Death Stranding Creator Hideo Kojima Reveals His Favorite Batman Movie

The Batman arrived in theaters just over a week ago, and its release has prompted a lot of discussion about which Batman movie is the very best. Every Batman fan seems to have their own personal favorite, including Hideo Kojima. The Death Stranding creator took to Twitter earlier today to weigh-in on the discussion, and revealed a surprising favorite: The LEGO Batman Movie! Kojima went on to elaborate about why he likes LEGO Batman so much, stating that the film understands that “heroes and villains are inseparable” and creators must strive to come up with characters that are “attractive, even if they are evil.”

Interestingly enough, these types of villains are the kind that Kojima strives to include in his own works. The creator went on to say that that this type of relationship was his goal with Metal Gear Solid‘s Solid Snake and Liquid Snake, as well as Death Stranding‘s Sam and Higgs. Whether or not Kojima was able to achieve that goal is up to the players to decide, but it’s interesting how Kojima’s analysis of the film has offered a window into his own creative process!

Kojima’s first Tweet about The Lego Batman Movie can be found right here, and his follow-up Tweets can be found embedded below.

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"The LEGO Batman Movie" is a masterpiece that dares to step into this tacit understanding.

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) March 14, 2022

For readers that haven’t seen the movie, Kojima is referring to LEGO Batman‘s take on the relationship between Batman and the Joker. The Joker’s perception of that relationship is a catalyst for much of the film’s external conflict, as the Joker is spurned after declaring himself Batman’s greatest enemy. Batman’s perception of the relationship is used as another example of how the hero refuses to form relationships, just as he does later with Robin and Batgirl. However, the movie’s conclusion sees Batman forced to admit that Joker gives him a purpose, embracing his mortal enemy just as he does his found family. Those sequences clearly had a strong impact on Kojima, and it’s interesting to see how they’ve managed to resonate with the creator!

Do you agree with Kojima’s comments about great villains? Is The Lego Batman Movie your favorite Batman movie? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!