During Tokyo Game Show 2025, we got to meet Erika Ishii, the star of Ghost of Yotei, as they play Atsu, the game’s protagonist.
Ishii has played plenty of roles in video games throughout the years as a voice actor. For instance, they have voiced characters like Valkyrie in Apex Legends and Rook in Dragon Age: The Veilguard (one of four VAs), among others. Ishii’s latest role is perhaps their biggest though, not only because Ishii serves as the model and did motion-capture for Atsu, but also because Ghost of Yotei tells a particularly personal story about revenge. There’s also the fact that Ishii is stepping into the shoes of the Ghost, following the fan-favorite Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima.
As such, during a media roundtable interview session we attended at Tokyo Game Show, we asked Ishii about how it felt to spet into this big role. We also asked about the experience overall during motion capture filming, as well as the prep they did ahead of the production’s start.
[The following is a transcript of our questions during the SEA media roundtable interview with Erika Ishii, edited for clarity.]
Ghost of Yotei tells a particularly personal story for Atsu. As you play her in mo-cap and vocally, what was the process like in bringing Atsu to life? Was it draining emotionally?
EI: I felt so supported the entire way through. And as an actor, I love big, dramatic, upsetting moments for a character. That’s kind of the dream, to have something so vastly different from your own emotional experience, and to go through that whole gamut of emotions.
Sometimes we’d have a scene where she’s crying and screaming and raging, and then the next second they’d call cut, and we’d all just laugh and be very silly outside of that. I think that’s the kind of acting I like to do, where I take the role and the moment very seriously, but not myself.
It was truly joyful the whole time. Sometimes you hear about actors who really need to stay in character, and it affects their lives. But for me, it was just joyful from beginning to end.
What sort of preparation did you do ahead of this role? Did you dive into samurai history or watch samurai films? Or did you have your own approach?
EI: Yes, all of those things. I’m a huge fan of Kurosawa films and jidaigeki, and even more modern versions of that, like Kill Bill, or even anime. I’m a huge fan of Samurai Champloo.
So when I found out, they didn’t tell me. I found out when everybody else did, about the Shinichirō Watanabe mode, and I was so excited.
We’re drawing from this grand tradition. I think about Toshiro Mifune’s performances, and Clint Eastwood as The Man with No Name; it’s just incredibly rich. Honestly, the homework was a joy, because I could just sit and watch all of my favorite films.
And I think that was one of the things that probably helped me book the audition, because I grew up with all those films, with all of that manga, and with this deep love of that samurai-western feel.
You’ve played plenty of roles in games throughout the years. What makes Atsu in Ghost of Yotei unique or special for you?
EI: I have never played a character that has my face and is me, and that I’ve gotten to truly build from the ground up, including the way she moves and her speech patterns. She’s so close to my heart.
And the fact that I got to work with this team for so long makes it even more meaningful. Usually, in a game, you come in, sometimes you don’t even know what the game is, and a lot of times you’re just reading down a sheet of separate lines. Then you go away, and the game comes out maybe a year later.
But for Atsu, I’ve been there for the entire journey. And it’s so significant to me to have really lived in her for so long.
Ghost of Tsushima and its protagonist Jin are beloved by many PlayStation fans. Did you feel any pressure now that you’re taking on the role of the new “ghost,” especially during the first day of production?
EI: Yes, it was a very momentous occasion. I’ve always been a huge fan of Sony games, and so stepping onto the Sony soundstage felt like the completion of a dream I had achieved.
There were many reasons why that first day felt so daunting to me. But it’s funny how quickly the human brain adjusts. Soon, I was just joking around with a lot of the crew, and it felt like home. It felt comfortable there.
Yes, it was, you know, again, a lot of it was a very momentous occasion, because also I am a huge fan of Sony games, and so stepping onto the Sony soundstage felt like the completion, like I had achieved a dream of mine. So, there were many, many reasons why that first day was very daunting to me, but it’s so funny that the human brain just adjusts so quickly, and soon I was just joking around with a lot of the crew. I felt at home; it felt comfortable there.
Ghost of Yotei will be released on the PS5 on October 2, 2025.