Ghost of Tsushima remains one of my all-time favorite games. From the stunning visuals of feudal Japan to the immersive storytelling and the exhilarating combat, Sucker Punch delivered a full-fledged undisputed masterpiece. Jin Sakai, the game's protagonist, was the epitome of a badass samurai warrior, and I genuinely felt myself growing more powerful alongside him as I honed his skills throughout the game.
The sense of progression—becoming more adept with stealth tactics, mastering the katana, and invoking the fear of a ghost—was deeply satisfying... and I HIGHLY recommend everyone play it ASAP... But...
With the reveal of Ghost of Yōtei, I was initially ecstatic. How could I not be? Sucker Punch had proven their storytelling prowess, and the prospect of diving back into their world seemed like a dream come true!! Unfortunately, as more info has come to light, my excitement is quickly turning into EXTREME concern.
The actor playing the lead in Ghost of Yōtei is Erika Ishii, a queer, genderless "activist". Which whatever, you do you sexually I don't really care at all... but when it starts spilling out into being an activist looking to change the game industry? I gotta draw the line somewhere.
While I would typically trust Sucker Punch and give them the benefit of the doubt, this casting decision feels ...troubling, to put it nicely —especially in today’s landscape, where games seem to be increasingly catering to that non-existent "modern audience" at the cost of narrative integrity. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for diversity when it’s done right- you know - Naturally... like how Ghost of Tsushima thrived on its immersion, particularly with Jin as a hardened samurai warrior. The idea of replacing that character with a female lead who is expected to take down armor-clad soldiers twice her size feels... far-fetched.
While it’s not impossible to craft a believable female lead in an action-heavy game, it’s much harder to pull off convincingly. If Ghost of Yōtei expects us to believe that this new protagonist can mow down hordes of burly warriors in armor without breaking a sweat, it risks breaking the true immersion that made Ghost of Tsushima so special.
I’m extremely skeptical, and rightfully so—it’s the same concern I’ve had with many games as of late that attempt to rewrite established norms without the grounding needed to make it work practically.
Now, casting an actor in a game doesn’t necessarily mean the game is going to be “woke,” but let’s be honest—more often than not, it seems to head in that exact direction... And when you dig into Erika Ishii’s social media presence (YIKES!!), the concern only deepens. Her tweets are extreme, often echoing the same vibes as crazed Kotaku activists, but sometimes... believe it or not... even more aggressively so.
Take, for example, this gem from Ishii:
“Drunk guy got up in my space at the arcade to ask ‘are you single?’ while I was playing a RHYTHM GAME. I shouted ‘dude, if you bother me while I’m playing a game I will KICK YOUR FUCKING ASS’ as my girlfriend and a themme fatale walked up to flank me. Haven’t seen him since.”
Then there’s another tweet that really drives the point home:
“The positive messages you learn from a story are yours alone. That the storyteller is a hateful bigot on the wrong side of history can’t take that away from you. TRANS & NON-BINARY PEOPLE ARE VALID. FIGHT HATRED. DON’T THINK I’VE EVER SAID THE F-WORD HERE BUT TRULY, FUCK TERFS.”
This type of aggressive rhetoric doesn’t exactly ...inspire confidence, and while I’m not blocked yet on Twitter, I’m sure this coverage will earn me that honor soon enough. It seems anyone who questions her actions or words is swiftly silenced - and even some who never interacted at all! If Sucker Punch isn’t careful, they’re going to find themselves caught in the crossfire of yet another culture war... and by not doing the proper research up front, they really don't have anyone to blame but themselves.
This isn’t just about Ghost of Yōtei— this is about the direction the game's headed and the growing concern that it’s being shaped for an audience that doesn’t exist, at the expense of the fans who fell in love with the world of Ghost of Tsushima.
The question now is whether Sucker Punch can maintain the integrity of their original vision or if they’ll let these outside influences derail one of the most promising franchises in gaming. Only time will tell, but for now, I’ve unfortunately lost my excitement... with a heavy dose of skepticism that it could ever return.
~Smash
Shoutout/thx to @MangaLawyer for some additional sources/info.
