Atsushi “Flirts”?! 3-Year Reunion with Ex—“Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition” DLC “Sekigahara: A Tale of Longing” [Play Report]

Included in *Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition*, released on October 1, 2026,“Echoes of Sekigahara / The Tale of Longing at Sekigahara” is a love story that depicts Atsushi’s past—linked to the Battle of Sekigahara—and the present within the game’s narrative; it also serves to complement Atsushi’s emotional state in the main story.

In this article, I’ll provide a playthrough report focusing on the flow of the main story for “Echoes of Sekigahara / A Tale of Longing at Sekigahara,” which features many highlights, including new characters, new areas, and new weapon types.I’ll convey the appeal of this DLC, which offers a compact yet immersive experience. While I do not touch on the core of the story, please exercise caution if you’re concerned about spoilers.

Additionally, for the purpose of writing this article, I received a PS5 version code from SIE.

The main story of *Ghost of Yōtei* centers on Atsushi’s quest for revenge after his family was killed by the “Yōtei Six,” led by Saito.In “Echoes of Sekigahara / A Tale of Longing at Sekigahara,” a new story unfolds that complements the main game, alternating between Atsushi’s unknown past and present.

I found myself wondering, “Atsushi, who’s so consumed by revenge—in a romance?” but every character has their own unexpected history. Once you’ve progressed through the main story to a certain point, a new bounty target will be posted, and you’ll be able to begin the additional story. The bounty target’s name is “The Handsome Man of Nagato.”

Atsushi looks at the wanted poster and recalls Nagato’s appearance. It seems Nagato is someone he had a connection with in the past. According to Kojiro, who provides information on the bounty hunters, Nagato has been targeted by the “Poison Viper Gang,” a remnant of the “Snake” faction within the Yotei Six.

On the way to track down Nagato, who is said to be at Ashorodai, Atsushi’s thoughts drift back to three years ago, before the Battle of Sekigahara.

It seems Atsushi and Nagato were in a romantic relationship. Nagato, teaching Atsushi how to use a bow, stands unnervingly close, whispering in a sweet voice, while Atsushi fidgets, saying, “I can do it by myself…”No, it’s fine—Atsushi must have had a phase like that, too. However, being suddenly shown a side of him that’s unimaginable based on the Atsushi we players know, even I found myself feeling a bit flustered in front of the screen. So even Atsushi had a time when, in front of someone he liked, he’d make that kind of face and speak in that kind of voice…

It seems the two are about to participate in the Battle of Sekigahara as part of the Western Army, and Nagato declares, “I don’t want to end up as nothing more than splinters,” vowing to distinguish himself in battle. He’s a man brimming with charm and ambition. There’s definitely an atmosphere that suggests getting too close to him might get you hurt…

Returning from the flashback to the present, Atsushi seems bewildered by the premonition of their reunion, asking, “Why now?” This makes it clear that something must have happened between the two of them—who were surely getting cozy during the Battle of Sekigahara. Why was Atsushi drawn to Nagato? What happened to the once-harmonious couple?As I play, all sorts of speculations swirl through my mind.

On the way to Ashorodai, guided by a wolf connected to Atsushi, I spot a fox lying on the ground, covered in blood. It appears the Dokumatsu-to—remnants of the Yotei Six’s “Snake”—tormented the fox for their own pleasure before killing it for meat.“I see. Well then, there’s no reason for us to hesitate to kill them either.”

As I was cutting down enemies as usual, an event triggered where I was tripped by a surprise lasso attack. Caught off guard, I tumbled under the bridge, and the wolf was carried off by the Poison Viper Gang.Having wandered into a forest filled with animal carcasses, a murky river, and a gloomy atmosphere, Atsushi uses “Prick Up Your Ears”—a technique he mastered during his training with Oyuki—to sense the enemy’s movements. As he sharpens his senses, he hears the Wolf’s voice in the distance as it’s being carted away in a wagon. I’ll definitely save you.

As he ventures deeper into the forest, he hears a voice that sounds familiar. There’s no way she could forget it.It was the voice of the man she once loved. Facing an unexpected reunion with Nagato, now a bounty hunter, Atsu—still harboring resentment from the past—snaps, “Should I just cut you down?” But Nagato casually dodges the attack, replying, “If you really meant to kill me, you would’ve done it three years ago.”Nagato is after the military funds that “Snake” has amassed for Saito’s sake, and if things go well, he’ll be able to deal him a painful blow. Since their interests align for the time being, they decide to join forces to rescue Atsushi’s partner, the wolf.

To rescue Wolf from the Poison Viper Gang’s base, they launch a lightning-fast assault. To be honest, I’m more the type who’d rather have a head-on brawl than go stealthy… While dealing with enemies slashing at us from all directions, I realized something: these guys are surprisingly tough! Even with fully upgraded weapons, it takes a fair amount of time to take them down.I get that this is additional DLC meant for players who’ve already cleared the game, but I almost found myself reevaluating the situation, thinking, “Wasn’t ‘Snake,’ who was the boss of this group, actually a pretty formidable guy?” Close call, close call.

After wiping out the enemies and moving further in, a massive, armored man wielding a huge weapon finally makes his grand entrance. To my surprise, no matter which weapon I chose, my attacks just kept getting parried.Following advice from Nagato, who was fighting alongside me, I picked up a nearby “long weapon” and swung it around, shattering the enemy’s body—armor and all—to secure the victory. Long weapons like clubs and warhammers are a new weapon type in this game; they function as a sort of “helper item” since they break after hitting an enemy multiple times.

They offer an even stronger “swinging” sensation than the greatsword and are highly powerful, making them incredibly satisfying to use. While they don’t have as many moves as weapons like swords or kusarigama, and the scope for growth through skills isn’t particularly broad, it feels less like “more items on the menu” and more like “more seasonings.” They bring a fresh sense of satisfaction to combat and have a charm that makes you want to keep swinging them.

After successfully rescuing the wolf in a joint battle with Nagato, we arrived at the new area, “Ashorodai.” From here on, players are free to explore.

For the sake of future players, I’ll omit details about the story from this point onward, but in a word: “it was excellent.” It was skillfully structured so that there are no inconsistencies whether you start partway through the main story or play it after completing the game, and the content didn’t contradict Atsushi’s evolving emotions on his journey of revenge.

It also touches on the impact his quest for revenge has had on innocent people, and I feel Atsushi has grown another step as a person. The combination of the Battle of Sekigahara and romantic elements was refreshing, and I found myself so engrossed in following the story—keeping side content to a minimum—that I was eager to see where the relationship between the two would lead in this blood-soaked world.

If I had to point out one thing that bothered me about the additional story, it’s that there weren’t any enemies with the same impact and flair as the Yotei Six. Since the opponents were merely outlaws vying to succeed “The Snake,” I didn’t feel the same intense excitement as in the main story.As for Nagato’s character, while he exudes a masculine charm, I feel his relationship with Atsushi could have been explored a bit more deeply. The process by which the two meet and grow closer is only briefly touched upon in a monologue at the secluded hot spring.Precisely because we know Atsushi as a “revenant” consumed by vengeance, I’d have liked—if I may be a bit picky—to experience their initial interactions and the atmosphere between them through cutscenes and gameplay.

That said, my overall satisfaction with the gameplay is very high. From gaining hints about the next destination through mini-events along the way to chasing down bounty hunters with unique personalities, it was a joy to once again experience a gameplay style that prioritizes “density over breadth.”The bounty hunters were particularly entertaining this time around as well—not only did “the man who carved (or made) the masks of the Yotei Six” make an appearance, but the “man who steals other people’s horses” had such a clever finale that I found myself grinning and thinking, “So that’s how it went.”

Another fond memory was when Atsushi reached Ashori-dai via what seemed like a secret passage, only to find the usual crew—including Ran, the archer, and Ginji, the armor-smith—hanging out at the inn, their headquarters, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, which made me laugh.

*Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition* will be released for PS5 on October 1, 2026. If you own the standard edition, you can purchase the “Complete Edition Upgrade.”