Erika Ishii is an LA-born American actor who has been blowing up over the past few years, finding work in a number of different sectors, but primarily in the world of gaming. Most recently, they were revealed to be the lead in Ghost of Yotei, the newly unveiled sequel to Sony's much-lauded Ghost of Tsushima, but their history is much more storied than that.
Ishii has appeared in a number of notable titles, voicing everything from small, unnamed roles to lead characters, proving them to be a versatile and unexpected player in the games industry. Naturally, Ishii has also had some live-action and animated roles, including Doctor Night in the 2024 Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths film, but their oeuvre is being continually defined by appearances in video games, making them an exciting VA to keep an eye on.
Dragon Age: Origins Deserves A Remake
I'm all for gameplay innovations to match a changing market, and while I like what I see from all the Dragon Age: The Veilguard previews, a part of me still wishes for that classic DA:O experience, where every wrong move can have you reloading from your last save.
Erika Ishii's Bigger Video Game Roles
As previously mentioned, Ishii will play the lead character of Atsu in Ghost of Yotei, but it's not the only high-profile, soon-to-be-released project they're involved in. Ishii is also slated to play Rook in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, putting them alongside other BioWare leads like Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale, who have now achieved legend status in the voice acting scene. But perhaps Ishii's most prominent role thus far is as Apex Legend's Valkyrie, a Recon Legend introduced in Season 9 who, true to her name, glides across the battlefield, raining down hellfire upon her foes.
Ishii has also played prominent roles in some smaller projects, including the recent indie game Pacific Drive, which has achieved cult status in the months following its release. Though not as popular as Apex Legends, Naraka Bladepoint has also helped Ishii build their portfolio in recent years, as they play the role of the Blind Blademaster Viper Ning. Their live-service credits extend to the world of Call of Duty as well, where they voice Kaori "Kitsune" Tanaka, and their AAA experience includes the role of Dr. Wenjie Evans from the critically acclaimed Deathloop.
Smaller, but Notable, Erika Ishii Video Game Roles
While Ishii is something of a rising star in the industry, they have built their repertoire over the course of several years, continuing to play minor supporting roles in a variety of releases. These supporting roles include Anastasia Bray, the daughter of Clovis Bray in Destiny 2, Maddy Cho in Marvel's Avengers, Chelsea Wesley in Fallout 76, and Ronin in Rogue Company. They also appear as Nocturna in the beloved Crypt of the Necrodancer, Hermes in Stray Gods, and Sakaguchi in We Are OFK, giving them a foothold in the indie scene.
Other Erika Ishii Roles
Ishii is an extremely prolific games voice actor, making it hard to dive deep into all of their roles, especially when many of them are minor. That said, it's worth taking a closer look at their resume, as it includes a number of unexpected appearances, including:
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) - Amy Fang
- Crash Team Rumble - Catbat
- Fire Emblem Heroes - Loki
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - Additional Voices
- Guild Wars 2 - Joon
- Halo Infinite - Lumu
- Horizon Forbidden West - Additional Voices
- Saints Row (2022) - Joannie Utah
- Shenmu 3 - Additional Voices
- Starfield - Kumiho and Rikkard
- The Last of Us Part 2 - Additional Voices
- World of Warcraft - Domina Venomblade
Looking at Ishii's vast array of past and current roles, a fair bit of them recent and tertiary, it's remarkable to see them starring in two of 2025's biggest releases. With Rook helming the return of Dragon Age and Atsu bringing players the much-anticipated Ghost of Tsushima sequel, all eyes will be on Ishii next year, possibly catapulting them into even more major roles in the future.
Ghost of Yotei
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- October 2, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
