Japanese expert believes Ghost of Yotei has one glaring inaccuracy that hints toward game’s story
A Japanese scholar has pointed out a major historical inaccuracy in Ghost of Yotei’s title, but given what we know about the setting, it’s likely both a clever choice and indicative of the game’s plot.
Announced during theSeptember 2024 State of Play, Sucker Punch’s next title will be afollow-up to Ghost of Tsushima. Set over 300 years after the original, Ghost of Yotei follows anew protagonist named Atsuon her journey through a part of Japan that is now part of Hokkaido.
However, in a thread shared and translated byAutomaton, Japanese scholar Itsuji Tangikupoints outthat the mountain now known as Mount Yotei went by a completely different name back in 1603.
製作発表が出た『ゴースト・オブ・ヨーテイ』の舞台が1603年の北海道というのはすごい。いろんな意味で「ゴースト」です。絶対にわざとですね。「ヨーテイ」の元の「後方羊蹄山」という山名は明治以降のもので、アイヌ語では「マチネシㇼ」です。「1603年のヨーテイ」は「ゴースト地名」ですね。
Tangiku, who studies the language and culture of the Ainu, an Indigenous ethnic group from northern Japan, goes on to explain that the anachronism “has to be intentional.” Given the history of the region and the year the game takes place, it could also have major plot implications.
In 1603, the Ainu would have called the mountain Machineshiri. The Japanese began calling it Mount Shiribeshi during the Meiji period (1868-1912), which later became Yotei.
Tangiku goes on to explain the historical significance of 1603 for the Japanese and Ainu. The following year, the Japanese government gave the Matsumae clan the right to trade with the Ainu, which slowly led to the end of the Ainu’s dominance over the region.
The Matsumae clan barred any other northern clans from trading with the Ainu, and within 200 years, Hokkaido had been transformed into a fishing plantation. This marks what Tangiku calls “the beginning of the colonialization of Hokkaido,” which includes Meiji Restoration era assimilation policies that forced the Ainu to give up their language, traditions, and way of life.
Ghost of Yotei release date, Gamescom trailer, free DLC & everything we know
Ghost of Yotei is cutting Tsushima’s biggest open-world flaw
Ghost of Yotei will be just as big as Tsushima but with even greater freedom
Given that the name Yotei comes from the modern era after the land was colonized and incorporated into Japan, Tangiku suspects the developers chose the name as a “satire of colonialism.”
While Sucker Punch has yet to reveal any story details, Ghost of Tsushima was a revenge tale where Jin Sakai needed to betray the samurai code of honor to protect his homeland from Mongol invaders.
Combined with Tangiku’s insights, it’s likely Ghost of Yotei will see Atsu fighting the threat of Japanese colonization and donning a Ghost mask of her own to protect her home.
Ghost of Yoteiwill be released for PlayStation 5 in 2025. Afilm adaptation of Ghost of Tsushimais also in the works.
