When Death Stranding 2: On the Beach begins, we find Sam living off-grid in a secluded part of Mexico with Lou, his adopted daughter, formerly the Bridge Baby (BB-28) from the original Death Stranding. He’s hung up his boots, no longer a porter, and seems to be leading a peaceful life away from the politics of the UCA and Bridges. Then, Fragile shows up at his doorstep, asking him to return and help her connect Mexico to the Chiral Network. Sam has to agree (as choosing “I won’t do it” doesn’t take you anywhere other than the turning in loops), leaving Lou in Fragile’s care.
But shortly after Sam departs, tragedy strikes. Mysterious attackers raid his shelter. Fragile, in a desperate bid to protect Lou, escapes on her unicycle and jumps to safety, even though suffering from a dangerous condition called Jump Shock Syndrome. She gets shot mid-jump, and Lou’s small body is seen slumped on the ground. It’s a gut-wrenching moment that seems to confirm Lou’s death in Death Stranding 2.
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains major plot spoilers for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Is Lou Dead in Death Stranding 2?
Later, when Sam visits West Fort Knot in Australia, this is where Higgs is introduced in the game in full chaos mode. He’s alive, more dangerous, and now commands giant Ghost Mechs. Higgs says that he is the mastermind of the attack on Sam’s home, and the reason is to hurt him with his closest one (none other than Lou), since he can’t kill him due to Sam’s Repatriate powers.
This confirms what players suspected: Higgs killed Lou not for strategy, but for vengeance. For Sam, it’s a massive breakdown rather than just a personal loss. He starts to hallucinate Lou, seeing her in the BB pod he carries. Even though she no longer needs the pod, Sam treats it as if she’s still inside—it’s grief, denial, and trauma playing out in real time.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Lou’s death isn’t so simple. In Death Stranding, death is rarely final, and that theme continues here. Lou’s physical body (her Ha) may have died during the attack, but her soul (her Ka) survived. Due to time flow system in the game, Lou’s soul ended up in a strange liminal space. Fragile, during her final moments on the Beach after being shot, handed Lou over to the BTs. This act saved Lou, but separated her from the living world.
This twist is slowly unraveled through Sam’s journey and therapy sessions with Dollman, whom Fragile secretly brought in to help Sam cope. Sam’s visions of Lou in the pod aren’t Lou at all—they’re projections of grief. The BB unit is empty, and Sam has been carrying around his own denial the entire time.
Who is Tomorrow? The Lou Reality Revealed
About halfway through the game, you meet a mysterious woman named Tomorrow (played by Elle Fanning). She plays a crucial role in many surreal sequences and seems oddly familiar. At last, the truth drops: Tomorrow is Lou grew up on the Beach. Time flows faster there, so it led to Lou growing to maturity in adulthood while only a short time has passed in the real world.
Neil, a key character linked to Lucy (Sam’s late wife), had been watching over Lou this entire time. Though he believed she was his own daughter due to Lucy’s deception, he protected her even in death. Lou was kept inside a golden chrysalis, a kind of evolved BB pod, that acted like an incubator while she matured. This revelation reflects the Bridget/Amelie twist from the first game. The themes of duality, identity, and misdirection are used to full effect again, and this one hits hard for players who’ve been following Sam and Lou since the beginning.
The final act of Death Stranding 2 reveals the real backstory. Lou is Sam’s real daughter, not actually adopted. In the chaos of the past, Lucy faked the truth to protect Lou from Bridges and the UCA. Even Neil believed the lie. When Sam and Lucy were caught in a Voidout years ago, Lucy was killed, but Sam—being a Repatriate—came back. Lou was extracted via C-section and entered the BB program as BB-00. She was almost decommissioned, but thanks to Amelie and other shadow forces, she was preserved.
By the time Sam realizes all this, the pieces fall into place. The BB unit, the lies, the growing connection to Tomorrow—it all comes together in one final emotional sucker-punch. Sam didn’t only lose a BB. He lost his daughter. And then, against all odds, he found her again.
The Final Reunion and Lou’s Future
In the end, after a wild final showdown with Higgs and a lot of Beach-jumping chaos, Sam rescues Tomorrow and finally understands who she is. There’s no mistaking it anymore: Lou is alive. Grown, changed, and stronger than ever. The mid-credit scene of Death Stranding 2 shows her preparing to step through a Plate Gate alone. Like her father before her, she’s becoming a porter. The cycle continues, but this time, it’s Lou’s story to tell. If Kojima has plans for Death Stranding 3, don’t be surprised if Louise (aka Tomorrow) is the main protagonist.
