The plot centers on cyborg ninja Raiden's revenge against PMCs profiting from war and child soldiers, with over-the-top action, memes like 'nanomachines, son,' and boss fights emphasizing spectacle and combat mastery. Political commentary critiques war economies and private militaries but lacks any focus on identity politics, DEI, systemic oppression narratives, critiques of patriarchy or traditional norms, or social justice activism. Characters like Raiden (white cyborg male), Samuel Rodrigues (Brazilian samurai rival), and Senator Armstrong (black villain with libertarian rants) have diverse backgrounds organic to the global PMC setting and child soldier theme, without race/gender-swapping, forced diversity, or identity as focal points.

No LGBTQ+ representation, pronouns, gender fluidity, or intersectional elements drive the narrative. Developers Kojima Productions and PlatinumGames emphasized revenge and high-speed action, with no DEI statements, consultancy firms like Sweet Baby Inc., sensitivity readers, localization censorship for progressive reasons, or activist intent. Reception is overwhelmingly positive across critics (Metacritic ~80-83), audiences, and Steam (98% positive), with resurgence via memes and no woke backlash, review bombing, or critic-audience gaps. This is pure, unadulterated entertainment prioritizing fun hack-and-slash gameplay over any messaging.