my opinion about erika ishii, the voice actress in ghost of yōtei.

[@SPOOKYTIMEZ2099]

To me an actor doesn’t make the game. It’s the people making the game, and from what I have seen from ghost of Tsushima I highly doubt Suckerpunch will risk their reputation with gamers and Japanese gamers specifically in order to push an agenda that the actress may agree with. At the end of the day we still need to see the actual game.

[@PaulPictures]

+1 I agree

[@thanekrios3211]

Yeah, I agree. I mean, the lead devs of GoT were actually made official ambassadors of Tsushima, so I don't see them turning around and doing something disrespectful to the Japanese people. Also, if any more motivation to be respectful was needed, they've probably seen what's happening to Ubisoft's share price. 😀

[@ConsumptiveSoul]

To me as long as it has good writing and the gameplay is fun, I’m all for it we haven’t seen much of it yet so idk why people are rushing to conclusions on it

[@mitkoogrozev]

Indeed. For now people seem to be grasping at straw hat Ronin straws. We need to see more of the actual game and story, instead of just a short teaser which just mostly shows the visuals and the 'mood' for the game and nothing as specific. I have as an example Tom Cruise who is a crazy Scientology proponent , and yet none of his beliefs are involved in any way being pushed the movies he's in. When he has to do his actor work , he does that, and he has plenty of fun/good movies. Even the movies he is involved in directing to one degree or another, even then there's none of the crazy Scientology stuff in them. So in short, having some beliefs/values, doesn't necessarily mean the person will express/involve them in the projects they have to act in for work.

[@jarek94cze]

Ok fair, but why did Sucker punch decide to hire her of all people to be the main protagonist? Do you think there are no asian women actors in the US that are not insane far-left activists? Why couldn't they hire one of those?.

[@Marbeary]

I remember that the main drama on during the announcement of the first GoT was the mainstream media criticize the developers are white and making a Japanese Samurai game. As long as the VA does not attack the players because of her ideology (i doubt she can help herself knowing this generation of kids) just use the JP dub if that VA is not your thing.

[@UltimateTobi]

She does. Check out Rev says desu's video on the matter, it is pretty exhaustive regarding her personality and influence on projects as well as how she treats customers.

[@ConsumptiveSoul]

I don’t care who it is as long it has good writing and the gameplay is fun coming from the trailer we saw it looks fun but I wanna see more gameplay soon

[@Guts364__]

Yeah it’s the same for me too bro, as long as the writing and world-development is great, none of that nonsense should matter

[@ConsumptiveSoul]

@@Guts364__ yep

[@sierra118boy]

She has a very good work history and is talented. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But she should be careful with what she says because it will affect the sales and expectations of the game to a certain degree. Secondly the people who complain about the protagonist should be ignored. There are many popular female protagonists who's game has been successful. But this is thanks to great writing. I won't hold any expectations so I hope the developers make her character plausible like Jin.

[@Box-tl2390]

some of my favorite game has female protag...

[@akanomamushi15]

Erika Ishii can be woke but she needs to be a professional regarding her work. I have no problems with Atsu as it is not farfetched for some women in Japan to be able to fight. One of the reasons why women are taught to use the Naginata as that weapon gives them the range to fend off attackers. Yes, they can use the Tachi and/or Katana but once they face men in close combat using those weapons, they could get overwhelmed. I just hope that SP writes Atsu well and Erika Ishii acts on it but doesn’t insert her BS in the role. Again, it is down to SP to make sure they deliver a good game.

[@nightrain1121]

“Her bs” her being queer is bs to you?

[@Feather1401]

I am with you 110% Brother...She is just the voice actor... She just read what was put in front of her.. I am sure it will be a awesome game. The last one was one of the best games I have ever played had so so much fun \o/ … Much Light to You and Yours

[@JakeYearwood]

I appreciate your nuanced approach to this topic.

[@EduardoCaballero-z5o]

I can't wait to play Ghost of yotei It's going to be amazing.

[@wzx6x6z6w]

Some content creators love to sell paranoia to their audience, because that will generate views and clicks. I'll wait and see what Sucker Punch actually offers us instead of sitting here and mindlessly assuming how horrible and woke this game might become.

[@fattiger6957]

There was a anti-woke YT channel where the guy would end every video with, "stay angry." And that perfectly exemplifies the whole anti-woke movement. They are a bunch of people who are just addicted to outrage. They constantly seek out things to get outraged about, despite having a miniscule amount of evidence to support it.

[@jellydamgood]

Isnt that the attitude players had to all the currently controversial games and studios? The wait and see/optimism crowd saying that things will be fiiiiine, and now suddenly if your character isnt a minority, you are automatically far right. Will this game break that trend?

[@Lontokka]

Yeah, that's very true, no matter what political leanings the creators have; big emotions always sell. That's what I like about this channel where Kondo is refreshingly very level-headed about different subjects.

[@blinkwire01]

Lots of content creators are trying to jump on the hate bandwagon for cheap views.

[@Vagabond_01]

did you say it was your birthday? HAPPY BIRTHDAY DUDE!

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@Octo5043]

​@@shoheikondoHappy Birthday!!! 🎉🎉

[@matthewgarrity9405]

Happy Birthday! Sorry I missed it, hope you had a nice onsen (at home) on your birthday!

[@AverageSensei]

I don't mind playing as a woman, I play apex legends and I main Valkyrie, voiced by Erika as well, and while she has some questionable lines, it comes down to the writers, and Sucker Punch has a good reputation behind them, so I'm looking forward to this

[@shouayang6518]

she is just the voice actor. She is not the game designer, she can't just change the entire game to her likings. So no having her does not ruin the game nor make the game "woke". The problem Erika Ishsii is what will she say or do next that would damage the game's image. She is not the game developer. So having her on board does not mean the work everyone at sucker punched is ruin The problem some people have is that the protagonist is female. So? We have Lady Adachi who is not in her prime but yet still shows off her ferocity. Not realistic for a woman? We play as Jin who singly stops the mongol invasion. That's not how events go and should not be treated like it was real. I am glad to see that Ghost of Tsushima take place outside of Tsushima as much it pains me to say how much I will miss Jin Sakai. My hope is for the actor or the game developers won't do anything to undermine Jin's legacy. She is not Jin and should accept that. His story is a myth and as much as we all wanted to see his story continue what we can appreciate what he left behind

[@C0vert_F0x]

So would you agree that she is allowed to defend herself? If people come at her sideways over her activism, should she not be within her rights to respond?

[@shouayang6518]

@@C0vert_F0x oh she have the right to defend herself. It does not mean she is right. Her activism was before she was involved with the game. She cant use the game to defend her own problems that had nothing to do with the game at all.

[@nosir7882]

@@shouayang6518 well said

[@--de_syu9510]

I gotta thank you for expressing the thoughts that I also have. Reading comments about GOY about from the plot to the actor is pretty infuriating.

[@miss.laura.m]

I think most people who complain about the protagonist being female is not because they have a problem with her gender in general but because female protagonists have for the most part been written quite poorly and unlikeable in video games but also television. Every time I hear the words „strong female character“ my knee-jerk reaction is always she must be bitchy and bossy then, because that’s the way they have been portrayed over the last decade. I am a female and I don’t particularly enjoy playing as a female character, depending on the game. Back when I was still an Assassins creed fan I would always chose the male option because i found the female protagonists very unlikeable. I do have faith in SP though because they did an amazing job with GOT. If the writing is alright I don’t mind the protagonist being female. Let’s hope SP don’t prove me wrong.

[@Gemmalady]

I’ve been watching many of your opinions on the matter. Like you, I don’t think her opinions as a person affect her voice acting. She didn’t write the game’s story, Sucker Punch did. Also-I’m a woman who played Ghost of Tsushima. It didn’t bother me in the least to play as a male protagonist. It had no bearing on my immersion. Why would it be any different for a guy? Many of the guys I know play other video games as female characters-Stellar Blade, Genshin Impact, Elden Ring, Dragon’s Dogma-to name a few.

[@UltimateTobi]

It is known that she did improvise on scripts and it passed. It is known she influences projects she's on.

[@Gemmalady]

@@UltimateTobi Ok-and she may have added lines here, too. But she isn’t in charge of editing or post-production. The final choice of what her character in-game adds isn’t up to her, it’s up to Sucker Punch. If the creators decide that some line or lines she adds in advances the story, or is humorous in some small way-in the way that spaghetti Westerns are-they may keep it in. I can tell you I didn’t see this coming (a woman character as the lead) for the game. I loved how it was introduced in the trailer. But the emphasis was more on the beauty of the world once again, the era, and combat. I can’t wait to see what the character’s backstory is-is it a vengeance arc a la Kill Bill? Is the character related to Jin somehow? I also wonder if Sucker Punch kept its eye on the many controversies surrounding AC:S; ultimately deciding that their goal are completely different ie good fictional story, in an historical period, with fantastic gameplay.

[@Gemmalady]

@@AK-lx1cr yeah I saw that picture. It’s going to be interesting for sure. We’ll have to wait and see how future gameplay trailers play out. I also saw some of the VA’s posts. Unhinged. Illogical. Makes sense why she blocked her X account, now. As long as the “modern thinking” (using the term loosely) doesn’t find its way into the game, I’ll be ok with it, though.

[@AK-lx1cr]

I actually want to correct myself, I checked the picture and found it was from the 9th of March, 2018, and it was for national women’s day. The pic can be found on SP’s official X page and those women worked on Tsushima. I’m still sceptical as I have heard rumours that the dev team has changed, but without proof I’d like to state the picture isn’t accurate information.

[@Gemmalady]

@@AK-lx1cr What we should all go see is what Metatron had to say about the trailer itself, and people--and their right to free speech--in general. If her extreme ideology finds it way into the game--then the game will be a NO for me. That being said, the 17th century in which the character appears (Edo) is the correct time for dual-wielding swords (and Metatron noted they are the correct type), as well as some women appearing as onna-musha. As the century progressed, the trend of fighting women started to fall out of favor and declined. Thereafter, women began to have the more traditional roles of wife, mother, and homemaker. It will be interesting to see how Sucker Punch handles her character. Metatron noted that her mask looked like a mask of vengeance, or as he put it, the 'jealous woman' mask.

[@StopReadingMyNameOrElse]

She can believe whatever she wants, it doesn't matter because she isn't in charge of anything in the game. She is simply there to act a part. That's all.

[@AP90x]

But she read and liked the script and accepted the role. Let that sink in. Why would she with her beliefs like what was presented to her? Only 2 possible outcomes 1. She took the role because of the money and sucker punch wrote a good script or 2. The script is full of things that align with her beliefs and interests and she fell in love with the girl power script and accepted the offer. We will find out which one it is soon enough I guess.

[@StopReadingMyNameOrElse]

@@AP90x Did anyone make this big of a problem when Tomoe appeared being a prodigy with a bow? Better archer than the main character and potentially her master as well? No, because this is a non issue. I understand the other POV, but y'all are absolutely jumping the gun here with very limited information or proof of any of your claims. What does "girlboss" even mean when the entire point of being a "Ghost" is being the most skilled warrior on an island, second to none, as you slowly work your way to restoring peace to all? That era has come to an end (thankfully). No one wants to be force fed "yas queen don't need no mans" anymore, and there was literally nothing in the trailer to allude to that yet. She has a friendly wolf companion, implying she needs a little extra help as is. This was a mechanic in NG+ in Tsushima. We don't know her backstory, where she came from or what she knows prior to becoming a Ghost. Take a deep breath, get a grip, and shut the fuck up about this until we get ACTUAL gameplay and info about the character.

[@somethingthatisntcringe757]

⁠@@AP90xOr maybe she was just excited to be in a lead role for a huge first party Sony game? Maybe she just wanted to pay the bills like every other adult? Dumbass, there is no evidence (based off of all her prior work) to suggest she only acts for what you believe to be “woke” (aka whatever political belief you disagree with) games. Shut up and wait you hate-filled grifter

[@thebatmanofneo-gotham5667]

@@AP90x That second scenario you came up with is an extreme jump in logic that is not backed up by any preceeding evidence. When has Sucker Punch ever shown that they bent over face-down ass-up to far left ideologies? As of this time, the company has been successful with each game they have made, so why would they risk their reputation by adhering to wokeness?

[@Patrick3183]

It’s 2024.

[@steven-i6j]

I will die on this hill. It is Sucker Punch they did a great job with Ghost of Tsushima and I trust them with Ghost of Yotei.

[@tek87]

We trusted Naughty dog with TLOU2. We trusted Insomniac with Spiderman 2. It's not necessarily the devs who are pushing for this but the execs at Sony.

[@Raider8784]

Extremely naive of you. Sony has done this with virtually all of their sequels. Look at the actress. Look at the project lead. Look at the remarks being made by the studio and former execs. Look at the fact that another beloved heroic masculine character/story is being removed in favor of yet another girl boss breaking the mold "protagonist," who's being forced into a historically inauthentic role. This is textbook.

[@OD91MJ]

Leave the hill out of this. No need to die. But it is information to consider.

[@Crisper159]

​​​@@tek87 that the executives are the ones that push that is true but they did that because what they want is to make the most money and pushing certain agenda is what was giving the most money for sometime until 1 or 2 years ago i think but any smart executive will not push that type of dei woke or however you want to call it type of agenda right now anyway suckerpunch did a great job and we have not seen enough to now about the new game. Also totally disagree that the only ones that push that type of thing are the higher up executives and it is pretty naive to think so in my opinion.

[@somethingthatisntcringe757]

@@Raider8784The same project lead as the last game? Dumbass.

[@ExtrumComics]

I genuinely believe this will be a good game regardless of Ishii's beliefs.

[@theusername5869]

I think people should at least wait until a story trailer before jumping to conclusion because I'm not sure how "big" in star power the actress is, but do people really think its enough to effect the writing? The main theme of GoT story was that it was suppose to be like a spaghetti western but samurai so I think the story will be based off of various female samurai movies like Lady Snowblood or maybe even Kill Bill. I doubt they are going for a more political correctness approach.

[@mrX666-s9p]

My respect went up 1000% for you speaking about this.

[@autumnshakespeare8777]

I’ve loved watching your coverage of this new game!! It looks like they put a lot of thought into this game as well! I’m very excited for it and currently don’t see any concerns for this game. I don’t understand why people are so quick to attack this new game…hopefully, they can calm down as we see more from Sucker Punch around it. Your thoughts have made me even more excited!! Thank you and I’d love to hear more!!

[@C0vert_F0x]

Let people whine about her politics. If its a good game, it'll do well. Period. There really aren't as many people engaged in the culture war of woke vs anti woke as certain segments of terminally online social media junkies think.

[@thomaschaumeil3878]

I always played both male and female when the option is open, because I like to see if the details of the armors.... are different or not.

[@Ivangmer07]

People are saying that this will be a “DEI” game, but up to right now the game doesn’t tell us anything about gay characters or anything like that, they don’t even mention it on the ps blog. All I want is for it to be a well written protagonist.

[@lukaskubik4698]

People like blow things out of proportions so they can complain about fake problems instead of focusing on the real problems.

[@fattiger6957]

Exactly. The anti-woke people complain non-stop about stupid pop culture trash while the world has real problems. They actually believe corporations believe their diversity claims rather than the reality which is they just use it as a smokescreen for their misdeeds and incompetence.

[@jarek94cze]

Pushing DEI in videogames which are supposed to be escapism and fun first is not a fake problem.

[@lukaskubik4698]

@@jarek94cze Just play different games then, if actors in games having political views and personal lives you disagree with is a problem, you might have to make your own games though.

[@benjaminhull6107]

@@jarek94czeplaying as a female warrior IS escapism. It’s fantasy just like the first game. The problem isn’t politics in gaming, games like Metal Gear Solid have already been doing that for years. The problem is that it’s politics that YOU personally don’t like that bothers you. There’s certainly nuance with the topic to be had and there are obviously media that exists to just tick boxes. If the actress being an activist bothers you that much though, then you’ll probably have to scrub at least half the entertainment you consume because there is probably someone on that project who you would heavily disagree with politically. Purity testing to this degree is ridiculous in my opinion.

[@KARMENGTAN]

​@@benjaminhull6107 Playing woke female character IS not escapism

[@Timp545]

It’s sucker punch the game will be good.

[@jellydamgood]

Ubisoft used to make lots of good games too.

[@Ariel_Anton]

God of war is one of the best games in history and the studio went woke and ruined it with Valhalla. The woke culture is a cancer.

[@Timp545]

Ubisoft hasn’t been around as long as sucker punch and as consistent and also Valhalla dlc was fun not woke what u mean

[@warchiefvenomn7612]

That remains to be seeing

[@Pulisemil]

@@Timp545 He probably means there's a female in it. You know these people can't stand strong females. They don't want to endanger their fragile male masculinity.

[@jobi1kawobi317]

Thanks for having a level head and pointing out the difference between the disrespectful design of AC: Shadows and this game. I have faith in the developers to make an amazing game! Great video ❤ And Happy Birthday to you!

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@zunquin]

Pure drama. TY for posting. I’m not Japanese and I will paying this game and played the first GOT and loved it. 😉🙄 I also played GTA and am NO criminal. Pattern. 😂😂

[@PaperThinSquare]

Definitely not worried about playing as a woman. One of my theories for the sequel, was that Jin would be captured by the shogun, and we the player would get to control Ishikawa, Yuna, Masako, Genki, Nora, and Toma. I probably butchered those names from memory. Basically Jin’s friends need to rescue him, having unique missions. Half of which are female. Even got to play as a female in Legends mode. Ghost of Yutei looks awesome to me. I love your videos! I was actually very curious on Japanese reception of Tsushima, a few months ago, and that’s how I found you. Thank you.

[@WORGameID]

Hi Shohei. I really enjoying your latest videos regarding your coverage for Ghost of Yotei trailer. Then I looked deep to your channel and i found some of your videos playing games while explaining its relation to Japan. I really enjoyed it. I hope we can do collaboration content regarding Japan and its gaming culture, since my channel also cover it. BTW, since I'm based in Indonesia, most of my contents is in Indonesian language. But collaborate with you will be cool global collaboration step, specially for me. I speak japanese and english. Looking forward to hear from you.

[@burnt-croissants]

i agree! she’s just the actor, not the game director or writer for Yōtei. And we know who is writing and directing the game, Sucker Punch, and that studio has a history of great storytelling and being respectful of Japanese culture. Like we didn’t bring the actor of Jin Sakai’s political views into his game, we shouldn’t do that with Yōtei.

[@mindinfinity3714]

An actors' views has nothing to do with a character. There so many male actors with stupid views, but because there male it's all good.

[@drakewilliams6069]

I disagree. The worst thing to happen to movies is learning the opinions and political views of actors. It's made many movies unwatchable. It was better when we didn't know the opinions of these actors and they were more mysterious. Now it just breaks the immersion knowing that they are a crazy activist, etc...

[@mindinfinity3714]

@drakewilliams6069 Not for me. There many actors whose views I disagree with, but there still fn amazing actors. But I understand where you're coming from. Now if she committed a crime it would've been a diffrent story, she's just practicing her right of free speech. I mean Jesus who cares.

[@WatamelonGod]

​@@drakewilliams6069 what about Henry Cavill? He heavily pushed on making The Witcher show to be accurate but it all ended to nothing. Actors dont get to dictate anything asides just from reading scripts.

[@theusername5869]

@@drakewilliams6069 That's pathetic. Do you not like Mission Impossible or Top Gun because of Tom Cruise's insane scientology beliefs?

[@pingamalinga]

Exactly. I don't care for Jon Voight's politics but I enjoy him as an actor so I watch his films. Who cares?

[@SqBGhost]

I can understand why some people don't want to support the game due to the VA. It's their choice and it's their right to feel that way and not support a person they actively dislike. For me, I will wait until the game comes out and we see reviews of the game and story, like I've done for years now. Does she hate me for who I am and what I believe in ? Probably, but I don't really care. I will never meet her, she will never meet me, nor will we ever interact on social media. Plus, she's just a VA and has no influence on how SP writes Ghost of Yotei, so if SP messes up the story or the writing for the main character, it's on them. If Erika messes up the line delivery and makes the character unlikable because of that, it's on her. That said, I have not yet seen anything that makes me sway one way or another in terms of whether I buy GoY or not (although I have not been disappointed by SP yet, unlike let's say Ubisoft) and VAs usually don't make or break it for me, unless the performance is actually terrible. Hell, I play Apex Legends where she is the VA for Valkyrie and other games that have "problematic" VAs. Should I quit those games because I am "supporting people" whose political views differ from mine ? Nah. If I were to do that, I would have to lay off every single piece of media because every developer/director is bound to have people with differing views in their teams. I never cared for some workers/actors social media and if I could press a button that just immediately deletes political takes from everyone to ever appear in any of my feeds, I would. What matters to me is the final product and whether it is good and we're going to see that by the time the game is actually out.

[@MrYoungfella4]

I'm really looking forward to this game. The first I've felt that way about a game in years. SP doesn't even mention the gender of the new protagonist in their blog post following the trailer. I don't think it's a focus for them, so I don't think it's a focus for me. This could all change in the coming months, but it just looks like an awesome game to me!

[@ellomatt6956]

Yeah, so tru it's got me hyped, and I haven't been like this with new games in a long time except Pacific Drive now that was a banger.

[@moominpaw]

Happy birthday! Thanks for another great video

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@JerichoLeon]

Excellent video. I share your views. I hope this game holds onto its integrity resist having modern Leftist Western politics despite being set in a completely different time period, location, and culture.

[@jase-b2n]

Happy Birthday mate, I hope you had an awesome day. Your video and your analyst insights are amazing. Keep it up

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@CallaSoreon]

I don’t understand why people think the voice actor of something has any say in the writing of the thing?? By the time they’re hired and put in the booth to read lines the entire thing is already written!!

[@fattiger6957]

The outrage addicts to grasp onto anything that will give them their daily fix of righteous indignation. Even the tiniest crumbs are sufficient.

[@ZeroXSEED]

It really depends. If they're Hollywood name feature, that is actually something expected for them to decide their own script. But she's a fairly experienced but otherwise unknown actress in a very niche role of video game dubbing. This is literally her first big role.

[@misspoes8362]

I don’t care how woke she is, if she is left or right, vertical or horizontal, tall or short, all I care about is how SP made the story and hope she will do her job as good as Daisuke Tsuji or as we all know him Jin Sakai. I am also very curious and expectant about the music, because that was just absolutely beautiful in GOT.

[@Guts364__]

Happy birthday bro❤️ Your opinion is calm and collective as if it was coming from Jin himself, agree with you so long as the writing is goated i will not complain.

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@maxhoughtonmusic]

I know it’s not related to the video but Shohei, I remember you talking about how Shenmue is your favourite game, I would love to watch you do a playthrough of that game. It would be pretty nostalgic, but I understand it might not gather a large audience.

[@Dark-wb1be]

Good characters are written by good stories and scripts, nothing more

[@Dark-wb1be]

Les'ts enjoy what we have and what's to come. Sucker Punch wrote phenomenal women characters in ghost of Tsushima

[@Dark-wb1be]

@shoheikondo Happy birthday btw!

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@godssalvation87]

Don't care what she do behind closed doors or her opinion on anything. As long as the is not catering to her views. She could just be a face model all we know.

[@ConsumptiveSoul]

She is the face model and body I think and she’s just a voice actor that’s it she doesn’t have any power

[@shadow78423]

@@ConsumptiveSoulby the time she was hired in most likely the story was already written and planned out

[@randomperson.__.]

I feel like once the protaganist was revealed to be a woman, people just started looking for things to justify the claim of it being "woke". The voice actor's gender identity or views have nothing to do with the game😭

[@fattiger6957]

As much as I don't like throwing out accusations, I think the anti-woke movement has created a lot of genuine sexists.

[@randomperson.__.]

@fattiger6957 it's just sad to see how common blatant sexism and homophobia is, even in today's day and age. People see a character that's different from them in any way and scream woke

[@ZeroXSEED]

@@fattiger6957 Extremist of both sides will end up on the same location, this is the principle behind horseshoe theory. And it was never not true. The loudest of anti-woke is nothing more than ultra right wing gamers. The hardest left are the woke champions. And if you superpose their posting styles they all look similar other than the things they defend.

[@KARMENGTAN]

​@@ZeroXSEEDNo

[@izumolee6714]

People trashing on the game are simply not doing any research or homework on the game and are simply seeing it at a surface level. Content creators doing this are just as bad as modern day game journalism. We know nothing about the story. We know nothing about Atsu as a character. Yet still we have people championing they already know what is going to happen in the game, since the main character is female? Is there mindset that every game coming out with a female main character will always be bad? So a new Metroid is released its immediately bad? A new Resident Evil game with a female lead is now bad? Heck the new Monster Hunter a large majority of the cast so far are women, its bad as well? If people don't like the actress for whatever reason, there is always the option to play the game in another language like Japanese.

[@shadow78423]

It’s probably cause it’s a female character they can’t just immediately objectify like they can with Eve from stellar blade, amazing game in it own right though, they’ll champion that but pan this, it shows what they really think

[@izumolee6714]

@@shadow78423 Atsu isn't 'uglified' though which these people took issue with a lot of games like Spiderman 2 & Horizon. She looks like a normal Japanese woman during that time. Like i said these content creators making click bait headlines aren't doing any research & spreading false rumors just like what we are getting with modern day game journalism. The same modern game journalism these same people complain about.

[@aeneas116116]

People aren’t making these assumptions out of the blue. Gaming industry and Sony have a recent history of these. Especially Sony with their sequels. The last of us 2 has you playing a tranny and killing the beloved character from the first series. Also do not forgot that the same people who green lite and guided Concord have a hand in this.

[@mrfreedom1010]

The main problem isnt because she is female, its because she is a woke activist racist that hates straight white male. Why should I buy a game that supports racist like her? Imagine the backlash if she is racist to black people instead. I don't have a problem with female protagonist as well. My favorite horror game is silent hill 3. And people don't have a problem with female protagonist if done well. We had female protagonists since long ago like lara croft, etc. And the reason why people nowadays have a problem with female protagonists but not back then, its because female protagonists nowadays have always been made to spread woke agenda like misandry, etc. Its pattern recognition.

[@mrfreedom1010]

The main problem isnt because she is female, its because she is a woke activist racist that hates straight white male. Why should I buy a game that supports racist like her? Imagine the backlash if she is racist to black people instead. I don't have a problem with female protagonist as well. My favorite horror game is silent hill 3. And people don't have a problem with female protagonist if done well. We had female protagonists since long ago like lara croft, etc. And the reason why people nowadays have a problem with female protagonists but not back then, its because female protagonists nowadays have always been made to spread woke agenda like misandry, etc. Its pattern recognition.

[@bjornareriksen]

I was actually really excited to learn Erika is playing the main character. I think she'll knock it out of the park.

[@sindred]

Subscribed because of your level-headed views. I want to play a good game, like Ghost of Tsushima was. I don't care about the actors as long as their politics aren't in the game.

[@mindinfinity3714]

Just leave her alone rate the game for the game.

[@nealfilm]

Perfectly Said. Erika is super talented and so is the entire Sucker Punch team. This game is going to be amazing!

[@RyanG0899]

As long as Sucker Punch wasn't influenced by the actor to change Atsu into a political mouthpiece, the game should be fine. They are also well regarded by Japan, and I don't think they're stupid enough to insult the country with radical modern politics.

[@Kaztrofy]

SP have too much integrity to fck up like this, Sony most likely pushed this as SBI was listed as a SP partner and several other Sony studios.

[@somethingthatisntcringe757]

@@Kaztrofysuckerpunch is not listed as an sbi client on their site though?

[@inearplays]

problem with Ubi is Ubi itself and making flop games currently, Sucker Punch don't have a lot of games so I think thew won't mess this up.

[@sifujedi4895]

Yessir belated B'day Greetings 🙏🏽

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@stur3366]

Hi Shohei, this is the first time I've seen one of your videos and I loved it. I loved your reasoning and the way you expressed you opinion. I can understand some people being skeptical but other people are overreacting. She is just a voice actress with zero creative control. Another comment made a good point saying that the game and story were mostly likely done before they hired her.

[@VTheGonk]

First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Like you, I don't feel like her views will have an effect on the game (at least I hope not).

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@s.sweetland5074]

Very cool video :) Yeah I see a lot of people on KZbin trying hard to drum up controversy about this game. Much of it is anger over the fact that it won't be about Jin. I really like that character also but if you had any expectations of this game those are on you. Sucker Punch never said the second game would be about Jin. The rest all seem to be calling it "woke" which is just a garbage take. Any videos I see about this game with the word "woke" in the title the channel goes straight to "do not recommend"

[@nofaults]

@@s.sweetland5074 true Some of these grifters don't see themselves as the other end of the idiot scale Such a stupid world we live in where a medium norm can't exist anymore

[@aeneas116116]

You should find the videos that offer the best explanation of it being woke and compare it to the best videos saying it isn’t. Listen to both sides

[@s.sweetland5074]

@@aeneas116116 Sorry, but I can't think of a single thing I would be less interested in than hearing some rando on KZbin explain why they think a video game is "woke". Not one thing.

[@GeorgHaeder]

To be honest, the moment I saw the trailer I knew that the usual suspects would come out of the wood with their "IT'S WOKE" doom and gloom videos. It's so predictable by now. I'm honestly too old for this bs, I'll wait and see if I buy it or not when the game is released and I can watch actual gameplay footage and parts of the story. I also really don't care about the VA, because IMHO there is only one way to play GoY and GoT and that's in Japanese (with subtitles ofc). Edit: typo

[@bigpec1]

As long as they don't bring their politics in the game it's all good

[@aeneas116116]

They always bring their politics into the game. Which is why a concord lost Sony $400 mill and Ubisoft is about to go bankrupt

[@ZeroXSEED]

Remember actor doesn't write the script and decide the story, that's the scriptwriter and narrative director's job.

[@AdnanIB]

Unlike West, In South and East asia women used to be in all kinds of role in the society, from mother to a warrior, so its really normal to have a female warrior character in a Japanese culture based game, there is nothing wrong with that.. This game will be an epic. stop making content like this,

[@jansobieski3127]

Samurai woman in 1600 ? I don't think so dude, the Bushido code do not alow womand to be samurai, just saying...

[@AdnanIB]

@@jansobieski3127 Hi, they used to be under bushi (warrior) class, and the term is called "Onna-musha"

[@princephillip1481]

Good lawd, this again?? Smdh..will you people STOP viewing everything with political glasses. All you need to know..Is the graphics great? Check, is the gameplay good to great? Check, is the story good to great? Check, is the environment beautiful or nice? Check. Get the hell out of other people's lives!! It doesn't matter what she believes..what matters is can she do the damn job as a voice actor!! Period 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

[@ellomatt6956]

Hay, happy birthday. I really loved playing Ghost of tsushima. Before I played it, I never really knew too much about Japan's history, but when I played it, I saw and discovered a lot about it. I feel the ghost of yotei game is going to be a gem just like ghost of tsushima.

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@ellomatt6956]

​@shoheikondo, you're welcome.

[@hungry_for_games]

best japanese channel IMO.

[@jaketerp500]

I agree with this take. I think time will tell if this is “woke”. But truly I don’t see any “issue” with it. The setting looks awesome. The time period is the right move imo. And I have no issue playing as a female protagonist. Time will tell. But I’m looking forward to it.

[@sergiosarmiento4233]

The actress has a loud and rough online persona. But Sucker Punch has shown they don’t fall back on the Modern Audience Political nonsense. They just need to show us again that their vision is guided by love and commit to it.

[@atis5203]

So good to hear a voice of reason in the sea of stupidity, thank you ! Everyone on the creative/decision making side of Sucker Punch is from the original GoT dev team, so I don't care about a lone voice actor. (Tbh it's way more interesting to see the discussion on jp youtube about the ainu....and seeing its way more civilized.)

[@pingamalinga]

I don't care if the Devil did voice acting. Is the game good? Who honestly thinks about a voice actor while playing a fantasy game?

[@Saint.Cosmos]

When I thought about this the person who kept coming up in my mind was Steven Ogg. For those that don't know he played Trevor in GTA5. It's an iconic role, but Steven is on record that he hates video games and gamers. He treats the medium and his colleagues (Michael and Franklin's actors) with disdain. If someone like Ogg can be as bad as he is and still give a great performance, I'm giving Erika the benefit of the doubt.

[@ak-nt2tr]

I hated Trevor so much I stopped playing GTA5. I don't think he did a great job.

[@whitezombie10]

@@ak-nt2trsaid no one ever

[@ak-nt2tr]

@@whitezombie10 LMAO except I just said it. GTA is the most overrated series in gaming. Mafia, Watch Dogs and Sleeping Dogs are much better experiences.

[@よに-h6y]

ACSの弥助についても多くの日本人は「あ～海外のそういう流れね～ハイハイしゃーなし」で、黒人が主人公だったことに怒っていたのではない事を改めてい言いたいですね(せっかく舞台が日本なのに日本人でなかったことにガッカリはしたとしても) 日本人がキレたのは、UBIがその弥助を伝説の侍とし「史実に忠実」といった事でしょう。ACSが延期しようが発売中止になろうが、UBIが”正式に””本物”発言撤回し、著作物盗用への謝罪をしない限り忘れないし許さないでしょう。 今作は、前作GOTと同じく最初から「フィクションでオリジナルです！」と言ってはいるので、これまた前作と同じく「一線を越えなければ」セーフかなと個人的には思ってます。コンサル考えたら微妙な内容になりそうで期待値は爆下がりですけれども。彼らはラスアス２などを見ても分かる通り既存の人気IPを台無しにする天災ですので…ポリコレコンサル入っててもちゃんとした物が出来ますよという前例になればいいですけれども。今のところはSPを信じるしかありませんね。

[@KeyBladeMaster-Dan]

What they showed in the reveal looks incredible and look I get people quaking in their boots a bit about the activist actress who's playing Atsu but like as long as her politics don't seep into the game I don't care besides to me she's just a glorified face model anyway since I'll be playing with the Japanese dub. And personally I normally like playing as female characters in games I love Ayame and Rin from Tenchu so I'm kind of excited to get a female ghost. With the exceptions of Sora, Kratos, Raziel, Kain and Jin Sakai himself most of my favourite game characters are girls anyway. The mentioned Ayame and Rin, Chun-Li , Ibuki, Ling Xiaoyu, Alice from Bloody Roar,.Naotora Ii from Samurai Warriors, Mio Amakura and Yuri Kazukata from Fatal Frame, Yuna, Tifa, Aqua, Jill, Claire, Ada you get the point 😅 I have no problem with this. I completely understand if you have a preference and would rather play as male characters because everyone is different and like what they like but to be as immature about it as some are being is ridiculous.

[@jchan8539]

Suckerpunch has earned a lot of brownie points with me. I will judge it for the gameplay, and not the actor’s political views.

[@Notabot129]

I like Erika Ishii and I won’t apologize for it.

[@neochaft1587]

Remember when some crazies bullied people for playing Hogward Legacy and Stellar Blade? Let's not be like them... And happy birthday to you 😅

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@TheSonOfDumb]

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

[@wakuwakuguy9243]

Many youtubers opt in for some cheap views/ drama farming just in one day after the game trailer is released. Over 20 channels parroting the same arguement stem from their twitter. Not a single one of them think of researching VA's older works or work ethics. Thank you for being a reasonable adult. I for once getting hopeful for suckerpunch's take on Jidaigeki too. As you pointed out, a nod to Lady Snowblood, Princess Mononoke and Kill Bill are so clear in the trailer. Hope we will get an awesome piece.

[@clouddistrictgang24]

Thank you for making this video. I was starting to lose faith in the gaming community after I saw the "woke"/"dei" comments about the ghost of yotei. Creators like asmongold are pretty quiet about this while their audience type these messages. And now they have basically become anti woke grifters.

[@thefightingknight]

I am 100% in agreement, knowing what Sucker Punch has done with the first game, I don't think they would want to anger the Japanese government or the people who they honor. Especially with those who died to protect Tsushima. Also, I believe you said that you have a samurai ancestor; I would love a video on that.

[@Zetsuei13]

Personally I love playing as female characters in games; so long as they stay away from all the forced "woke" typical "I don't need no man." leftist ideological terms and just make it neutral. I will have no issues with that. However, the moment SPP gives her lines that are pro any side and it feels agenda driven, they will lose all my support. *(possible spoilers below if you haven't played GOT). I will be vague.* Also *Happy Birthday~* I love Ghost of Tsushima, actually playing it at this very moment as I was listening to this video, oddly enough lol. Have we forgotten how well written Lady Masako's story was (in my opinion). She has obvious flaws, her life was topsy-turvy but in the end she is human. Both Lauren Tom and Mabuki Ando did a fantastic job just reading their lines. So as long as Sucker Punch Productions keeps the writing and lines in the center, I feel we will get another epic game. Also, anyone who mixes personal politics with their job should be fired, so hopefully they are willing to do that if it came to it. Unless of course that's what you're going for... for which I say to that, enjoy the shit storm you create. *_*Cough*_* Ubisoft *_*Cough*_* P.S. I will say her tweet about Police is wild... that's some extreme levels of ignorance or indoctrination of the highest level. Considering she's voice acting a character that technically is peace keeper of those times. Or better yet... she's a vigilante in game which would make her stance on Police a lot worse lol. Contradiction and hypocrisy seems to be par for the course for a lot of these people with certain ideologies.

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@Wysch]

It's really nice to see a content creator and people in his comment section who share the same ideas like me. I don't understand why there's a need to call the developers and the entire studio names, why shame them for hiring an actress, why call the game woke, etc. Actors act, writers write, directors direct, producers produce. As for now, it's unfair to call Sucker Punch names and stir paranoia and toxicity.

[@DarkXork]

As long as she's professional enough to keep her insane views to herself and not push to inject them into a game that doesn't need it I couldn't care less what she says on Twitter. Not to mention that actors only have input on the character they are playing and not the project as a whole. So unless the game director is a major activist I don't see this game going full woke. But only time will tell.

[@betacrest10]

She has participation in 30+ projects in the video game industry. It's suspicious why they are chasing her as an activist for this one specific game. I agree and hopefully look forward the game will not be affected.

[@RMDetho]

Thank you for talking on the subject. In a sea of so called "journalist" which are all nothing more but controversy hungry disconnected (usually american) losers, it's really nice to hear a proper down to earth thoughts on this, especially from someone that's closer to the culture. I hate how some KZbinrs constantly cry how these "DEI people are crazy, how they take one thing out of context and then just roll with it to spread their propaganda", and then something like this happens, [an actor happens to be of nonstandard gender] and these same incredibly critical people act just as crazy in the other direction. It's not even funny anymore, it's sad and pathetic. Before I used to think these people are just clueless, but now I see they're nothing more but hypocritical grifters there to spark up controversy so they could extract more money from their audience. And they all say how how Ghost of Tsushima is an amazing game.. Too bad none of them learned the value of honor from it.

[@wakuwakuguy9243]

Ikr... 😢

[@AntiRiku]

I do believe it is way too early to say, but I'd be lying if I said that I'm not worried.

[@Maria-by8bw]

騒ぎたくなる気持ちはわかるが、一作目みたいにいいゲームだったらどうするよ😅 I don’t know if I have my faith in Sonny. But I sure do trust sucker punch❤ Can’t wait for this game!

[@norikoma4661]

活動家という生き物は主義主張してないと死んでしまう生き物だから ゲーム内外のどこかでやらかすよ

[@der_peevmeister]

That’s kinda where I am. This day and age, I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to developers who prove they’re worth it. Sucker Punch has done that and then some - GoT was *_phenomenal_* . I’ll take anything else they make totally on faith. Until they give me a demonstrable reason to no longer trust their products outright. Not rumors. Not supposition. Not the political inclinations of people involved. Case in point: Bungie. There was a time if you said ‘Bungie made this’ gamers would just buy it. Period. Now? They’re no better than Blizzard-Activision IMO. Now Sony on the other hand… 😒

[@ikoany]

お誕生日おめでとうございます！ 個人的にはアツが背中に三味線を負っているのがとてもよかったです。 時代劇の文脈を理解しているサッカーパンチのことなので、アツは親の仇討ちの旅に出ているのかなと予想してます。背中の三味線も必殺仕事人みたいなギミックなのかなとワクワクしています。

[@shoheikondo]

ありがとうございます！

[@thehuntersmind_12]

I love your videos! And, Thank you for your positive views on the game! However, for the people complaining about the “woke” or “DEI” agenda, how pathetic are you as a person to complain just because you are playing as a woman character? 😂 … This is ridiculous! I’m excited to play the new Ghost game!

[@hisham031170]

Not only woman character, the whole developer team was changed to women.

[@usonohoshi6165]

Although she is a red flag. Base on what others have been saying about Yotei, everything else, so far is hopeful. It's Suckerpunch's next steps. And their professionalism that will make or break Yotei.

[@jjr2626]

I absolutely enjoy your videos man

[@FrankCastleThePunisher666]

I don’t care who the voice actors are, or if they are male or female. Just want a good game that’s also good to play.

[@TheGoldenEgg69]

would you consider a game good if political agendas or wokism is being pushed in it?

[@FrankCastleThePunisher666]

@@TheGoldenEgg69 I don’t give a crap a politics. A game is a game.

[@TheGoldenEgg69]

@@FrankCastleThePunisher666 then you should try Dustborn...you'll love it

[@jayr3053]

Exactly! I don’t care what she does in her spare time! Just hope her voice acting is good!

[@Raziel_Hijikata]

Happy birthday!!🎉

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you!

[@Setsuken]

Fair opinion. We'll just have to see what they release.

[@cbrock5529]

I’m going to wait until we have more details about the game and it’s story before I make a decision/judgement on this game, just because the actress is the way she is doesn’t mean the game is the same way. That being said, if this turns assassin’s creed shadows 2.0, it will fail hard.

[@rariemgaming428]

Will reserve my personal judgement once it comes out. For now No pre order. Will wait and see :)

[@EldenBorn]

I am here for entertainment, and it seems to me this game is going to have just that. Even though i agree with the criticism to some extent i mostly believe that a VA is not going to change to much for me.

[@petetrc9671]

I noticed Sucker Punch made Erika's character look more delicate than her actual looks. For me that's encouraging because bad 'DEI' games tend to make their female models look more masculine. The game looks like Japanese Kill Bill and I like it 🔥

[@jimsmagnificentminiaturemo3235]

I'm too lazy to backread all the comments to see if this has already been said, but I'm hoping we can separate the art from the artist here. Chris Evans is an avowed leftie but he played Captain America for nine years without any problems. On the other hand, Chris Pratt is openly conservative but that didn't affect his ability to play Star Lord.

[@fluffy_walrus]

Exactly. I'm a hard-line "leftist" but I can still watch Firefly despite some people involved in it being absolute chuds in real life, and the series effectively being inspired by the american civil war from the perspective of the south. At the end of the day, it's a good show. it didn't deserve to be cancelled. at Christmastime, I'll still watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, despite Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid being IMO pieces of shit, because it's a good, funny holiday movie. I'll still watch Home Alone 2 even though Trump is in it. I'll still watch comedy films with Rob Schneider, despite him routinely trying to revive his comedy career by slandering people like me. I can watch Tom Cruise's films despite being vehemently against Scientology. I can read Brandon Sanderson's books despite feeling the Church of Latter Day Saints is loathsome. What matters is whether it's a good game. Suckerpunch has a long track record of good games. This isn't "Crime Boss: Rockay City" or whatever, this is a the successor to a great game from a great studio. Erika Ishii has been in plenty of other games, and I've enjoyed her VA performances, and she's only grown better as the years have gone on. This game looks like it's a take on Kill Bill/Lady Snowblood, and if that's the angle they're going for, then I don't see any reason for concern. Like, what, would people actually decide they think Kill Bill is a bad "woke" film because Uma Thurman's supportive of incredibly restrictive gun control, and is an active supporter of LGBTQ people, and is aggressively pro-choice? Like, if people decide "hey, X is involved in this project, and I don't want to support that", then cool, that's their call, and they're not speaking to the quality of the piece of media. But saying "hey, X is involved in this, and that means this thing is inherently horrible and deserves to fail" would be absolutely ridiculous.

[@kurenai-7743]

モデルは主義主張に反しても日本の封建時代の表現に注力できるのか？ちゃんと開発チームはリスペクトを貫けるか？ 個人的にトレーラーは日本人の心にビリビリ来たんですけどね、般若の面！仇討ち！火縄銃のモーションすら時代劇っぽいと感じた、そして間違いなくスタッフは北海道に感銘を受けてる

[@combataceguy]

She won't affect the game she's just voice actress, Sucker Punch respects Japanese history and Culture unlike Ubislop

[@TheDocValerian]

Let's just wait and see the game first before creating any drama about it. We've seen cases where actors had quite an impact on the promotion (and tone) of the work they are in (snow white). But unless anything real happens in relation to the game, I don't care what people do or believe in their "private" life. Given the amount of respect and decency the characters in the first game were given, I am hopeful. As for the "playing as a woman" part... I haven't seen anyone complaining about that in tomb raider. I want to play a protagonist who fits into a great story, and ghost is much more like a movie than an rpg where half the playtime is spent in the character creator.

[@Lontokka]

Thank you for a very level-headed video! From my point of view the criticism isn't really directed at Ishii in a vacuum. She hasn't done anything bad. The problem for me and many others is that in the western world there is a growing acceptance of racism and misandry towards Asian and white males. For a long time men didn't bother about it, but as it has kept growing and growing and the positions by woke people are pushed ever forward, some have started pushing back against it. So the outlash isn't that Ishii has done something, it's more that people have seen a common pattern in western game developers and Sucker Punch hiring a very genderfluid and outspoken activist as the lead has given them a knee-jerk reaction based on previous experiences when developers have included wokeism. They are worried that Sucker Punch hired her, not because of her voice acting talent, but because they want Atsu to be genderfluid and gay etc. and that they will focus more on wokeism than actually telling a good story. You are very right in that no one knows what kind of game Ghost of Yutei will be and therefore should calm themselves and also that it's never, ever, okay to lash out at individuals or harass Ishii on twitter.

[@loremasterxp3635]

I don't think we really have anything to worry about when it comes to Erika Ishii, she's a voice actor not a developer after all, Sucker Punch are merely paying her to read lines.

[@DerTypAusDemREICH]

I think (in my opinion) that people are trying to say that women aren't capable of being badass. In GoT it would never have bothered me if I had played as a woman instead of a man. (Seriously, if that kind of woman asks you to take out the trash, you will do it - without argument.) Diversity is not a bad thing, but it is approached in the wrong way. If the Japanese have a different opinion and try to explain it, they are immediately seen as xenophobic. I don't think it's right for a non-Japanese to talk about historical accuracy unless you've had intensive conversations with japanese people first. If this game is basically exactly like GoT before it (except you'll be playing a woman) then it will be at least as good as its predecessor. This lady here is going to tear the bad ones a*ses up to their collars and I'm going to celebrate it. And yes, I'm a guy, soooooo... And happy birthday Shohei 🍻🍾🎁🎉🎇 May you stay with us for a very long time. 😎♥️

[@shoheikondo]

Thank you🍻🙌