Junji Ito Amends Comment About a Possible Hideo Kojima Collab

Over the weekend, Junji Ito found himself topping headlines around the world after he took part in a Comic-Con at Home panel. It was there fans watched the horror mangaka speak about his latest projects, and one question asked of him had to with his friend Hideo Kojima. And after reports of a possible collab between the two went live, Ito has reached out to clarify his words.

As it turns out, the mention Ito made about Kojima was little more than passing talk. There is nothing official going on between the pair, and it seems no project is even in mind for the collab.

"In a recent overseas interview, I lightly said I received an offer to work with Hideo Kojima, but it was really a comment made at a party where he said, "If there's a chance someday, I may ask you for help [on a future project]." I apologize to Director Kojima and anyone else who I gave false hope to," the manga creator said.

海外向けのインタビューで小島秀夫監督からお仕事のお声がけを頂いたと、私は軽々しく答えてしまいましたが、実際はパーティーの立ち話の中での「もし機会があれば協力をお願いするかもしれない」という程度のものです。小島秀夫監督をはじめ、過度に期待させてしまった方々にお詫び申し上げます。

— 伊藤潤二 (@junjiitofficial) July 27, 2020

In fact, Ito went on to apologize again for speaking so casually. The creator said he hadn't intended to speak as much during the interview as he did, but one can lose themselves easily when Comic-Con is involved.

The clarification is good to know, and fans are flooding Ito with reassurances about his comments. It isn't easy doing a panel for Comic-Con, and it is even harder to do so when translation slips are a possibility. Fans are asking Ito to not be too hard on himself for the blip, and they're eager to see what Ito does next with his work.

As for his friendship with Kojima, the two are as good as ever, so fans can cross their fingers for a collab one day. Most recently, Ito was used as a character model for Death Stranding which Kojima oversaw at his studio. Hopefully, it will not be too long before the creators pair up for another game as their work on P.T. remains legendary to this day.

Would you like this collab to come true one day? What kind of horror game should the pair pursue? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!