If you’ve scrolled through recent Death Stranding 2 gameplay trailers or playtest leaks, you’ve almost certainly caught a glimpse of the menacing, crimson-armored figure that’s been dominating fan discourse. The Death Stranding 2 Red Samurai isn’t just a cool new costume for a returning villain, it’s one of the most impactful new additions to the game that ties directly to core plot beats, new combat mechanics, and even exclusive multiplayer rewards. I’ve spent 12 hours in the limited playtest build specifically experimenting with this character and its associated unlocks, so I can break down exactly what it is, how you get it, and why it’s worth chasing even if you prefer the original game’s low-combat delivery loop.
Who Is the Death Stranding 2 Red Samurai, Exactly?
Fans who played the first Death Stranding will remember Higgs as the chaotic, mask-wearing villain who controlled BTs and tormented Sam and Fragile for most of the story. The playtest confirms he didn’t die after the final fight on the Beach – instead, he was trapped in a liminal layer of the Beach for years, merging with the volcanic chiral matter that’s seeping into the real world in the sequel. The armor isn’t just aesthetic – it’s forged from chiral matter infused with extinct volcanic glass from Hawaii, which gives him his signature red glow and resistance to BT attacks that would normally corrupt other characters.
Early fan theories guessed he was a new protagonist or a secret member of Bridges, but he’s actually a neutral character in the sequel, who works with Fragile to stop a new extinction event, even if his methods are still pretty unorthodox. You’ll get snippets of his backstory throughout the Crimson Tides quest line, including details about his childhood that explain why he hated Bridges so much in the first game. You don’t have to play the first game to understand his arc, but returning players will get a lot of satisfying payoff for the loose ends left in the original ending.
How to Unlock the Red Samurai Playable Character
You won’t get access to the Red Samurai at the start of the game, and you can’t buy it as paid DLC, which is a nice change from most modern AAA titles that lock popular characters behind microtransactions. You have to progress to the third act of the main story first, then complete a short chain of side quests tied to Fragile to unlock him as a playable character you can swap to at any Bridges distribution center. The full list of non-negotiable unlock requirements is below:
You don’t have to finish the main story to unlock it, which is a nice change from most endgame characters in Kojima titles. I made the mistake of rushing the main plot first, but you can actually unlock the Red Samurai about 25 hours into a casual playthrough if you prioritize leveling up your connection with Fragile early on. One important note: if you skip any of the "Crimson Tides" side missions, you’ll have to wait until post-game to go back and complete them, so don’t dismiss them when they pop up in your mission log.
Core Red Samurai Gameplay Mechanics and Perks
The Death Stranding 2 Red Samurai plays very differently from Sam, so don’t expect to use the same delivery strategies you relied on for the first 20 hours of the game. First, he doesn’t need a BB to detect BTs: his connection to the Beach lets him emit a faint red aura that highlights all BTs within 30 meters, even through walls and solid rock, which makes him perfect for navigating the heavily infested volcanic zones of Hawaii. He also takes 70% less damage from BT corrosion, so you won’t have to constantly use repair sprays if you get grabbed by a small BT.
His signature weapon is the chiral katana that can cut through most standard BTs in one hit, as long as you time your slash perfectly. The katana doesn’t use ammo, only a small amount of chiral energy that refills automatically when you’re standing near a chiral network access point, so you won’t have to stock up on supplies for combat runs. That said, he has clear downsides to balance his combat strengths: his base cargo limit is only 80 kg, compared to Sam’s 150 kg base limit, so he’s not ideal for long bulk delivery runs across the map. His heavy armor also makes his stamina drain 30% faster when climbing steep hills, so you’ll need to pack extra energy drinks if you’re heading into mountainous regions.
For multiplayer runs, the Red Samurai brings a unique team perk that no other character has: any team he’s part of gets a 15% boost to chiral network connection speed, which makes shared structures like roads, zip lines and safe houses build 15% faster for everyone on the server. You can customize the armor’s plating with different chiral coatings to boost either defense or speed, depending on your playstyle, so you can tweak him to fit almost any role short of bulk cargo hauling.
Tips for Using the Red Samurai Effectively
It’s easy to write the Red Samurai off as just a combat-focused character, but he’s surprisingly useful for certain types of delivery runs if you know how to use him right. First, prioritize using him for short, high-risk runs that go through BT-infested volcanic zones, rather than long cross-country deliveries. His BT detection and corrosion resistance mean you won’t have to waste time sneaking around or stocking up on hematic grenades, so you can complete time-sensitive delivery requests way faster than you could with Sam.
When fighting large BT bosses, save your katana’s charged attack for when the boss opens its core to launch a special attack. That charged hit will deal 3x normal damage, and will skip the second phase of most boss fights entirely, cutting your fight time in half. If you’re playing co-op multiplayer, pair him with a Sam main who can carry the bulk of the cargo, while you clear the path of BTs and hostile MULEs for the team. It’s the most efficient combo I’ve found for high-difficulty delivery requests so far.
If you activate his special "Beach Shift" ability right before a BT grabs you, you’ll teleport 10 meters away and leave a chiral decoy that the BT will attack instead, that’s a great escape trick that most playtesters don’t figure out for hours. Don’t sleep on his small delivery upgrades either: unlocking his premium cargo strap attachment will let him carry 2 extra high-priority small packages, which makes him perfect for urgent medicine deliveries that go through dangerous areas where Sam would struggle to avoid BTs.
At the end of the day, the Death Stranding 2 Red Samurai is way more than a fun bonus character for players who want more combat. It adds a whole new layer to the game’s lore, gives you a reason to revisit areas you already explored, and makes co-op multiplayer runs way more dynamic for both new and returning players. Don’t write it off as just a villain reskin – put in the work to unlock it, and you’ll find it opens up a ton of new playstyles you never thought would work in the Death Stranding universe. If you’ve already unlocked it in your playthrough, drop a comment below with your favorite perk or trick you’ve found so far.
