Hideo Kojima Distances Himself From Controversial Cartoonist
▼ Summary
– Hideo Kojima deleted a photo with cartoonist Michele Rech after facing online backlash over Rech’s graphic novel Kobane Calling, which expresses sympathy for Kurdish YPG militia forces.
– The YPG militia is controversial because while it fought ISIS, it’s accused by some groups of recruiting child soldiers and is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and other nations.
– Rech responded by explaining the photo was his publisher’s idea and criticized Turkish media for harassing Kojima over alleged support for terrorism.
– Kojima Productions issued a statement denying any relationship with Rech and clarifying they had no prior knowledge of his works or political positions.
– The studio emphasized the photo was a brief encounter and was not intended to express agreement with any particular political stance.
Video game auteur Hideo Kojima has moved to formally distance himself and his studio from a burgeoning online controversy, following a social media post that linked him to cartoonist Michele “Zerocalcare” Rech. In an official statement released on Wednesday, Kojima Productions sought to clarify the circumstances surrounding a now-deleted photograph, aiming to correct what it termed “misunderstandings” circulating in media reports and across social networks.
Earlier this month, the director behind the upcoming Death Stranding 2 shared a picture from the Lucca Comics & Games convention in Italy. The photo showed him standing alongside author and cartoonist Rech, holding a Japanese edition of the graphic novel Kobane Calling. Published in 2015, this work documents the struggles of a Syrian town besieged by ISIS. Rech is also known for another graphic novel, No Sleep till Shengal, which details the persecution faced by the Yazidi people. Kojima, who frequently posts photos with individuals he meets, subsequently removed the image from his social media channels.
The deletion appears to have been a direct response to a significant online backlash focused on the political perspectives associated with Rech’s work. Kobane Calling expresses clear sympathy for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, a group that fought against ISIS. However, the YPG faces serious accusations from various international organizations, including the alleged recruitment of child soldiers. Turkey, along with several other nations, designates the YPG as a terrorist organization. It is noteworthy that the United States does not share this designation, despite the YPG’s affiliations with the PKK, a group the U.S. does classify as terrorist. The theme of child soldiers is one Kojima has explored extensively within his own Metal Gear series.
Public reaction to Kojima’s deletion was swift. One social media user expressed disappointment, stating that Kobane Calling is a firsthand account of Kurdish resistance and is only controversial to those who sympathize with ISIS.
In the wake of the online storm, Rech himself addressed the incident through an illustrated video. Referring to Kojima as the “Jesus Christ of video games,” the cartoonist clarified that it was his publisher’s idea to give a copy of Kobane Calling to the developer. He stated that Kojima then willingly held the book up for the photograph. Rech also reported seeing hundreds of Turkish websites claiming Kojima had posted in support of terrorism, leading to what he described as the harassment of “poor Kojima.”
A full week after the initial post was removed, Kojima Productions issued its definitive statement. The studio firmly declared that “there is no personal or professional relationship between the two individuals,” characterizing the encounter as a brief photo opportunity following a short introduction by an acquaintance at the convention. The statement went further, asserting that neither Kojima nor his studio had any prior knowledge of Zerocalcare’s works or his political positions. It emphasized that the photo was in no way intended to express agreement with or support for any specific stance or opinion.
This cautious, corporate response struck many observers as notably at odds with the deeply political narratives that have defined Kojima’s recent blockbuster games for PlayStation. The studio’s effort to remain apolitical stands in stark contrast to the thought-provoking themes that are a hallmark of its creator’s work.
(Source: Kotaku)