Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 10 hours ago
An extended look at the NPCs of Ghost of Tsushima, the game that inadvertently started this photography series!
Had a lot of fun revisiting Akira Kurosawa's catalog and studying how he filmed ancillary characters, as a way of reading the way Ghost of Tsushima uses its own. Lots of hidden details as always, with insights into history, industry, and what the game successfully recaptures from the movies that inspired it -- vs. what it doesn't.
Cold open: 0:00 - 1:34
Opening Titles: 1:35 - 2:13
Overview and Intro to Kurosawa: 2:14 - 16:07
Tsushima: 16:08 - 42:09
Tsushima (w/ spoilers): 42:10 - 57:13
Iki Island: 57:14 - 1:14:09
Outro: 1:14:11 - 1:15:30
Foreword: All footage is recorded in 1080p. I exported in 4K to minimize compression.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow me or support the channel if you're able!
-- Patreon: patreon.com/SolidArf
-- Buy Me a Coffee: ko-fi.com/solidarf
-- BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/solidarf.bsky.social
-- NPCs of Gaming: instagram.com/npcsofgaming
-- Website: aarafafzal.com/npcs
Recommended Videos:
-- What I Learned Photographing NPCs for a Year (2021): youtu.be/9ejkixtIAfw
-- Full NPC Photography Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZN3hp91xDmzoYeVBe4dwd2vSGXRsz3fV
======== Selected References ========
– The Art of Ghost of Tsushima by Sucker Punch Productions
– What I Learned Photographing NPCs for a Year (2021): youtu.be/9ejkixtIAfw?si=HKPa-eLpQZ4hQ8ms
– “Share of the Week: Weather” by Kristen Zitani, PlayStation Blog (2020): blog.playstation.com/2020/09/04/share-of-the-week-weather
– “Shintoism, Nature and the Storm in Ghost of Tsushima” by Eric Biancalana: medium.com/@EricBiancalana/shintoism-nature-and-the-storm-in-ghost-of-tsushima-fca91db37d09
– “How Ghost of Tsushima Balances Fact Versus Fiction” by Peter Brown, Gamespot (2018): gamespot.com/articles/how-ghost-of-tsuhima-balances-fact-versus-fiction/1100-6460128
– “NPC Character Fashion” by John Powell on ArtStation: artstation.com/artwork/XnJVwD
– “From brush to blade: The concept art behind Ghost of Tsushima” by Ian Jun Wei Chiew, PlayStation Blog (2020): blog.playstation.com/2020/10/26/from-brush-to-blade-the-concept-art-process-behind-ghost-of-tsushima
– “Winnowing Basket” by The Farmer’s Museum: harvestofhistory.org/primary-sources/winnowing-basket
– “Cormorant Fishing (Ukai)” by Japan Guide: japan-guide.com/e/e2426.html
– "Cormorant Fishing in Yangshuo, China" by Rod Waddington, CC-BY-SA-2.0
– “In This Ancient Japanese Tradition, Birds Do the Fishing” by National Geographic. (2018, August 27). YouTube. youtu.be/vjhHn7ELhlI
– “Let's Get Nerdy about Japanese Sake in Ghost of Tsushima” by Brian Ashcraft, Kotaku (2020). kotaku.com/lets-get-nerdy-about-japanese-sake-in-ghost-of-tsushima-1844438641
– “I Asked an Expert to Read my Ghost of Tsushima Haiku. He Wasn’t Impressed” by Ian Walker, Kotaku (2020). kotaku.com/i-asked-an-expert-to-read-my-ghost-of-tsushima-haiku-h-1844458633
– “Creating Feudal Japan from Across the Pacific” by Jason Connell, GDC (2021). youtu.be/n0MO-mjzczU
– “Japanese Troop Types: Game vs Concept Art” by u/MulberryField30, Reddit (2021 - 2022): reddit.com/r/ghostoftsushima/comments/mdgysq/japanese_troop_types_game_vs_concept_art_yet_more
– “Write-up of all the known history and lore about each clan on Tsushima” by u/FireCyclone (2021): reddit.com/r/ghostoftsushima/comments/mxynxw/writeup_of_all_the_known_historylore_about_each
– “The movies, games and books that inspired Ghost of Tsushima, according to Sucker Punch” by Leon Hurley (2020). gamesradar.com/the-movies-games-and-books-that-inspired-ghost-of-tsushima-according-to-sucker-punch
– “GHOST OF TSUSHIMA - Ryuzo” by Naomi Baker, ArtStation: artstation.com/artwork/ELzKG2
– “In-game assets for Ghost of Tsushima” by Sergey Kuydin, ArtStation: artstation.com/artwork/03NXRe
-- "Akira Kurosawa - Composing Movement" by Every Frame a Painting: youtu.be/doaQC-S8de8
===
Games referenced:
– Ghost of Tsushima (2020), Ghost of Yotei (2025), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), Horizon Zero Dawn (2017), Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018), Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024), Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025)
===
Movies referenced:
– Rashomon (1950), Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962), Kagemusha (1980), Ran (1985), dir. Akira Kurosawa
– Harakiri (1962), dir. Masaki Kobayashi
– Bakumatsu (1970), dir. Daisuke Itō
-- All of the music used is listed in the credits at the end of the video!
An extended look at the NPCs of Ghost of Tsushima, the game that inadvertently started this photography series!
Had a lot of fun revisiting Akira Kurosawa's catalog and studying how he filmed ancillary characters, as a way of reading the way Ghost of Tsushima uses its own. Lots of hidden details as always, with insights into history, industry, and what the game successfully recaptures from the movies that inspired it -- vs. what it doesn't.
Cold open: 0:00 - 1:34
Opening Titles: 1:35 - 2:13
Overview and Intro to Kurosawa: 2:14 - 16:07
Tsushima: 16:08 - 42:09
Tsushima (w/ spoilers): 42:10 - 57:13
Iki Island: 57:14 - 1:14:09
Outro: 1:14:11 - 1:15:30
Foreword: All footage is recorded in 1080p. I exported in 4K to minimize compression.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow me or support the channel if you're able!
-- Patreon: patreon.com/SolidArf
-- Buy Me a Coffee: ko-fi.com/solidarf
-- BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/solidarf.bsky.social
-- NPCs of Gaming: instagram.com/npcsofgaming
-- Website: aarafafzal.com/npcs
Recommended Videos:
-- What I Learned Photographing NPCs for a Year (2021): youtu.be/9ejkixtIAfw
-- Full NPC Photography Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZN3hp91xDmzoYeVBe4dwd2vSGXRsz3fV
======== Selected References ========
– The Art of Ghost of Tsushima by Sucker Punch Productions
– What I Learned Photographing NPCs for a Year (2021): youtu.be/9ejkixtIAfw?si=HKPa-eLpQZ4hQ8ms
– “Share of the Week: Weather” by Kristen Zitani, PlayStation Blog (2020): blog.playstation.com/2020/09/04/share-of-the-week-weather
– “Shintoism, Nature and the Storm in Ghost of Tsushima” by Eric Biancalana: medium.com/@EricBiancalana/shintoism-nature-and-the-storm-in-ghost-of-tsushima-fca91db37d09
– “How Ghost of Tsushima Balances Fact Versus Fiction” by Peter Brown, Gamespot (2018): gamespot.com/articles/how-ghost-of-tsuhima-balances-fact-versus-fiction/1100-6460128
– “NPC Character Fashion” by John Powell on ArtStation: artstation.com/artwork/XnJVwD
– “From brush to blade: The concept art behind Ghost of Tsushima” by Ian Jun Wei Chiew, PlayStation Blog (2020): blog.playstation.com/2020/10/26/from-brush-to-blade-the-concept-art-process-behind-ghost-of-tsushima
– “Winnowing Basket” by The Farmer’s Museum: harvestofhistory.org/primary-sources/winnowing-basket
– “Cormorant Fishing (Ukai)” by Japan Guide: japan-guide.com/e/e2426.html
– "Cormorant Fishing in Yangshuo, China" by Rod Waddington, CC-BY-SA-2.0
– “In This Ancient Japanese Tradition, Birds Do the Fishing” by National Geographic. (2018, August 27). YouTube. youtu.be/vjhHn7ELhlI
– “Let's Get Nerdy about Japanese Sake in Ghost of Tsushima” by Brian Ashcraft, Kotaku (2020). kotaku.com/lets-get-nerdy-about-japanese-sake-in-ghost-of-tsushima-1844438641
– “I Asked an Expert to Read my Ghost of Tsushima Haiku. He Wasn’t Impressed” by Ian Walker, Kotaku (2020). kotaku.com/i-asked-an-expert-to-read-my-ghost-of-tsushima-haiku-h-1844458633
– “Creating Feudal Japan from Across the Pacific” by Jason Connell, GDC (2021). youtu.be/n0MO-mjzczU
– “Japanese Troop Types: Game vs Concept Art” by u/MulberryField30, Reddit (2021 - 2022): reddit.com/r/ghostoftsushima/comments/mdgysq/japanese_troop_types_game_vs_concept_art_yet_more
– “Write-up of all the known history and lore about each clan on Tsushima” by u/FireCyclone (2021): reddit.com/r/ghostoftsushima/comments/mxynxw/writeup_of_all_the_known_historylore_about_each
– “The movies, games and books that inspired Ghost of Tsushima, according to Sucker Punch” by Leon Hurley (2020). gamesradar.com/the-movies-games-and-books-that-inspired-ghost-of-tsushima-according-to-sucker-punch
– “GHOST OF TSUSHIMA - Ryuzo” by Naomi Baker, ArtStation: artstation.com/artwork/ELzKG2
– “In-game assets for Ghost of Tsushima” by Sergey Kuydin, ArtStation: artstation.com/artwork/03NXRe
-- "Akira Kurosawa - Composing Movement" by Every Frame a Painting: youtu.be/doaQC-S8de8
===
Games referenced:
– Ghost of Tsushima (2020), Ghost of Yotei (2025), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), Horizon Zero Dawn (2017), Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018), Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024), Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025)
===
Movies referenced:
– Rashomon (1950), Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962), Kagemusha (1980), Ran (1985), dir. Akira Kurosawa
– Harakiri (1962), dir. Masaki Kobayashi
– Bakumatsu (1970), dir. Daisuke Itō
-- All of the music used is listed in the credits at the end of the video!
