Death Stranding 2 Adds Pekora, Kojima's Favorite Hololive VTuber, as an NPC

Death Stranding 2 continues to expand its already impressive roster of talent with the surprising inclusion of Hololive VTuber Usada Pekora as a Prepper NPC. This exciting update was officially confirmed by Kojima Productions on May 29 via a tweet, revealing that Pekora will appear in the game as one of the isolated characters known as Preppers.

Usada Pekora is a well-known Japanese VTuber under Hololive Production and part of the third generation, dubbed "hololive fantasy." As of now, she ranks as the fourth most subscribed Hololive VTuber, boasting over 2.7 million followers. The announcement came alongside a short video clip showing Pekora greeting the player upon exiting a Prepper Shelter—a bunker-style structure where these NPCs reside. While her exact role remains a mystery, fans are left curious with the tease: "What kind of Prepper could she be…? Find out after the game launches!"

This isn’t the first interaction between Kojima Productions and Pekora. Last year, she visited the studio, and Hideo Kojima, creator of the Death Stranding series, shared a photo of their meeting on Twitter. In the image, both can be seen giving a thumbs-up beside a Ludens statue—the iconic symbol of Kojima’s creative vision. Pekora also expressed her gratitude for the visit through a tweet, adding fuel to fan speculation about why this collaboration came to be. Given Kojima’s personal admiration for Pekora—he has been spotted watching her streams—it seems this casting choice was more than just a marketing move.

Considering Hololive’s massive global following, this partnership is a strategic win for Kojima Productions, likely drawing new players and viewers to the upcoming title. It also highlights how virtual influencers are increasingly being integrated into major AAA titles, further blurring the lines between digital entertainment mediums.

More Celebrity Cameos Revealed

Beyond Pekora’s appearance, Kojima hinted during a recent episode of the KojiPro podcast that even more celebrity cameos are planned for Death Stranding 2. According to him, many individuals were motion-captured for potential roles, but due to storage limitations, nearly half had to be cut from the final lineup.

As reported by Genki Gamer, Kojima mentioned that most of those scanned were intended to play Preppers, while others were designed to portray key characters in the game. Many also recorded voice lines, suggesting deep integration into the game world. However, no official list has been released yet, so fans will have to wait until launch to discover who else has joined the cast.

Celebrity appearances aren't new to the Death Stranding universe. The original game featured notable figures such as comedian Conan O’Brien as "The Wandering MC," horror manga artist Junji Ito as "The Engineer," and Geoff Keighley, host of The Game Awards, as "The Ludens Fan."

With the release of *Death Stranding 2: On The Beach* scheduled for June 26, 2025, exclusively on PlayStation 5, more details—including additional cameo announcements—are expected to surface in the coming months. Stay tuned for future updates and deeper insights into what promises to be another groundbreaking entry in Kojima’s visionary catalog.