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Afro Samurai Creator Draws Ghost of Tsushima Posters

Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki drew four manga-style posters for Sucker Punch Productions' upcoming PS4 game Ghost of Tsushima. The art depicts the protagonist Jin Sakai traveling the island of Tsushima and battling against the Mongols.

The PlayStation blog commented on the choice to hire Okazaki:

On our journey to create the style of this game, occasionally we get to work with some of the artists that have inspired us from the beginning. Artists that connect with our audience and bring forth a flavor of the samurai fantasy that we so sincerely want to deliver to people. When we decided to craft a small portion of our world in a manga style, we couldn't have asked for a better partner than Takashi Okazaki.

We love what he did with Afro Samurai and think his style lends itself perfectly to Ghost of Tsushima, which is why we're proud to announce that he's created four original pieces of art based on our game. Each piece showcases a different part of Jin's story: the wind that guides him, the flames that destroy his home around him, the mask he wears as he becomes the Ghost, and his wrath as he fights back against the Mongols.

Takashi Okazaki also left a personal comment:

I love to create things I myself want to see or be passionate about. Ultimately, I love it when I see or hear people get passionate through my work. Even before I was offered the opportunity to collaborate, Ghost of Tsushima was something that captured my heart. I love “Gekiga” style mangas, and Ghost of Tsushima had a similar vibe to it. I took some inspiration from this, and took on the challenge of incorporating it into my work which I hope you'll enjoy!

Funimation is holding a giveaway of physical posters signed by the artist for U.S. and Canada residents. To enter, follow the instructions in the tweet below:

Aside from drawing the original Afro Samurai manga and working on the television series and Afro Samurai: Resurrection film, Takashi Okazaki also worked as a character designer on Batman Ninja, Summer Wars, and Garo -Vanishing Line-. Junpei Mizusaki directed Batman Ninja, and has also worked as an opening animation producer for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders Battle in Egypt Arc. He also served as the executive producer on the Pop Team Epic television anime series.

Ghost of Tsushima is an action-adventure stealth game which tells the story of Jin Sakai, a samurai on Tsushima Island during the first Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274. The game is scheduled to release in the U.S. on July 17.

Sources: Siliconera (Jenni Lada), PlayStation Blog (Jason Connell)