Summary

• Ghost of Tsushima ending impacts potential sequel with branching narratives.
• Developers may choose to make the honorable ending canonical for Ghost of Tsushima 2.
• Honoring Uncle Shimura's wishes in the game raises complex storytelling possibilities, but would also be a neater way to tie up any loose ends.

Ghost of Tsushima's ending varied depending on how players chose to conclude their gut-wrenching final battle, which split the narrative wildly in different ways and could cause complications for a sequel. Given the title's huge success, and how it was widely considered to be one of the best games of 2020, a sequel seems practically inevitable. It's unlikely that Ghost of Tsushima 2 will see developers Sucker Punch giving players two completely different narratives depending on their choices, so the developer will probably have to choose one of these endings to be canonical going forward.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Ghost of Tsushima.]

Ghost of Tsushima's story saw Jin Sakai struggling to maintain the way of the Samurai and honor his family's legacy while protecting Tsushima Island from enemy forces that deployed more devious tactics. His relationship with his uncle, Lord Shimura, was key in this internal conflict, as Shimura was determined to fight the Mongolian forces honorably. Ghost of Tsushima's combat, however, leveraged Jin's witnessing of various terrors inflicted upon the island's residents firsthand, adopting new tactics to overcome his foes such as stealth and poisoning, becoming the legendary "Ghost of Tsushima." Ultimately, such a rift came between Jin and his uncle that Shimura was forced by the Shogun to hunt and fight his surrogate son for the “crimes” he committed to save Tsushima.

Various flashbacks built up Jin's relationship with Shimura, showing him as both a mentor and father figure following the death of Jin's father, making the ending conflict more heartbreaking.

Ghost Of Tsushima 2 Should Make The Dishonorable Ending Canon

The final battle plays out the same for the most part, with Jin and Shimura saying their farewells via haikus before dueling by the Sakai family graveyard. Once players defeat Shimura, however, they are given the option to grant Shimura's wish of an honorable death, abiding by the Samurai code, and while this leads to a heartbreaking exchange between the two as Jin kills his uncle, it is deemed the "Honorable" ending. Alternatively, if players chose not to go through with this, they unlocked the "Dishonorable" ending in which Jin spares his uncle, fully cutting his ties with the ways of the Samurai and becoming The Ghost.

The Dishonorable path would be far more compelling for the sequel to pick up from. It truly showed Jin carving out his own path and offers far more storytelling opportunities going forward with him no longer tethered to his Samurai past. Throughout the game, The Ghost became a mythical legend among the residents of Tsushima for exacting vengeance upon the Mongolian invaders with brutal-yet-effective new tactics, but he was always seen as a protector of the island's residents first and foremost.

To kill one of the last of Tsushima's remaining Samurai may have been an honorable decision between Jin and his uncle and respected the latter's wishes, but it would not have made sense for the Ghost of Tsushima as a legend to have killed Shimura, as he didn't do anything wrong and was simply following the well established Samurai code of honor. If anything, the option to kill Shimura could result in Jin being feared by the very people he is trying to protect, painting him as a menace and showing that nobody is safe from The Ghost's blade.

Ghost Of Tsushima’s Honorable Ending Is Easier For A Sequel

Despire how compelling the Dishonorable ending would be narratively going forward, the canonical ending will likely be the Honorable one in which Jin's uncle, Lord Shimura dies an honorable death at the hands of Jin. Given how reluctant Jin was to kill his uncle, this decision will obviously take its toll on the protagonist throughout the sequel, and it would be interesting to see how Jin’s interactions with other authority figures and civilians are impacted as a result.

Considering the branching narratives, Shimura's death being canon would tie matters up quicker in a way the story could progress without too many retcons. If players had chosen to spare Lord Shimura, and Sucker Punch implemented an option to read and transfer past game files from Ghost of Tsushima to its sequel, this Dishonorable decision could be rewritten to say Shimura later succumbed to his injuries from the battle - of which he seemed to sustain many - and died regardless.

This would be a far easier option for the writers when creating a single narrative than bringing him back from the dead and could be explained with one line of dialogue, as Jin wouldn't have been present for Shimura's death in this scenario due to being on the run. The same themes of guilt and remorse would then be present as Jin would question his decision, and whether he should have honored his uncle’s wishes if the result was the same regardless.

Regardless of whether Jin spared or killed Shimura, either ending brought Ghost or Tsushima's story to a natural conclusion. Sucker Punch has yet to announce Ghost of Tsushima 2, but several job listings at PlayStation and Sucker Punch have all but confirmed it's in the works. While players will have factored in their own thoughts when deciding Lord Shimura's fate at the end of Ghost of Tsushima, and will have their own ideas of what should be canonical, it ultimately will come down to Sucker Punch's writers to determine what happened to Jin's uncle and surrogate father going forward.

Source: PlayStation/YouTube