Ghost of Tsushima’s Daisuke Tsuji auditioned for The Last of Us, twice

Ghost of Tsushima star Daisuke Tsuji reveals that he auditioned for The Last of Us twice, but missed out on both occasions.

Daisuke Tsuji plays Jin Sakai in Ghost of Tsushima from Sucker Punch Productions. Originally released in 2020 on PlayStation 4 before arriving on PC and PS5, Ghost of Tsushima is a game beloved by many as reflected by its user score of 9.2 on Metacritic.

Check out The Last of Us Part II trailer below!

Starring in a game so well received, not to mention that Daisuke Tsuji played the role of Jin Sakai so well, fans are desperate for Sucker Punch Productions and Sony to release a direct sequel.

As revealed towards the end of 2024, we will be getting a new game in the series but instead of Jin Sakai returning, Ghost of Yotei tells the story of a female warrior with events taking place roughly 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima.

For those disappointed, there may be some hope that we will get Ghost of Tsushima 2 because Sucker Punch Productions has teased that prospect. If that happens, Daisuke Tsuji told me in a recent interview at MCM Comic-Con in Birmingham, that he’d be open to returning with the likelihood of playing an older Jin Sakai.

During the same interview, Daisuke Tsuji also told me that he’s auditioned for Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II as well as the hit HBO series. Sadly, on both occasions, he missed out.

Unfortunately, for the role of Jesse in The Last of Us Part II, the actor made a judgement error that cost him dearly.

“Some roles you imagine yourself in and because of that, they’re the hardest to lose. One of those roles was when I auditioned for Jesse in The Last of Us Part II,” he told me.

“However, because I envisioned Ellie still being young from the first game, I portrayed Jesse as a younger character too, not realising he was a young man in the sequel. That one hurt. I also auditioned for the HBO TV show and never got that either. So yeah, it’s fair to say that The Last of Us keeps kicking my butt.”

I could tell that missing out on both roles hurt Daisuke Tsuji emotionally. We know at some point we’re getting The Last of Us Part III and if he decides to audition for the game, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that he lands a role.

The Last of Us Part I and Part II are out now on PlayStation. Part I is also out on PC with the sequel arriving on 3 April 2025.