History Creator / HideoKojima

Kojima became a video game director because he was not able to enter the movie industry. As a teenager, he wrote multiple "short"- stories and sent them to various publications. However, none of them were ever published as his stories often exceeded 400 pages. His works feature frequent discussions about science, history, politics and culture as well as shameless references to films - primarily American action movies, of which he is a huge fan. His games often glorify, deconstruct, reference, or pastiche Hollywood tropes - from {{theme naming}} his cast after movie characters to copying action sequences motion-for-motion. Most of his stories fit into the category of MagicRealism, featuring {{Humongous Mecha}}s and magical {{Super Soldier}}s within the context of real-world settings and events.

Kojima’s games, especially in the ''Metal Gear'' series, feature a lot of characteristics uncommon in non-[[WideOpenSandbox sandbox]] video games. They do not feature levels or missions, but a single location (like a military base or a large jungle) where all of the story takes place. The games prior to ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker]]'' also mostly consist of cutscenes and static dialogue, with gameplay often taking up only a minority of each game's length.

* MotiveRant: Oftentimes far longer than the time it takes to actually defeat the villain.

He also constantly tries to surprise the audience. Each game of his features heavy plot twists and when he makes trailers, he oftentimes edits objects and characters out of certain footage and re-arranges scenes and dialogue to create a misleading impression. For example, all trailers for 2001's ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' famously edited Raiden (the game's ContrastingSequelMainCharacter) out of every scene he appears in and replaced him with Solid Snake, to hide the [[ItWasHisSled now-infamous]] change in protagonists that occurs after the prologue chapter.

Kojima became a video game director because he was not able to enter the movie industry. As a teenager, he wrote multiple "short"- stories and sent them to various publications. However, none of them were ever published as his stories oftentimes exceeded 400 pages. His works feature frequent discussions about science, history, politics and culture as well as shameless references to films - primarily American action movies, of which he is a huge fan. His games often glorify, deconstruct, reference, or pastiche Hollywood tropes - from {{theme naming}} his cast after movie characters to copying action sequences motion-for-motion. Most of his stories fit into the category of MagicRealism, featuring {{Humongous Mecha}}s and magical {{Super Soldier}}s within the context of real-world settings and events.

** In the PS4 version of ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'', Kojima (as well as Aki Saito, Head of Communications at Kojima Productions) makes an appearance in an optional sidequest, guiding the player through audio therapy tapes while in a sensory deprivation tank.

* BigNameFan:
** Appears to be one of the ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' series if [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ck7tjP8UYAE6eGg.jpg this picture]] was anything to judge that by.
** Kojima is a major Hollywood buff, frequently going out of his way to see foreign films before they release in his home country and gushing about his favorites on Twitter, which made good material for the marketing for the Japanese releases of ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' and ''Film/LaLaLand''. He especially loves the works of Creator/GuillermoDelToro and is a close friend with him.

* SignatureStyle: On the technical side, Kojima has a clear preference for real-time cutscenes, meaning done in-engine and allow a seamless transition from cutscene to gameplay without loading in-between (ex. the boss fights in MGS4 transition from cutscene to gameplay without loading). This is particularly notable given Kojima's (in)famous love of lengthy cutscenes.

* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: This is also ironic since he produced some trailers that does exactly that such as the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op8mjKZxccM cut trailer]]" for ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance''.

* AuthorFilibuster:

** Kojima is a major Hollywood buff, frequently going out of his way to see foreign films before they release in his home country and gushing about his favorites on twitter. The marketing for the Japanese releases of ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' and ''Film/LaLaLand'' made good use of this by mentioning how much he loved them. He especially loves Creator/GuillermoDelToro movies and is a close friend with him.

* CreatorBreakdown: ''Kinda''. While it obviously hasn't affected his work on ''VideoGame/DeathStranding'', it's pretty obvious from how he gently talked about it that Konami's treatment on him really affected him.

* ''Film/ChildrenOfMen''[[note]]You can see the influences ''very'' strongly in MGSV's cutscenes, who liberally use JitterCam {{Long Take}}s with reactive camera movements to give a sense of presence and lingering camera shots to show the important details[[/note]]

* TheCameo: Appeared in a WebVideo/{{Mega64}} video parodying the ''Metal Gear'' games. He then appeared ''as himself'' in multiple Creator/RoosterTeeth productions.

** Kojima is a major Hollywood buff, frequently going out of his way to see foreign films before they release in his home country and gushing about his favorites on twitter. The marketing for the Japanese releases of ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' and ''Film/LaLaLand'' made good use of this by mentioning how much he loved them.

* The Midge Ure era of Music/{{Ultravox}}. Kojima once [[https://twitter.com/HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN/status/1048597452754903040 took on a part-time job in the 1980's]] specifically to save up enough money to buy a VHS compilation of the band's music videos, and referenced the band with the "Ultra Box" enemy squadron (later renamed to the "Four Horsemen") in ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake''.

** The trailers for ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV'' have also been accused of this — some of which Kojima personally edited. There were very few scenes in the game that weren’t highlighted in the traiers at some point.

* GunsAkimbo: This is ironic once you [[VideoGame/{{Boktai}} remember the Ninja...]]

* ''VideoGame/DeathStranding'' (TBA)

** [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots The Military-Industrial Complex is horrific, and ultimately pointless.]]

** [[VideoGame/DeathStranding Pollution]] [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking is]] [[GreenAesop bad.]]

* TakeThat: In episode 3 of [=HideoTube=], where he visits the ''GAME ON!'' exhibition, he pulls off a stealth one [[Creator/{{Konami}} at his previous employer that mistreated him]] when he gracefully walks past the Metal Gear displays ''[[IHaveNoSon without even batting an eye or stopping to talk about or acknowledge it]]''. However he appears to have forgiven Konami in 2018, by posing with a [=PlayStation=] Classic, which the Japanese version includes Metal Gear Solid.

* TakeThat: In episode 3 of [=HideoTube=], where he visits the ''GAME ON!'' exhibition, he pulls off a stealth one [[Creator/{{Konami}} at his previous employer that mistreated him]] when he gracefully walks past the Metal Gear displays ''[[IHaveNoSon without even batting an eye or stopping to talk about or acknowledge it]]''.

* {{Fanservice}}: As far back as ''VisualNovel/{{Policenauts}}'', his games have featured notable amounts of this. The aforementioned title featured Easter eggs where you could grope the breasts of female characters without consequence, and the ''Franchise/MetalGear'' series tends to feature at least one scantily-clad FemmeFatale per game. Happily, there's often a fair amount of male fanservice too.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Look at him again. No way the guy looks in his 50's. This is joked by fans that he had nanomachines implanted in him.

** ''Main/Toku'' seems to be one in general, including Franchise/KamenRider

* BreakingTheFourthWall

* SdrawkcabName

* WorldOfPun