Silent Hill creature designer and illustrator Masahiro Ito has recently found himself in a public dispute with fans of pop superstar Madonna. The conflict arose after Ito made remarks about his inspiration for creature designs in the Silent Hill franchise, specifically referencing Madonna's 1999 music video for "Nothing Really Matters."
Ito, known for his work on iconic Silent Hill monsters such as the Bubble Head Nurses and Pyramid Head from Silent Hill 2, explained in May 2019 that the movements of the nurses were partly inspired by the Butoh-style dance sequences in Madonna's music video. This style of Japanese choreography, which emerged post-World War II, is characterized by slow, controlled movements, full-body white makeup, and contorted, grotesque facial and body expressions. The visual connection to Silent Hill's nurses is apparent.
However, the discussion took a turn when Ito later clarified that his inspiration was drawn specifically from the Butoh-like dances performed by Asian dancers in the video, not from Madonna herself or her music. He stated, "I said I [was] inspired by Madonna's Nothing Really Matters video. But I meant the Butoh-like dances by Asian dancers painted entirely white in the video, not herself / her song. It was one of [the] inspirations for the Lying Figure, Bubblehead Nurses’ etc. animations. That's all. Please don't jump to conclusions."
This clarification, however, seemed to provoke a vocal segment of Madonna's fanbase, who interpreted Ito's remarks as dismissive or an attempt to distance his work from the artist. Critics argued that the video's concept, and by extension Madonna's artistic direction, was the very reason for Ito's inspiration. Some fans accused him of being