Ava Maria Safai Takes the World by Storm as Seori in Ninja Gaiden 4

Ninja Gaiden 4 just dropped and is carving up the charts, but it’s Seori—brought to life by newcomer Ava Maria Safai—who’s stealing the show.

Ninja Gaiden 4 just landed and is already spiking on the trending charts. The combat is flashy and mean in all the right ways, but the unexpected breakout is Seori, the mysterious priestess who keeps stealing scenes. The voice behind her? Ava Maria Safai. It is her first video game role, and fans are already treating her like a voice-acting ringer.

Who is Ava Maria Safai?

Safai comes from a seriously multi-hyphenate background. She is a singer, songwriter, and voice actor with a thing for performance psychology. She graduated from the BFA Acting program at the University of British Columbia and is currently pursuing an Associate certification from The Royal Conservatory in both piano and voice. Translation: she is not winging it — she is trained and then some.

So, about Seori in Ninja Gaiden 4

In the game, Safai plays Seori, a veiled, otherworldly priestess who was once sealed away by the Dark Dragon. When she re-enters the picture, she offers an alliance to Yakumo — the franchise's new lead — which is a fun wrinkle in a series not exactly known for gentle handshakes. It is a stylish role with a lot of mystique, and Safai gives it an edge that sticks.

Beyond the game: film roles, writing, and awards

Off the controller, Safai headlines indie films like 'Refractions', 'My Best Friend', and 'Talk It Out'. She also writes — credits include 'ZIP', 'Foreigner', and 'Inhuman/e' — and she picked up two awards for 'ZIP'. Not bad for someone who just made a splash in games.

The rest of the resume is... stacked

Here is the rapid-fire version, because it is a lot:

• Artistic Director of The Harlequin Theatre Society, focused on creating live theater in unconventional ways
• Languages: fluent in English, French, and Farsi; can work with Italian, German, Spanish, and Latin texts
• Music: more than four albums; comfortable across genres; plays piano, drums, guitar, and violin
• Movement and stunts: trained dancer, familiar with on-camera stunts
• Sports and extras: novice swimmer, 'staker' (the original bio says this — pretty sure that means skater), and runner; basic horseback riding and badminton, among other skills

Why people are talking

This is a classic case of the right performer meeting the right role. Safai brings a lived-in musicality to Seori that makes the character feel bigger than the cutscenes she is in, and that is why the chatter spiked so fast. If this is the first time you are hearing her in a game, it probably will not be the last. Fans are already filing her under 'breakout' — some are even tossing around hall-of-fame-level praise — after just one outing.