Summary
Ghost of Yotei, the hotly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimedGhost of Tsushima, is shaping up to be one of the best games of 2025. The good news is that developers Sucker Punch have revealed some pretty juicy details over the last few months concerning not just the setting and core gameplay, but also the sequel’s brand-new protagonist, Atsu, who seems like she’s going to be quite a bit different from the legendary Jin Sakai.
On the surface, it may seem as though Atsu follows the same path of the samurai as Jin did, but there’s actually a lot more to this character than meets the eye and which will inevitably lead her down a very different storyline. Fans only have to wait a little longer to get their hands onGhost of Yotei, but for those eager to learn more about Atsu and her adventure, here’s what has been revealed about the fresh protagonist on the block.
6She Is Seen As An Onryo By The People
The People Of Ezo View Atsu As A Vengeful Figure From Japanese Mythology
Anyone familiar with Japanese mythology will be well aware that ghosts and spirits are very common entities within folk stories, with one of the most prominent being the Onryo. These are considered to be vengeful or hateful ghosts who are capable of causing harm and suffering in the real world, presenting them as horror-like figures who usually take the form of women who had been wronged when they were still alive.
It’s clear thatSucker Punch wanted to use the Onryoas the basis for Atsu’s character, since it seems like it will directly feed into her personal journey, which primarily evolves around getting revenge on those who did her wrong. At the same time, it’s also a nice way to expand on the concept of the protagonist being seen as a dangerous and almost frightening entity, similar to how Jin became seen as a ghost by the people of Tsushima in the previous game.
5She Is Hunting Down The Yotei Six
Atsu Has A Thirst For Vengeance Against Those Who Slaughtered Her Family
Many fans were left wondering what exactly the main story ofGhost of Yoteiwas going to befrom the announcement trailer, but Sucker Punch have made things a little clearer with the introduction of the Yotei Six. This fearsome members of this group of warriors are the ones who are responsible for slaughtering Atsu’s family, and as a result, she is on a desperate mission to hunt down each and every one of them to ensure that they don’t escape being punished for their crimes.
While each member of the group shares similarly styled masks and are also deadly swordmasters, everything else about them seems to be completely different, which will no doubt lead to some fascinating interactions throughout the story. In the case of Atsu, though, she will most likely simply want to cut each of them down for what they did to her loved ones as part of this grandiose revenge story.
4She Is Returning Home After 16 Years
After Many Years, Atsu Decides It’s Time To Deliver Justice
Because Atsu was still only a child when her family was taken from her, she was in no position to fight back against the gang of criminals who delivered the final blows. After16 whole years of residing in Southern Japan, though, Atsu has returned home, now having much more combat experience under her belt and a plethora of deadly tools and weapons to help her on the mission.
This whole idea of Atsu being separated from her home for more than a decade is actually played into the gameplay itself, where players can switch between a child version of Atsu and her adult iteration with the press of a button to experience Yotei from two different perspectives. One thing is for sure: It’s going to be interesting to see how the land has changed after so many years and, most importantly, what impact this time away has had on Atsu herself.
3She Gains An Infamous Reputation
As Atsu Causes More Chaos, Her Reputation As An Onryo Grows
When Atsu spills blood, this won’t go unnoticed by the people of Yotei. Considering Atsu is dead-set on bringing her family’s murderers to justice, she is more than willing to slice apart anyone who stands in her way, and this will ultimately bolster her reputation as the mythical Onryo as the game goes on. So far, Sucker Punch has shown a few brief scenes that showcase how the civilians react to Atsu’s actions, many of them being fearful of her underlying power and infamous reputation.
It seems that Atsu isn’t going to be quite as squeaky clean as Jin initially was inGhost of Tsushima, with her instead appearing as more of a ruthless warrior who everyone has their own opinion on. It’ll definitely be intriguing to seehow this reputation affects the gameplay, as it’s clearly going to be a big part of the main story.
2She Can Be A Bounty Hunter
Atsu Has No Quarrel Taking Down Those With High Prices On Their Heads
Atsu may be on a heroic mission to avenge her family, but that doesn’t inherently mean that she has a crowd of people supporting her. In fact, she actually has a bounty on her head, which essentiallymakes her a wanted criminal. On the other hand, though, she’s also capable of playing the role of bounty hunter herself by snooping out any samurai or thugs who can be brought in for some extra cash.
While defeating these kinds of enemies definitely isn’t easy, considering that the majority of them have entire swarms of allies to keep them protected, Atsu is still more than willing to do what she must to earn the funds needed to complete her mission of revenge. It’s going to be a lot of fun engaging in these bounty missions, but it will also be interesting to see how people respond to Atsu herself, considering that she’s also a highly valuable target.
1She Is Not A Samurai
Atsu Is A Free Spirit Who Isn’t Forced To Follow The Samurai Code
By far the biggest difference between Jin and Atsu is that, while the former was a samurai struggling to stick to his code, Atsu is not a samurai at all. In fact, Sucker Punch described her as a “lone wolf mercenary,” and while she’s clearly more than comfortable using a sword in combat, she’s also not above using dirty tactics to get an advantage over her opponents.
While this obviously opens up many new combat options, it will also result in a drastically different story considering that Atsu’s moral dilemmas are going to be a lot different to Jin’s. Atsu may be determined to honor the life of her family, but she isn’t indebted to any kind of samurai code that may have restricted her style of fighting,as it did with the previous protagonist.
