All vikis
Aion 2
Ananta
ARC Raiders
ArcheAge Chronicles
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
Chrono Odyssey
Civilization 3
Civilization 4
Crimson Desert
Deadlock
Diablo 4
Diablo 5
Enshrouded
Fable
Final Fantasy Resonance
Football Manager 27
Forza Horizon 6
Grand Theft Auto 6
Heroes of Might and Magic 3
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Metro 2039
Path of Exile 2
Persona 4 RevivalOrpheus
Snoop Dogg plays Orpheus in Stranger Than Heaven, a globe-trotting smuggler who finds Makoto Daito stowed away on a ship in 1915, takes him to Japan and spots his musical talent. Snoop Dogg also sings on the theme song, and his son Cordell Broadus plays the Veiled Stranger.
Snoop Dogg is in Stranger Than Heaven as Orpheus, "a globe-trotting merchant with an 'open mind' toward the legality of his wares," as SEGA described him on Sep 25, 2026. He catches Makoto Daito and Yu Shinjo stowing away on his ship out of San Francisco in 1915, takes them to Japan, teaches Makoto how to survive there and recognizes his musical talent. Snoop Dogg himself calls Orpheus a "cutthroat and charismatic smuggler" (Xbox Wire, May 6, 2026). He also sings on the game's theme song, appeared on stage for it at Summer Game Fest on Jun 5, 2026, and, by RGG Studio's account, is the reason Tupac is in the game. The clip is SEGA's Act 1 story trailer: Orpheus finds the two stowaways and shows them Japan.
Quick facts
| Portrayed by | Snoop Dogg |
| Who he is | A smuggler and trader in legal and illegal goods |
| First appears | On the ship from San Francisco, 1915 |
| Theme song | Sings on "STRANGER THAN HEAVEN" |
| Family in the cast | Son Cordell Broadus as the Veiled Stranger |
| Stage appearance | Summer Game Fest, Jun 5, 2026, with Cordell Broadus |
Sources: SEGA: cast page; SEGA, Jun 5, 2026; SEGA, May 7, 2026.
Who is Orpheus in Stranger Than Heaven?
Orpheus finds the two boys hidden aboard and, instead of turning them in, carries them to Japan. Cordell Broadus, speaking in the May 6, 2026 Xbox Presents, said Orpheus realizes "what he's destined to deliver are the lives of these two boys," and called Makoto his "sidekick, his wingman" (Xbox Wire). Game Informer's June preview went further and called Orpheus "Makoto's best friend"; SEGA's own wording is a trader who teaches him (Game Informer, Jun 11, 2026). See San Francisco 1915. The clip is the May 6, 2026 Xbox Presents broadcast, with Snoop Dogg and Cordell Broadus on Orpheus.
In Kokura, the October 2026 preview build had Makoto running jobs for Orpheus before the story turns to Tae and the Oki Clan (Game Informer, Oct 21, 2026). See Kokura 1915. SEGA has not said how long Orpheus stays in the story after that.
Snoop Dogg and the theme song
The theme song "STRANGER THAN HEAVEN" features Snoop Dogg, Satoshi Fujihara, Ado and Tori Kelly (SEGA, May 7, 2026); it debuted in the May 6, 2026 broadcast, and Xbox Wire credits Kelly and Fujihara with writing it. All four sing it as performers who also play characters. See Music and Theme Song.
Summer Game Fest 2026
At the Summer Game Fest live show, RGG Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama confirmed the Jan 15, 2027 release date and "was later joined on stage by Snoop Dogg and his son Cordell Broadus," SEGA said on Jun 5, 2026. The same show revealed Tupac as Amaru. CBC captions the stage appearance as Jun 4, 2026, while SEGA's release, dated Jun 5, calls it "today." On stage, Snoop Dogg said of Tupac that "his likeness and his spirit still lives on" (CBC News, Jun 13, 2026).
Snoop Dogg and Tupac's role
Yokoyama told Game Informer that the Tupac idea came from Snoop Dogg after the team asked him who would suit a role (Game Informer, Jun 11, 2026), and told AUTOMATON that Tupac was added in the latter half of development after Snoop Dogg introduced RGG Studio to Tupac's family (AUTOMATON, Jun 23, 2026). See Tupac Shakur as Amaru. The clip is IGN's Michael Higham after Summer Game Fest 2026, recounting what Yokoyama told him; the doubts in it are Higham's.
Cordell Broadus as the Veiled Stranger
Snoop Dogg's son Cordell Broadus plays the Veiled Stranger, "a man stationed in postwar Japan" (SEGA cast page) who has been searching for someone. That places him after the war; SEGA has not said whom he is looking for. See Characters and Cast and Atami 1951.
Frequently asked questions
Is Snoop Dogg in Stranger Than Heaven? Yes. Snoop Dogg plays Orpheus, the smuggler who brings Makoto Daito to Japan in 1915, and sings on Stranger Than Heaven's theme song.
Who does Snoop Dogg play in Stranger Than Heaven? Orpheus, a globe-trotting merchant who deals in legal and illegal goods, teaches Makoto how to survive in Japan and recognizes his musical talent.
Is Snoop Dogg's son in Stranger Than Heaven? Yes. Cordell Broadus plays the Veiled Stranger, a man stationed in postwar Japan, and joined his father on stage for Stranger Than Heaven at Summer Game Fest 2026.
Did Snoop Dogg bring Tupac into Stranger Than Heaven? By Yokoyama's account, yes: the idea came from Snoop Dogg, who introduced RGG Studio to Tupac's family. Stranger Than Heaven's Amaru is made with the permission and supervision of Tupac's estate.
Sources
- STRANGER THAN HEAVEN: Cast, SEGA, undated
- Stranger Than Heaven Reveals New Info On Key Characters And Show Business Theme, Worthplaying (SEGA press release), Sep 25, 2026
- Xbox Presents: A Special Look at Stranger Than Heaven, Xbox Wire, May 6, 2026
- SEGA and Xbox raise the curtain on "Stranger Than Heaven", Game Developer (SEGA press release), May 7, 2026
- TUPAC SHAKUR JOINS SEGA'S "STRANGER THAN HEAVEN", SEGA, Jun 5, 2026
- Throwing Hands Across Japan, Game Informer, Jun 11, 2026
- One Man's Story Of Biculturalism, Music, Fitting In, And Fighting, Game Informer, Oct 21, 2026
- RGG Studio Head Talks Tupac's Controversial Stranger Than Heaven Inclusion, Game Informer, Jun 11, 2026
- Stranger Than Heaven executive director talks about casting philosophy learned from Yakuza 0, AUTOMATON, Jun 23, 2026
- Tupac is being digitally resurrected again, this time in a video game, CBC News, Jun 13, 2026
- STRANGER THAN HEAVEN - Act 1: Kokura Story Trailer, SEGA, Oct 16, 2026 (video)
- Xbox Presents: A Special Look at STRANGER THAN HEAVEN, RGG Studio (official), May 7, 2026 (video)
- Stranger Than Heaven Hands-On Impressions: Yakuza, Like A Souls Game, IGN, Jun 16, 2026 (video)
Moments
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN - Act 1: Kokura Story Trailer
SEGA
Xbox Presents: A Special Look at STRANGER THAN HEAVEN
RGGスタジオ 公式
Stranger Than Heaven Hands-On Impressions: Yakuza, Like A Souls Game
IGN
Related
-
Characters and CastStranger Than Heaven's official cast page credits 17 characters to the people who portray them, led by Yu Shirota as the hero Makoto Daito, with Dean Fujioka, Snoop Dogg, Ado, Tori Kelly, the late Bunta Sugawara in CG and Tupac as Amaru. No separate English voice cast has been published as of Nov 3, 2026.
-
Genzo IwakiGenzo Iwaki is the big boss of Kure in Stranger Than Heaven, head of the Iwaki Family that Makoto Daito joins in 1929. He is portrayed by the late actor Bunta Sugawara, made in CG from archival footage with his family's consent and Toei's materials, and voiced by Takashi Ukaji.
-
Keiko ShiraiAdo plays Keiko Shirai in Stranger Than Heaven, the diva of wartime Osaka in the 1943 Minami chapter, and both voices her and sings her era's songs. Ado is also one of the four singers on the game's theme song.
-
Suzy DayTori Kelly plays Suzy Day in Stranger Than Heaven, a talented singer who dreams of making it big and whose rise in show business begins when she meets Makoto Daito in the Shizuoka segment. Kelly also co-wrote and sings the theme song.
- Takeo GodaiTakaya Kuroda, the Japanese voice of Kazuma Kiryu, plays Takeo Godai in Stranger Than Heaven, a skilled craftsman and a man of few words. Godai is a new character, not Kiryu, and his era and role had not been shown as of Nov 3, 2026.
-
Tupac Shakur as AmaruSEGA says Tupac plays Amaru in Stranger Than Heaven, "a man living in hiding in Japan," a CG character RGG Studio built from archival footage and photographs with the permission and supervision of his estate, Amaru Entertainment, and without the use of AI. Amaru's voice, era and role had not been announced as of Nov 3, 2026.
-
DevelopmentStranger Than Heaven was in development at RGG Studio for 6 to 7 years, began as a planned trilogy, was revealed as Project Century in December 2024 and renamed in June 2025, and uses no generative AI, according to RGG Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama.
-
See also
-
Makoto DaitoMakoto Daito is the hero of Stranger Than Heaven, the son of an American father and a Japanese mother who flees San Francisco for Japan in 1915 and, over fifty years, becomes a yakuza known as the Red Oni and a showman. He is portrayed by Yu Shirota.
-
Yu ShinjoYu Shinjo is Makoto Daito's lifelong friend and rival in Stranger Than Heaven, a half-Japanese, half-British young man he meets on the ship to Japan in 1915. He is portrayed by Dean Fujioka.
-
San Francisco 1915Stranger Than Heaven opens in San Francisco in 1915, where the orphaned Makoto Daito, wrongly accused of a crime, flees the police and stows away on a ship to Japan, meeting Yu Shinjo and the smuggler Orpheus on board. The chase doubles as the combat tutorial.
-
Kokura 1915Kokura in Fukuoka, in 1915, is the first city of Stranger Than Heaven, a smoke-filled foundry town where young Makoto Daito runs jobs for the smuggler Orpheus, meets Tae Matsumoto and fights the Oki Clan. It is modeled on the real Kokura beside the Yawata steelworks.
-
-
Masayoshi YokoyamaMasayoshi Yokoyama is the head of RGG Studio and the executive director of Stranger Than Heaven, a longtime writer of the Like a Dragon (Yakuza) series who took over the studio in October 2021. The game's director is Mikinobu Abe.