Hideo Kojima Surprises Fans with Cameo in My Chemical Romance Animated Short

In an unexpected turn of events, Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima has made a cameo appearance in a new animated short from rock band My Chemical Romance. The collaboration might seem out of left field, but given Kojima's well-known passion for music, film, and pop culture, it's perhaps not entirely shocking. Still, fans were likely stunned to see his name in the credits of the band's latest project, Prelude to The End.

The seven-and-a-half-minute stop-motion dark fairytale, which dropped unexpectedly yesterday evening, is based on director Lauren Tsai's The Dying World. It serves as a 20th-anniversary music video for My Chemical Romance's "The End," the opening track from their iconic album The Black Parade. The video also features a quick voice role from Kojima.

In the short, as the main character Astrid retreats to her room to check missed calls, we hear Kojima's voice in a voicemail. Credited simply as The Teacher, he scolds Astrid about late work in her third voicemail message. The full text reads: "Astrid your Japanese homework is late again. This is unacceptab-" before the recording cuts off.

Kojima is no stranger to cameos, but he's been particularly active in this area lately. The Metal Gear Solid series, which he created and directed for years, includes moments where he broke the fourth wall for a cameo. He also appeared in CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 and recently reprised that role in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2.

His collaboration with My Chemical Romance might be especially meaningful, as his love for the band is well-documented. After posting about his favorite merch in early 2022, he shared that he attended one of their concerts that year. At the time, he said, "When I went to the venue, there were almost all teenage girls. I didn't see any old men in my age. But as I was wearing the band T-shirt, people said to me 'I like your T-shirt, Ojisan.'"

Kojima also subtly teased his involvement in Prelude to The End by mentioning he had picked up the 20th Anniversary Edition of The Black Parade on vinyl just days before. He then celebrated his involvement with another post on X/Twitter.

Kojima is in good company with his cameo. Also featured in Astrid's missed voicemails are Lost Weekend songwriter Phoebe Bridgers and Hit Me Hard and Soft hitmaker Billie Eilish. With both Grammy-winning artists sharing a few seconds with Kojima, the moment packed in plenty of star power.

Kojima will likely continue to appear in side projects while focusing on other endeavors, including OD and Physint. Last night, we also got the first trailer for the anime spinoff series Death Stranding Isolations. We know the Kojima Productions mastermind will appear in a live-action cameo as well, though details remain under wraps.