Silent HIll f actress Konatsu Kato is now a Japanese superstar

Silent Hill f-actress Konatsu Kato is headed for video game stardom. While she had a few roles in Japanese film and television before appearing in Konami's latest title, her portrayal of its protagonist, Hinako Shimizu, has earned her global recognition.

She was nominated for Best Performance at The Game Awards, losing to eventual winner Jennifer English, who helped Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 achieve record breaking success, and she received critical acclaim for Silent Hill f.

Back in her native Japan, her celebrity status is at its peak. Hundreds of thousands of viewers tuned in to watch her play the game for the first time, and now a two-minute video of her walking into a store to buy her own PS5 has racked up over a million views in just over a week.

Konatsu Kato is poised to become one of the faces of video games in Japan

Kato said that playing Hinako often caused her to “burst into tears without even thinking about anything”, adding, “there were days when I felt like I was going crazy.” That didn't stop her from renting a PS5 and playing through the games, earning her the acclaim of the Japanese public.

Her time with the rented PS5 clearly went so well that the actress bought one for herself and filmed the process. The relatively innocuous video posted on her YouTube channel, detailing the process from finding the PS5 to buying it from the till, has garnered nearly 1.1 million views since it was uploaded on December 10. It's a shining example of the star power Kato now possesses.

Hinako kneeling with the holy sword in Silent Hill f.

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Hinako, meet Hinako.

Her stardom isn't limited to her personal YouTube channel either. As noted by Genki_JPN on Twitter, the actress looks set to become one of PlayStation's new faces in Japan, appearing in a photo shoot with the brand's merchandise.

I'm here for her meteoric rise.