Full Death Stranding 2 cast and cameos list

The Death Stranding 2 cast is an eclectic mix of Hollywood actors, writers, and directors as well as talented video game voice actors. With such a stacked cast, it makes the game sometimes feel like Hideo Kojima showing off his extensive connections, but it's also fascinating to see who he and his studio have scanned and put into Death Stranding 2.

You've undoubtedly come across the work of some of these famous faces (and voices) before, with people from Bond films, Marvel media, games industry professionals, singers, artists, and even a VTuber all making an appearance. I've listed the entire main cast of Death Stranding 2 below as well as who makes a cameo appearance as a Prepper or settlement resident.

Death Stranding 2 main cast

The main cast of Death Stranding 2 features some high-profile figures from across the movie industry, along with some incredibly popular video game actors. Almost all of them provided their likenesses and performed (voice over and performance capture) for their characters, though there are some notable exceptions. For example, Deadman and Heartman who, as in the first game, use the likenesses of Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn respectively, are instead performed by different actors.

Here's who plays who for Death Stranding 2's main characters:

Sam Porter Bridges – Norman Reedus

Reprising his role as main protagonist Sam, Norman Reedus best known for his role of Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead television series and various spinoffs. You might also recognize him in The Boondock Saints and the John Wick film Ballerina.

Fragile – Léa Seydoux

Lea Seydoux is also back as Fragile, and with an extensive list of films to her name, you'll likely recognize her in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Dune: Part Two, and two 007 films – Spectre and No Time to Die.

Tomorrow – Elle Fanning

Death Stranding 2 is Fanning's first role in a video game, but she's been in plenty of films and TV shows too. She starred in Super 8, Maleficent and its sequel, The Neon Demon (written and directed by DS2 co-star Nicolas Winding Refn), and A Complete Unknown to name a few. She also played Russian Empress Catherine The Great in the series The Great.

Rainy – Shioli Kutsuna

Kutsuna has appeared in lots of Japanese films and television shows, but you might recognize her as Yukio in Deadpool 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine. She also voiced Melia in the video game Xenoblade Chronicles.

In the game, Rainy and Tomorrow test Sam with odd challenges such as the Death Stranding 2 F1 fastest route puzzle and Death Stranding 2 block puzzle.

Neil Vana – Luca Marinelli

Marinelli has starred in many Italian films and you'll probably recognize him as Nicky in The Old Guard and the titular fascist dictator in the television series Mussolini: Son of the Century. Death Stranding 2 is also his first role in a video game. He is also married to DS2 co-star Alissa Jung.

Higgs – Troy Baker

Reprising his role as Death Stranding antagonist Higgs, Troy Baker is one of the most successful video game actors out there. You'll know him as Joel in both The Last of Us games, Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Loki in Marvel Rivals, Jonesy in Fortnite, Pagan Min in Far Cry 4, and many, many other roles.

Tarman – George Miller (likeness only) and Marty Rhone (performance)

Australian film producer and director George Miller provides his likeness for Tarman in Death Stranding 2. He is best known for his work on the Mad Max franchise, directing, producing, and writing all five films, from Mad Max up Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Showing off his range, he also co-wrote Babe, wrote and directed its sequel, and wrote and directed both Happy Feet movies.

Dollman – Fatih Akin (likeness only) and Jonathan Roumie (performance)

While not a one-to-one recreation of Fatih Akin's likeness, Dollman's look is built off the Turkish-German filmmaker. He's known for directing In the Fade which won a Golden Globe for "Best Foreign Language Film".

Heartman – Nicolas Winding Refn (likeness only) and Darren Jacobs (performance)

Nicolas Winding Refn is a Danish writer and director, once again providing his likeness for Heartman. He wrote and directed The Neon Demon, starring Elle Fanning, and directed Bronson and Drive.

Deadman – Guillermo Del Toro (likeness only) and Jesse Corti (performance)

Del Toro has written and directed a huge range of films. He directed Hellboy (2004), Pan's Labyrinth, Pacific Rim, The Shape of Water, and Pinocchio (2022). He also wrote the screenplays for these films and for three films in The Hobbit series. Like Winding Refn, he also provides his likeness again in Death Stranding 2, though he also collaborated with Hideo Kojima previously on P.T.

Charlie/Die-Hardman – Tommie Earl Jenkins

Tommie Earl Jenkins (sort of) appears again as Die-Hardman thanks to the Death Stranding 2 Charlie's face choice. He has acted in films, television shows, and video games, notably appearing in the film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and in a few episodes of Wednesday, and has provided his voice for games like Oblivion Remastered, Starfield, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Bayonetta 3, and Fallout 76.

Lockne/Mama – Margaret Qualley

Margaret Qualley once again provides her likeness and voice for Lockne and Mama, though these characters have a minor role in Death Stranding 2, so she doesn't appear much. You'll probably know Qualley from the television show The Leftover, and her roles in the films Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Poor Things, and The Substance.

Lucy – Alissa Jung

Playing psychotherapist and Sam Porter Bridges' ex-wife, Lucy, is German actress Alissa Jung, who also happens to be married to co-star Luca Marinelli. She has starred in a lot of German films and television shows.

Amelie – Lindsay Wagner

Lindsay Wagner's likeness is used for Amelie again in Death Stranding 2. She is best known for playing Bionic Woman Jaime Sommers in the television show The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman and its various spinoffs.

The President – Alastair Duncan

Alastair Duncan is a prolific voice actor, particularly in video games, so you might recognize him from Mass Effect 1,2, and 3, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, and God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok – he voices the smartest man alive who lives on Kratos' belt, Mimir. This also isn't Duncan's first time working on a Kojima joint as he also played the iconic villainous senator and nanomachine enthusiast Steven Armstrong in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

The Motherhood Doctor – Debra Wilson

Debra Wilson is another phenomenally successful video game actor appearing in Death Stranding 2, and you'll likely know her from several games from the last decade or so. She's worked on Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, Destiny 2, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor, Halo Infinite, God of War Ragnarok, Diablo 4, Avowed, and Doom The Dark Ages.

Death Stranding 2 full cast and cameos

There are plenty of recognizable faces with minor roles in Death Stranding 2, some providing only their likeness, while others also do a bit of voice work too. However, there are also plenty of people who you probably won't recognize from all over the games industry and elsewhere. Here's who you can see in the game:

• Alex Weatherstone (Former Geophysics Research Lab) – Errolson Hugh: Co-founder of techwear brand ACRONYM and a massive influence on the fashion designs of the Death Stranding series, contributing greatly to the games' aesthetics.
• Armed Woman A (The Motherhood) – Andi Norris: Stunt actress who has appeared in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022), and Vader Immortal. She also played Donna Beneviento in Resident Evil Village.
• Armed Woman B (The Motherhood) – Riley Rose Critchlow: Actress known for starring in the webseries Video Game High School and Anime Crimes Division.
• Benjamin Rivera (C1 South Distribution Centre) – Ray Khalastchi: Director of Product Development at XDEV, a UK-based PlayStation studio.
• Bianca North (F7 North Distribution Center) – Laurie Jezequel: Producer at Sony Interactive Entertainment.
• Daichi Miura – Daichi Miura: Japanese singer, songwriter and dancer who plays himself. Dollman is a big fan of his song "Horizon Dreamer" and will dance to it with Daichi Miura when played in Sam's private room.
• The Elder – Patrick Mansfield: Actor.
• Glenn Rain (Rainbow Valley Representative) – Craig Malanka: Vice President of Global Marketing for Games at Sony Interactive Entertainment.
• Government Official – Dan Donohue: American actor known for appearing in For All Mankind, Damnation, and Agents of SHIELD. He has also appeared in several video games, including The Elder Scrolls Online, Skyrim, and Horizon Forbidden West.
• Gregory Southall (Southern Environmental Observatory) – Neil Johnson: Senior Producer at XDEV, a UK-based PlayStation studio.
• La Madre (Villa Libre) – Molly Quinn: American actress best known for playing Alexis Castle in the TV series Castle alongside Nathan Fillion. She has also appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Volumes 2 and 3 and The Life of Chuck
• Lauren, Martin, Iain (Animal Shelter) – Lauren Mayberry, Martin Doherty, and Iain Cook (aka CHVRCHES): The Scottish band wrote and performed the song Death Stranding for the first game and make their first appearance in the sequel.
• Leon Easton (East Fort Knot) – Vivien Mermet-Guyenet: Co-director of the video game Stray at BlueTwelve Studio.
• Mike Northcoate (Northern Environmental Observatory) – Mike Flanagan: American filmmaker known best for his horror works, including Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass and plenty more.
• Mr. Impossible - Danny and Michael Philippou: Australian filmmakers and twin brothers recognizable for their work on their YouTube channel RackaRacka. They also directed the horror film Talk To Me.
• Norberto Puente (Ciudad Nudo del Norte) – Ian Spriggs: 3D digital artist known for his extremely realistic 3D models and portraits of people
• Olivia Westbury (West Fort Knot) – Kate Siegel: American actress known for her work in horror films and television shows, especially with director Mike Flanagan. You might recognize her from The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
• Peter Gates (Western Environmental Observatory) – Olivier Pichard: One half of the French artist duo Atelier Sentô whose works are inspire by their travels across Japan. They made the video game The Coral Cave.
• Pierre Southern (South Fort Knot) – Bastien Dausse: French artist and acrobat.
• Ridge Frost (Eastern Environmental Observatory) – Swann Martin-Raget: Producer for the video game Stray at BlueTwelve Studio.
• Samson Hook (F2 South Distribution Center) – Don Lee (Ma Dong-Seok): Korean-American actor best known for starring in Train to Busan, Eternals, and many more South Korean films.
• Victor Frank (F5 East Distribution Center) – Claude Patrick: Returns to play Victor Frank from Death Stranding 1.
• The Adventurer – S.S. Rajamouli: Indian writer and filmmaker best known for the bonkers action in his work, such as RRR and the two Baahubali movies and two television shows.
• The Adventurer's Son – S. S. Karthikeya: Indian film producer and S.S. Rajamouli's son. He also worked as a second unit director on Rajamouli's two Baahubali films.
• The Architect – Yusaku Matsumoto: Japanese director and writer known for Noise, Kamisama no Ekohiiki, and House of the Owl.
• The Artist – Lauren Tsai: Multitalented Chinese-American artist, actress, and model, Tsai has collaborated with Marvel, Nike, Starbucks, and Marc Jacobs to name a few. She is also known for appearing on Terrace House: Aloha State. If you want to know what the Death Stranding 2 Artist can offer you, we've got a guide for that.
• The Chronobiologist – Lizzie Lou Winding Refn: Actress and daughter of Nicolas Winding Refn and Liv Corfixen.
• The Data Scientist – Usada Pekora: Hololive VTuber and apparently Hideo Kojima's favorite.
• The Dowser – Cécile Brun: Other half of the French artist duo Atelier Sentô.
• The Fisherman – Arnaud Saint-Martin: Senior Director of External Development at Sony Interactive Entertainment.
• The Ghost Hunter – Kevin Ko: Taiwanese filmmaker.
• The Hydrologist – Liv Corfixen: Danish actress married to Nicolas Winding Refn and directed My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, a film documenting the making of his film Only God Forgives.
• The Inventor – Jon McElroy: Former Annapurna Interactive developer and director, credited as working on games like Bugsnax, Neon White, Stray, Cocoon, and Flock. The Death Stranding 2 Inventor is a little difficult to get to, so here's how you can reach him.
• The Lone Commander – Colas Koola: Co-director of the video game Stray at BlueTwelve Studio. The Death Stranding 2 Lone Commander is actually one of the best Preppers to increase your Connection Level with for their rewards, so make sure you pay them a visit!
• The Mechanic – Yoann Lemoine: French musician and music video director better known as Woodkid. He co-composed the soundtrack album Woodkid for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
• The Metagenomicist – Lola Winding Refn: Actress and daughter of Nicolas Winding Refn and Liv Corfixen.
• The Musician – Gen Hoshino: Famous J-Pop singer and songwriter and actor for film and television.
• The Phantom Smith – Takahiro Miura: Japanese actor known for appearing in Shin Godzilla and the live-action Attack on Titan and Attack on Titan: Part 2. He has also appeared in many other Japanese films and television shows.
• The Pioneer – Edward Saito: Producer at Sony Interactive Entertainment based in Tokyo.
• The Pizza Chef – Mamoru Oshii: Japanese filmmaker best known for directing the acclaimed anime Ghost in the Shell.
• The Tar Therapist – Koichi Yamanoha: Japanese musician and songwriter better known as Grimm Grimm.

With so many returning characters, you might be a bit confused as to what's going on if you haven't played the first game, so we've answered the question "do you need to play Death Stranding 1 before 2?" here. Also, if you're curious about Death Stranding on PC and Xbox, we've laid out what we know so far.

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