Last Updated on Oct 28, 2025 @ 14:24:22 PM.
I’m sure you’ve already seen Nate Fox’s rapid-fire interview in which he revealed quite a few significant details about Ghost of Yotei. While I was thrilled to learn that Atsu would have to seek out masters of the many weapon types she’s going to have at her disposal and learn to wield them, and the fact that my horse was going to gain some skills of its own, I believe that we need to focus on the details he chose to stay mum about.
There were way too many questions that the Creative Director of Sucker Punch’s upcoming sequel to a widely popular samurai title chose to dodge with opaque responses or a mysterious silence. Any normal person would write that off as a clever marketing ploy. But that’s just not good enough for me. I chose to obsess over those details, and as a result, I’m convinced that there’s more to Atsu’s story than meets the eye.
It’s time to make a few well-educated guesses about those elusive answers, and hope that my time with Ghost of Tsushima lets me get at least a few things right. Let’s get started!
History Becomes Legend, and Legend Becomes Myth
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Ghost of Yotei is set nearly 300 years after Jin Sakai’s harrowing effort to repel the Mongol invasion of his beloved home. Atsu’s tale of revenge could make her quite a one-dimensional protagonist in the face of her predecessor’s battle against ruthless invaders and his own demons, but is that really what Sucker Punch would do in this situation?
The studio has been quite enthusiastic about Atsu taking on the mantle of an Onryo, a demon choosing to haunt the Yotei Six who took away everything she held dear. But is that really all she would like to do? Let’s take a step back and examine why Jin chose to become the Ghost in the first place.
As an honorable samurai, Jin knew that Khotun Khan and his minions were not going to play by his rules. The gradual erosion of his identity as Shimura’s nephew, and the last scion of the Sakai family, in favor of his new identity as the Ghost, formed the crux of his story. It was what made that narrative so poignant, lending emotional heft to the final confrontation with Shimura and the aftermath of our decisions.
But Atsu’s already there. The Yotei Six have taken everything from her, leaving her with a desire for revenge that fuels her adventure—but choosing to become an Onryo? That’s a little far-fetched, despite the cultural significance that the title would hold for the people of Ezo, which is something that the gameplay showcase focused on.
It’s that thought that gave me pause when Fox was so emphatic about Atsu not knowing about Jin, or learning about his heroic resistance against the Mongols, despite the loss of his status and honor in the process. Specifically, he acknowledged that Jin is now “a ghost,” which got me thinking that Sucker Punch has a narrative ace up its sleeve.
While it can be easy to just assume that Fox meant that Jin is now firmly in the past, what if Atsu were to learn about the Ghost, and not the samurai who came before him? It’s quite easy to picture a storyteller like Yamato guiding her opening hours in the game’s prologue, regaling her with tales of a legendary warrior who gave up everything he held dear for the sake of his people.
Atsu, being a woman who had already lost everything she held dear, could very well be inspired by that story, choosing to become the Onryo of Yotei as a result. The Yotei Six would certainly find dismissing rumors of an actual demon more difficult than writing off accounts of a lone mercenary looking to settle scores. It could also be a narrative thread that Sucker Punch could use to showcase her internal conflict. How could she balance the Onryo against the woman she used to be? Would there be anything good left in her at the end of her bloodthirsty crusade?
Although we could have a more willing Ghost this time around, I’m almost certain that Atsu is going to draw inspiration from her predecessor. I’d say that Jin crawled so Atsu could fly in Ghost of Yotei. That theory ties in very well with the fact that Fox said there would be “a little bit of gating” before Ezo opens itself up for exploration. It makes sense to introduce the Ghost in the prologue of the second title in the Ghost franchise, after all.
What Other Surprises Could Ghost of Yotei Have in Store?
For starters, Fox was quite enigmatic about the possibility of there being a secret at the very top of Mount Yotei. I’m quite sure that it’s going to be the venue of the game’s final boss fight or the location of a very legendary weapon or armor set for Atsu to use. With that being said, I think it would require a special tool that Atsu will have to acquire through a story mission or side quest. We already know that the grappling hook is making its way to the game. Could Ghost of Yotei have another blacksmith of Taka’s caliber in Ezo?
Another detail where Fox’s silence spoke volumes was the possibility of a DLC chapter to add on to the adventure we’re all about to witness. If Ghost of Tsushima is any indication, Sucker Punch is already hard at work crafting a tale that could add a lot of weight to Yotei’s narrative, just as it did with the Island of Iki expansion that allowed Jin to see a side of his beloved father during the Yarikawa Rebellion that even he was unwilling to confront.
There’s also the possibility that Atsu may not be the only playable character in the game! Jin certainly wasn’t alone during his adventure, but none of the characters who joined his crusade were controllable by us, the players. Could Ghost of Yotei bring a more ambitious take on the concept of Atsu’s “wolf pack” than the game’s State of Play showcase has led us to believe?
I’m the first to acknowledge that all of this is just speculation at this point, but given Fox’s willingness to divulge other details, his responses to these very insightful inquiries make me quite certain that there’s something more to those answers.
What Does The Fox Say?
Very droll, I know! But let me have that one. The man did confirm that the Inari Shrines from the original game are going to be back, after all. But it’s what (the) Fox didn’t say here that’s more relevant to this conversation.
I’m certain that Sucker Punch has been cooking, and that Fox’s ambiguous responses to the questions posed to him are a smokescreen hiding Jin’s presence and a whole lot more, all of which will be revealed as we hop onto our steed and begin to explore Ezo as Atsu.
It’s a guessing game that I’d be quite disappointed to lose. But something tells me that I could just win at least a few rounds, and Ghost of Yotei is a sequel that could be the perfect homage to the game that came before it, and be all the more legendary because of that!
For more Thumb Wars coverage, check out why God Save Birmingham’s devs chose the titular city as the location for their upcoming zombie survival title, or the latest from Dying Light: The Beast’s dev diary.
With a passion for gaming that is equaled only by his love for writing, Varun has either a controller, keyboard, or a guitar in his hands when he is not out exploring the middle of nowhere on a motorcycle. Soulslikes, RPGs, and action-adventure titles keep him awake at night and get him out of bed in the morning. He will never stop lamenting the lack of a Bloodborne sequel even as he spends another couple of hours exploring the Lands Between in Elden Ring.
