Death Stranding 2: On the Beachis the latest game from Hideo Kojima, and his fans are not going to be disappointed with the story. The narrative features returning characters such as Sam Porter Bridges, Lou, Fragile, and Heartman. It also introduces a lot of new characters like Rainy, Tomorrow, and Tarman.
All of these characters and more are important to the story inDeath Stranding 2: On the Beach, and it should take players anywhere from forty to sixty hours to complete, depending on how many side quests they complete along the way. Who lives and who dies inthis latest Kojima epic? Let’s go through the main roster and find out the fates of every main character inDeath Stranding 2: On the Beach.
11Sam Bridges
The Man Of The Hour
Samis the protagonist in both the first game andDeath Stranding 2: On the Beach. He possesses a unique ability that allows him to be reborn when he dies, making him what’s known as a Repatriate. Despite many deaths, Sam manages to survive the events of the game.
He was able to bridge the gap between the U.S., Mexico, and finally Australia, and the game ends with him embracing his daughter, Tomorrow, looking toward a tomorrow of his own with a newfound purpose.
10Fragile
One Last Run
Fragilereturns as a major character from the first game who now runs an organization named Drawbridge. She contracted Sam to bridge the gap between continents.
It turns out that earlier events in the game led to her death. The form she took throughout the game was only a husk that pushed itself to help Sam until his job was complete. In the final moment, she usesher teleportation abilityfor her team, and in that moment, she dies for real.
9Heartman/Deadman
Two Minds Become One
Heartman and Deadmanwere separate characters in the first game, but the two now share a body in the sequel, sort of. At the game’s start, Deadman leaves his body and becomes a spirit on The Beach. He gave his heart to Heartman, which he uses to stay alive.
When Heartman goes to The Beach for research, Deadman can control Heartman’s body. Both characters are technically alive by the end of the game, although Deadman’s status is a bit more mysterious, much like many ofGuillermo del Toro’s films, which Deadman is based on.
8Die-Hardman/Charlie
They Don’t Call Him That For Nothing
Die-Hardmanis seemingly absent for most of the game, but his voice comes out of the mysterious Charlie dummy on the DHV Magellan. Toward the end, it’s revealed Die-Hardman has been physically on the ship the whole time, voicing Charlie remotely.
After stepping down from his presidency within the UCA, he secretly funded Drawbridge as a private company to reunite the world. He’s a big reason why Sam can finish his journey, and he is alive and well.
7Rainy
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
Rainyis a new character inDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachwho is part of Drawbridge’s early recruitment process. When she steps outside, it rains, which causes Timefall, a phenomenon that makes rain age things, from people to objects like cars. She uses this gift many times to extinguish fires likea supernatural firefighter, and she and her baby are doing just fine as the game draws to a close.
6Dollman
He’s No Dummy
Dollmanis another new character based on an old ventriloquist puppet that has been possessed by the soul of a human who died during aBT attack long ago in theDeath Strandinguniverse. In an optional cutscene, players can learn that he sacrificed a place on his Beach to make sure his daughter’s soul would reach her Beach first, which then trapped Dollman in this puppet body. Even though he can suffer damage, including wild burns, this doll body cannot die, and the soul inside does not move on by the credit’s end.
5Tarman
And His Tarry Cat
Tarmanis a new character who pilots the DHV Magellan through the Tar Currents. He is accompanied by a tar-covered cat who has no name, but Tarman suspects it might be the spirit of his son. He suspects this after an optional cutscene wherein he reveals to Sam that he lost his hand and son to the Tar many years ago.
When Drawbridge makes the Jump to the final Beach, Tarman’s son’s true form can be seen where the cat should be, meaning Tarman was right all along. Even though he is the oldest of the group, Tarman does not die inDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachand continues piloting the ship.
4Higgs
Nailing That Makeup
Higgsis the returning major villain from the first game who Sam helps kill by the end, thus trapping him on a Beach for what seems like ages to Higgs. Higgs sets off the chain of events that leads to Lou’s death, Fragile’s death, and countless others.
He has no physical form in Mexico or Australia and instead can only project his consciousness into a robot, a Ghost Mech, until Sam meets his physical body on The Beach. Instead of dying, Higgs is eaten by a giant ghostly form of Lou,Attack on Titan-style, in the finale, which may or may not mean Higgs is dead again.
3The President/The Elder
Will This Beach Return?
The Presidentassumed control of the UCA after it was decided that a private company should control the best interests of the Chiral Network via APAS. Like Charlie, he is set up as another benefactor of Drawbridge’s journey, but was secretly also funding Higgs to build a robot army.
The President is also a charactercalledThe Elder, who was a minor character in the first game, although it is not known if this face reveal is meant to be taken literally. The President is an entity beyond the world of humans, that much is certain, and while his plans for global domination are ruined, he is not killed off.
2Neil Vana
A New Force Arrives
Neilis another villain in the game who appears early during Sam’s visit to another plane of existence. Sam will face him during three boss battles as Neil controls an endless army of skeletal soldiers. By the end, it is revealed that Neil died eleven years earlier trying to protect Sam’s lost love, Lucy, who was killed during an incident at Bridges. This event sent Neil into a rage, which turned him into a vengeful ghost whom Sam helps put to rest by the game’s conclusion.
