Death Stranding 2: Why Is Sam Singing and Dancing in the Hotspring? Hideo Kojima's Nostalgic Japanese Comedy Legends Easter Egg Explained

Since Death Stranding 2: On the Beach released past week, players person been discovering assorted unexpected collaborations and Easter eggs successful the game. Some of these trust connected circumstantial cognition of taste phenomena. If you person taken Dollman for a relaxing soak with Sam successful the hotsprings already, you whitethorn person stumbled crossed a Japanese drama tribute that has delivered a nostalgia deed to galore players successful Japan, but whitethorn beryllium unfamiliar to overseas audiences.

Lugging cargo crossed Death Stranding 2’s immense Mexican and Australian unfastened worlds is back-breaking enactment for everyone’s favourite porter Sam. Waiting to beryllium discovered successful hidden locations, Ghost of Tsushima-style, are hotsprings. These not lone springiness you a accidental to marque Norman Reedus instrumentality disconnected his kit again, but besides reward the subordinate with assorted buffs. If it wasn't amusing capable that putting a bucket connected Sam’s caput portion successful the hotspring allows him to accelerated travel, the hotsprings besides clasp different secrets. If you instrumentality Dollman for a dip and inquire him to sing, helium volition crook into Japanese comedian Cha Kato. He volition past commencement belting retired a catchy tune, with a bemused Sam doing a creation on with him. This opus and creation is from the long-running Japanese drama amusement “8ji da yo! Zennin shuugou! (It's 8 o'clock! Everyone stitchery round!)." Naturally, Dollman starts serenading you astatine 8pm in-game time, adding an other item to this tribute.

Cha Kato’s hotspring cameo successful Death Stranding 2. Image credit: YouTube.

Broadcast connected Saturday nights from 1969 to 1985, with plentifulness of repeats and related programmes aft that, this amusement and its rhythmic “Ba-ban-Ba-ban-ban-ban” ending taxable opus would beryllium instantly recognizable to astir Japanese players, apt triggering nostalgic puerility memories, particularly for those of Kojima’s generation.

The programme was led by The Drifters drama troupe, and featured a substance of sketches and philharmonic performances, with antithetic fashionable singers impermanent starring successful each episode. (As a broadside note, the precocious Ken Shimura is astir apt the champion known subordinate of The Drifters extracurricular Japan, with immoderate of his sketches, similar the English teacher one, aboriginal uncovering fame connected the internet.)

The Drifters’ humor, often leaning into slapstick spiced with the occasional crude joke, became fashionable with children too. As a family-oriented show, the mentation of the taxable opus played astatine the extremity often encouraged children to commencement getting acceptable for bed. Not contented with conscionable 1 mentation of the iconic theme, Death Stranding 2 besides varies the lyrics depending connected which hotspring Sam is in.

This whitethorn look similar a alternatively random Easter ovum astatine archetypal glance, but the sanction of the taxable opus is “Ii yu da na” (literally, “It’s bully blistery water, isn’t it?”) and is astir enjoying hotsprings. The archetypal mentation was recorded by Duke Aces successful the mid-60s and would aboriginal beryllium covered by The Drifters for 8ji da yo! successful 1969.

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On June 27, Hideo Kojima himself vaguely hinted astatine Cha Kato’s cameo successful Death Stranding 2 by posting the supra photograph of him and the comedian connected X, with a elemental emoji caption. Unlike the mixed reception to Death Stranding 2’s VTuber collaboration, comments connected The Drifters’ Easter ovum from Japanese fans person been overwhelmingly affirmative (as reported by Japanese quality tract Game*Spark). Comments similar “The Drifters are Japan’s treasure” and appreciation for the astonishment tribute abound. Some adjacent expressed hopes that Kojima would find a mode to adhd The Drifter’s celebrated Hige Dance into a crippled too. Others were acrophobic that overseas players wouldn’t recognize the reference, but it seems that this cameo could make renewed involvement successful this facet of Showa-era Japanese popular culture.

Kojima besides has surprises successful store for players who regard astatine the starry nighttime entity portion soaking successful the hotspring. In a caller interrogation with Game*Spark, Kojima was asked astir Easter eggs and cameos, saying “I enactment each these things in. The unit spell ‘huh?’ and springiness maine a blank look erstwhile I inquire them ‘Please adhd this!’. In the hotspring astatine night, you tin spot a precise beauteous entity if you look up. Please person amusive zooming successful connected it arsenic assorted things volition appear. Some radical mightiness beryllium a small surprised.”Indeed, arsenic pointed retired by users connected Reddit, you tin spot Kojima himself successful the stars. At slightest it is little creepy than his ghost, which you could drawback a photograph of backmost successful MGS2.

Check retired our Death Stranding 2: On the Beach usher for a afloat main communicative walkthrough, implicit with checkmarks to way your nonstop progress, positive guides for Sub-Orders, Standard Orders, and Aid Requests — positive adjacent much secrets and a cheat code! If you’re conscionable jumping into the game, we person plentifulness of tips for what to bash first, however to past successful combat, and however to marque it done Brutal trouble if you’re playing connected the astir challenging setting.

Verity Townsend is simply a Japan-based freelance writer who antecedently served arsenic editor, contributor and translator for the crippled quality tract Automaton West. She has besides written astir Japanese civilization and movies for assorted publications.