Silent Hill 2 Art Director Masahiro Ito Confirms Fan Theory That's Been Circulating for Decades

Pyramid Head 2 is no doubt one of the most iconic monsters in Silent Hill, and perhaps even one of the most memorable creatures in all horror media. But he's also one of the most mysterious figures in the game, with lots of unanswered questions surrounding his presence and tons of theories swirling around. Silent Hill 2 art director Masahiro Ito recently confirmed one of those theories, saying that Pyramid Head does really exist in the Silent Hill universe outside of James' delusions.

Is Pyramid Head Real In Silent Hill 2?

So how does the "Pyramid Head is real" theory work, especially now that it's confirmed to be canon - and how did it get started? Towards the ending of Silent Hill 2, James Sunderland comes across a painting in the Silent Hill Historical Society that depicts the "Red Pyramid Thing" that's been following him around the town. Given that much of James’ perception of Silent Hill is shaped by his psychological state, many fans speculated that the photo was a fabrication of his mind, or was at least altered in some way.

However, others argued the opposite: that James saw the photo during an earlier visit to Silent Hill with his wife, Mary Sunderland, and that his fear of the image caused an identical creature to manifest. 

The deacdes-long debate led one player to ask SH2 art director Masahiro Ito: "Is the painting in the Historical Society from the game the same as what James saw when he stayed in SH with Mary on vacation, or is it a distorted version from his mind?" 

He responded: "Absolutely the former. Coz it exists in the real in the game."

Given that the Historical Society provides insights into a history of executioners in the town, it's very possible that the photo of Pyramid Head James sees in the Historical Society is, in fact, a depiction of a past Silent Hill executioner. After (spoiler alert) killing Mary, James remembers the image and manifests his guilt onto it because of his need for an "executioner." In other words, Pyramid Head does really exist, or did at some point - but James' version of Pyramid Head is his own manifestation, and doesn't exist outside of his own delusions.

But there are a few holes in the theory that Pyramid Head is real. One fan pointed out that Alex Shepherd also sees Pyramid Head in Silent Hill: Homecoming, meaning that Alex would've also had to see the painting. Ito said that while he didn't work on SH: Homecoming, he believes they should've "depicted or described" the protagonist seeing the painting for things to make sense.

"If someone describe or depict the relationship between the protagonist and Pyramid Head in his/their stories (games or films) better than the OG SH2, I will gladly accept the appearance," Ito added. "I've never seen any before, though."

Ito's comments clear up some Silent Hill 2 fan theories that have been circulating for decades, and explain a little bit of the mystery surrounding Pyramid Head's existence. But that isn't the only Silent Hill secret to be solved recently. Fans recently figured out the remake's photo puzzle, discovering a secret message hidden by Blooober Team.