Masahiro Ito, the original art director and monster designer of Silent Hill 2, has publicly criticized some fan theories that paint James as either a perpetrator or victim of sexual assault. He specifically objected to the aggressive manner in which some parts of the Silent Hill 2 fandom promote such claims, dismissing them as "ignorance."
Silent Hill 2 spoilers on the origin of Pyramid Head and one particular scene with it and the mannequins ahead.
The horror legacy of Silent Hill 2 owes a lot to the game's psychological storytelling, inviting players to parse the meaning of its environments and monsters. One scene in particular, where Pyramid Head violently handles two mannequin figures, has fueled a controversial fan theory claiming that the creature is sexually assaulting them. This was, in turn, used as a basis to speculate about James himself being either a victim or perpetrator of such an act.
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Masahiro Ito Once Again Rejects Controversial Pyramid Head 'Headcanon'
While Silent Hill 2 art director Masahiro Ito has already dismissed these claims many times over the years, he has recently taken aim at the aggressive manner in which some fans are promoting them. "Their ignorance is still expanding like the Big Bang," Ito wrote on August 20 (via TheGamer), yet again rejecting the controversial "headcanon" that he has repeatedly ruled out.
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As part of this train of thought, Ito has once again spelled out the origin and basic symbolism of Silent Hill 2's Pyramid Head, explaining why it is incompatible with any theory ascribing sexual elements to the monster's behavior. He hence emphasized that the creature is born out of James's desire to punish himself, not out of some suppressed urges. "Mary's memories appear as the creatures," he explained in one comment, "but his desire to face the truth or punish himself appears as Pyramid Head, which eliminates those creatures."
Ito likened this clash between James's desire for punishment and truth and the manifestations of Mary's memories as the fight between good and evil. In the first part of the game, the protagonist tries to escape from the reality of what he did, with Silent Hill giving his delusions a corporeal form, manifesting them as various horrors that players encounter. Pyramid Head is progressively taking away these delusions by literally killing the monsters, which are all a reflection of James's psyche.
Their ignorance is still expanding like the Big Bang.
Although later versions of Pyramid Head in the Silent Hill series were unrelated to James, the original was always intended to act as more of a guide than an agent of harm, despite the protagonist occasionally clashing with it. While any piece of art can be interpreted in multiple ways, Ito never intended for Pyramid Head's appearance or demeanor in Silent Hill 2 to carry sexual undertones, with the industry veteran now once again stating as much.
Silent Hill 2
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- October 8, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bloober Team
- Publisher(s)
- Konami
