Hideo Kojima surprised readers in an essay for the Japanese women's magazine An An Web when he claimed his odd superpower is a really strong sense of smell. The piece was originally published on December 6, 2025, and has been making the rounds online months later.

He threw his shirt into the crowd and someone sniffed it

Kojima recalled the Season 2 finale recording of his radio show KOJI10, held at what he called a stylish cafe. With no merch to hand out, he admitted he impulsively removed his T shirt and tossed it into the audience. A fan in the front row caught it, pressed it to her face, inhaled, and said it smelled good.

The moment quickly spread on Japanese social media as fans tried to guess what cologne or scent he used. Kojima did not name the fragrance in the essay, but hinted that readers would understand after finishing his piece.

He says his nose is unusually sensitive

Beyond the shirt anecdote, Kojima revealed he has an especially acute sense of smell. He referenced the condition often called hyperosmia, though a machine translation of his essay reportedly used the nonstandard term hyperolemia.

What he described

  • He said his smell sensitivity is stronger than most people.
  • Certain smells can make him feel sick. As a child he sometimes felt nauseous from the scent of cosmetics during school events.
  • He can sometimes tell who used an elevator before him by the lingering smell.

What experts say about hyperosmia

Hyperosmia is an extreme sensitivity to odors. It is uncommon, estimated to affect about 2 percent of otherwise healthy people. The condition is most frequently reported in people who are pregnant or who experience migraines. Reported ages vary widely, with cases between early adolescence and later adulthood, and many descriptions note occurrences in people in their twenties.

Kojima said he has not received an official medical diagnosis, and that he chooses fragrances with low concentrations because his nose is so sensitive.

This essay adds a quirky personal detail to the regular flow of news about the Metal Gear director. Recently he has also talked about experiments with game design and interest in creating projects intended as training material for artificial intelligence models.

Whether you call it hyperosmia or just a very picky nose, Kojima’s sense of smell has people talking and guessing about his signature scent.