Hideo Kojima's 'Instinctive' Decision to Rip Off His T-Shirt And Throw It Into a Crowd Kickstarted A Viral Investigation Into What Cologne He Uses
· IGN
Here's a sentence I never thought I'd write: Metal Gear and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima has gone viral again, not because of his latest in-game innovation or taste in movies, but because of his superhuman power of smell and distinctive cologne.
In a personal essay written for magazine AnAnWeb at the end of last year, Kojima recounted the time he felt compelled to rip off his own shirt and throw it into a crowd of fans during the live recording of a finale of his radio show, KOJI10. The crew had decided not to give them away to listeners who came to the second season finale, but Kojima went rogue at the end of the show and threw his own shirt into the crowd.
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KOJI10. We’ve reached the final episode. To everyone who connected with us via the radio— thank you so much. And thank you to the production team, the Kojima Productions team, Hibi chan, Yanpi san. I will truly treasure these past six months of my life. Until we meet again 🫶👍 pic.twitter.com/h2X8zfZPP1
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) September 29, 2025
"I wasn't trying to be a rock star; my body just reacted instinctively," Kojima wrote, per machine translation. "I threw the T-shirt weakly underhand, and it was caught in the palm of a female fan in the front row. She immediately covered her face with the T-shirt, took a deep breath, and murmured, 'It smells good!' I don't sweat much, but there must have been some of my 'scent' in it. And also the fragrance (parfum) I usually wear.
"I have a much more sensitive sense of smell than most people. I've never been officially diagnosed with 'Hyperosmia' by a doctor, but I sometimes feel sick from certain smells. When I was a child, I felt nauseous several times from the smell of cosmetics on school visit days. That hasn't changed even now that I'm an adult. When I ride the elevator at work, I can sometimes identify who was in it before me by the lingering scent. I don't even like aromatherapy, so my motivation for wearing perfume isn't about fashion. It's to protect myself from other smells. That's why I avoid wearing perfumes with high fragrance concentrations."
After much experimentation, Kojima said his own scent settled down in his 30s, but changed again when he left Konami. It's this scent that fans were trying to decipher after he blew up on social media with followers trying to ascertain what cologne/perfume he wore.
"To be honest, I don't want anyone to know what perfume I'm using," he added. "If it gets identified, I'll have no choice but to change my 'scent' again. So, I felt not only impressed but also frustrated by the fans' inquisitiveness and enthusiasm. I wish they would use their time and energy more effectively than searching for perfume."
Nonetheless, Kojima provided hints, including the country where it's made, but after responding to fans' suggestions eventually led to the correct answer, he stopped answering. "And just as the 'scent' disappeared from the T-shirt, in less than a week, the topic of 'scent' that originated on the radio also disappeared from social media."
Photo by Amy E. Price/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.