the coat alone would max out his encumbrance limit.

Ari Aster

Midsommar director Ari Aster got 50 percent of the assignment right. His lumberjack shirt is decent and comfy without being too casual or looking like he planned ahead for a photo shoot. I’d ditch the cargo pants for jeans, though. Aside from the fact that cargo pants only work well with a few specific looks, the color is too dark and drags the whole outfit down. 

Hunter Schafer

Euphoria star Hunter Schafer gets points for creativity and making a statement. That shirt and those pants aren’t something you’d walk past without giving a second glance, and there’s a certain elegance to their loose, flowing fit. They’re also too washed out for her complexion, the shirt looks dirty, and they’re easily mistaken for pajamas.

Oscar Isaac

Okay, so you can only see half of Isaac’s shirt, but unless he’s wearing some kind of abomination down below, I can’t imagine it would change my opinion. The striped shirt is simple and clean, the colors complement him perfectly, and he looks like a man who knows how to take care of himself, or at least one who pays someone else to do it for him. Take notes, Druckmann. 

Guillermo del Toro

Del Toro is cozymaxing in this January 2024 shot and took a few extra steps to jazz the look up beyond just wearing a cardigan. The cardigan in question has a nifty little zipper, the reverse side of which stands out with a pattern different from the rest of the piece. The thick, static-y knit looks good anyway, but breaking it up is a smart idea. The scarf is a stylish extra touch, his beard is well-kept, and even his glasses match the outfit’s classy chic.

Celine Tricart

Kojima’s meeting with filmmaker Celine Tricart clearly happened during a formal celebration where, you would hope, attendees dress well, but Tricart’s ensemble still stands out. 

The floral motif and high collar put a fresh twist on a classic cut, and the draping, loose-fitting coat adds a pleasant extra layer while accentuating the outfit’s flow. Tricart’s heels are a bit drastic, though. Flats of the same color and style, minus the sequins, would almost definitely have been better, but at least they aren’t as jarring as Kojima’s vivid red sneakers. 

Sam Lake

The Alan Wake 2 writer always dresses well, so it’s hardly surprising that he looked sharp when he visited Kojima at the start of April 2024. He’s effortlessly stylish here, in well-fitting jeans, T-shirt, a crisp black-and-white varsity jacket that looks like he just swiped it off the costume rack of a 1980s movie, and a pair of sensible, matching shoes.  

Bonus points for the David Bowie concert shirt.

Shinichiro Hiramoto

Shinichiro Hiramoto helped create NHK’s Game Genome documentary about Kojima. That means they technically don’t count as a celebrity in that sense, I guess, but I also technically don’t care. They’re easily the most stylish of Kojima’s guests from the last two years with a keen and creative eye for piecing together layers, textures, and patterns in a way that seems natural and elegant. The faux fur is just on the edge of looking like they cut up a shag rug, but its limited use and smart placement enhance the ensemble.

Kojima Productions is working on Death Stranding 2, so expect to see plenty more celebrity guests in the lead-up to the game’s 2025 launch.

Published
Josh Broadwell

JOSH BROADWELL

Joshua Broadwell is a freelance writer with bylines for GameSpot, NPR, Polygon, and more.