Silent Hill 2: Popular fan theory is not true, according to Masahiro Ito

At the beginning of Silent Hill 2, is protagonist James Sunderland looking directly at the player or not? Some fans of the horror masterpiece have been dealing with this theory for years.

Now there’s an answer that probably won’t please all supporters of the theory: It’s not true. At least that’s what Masahiro Ito, the art and monster director of the first three Silent Hill games, says. On Twitter, he contradicts James breaking the fourth wall.

Silent Hill 2: James theory is just speculation

The theory that James is facing the player focuses on the beginning of the game. A cutscene shows James Sunderland standing in front of a sink and looking in the mirror. His face and especially his eyes cannot be seen in the original because they remain in the dark.

Years later, however, some fans have begun to lighten said scene. It should show: James does not look at himself in the mirror, but his eyes look directly at the player in the reflection. At least that’s the theory, which has been around for a long time.

There has not yet been an official answer as to whether this is actually the case. On the occasion of the announcement of the Silent Hill 2 remake, Masahiro Ito, who was involved in the development of Silent Hill 1 to 3, was forced to respond. On Twitter he literally writes: “So many people have asked me about it. It’s just a head cinema. James doesn’t look at the player.”

So many people have asked me. But it’s a headcanon. James doesn’t look at the player. pic.twitter.com/w40F7sBsJN

— 伊藤暢達/Masahiro Ito (@adsk4) October 22, 2022

in one another tweet he expresses his frustration with the issue. “I’m so fed up,” writes Ito.

The scene is different in the remake

It remains to be seen whether the discussion about the theory will really come to an end with Ito’s words. The scene will probably draw less attention in the remake, as it appears to be slightly altered.

In the first trailer for Silent Hill 2 Remake you can also see James standing in front of a sink and here he is looking in the mirror too. However, this time his face is clearly visible and his facial expressions are a lot more detailed.