Ghost of Yotei players are completely split on whether Atsu could beat Tsushima’s protagonist Jin, although I think the answer is actually pretty clear to us all.
When Ghost of Yotei was first revealed, one of the biggest talking points right from the get-go was that it starred brand-new protagonist Atsu instead of giving us more Jin Sakai like we all expected. Time has been pretty kind to that controversy, though, as Atsu turned out to be a total badass and a great protagonist in her own right.
Although I think most of us would agree that there’s more than enough room for both Atsu and Jin to lead the Ghost series (especially with how respectful Yotei is of Jin), that hasn’t stopped an age-old debate from starting. Over the past week, Ghost fans have been discussing (read: arguing) about who would win in a duel out of Atsu and Jin.
Ghost Fans Are Debating Whether Atsu Is Stronger Than Jin
Does Jin Have A Kusarigama? I Think Not.
The big question was asked by Redditor MrDemiGod over on the Ghost subreddit, although it was actually posed as more of a statement. MrDemiGod said that, after platinuming Yotei, Atsu would “murder Jin Sakai undoubtedly”. One key point to this is that Atsu’s optional bosses, including Kojiro and Takezo, are incredibly powerful compared to some of the foes Jin goes up against.
That’s already pretty good proof, but the other big factor is that so much time has passed between Atsu and Jin that the former naturally has more weapons and tools, including a literal gun, that the Ghost simply wouldn’t know about. Jin may be a “great swordsman”, but MrDemiGod argues that Atu’s feats and arsenal are just too much for Jin.
If you were to put Jin in the same timeline as Atsu at his peak, the fight might be a bit more even, but Atsu’s feats of strength are still just
To me, that all sounds like pretty damning (if a little unfair on Jin’s part) evidence that Atsu would win in a fight and, while some fans agree that there’s a clear winner, there are some arguments against it. Redditor da_jumpman points out that Atsu’s parrying suggests she’s not as good with a katana as Jin, and that a traditional duel between the two might go in Jin’s favour.
While you could argue that’s giving Jin the advantage a bit, it’s not a bad point considering everything else that’s stacked against him. Another fan points out that Takezo isn’t necessarily canon since it’s optional and that Jin is a “trained samurai turned shinobi” compared to Atsu’s “self-taught” and rage-focused style.
As you can probably tell, the majority of fans think that Atsu wins the fight against Jin, while others think that there are a few specific circumstances where the Ghost gets the advantage. Honestly, it’s a bit of an unfair comparison considering how much is introduced between the two games, but based entirely on what Yotei gives us, I have to say Atsu is a clear winner.
Ghost of Yotei
4.0/5
- Released
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October 2, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Publisher(s)
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Sony Interactive Entertainment
