Hidetaka Miyazaki, director of Elden Ring and The Duskbloods and president of FromSoftware, has discussed the recurring imagery that shapes his games. In a rather lovely interview at The Guardian today, he considers themes including ruin, rebirth, yearning, hope and hopelessness.
The conversation turns to hands before taking an unexpected step towards feet.
Why hands appear so often
Miyazaki is asked about the hand imagery in The Duskbloods and Elden Ring. The examples include the enormous hand-shaped enemies in Elden Ring and an opening cinematic image from The Duskbloods, where one hand reaches towards another.
He says he is not always consciously aware of using these motifs throughout his work. However, reflecting on the question leads him to address a long-running fan theory about another recurring detail:
“Take a look online and there’s a rumor that I have a bit of a thing for feet, but I’m not honestly sure where this comes from. I feel like I’m trying to depict some side of human nature or the human existence that is difficult to describe.”
The recurring barefoot characters
There is some basis for the joke. Miyazaki’s games contain plenty of barefoot characters, with cinematic shots and close-ups that give those feet unusually careful visual treatment. That pattern has prompted fans to speculate for years about whether the director has a particular fascination with feet. A just a lot of barefooted characters in Miyazaki’s games look at the subject explores why the meme has endured.
His explanation is plausible, even if it is amusing that he appears to keep an eye on what people say about him online. The idea that the giant hands in Elden Ring represent an aspect of human nature that is difficult to express also fits the series’ interest in unsettling, symbolic imagery.
That interpretation can be hard to contemplate in the moment, particularly when one of those grotesque hands erupts from the ground and grabs the player. Still, the contrast between Miyazaki’s thoughtful explanation and the immediate panic of encountering the enemy is part of what makes the imagery so memorable.
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