Hideo Kojima Clarifies “More Erotic” Metal Gear Solid V Comments
Respected game director Hideo Kojima wandered dangerously close (undeservedly) to losing that respect this week when he tweeted on his English Twitter account that he designed some Metal Gear Solid V characters to be, “more erotic.” More specifically, he was leading up to giving out CG information yesterday on the mute sniper, “Quiet,” as to support and encourage cosplayers to create accurate costumes on that character.
The whole issue may have been a bit of a translating issue, as Hideo Kojima clarified to Polygon.
"Maybe the phrase ‘erotic’ wasn’t really [the correct word for] what I was trying to say. What I’m really trying to do is create unique characters. One of those is, of course, Quiet. She’s a really unique character, I wanted to add that sexiness to her. It wasn’t really supposed to be erotic, but sexy."
The actual voice actress and likeness model Quiet was based on, Stefanie Joosten, also added her two cents on the ordeal.
"It fits in the Metal Gear universe, I think. I don’t think I’m allowed to say a lot about this, but, well, Mr. Kojima has his reasons for deciding why Quiet [is] wearing what she’s wearing."
Update: Kojima spoke more more to this aspect via his Twitter account, saying, “I know there’s people concerning about “Quiet” but don’t worry. I created her character as an antithesis to the women characters [that] appeared in the past fighting game who are excessively exposed. “Quiet who doesn’t have a word will be teased in the story as well. But once you recognize the secret reason for her exposure, you will feel ashamed of your words & deeds.” It appears that there is a story aspect to Quiet that hasn’t been provided to the public in order to keep plot lines under wraps.
Sexuality is not a new concept to the Metal Gear Solid series. Hideo Kojima has showcased many characters in provocative getups over the years including, for a short time, a naked main playable character. The context in which these comments were made are a little bit odd, admittedly. However, in an ESRB-rated “Mature” game series that allows you to kill hundreds of enemies and is aimed at a 17+ years old audience, it’s odd to hear as much a fuss about this as there was.
As Tokyo Game Show approaches, Hideo Kojima plans to show Metal Gear Solid V content on next-gen consoles. While they may not reveal story-specific content as to the background of Quiet, we may get a better understanding as to the scope of what Kojima is driving at.