Summary
Death Stranding 2: On the Beachis without a doubt one of the most highly anticipated titles of 2025, so it’s fortunate that its June release is already right around the corner. Based on what has been revealed so far inDeath Stranding 2’s State of Play trailerand its more recent pre-order trailer, Hideo Kojima is setting fans up for an intense journey through the world ofDeath Strandingonce more, introducing new characters like Neil and Doctor while welcoming back old friends such as Sam and Heartman. Unfortunately, it’s possibleDeath Stranding 2has already teased the tragic fate of one of the first game’s most beloved characters.
Death Stranding 2’s pre-order trailer is incredibly emotional, with what appear to be some of the game’s most heart-wrenching scenes, all backed by the orchestral dynamics of Woodkid’s “To the Wilder.” With the trailer being over 10 minutes long, there is understandably a lot of footage for players to theorize about and get bent out of shape over as they await the game’s release. While most of the footage doesn’t offer much to go on in terms of confirmed story details, it does strongly imply the death or disappearance of one major character inDeath Stranding 2— Fragile.
Death Stranding 2 May Have Already Teased Fragile’s Fate
Death Stranding 2’s Pre-Order Trailer Implies Fragile’s Absence in the Game
While the State of Play trailer forDeath Stranding 2seemed to show Fragile playing a significant role in the game’s narrative, its pre-order trailer tells somewhat of a different story. Near the end of the trailer, Sam says, “I’ve been alone this whole time?” To which we hear Fragile reply, “You’re wrong. Death can’t tear us apart. We’ll always be connected. We will always be with you, no matter what. You will never, ever be alone.” It’s impossible to know what Sam meant by “I’ve been alone this whole time,” but taking him at his word and considering Fragile’s response, there’s reason to believe that she is largely absent inDeath Stranding 2’s storyand Sam only perceives her to be there.
During this dialogue in the pre-order trailer, Sam and Fragile are shown sharing a romantic moment, which could very well be happening in Sam’s head.
It could be that Fragile is physically absent and is somehow communicating with Sam or even appearing to him, possibly through a connection to the Beach. Perhaps this is at least part of whatDeath Stranding 2’s subtitle, “On the Beach,“will mean in the end — that Fragile is on the Beach, and perhaps others as well, meaning Sam has potentially outlived some of his loved ones. To make matters worse, this is all backed up by a scene shown inDeath Stranding 2’s pre-order trailer, which suggests something tragic has happened to Fragile.
One of the most emotional moments ofDeath Stranding 2’s pre-order trailersees Fragile attempting to protect Lou from unknown enemy forces. During the sequence, she is heard narrating the events, saying that she tried to jump her and Lou away from the danger, but was unable to jump both of them simultaneously. At the last minute, she says that she decided to only jump Lou out of the area, implying that she, Fragile, was left behind. Shortly thereafter, a shadowy figure appears and holds out a pistol, after which a gunshot is heard and the screen goes black.
This could simply be the way the trailer is edited. In fact, it is most likely a red herring, knowing Kojima’s knack for throwing fans off the scent. However, in the case that the trailer hasn’t been edited to purposefully mislead fans, it can be assumed that Fragile was shot by the figure with thegun inDeath Stranding 2. If she was indeed shot, it’s possible that she was either killed or is in critical condition, as the trailer also shows her on what appears to be a hospital bed at one point.
It could be that Fragile is physically absent and is somehow communicating with Sam or even appearing to him, possibly through a connection to the Beach.
At the end of the day, there’s no way to know for sure what Fragile’s fate will be untilDeath Stranding 2actually launches, especially with Kojima at the helm. However, if the pre-order trailer is being taken at face value, it looks like Fragile may not be present forSam’s journey inDeath Stranding 2in the way fans might expect. Whether she’s gone entirely, trapped on the Beach, or communicating with Sam from beyond, her role could be one of the game’s most tragic threads, and potentially one of its most important.
