The finale of Ghostwire: Tokyo is a bittersweet one as it provides players a sincere look into the reality of regret, loss, and acceptance. Up to this point, Akito and KK have been searching for the mysterious masked villain Hannya in order to stop him and save Akito's sister Mari. Despite how clear-cut the ending may seem, there are still some seemingly unanswered questions, like how did Hannya manage to connect with the spirit world and why are Akito and Mari so important?
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Ghostwire: Tokyo.]
Prior to entering the final act, Akito and KK make some important discoveries that shed some light on Hannya and his endgame. Despite its population being decimated, Tokyo is still full of side-missions that come from ghosts, Ghostwire: Tokyo's cats and dogs telepathically giving them, or by coming across a ringing payphone in the open-world. One of these payphones provide a three-part quest called "After The End." The missions center around one of KK's old friends, Erika, who happens to be Hannya's daughter.
This mission tells the story of Erika and her mother who had ed away prior to the events of Ghostwire: Tokyo. Their death is the reason that Hannya's is trying to blend the spirit world with the physical one. In his own grief and desperation, he resigns himself to killing off most of Tokyo in order to try and bring his loved ones back from the dead. With Mari in his possession and spectral giants coming to take them to the spirit world, Akito and KK race to confront him.
Confronting Ghostwire Tokyo's Hannya & His Masked Accomplices
One of the unique aspects of Ghostwire: Tokyo is how it teaches Japanese culture and the opening of the game's final act has Akito and KK racing to one of Tokyo's iconic landmarks, Tokyo Tower. Before they get there however, they are attacked by one of the masked figures but manage to lose them in the fog. Their peace of mind doesn't last long though as they are met by another masked accomplice at the tower's entrance.
Akito and KK had fought the figure that attacked them in the fog once before and, after knocking off its mask, discovered that it was KK's reanimated body. What's worse is that the other two accomplices are the bodies of Hannya's wife and daughter, as Hannya now sees their bodies as empty vessels and nothing more. Now armed with some of Ghostwire: Tokyo's best skills, Akito and KK defeat their opponents and briefly confront Hannya at the top of the tower.
Hannya puts up a barrier between them, takes Mari, and jumps into the hand of a spectral giant to be taken to the spirit world. At the same time, Akito and KK are attacked by the latter's body once again. KK was understandably hesitant to destroy his body the first time they fought, but having finally accepted his death, KK and Akito purge his old body and follow Hannya into the spirit world.
Akito Is Forced To Come To With His Guilt In Ghostwire: Tokyo's Ending
After entering the spirit world, Akito and KK find themselves in a surreal environment. As they walk through corridors and glowing doors, the events of Mari, Akito, and their parents lives are replayed. This segment mirrors the powerful narrative choices of What Remains of Edith Finch, in that Akito is made to walk through his memories and face the loss and grief he had been desperately running away from. Up until this point, KK had little knowledge of Akito's past and his complicated relationship with Mari.
It becomes clear that Akito never quite got used to having a younger sister and while he was never spiteful, he did harbor some jealousy of her and wasn't always kind. This was made worse when their parents died because Akito refused to face his grief, which was shown in an earlier cinematic of him running away from Mari in tears. The walk ends with KK learning that the reason Mari is in a coma is because she got stuck in her room when their house caught fire and Akito blames himself for it.
KK consoles Akito and reminds him that they can still save Mari from Ghostwire: Tokyo's skull-faced villain because they finally have him somewhere he won't leave. After the final vision and Akito's newfound resolve to move past it, they come up to a large wooden door that opens to the ritual grounds. Hannya has already begun and the ground behind him is splitting, which is creating an abyss that opens to the spirit world.
During the ritual, Hannya loses control of Mari's body as she suddenly rises and interrupts the ritual. Hannya attacks her but a light barrier makes it backfire and knock him backwards and into the abyss. Akito holds Mari and finally gets to apologize for everything he's done, but Mari assures Akito that he has done nothing wrong. She reveals that she got stuck in the fire because she turned around to get their parents wedding rings, but the roof collapsed when she grabbed them.
Even as Ghostwire: Tokyo's yokai antagonists flooded the streets, Mari fought to stay alive just to tell this to Akito and ease his guilt. Unfortunately, her love and will to live made her spirit quite powerful and thus attracted Hannya, who determined that her powerful spirit was exactly what he needed to carry out his plan. Having finally told Akito everything she wanted to, Mari hands him the rings and lets her spirit finally rest.
Ghostwire: Tokyo's Final Fight & Akito's Redemption
Hannya climbs out from the abyss with his wife and daughter on his back. They appear the same way they did in the physical world, like empty husks clinging onto a man. The perversion of their spirits turns Hannya into a monster that attacks Akito and KK. By this point, players have unlocked some of Ghostwire: Tokyo's best upgrades in the game and thus make quick work of the boss fight, allowing the spirits of Hannya and his family to be purged of their corrupted cores and move on together.
Likewise, the spirits of Akito's parents arrive to take Mari's spirit with them and though no words are said, he knows they are all at peace. Akito finally lets go of his guilt and KK accepts that even though he has made mistakes as a father, he successfully protected his family and that's all he ever wanted. Finally at peace, KK fades from Akito and leaves him to face the new world of Ghostwire: Tokyo on his own, as he is now someone who is finally ready to live.
