Ghost of Tsushima 2 branded ‘woke’ because its main character is… a woman
Ghost of Yōtei will arrive in 2025. (PlayStation)
Ghost of Tsushima 2 isn’t even out yet and people are already boycotting and calling it ‘woke’ because its main character is… a woman.
Ghost of Yōtei, the sequel to 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, was announced on Sony’s State of Play live stream on Tuesday (24 September) and some supposed fans of the game are mad because the protagonist is a woman.
This is, sadly, nothing new in the gaming community. Just recently, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring were among the games flagged on a curation page dedicated to weeding out so-called ‘woke’ titles and Star Wars: Outlaws came under fire seemingly because the lead character Kay Vess is “ugly” and “chestless.”
Such misogynistic conversation is now circling Ghost of Yōtei ahead of its release next year.
The original Ghost of Tsushima, released for the PlayStation 4 in 2020, follows Jin Sakai, a samurai on a quest to protect Tsushima Island during the first Mongol invasion of Japan.
In response to the announcement of the Ghost of Tsushima’s sequel, YouTuber MightyKeef posted a comment from a user on X reacting to the news with the caption: “Man what an absolute loser.”
The post reads: “Ghost of Tsushima sequel stars a Japanese woman samurai warrior because of course it does.”
“They can’t help themselves until every franchise that was built on masculinity is replaced by women.
“Ghost of Yōtei is (hopefully) a smaller spin-off game, but if this is the true sequel & this is the new main character over Jin Sakai, f**k that.
“So sick of the forced girlboss narrative man,” they concluded.
Other commenters jumped in to refute this user’s claims. One wrote: “Forced nothing!
“Not only are there quite a few women swordfighters in Japanese cinema, the main character of Ghost of Yotei is carrying a shamisen, suggesting she’s an assassin posing as a wandering musician, which is a whole trope.
“It’s leaning on decades of cinematic language.”
What is the plot of Ghost of Yōtei?
Ghost of Yōtei isn’t a direct sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, but a continuation of the story of Jin Sakai set around 300 years later.
The new game will also see a new protagonist named Atsu exploring a new feudal Japanese location.
Following the game’s announcement, the PlayStation’s blog shared some further details about the new game, sharing the desire to “create something fresh but familiar, we looked beyond Jin Sakai’s story and the island of Tsushima and shifted our focus to the idea of the Ghost instead.
“We wanted to explore what it could mean to have a new hero wearing a Ghost mask and uncovering a new legend.
“This led us to Ghost of Yōtei: a new protagonist, a new story to unfold, and a new region of Japan to explore.”
According to the post, the developer “wanted to maintain the core pillars established in Ghost of Tsushima: playing as a wandering warrior in Feudal Japan, offering freedom to explore at your own pace, and highlighting the beauty of the world.”
“We also wanted to continue to innovate. To create something fresh but familiar, we looked beyond Jin Sakai’s story and the island of Tsushima, and shifted our focus to the idea of the Ghost instead,” the post continues.
Who is the Ghost of Yōtei?
In Ghost of Yōtei, gamers will play the role of Atsu (played by Erika Ishii), a new woman protagonist who continues to wander Japan.
From this new perspective, the game will offer the origins of a new Ghost with a narrative and world-building focus.
Currently, there is no exact date but Ghost of Yōtei is set for release in 2025 on PS5.
How did this story make you feel?
