Ghost of Yotei’s genderfluid lead triggers online controversy
Erika Ishii is officially playing Atsu in Ghost of Yotei, but unfortunately, their LGBTQ+ identity has caused a stir online.
25th Sep 2024 10:13
Images via Sucker Punch Productions
Ghost of Yotei’s genderfluid lead triggers online controversy
Erika Ishii is officially playing Atsu in Ghost of Yotei, but unfortunately, their LGBTQ+ identity has caused a stir online.
25th Sep 2024 10:13
Images via Sucker Punch Productions
We were warned that September 24's Sony State of Play would be a big one, but after it looked like things rounded off with the unsurprising announcement of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, it became clear the Blue Team had one more bullet in the chamber.
Easily the biggest surprise of the night was Ghost of Yotei - a sequel to Sucker Punch Productions' Ghost of Tsushima from 2020. With the OG Ghost being regarded up there with the likes of The Last of Us and God of War as one of Sony's best first-party games, there's obviously plenty of hype about Yotei.
Ghost of Yotei casts Erika Ishii
American voice actor and host Erika Ishii has been officially cast as Ghost of Yotei protagonist, Atsu. You might know Ishii for their work on Fallout 76, Marvel's Avengers, and The Last of Us Part II. While Ishii's most prominent role has been providing the vocals for Valkyrie in Apex Legends, that's all about to change with Ghost of Yotei.
As soon as Ghost of Yotei was revealed and it became clear Atsu was taking over from Jin Sakai, there were the typical rumbles of "Go woke, go broke." With a story set 300 years after the original, Jin has long since shuffled off this mortal coil and left someone else to take up the Ghost mantle.
In a blog post, the team confirmed it was a deliberate move, explaining, "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.
"At Sucker Punch we love origin stories, and we wanted to explore what it could mean to have a new hero wearing a Ghost mask, and uncovering a new legend." There are all the expected grumbles of a woman being cast, and similar to complaints about Assassin's Creed Shadows having a black samurai, some are diving into the depths of Wikipedia to check whether female samurai are historically accurate.
Ghost of Yotei controversy causes a stir online
All the usual complaints about Sucker Punch ruining the legacy of the first game by bending to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) pressures are filling social media, but more than this, vocal critics are kicking off because Erika Ishii identifies as genderfluid.
One grumbled, "Omg welp this franchise about to get ruined………..," while another added, "$70 saved at least." A third chimed in, "One just can't have a good Western video game with a female protagonist, always must have this crap..."
Thankfully, there was plenty of support for Ishii and Ghost of Yotei in general. Someone cheered, "If you are mad that Ghost of Yotei has a woman as the lead character, please touch grass. You are in desperate need of it," and another concluded, "A role that will be part of PlayStation history forever. So happy for you Erika 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥."
We always knew the inclusion of a female protagonist was going to cause a meltdown, but adding in the fact that Ishii is part of the LGBTQ+ community, we hope Sucker Punch is prepared for the backlash. Then again, The Last of Us Part II proudly flew its rainbow flag, and that didn't exactly affect sales, did it?
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
