Tasha Severskaya is Joker 3, the third pilot in your four-jet Joker Flight in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. Per Bandai Namco, she was the star pilot of Zvezda, Yuktobania’s aerobatic team, and was aboard the carrier Endurance shooting publicity footage when the war broke out, so she stayed and now flies for the Federation of Central Usea (FCU) Navy. She is one of your AI wingmen, not the player character: you play as a silent pilot called Rex, who leads the flight under the “Wings of Theve” name.
Below is her official profile, where she fits in the squad, what Zvezda and Yuktobania mean for series fans, and a spoiler-flagged look at who you play as. Everything here comes from Bandai Namco’s official character roster, news posts and store listings, and applies to the launch release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC alike. We keep the guide free of story details past what Bandai Namco itself has published.
Tasha’s Official Profile
Bandai Namco’s official character roster and its European site give these details:
- Name: Tasha Severskaya. The US roster page spells it “Severskya,” but Bandai Namco’s own news posts and European site use Severskaya.
- Rank: Ensign
- Position: Joker Flight No. 3, so Joker 3 over the radio
- Callsign: “Tasha,” per Bandai Namco Europe. The US roster lists no separate callsign for her, unlike her squadmates.
- Unit: FCU Navy, Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6), Fleet Air Service 830 (FAS-830)
- Background: a star aerobatic pilot with Yuktobania’s Zvezda team who was on the Endurance for a promotional shoot when war broke out. Bandai Namco Europe says she then decided to volunteer.
Bandai Namco’s official game overview, written as a pre-mission briefing, sums her up bluntly: “Don’t underestimate this civvie. She was the star of an aerobatic troupe before the war and remains a fiend behind the flightstick.” Xbox Wire’s preview calls her “the spunky civilian-turned-pilot Tasha.”
Voice cast: Bandai Namco’s character reveal named Emi Lo as Tasha’s English voice and Chika Anzai as her Japanese voice, as reported by Automaton West. The Steam listing confirms full English and Japanese audio.
Where She Fits in Joker Flight
Joker Flight is a four-jet squadron of irregulars flying off the aging carrier Endurance:
| Position | Pilot | Callsign |
|---|---|---|
| Joker 1 | You | Rex, the Wings of Theve |
| Joker 2 | Ellington Baxter | Professor |
| Joker 3 | Tasha Severskaya | Tasha |
| Joker 4 | William Coster | Noise |
Her closest ties are to the other two wingmen. Baxter is a former university lecturer; Tasha calls him “Teach,” the two often study together in the mess, and Bandai Namco Europe describes her as his protégé. Coster, a rock fan, is officially “a skilled wingman capable of keeping up with Tasha’s extreme maneuvers,” and his job is to cover her.
In the cockpit she is an AI wingman you command, not fly. Before each sortie, the Standby screen has a Select Wingmen Aircraft option, and official screenshots show Tasha assigned to different jets, including an F-2A and an F/A-18E. Our planes list and best plane guide help you pick. In flight, Xbox Wire lists the d-pad orders: Up to attack your target, Left for a dispersed attack, Down to cover you, and Right for special weapons clearance, which frees the flight to fire its special weapons. DualShockers’ review notes the orders apply to the whole flight rather than to Tasha alone. Our controls guide covers the rest of the layout.
What Zvezda and Yuktobania Mean
Yuktobania is one of the big nations of Strangereal, the fictional world shared by the numbered Ace Combat games. Series fans know it from Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, where the Union of Yuktobanian Republics is at war with Osea. Tasha is a foreigner flying for the FCU, and PC Gamer’s review describes her as a foreign stunt pilot turned reluctant soldier.
Zvezda is Russian for “star,” which fits her billing as the team’s star pilot. Her old team also shows up in the Deluxe Edition: its Customizable Cosmetic Set includes an F/A-18C Team Zvezda skin and a Tasha Costume Set that dresses your online avatar in an outfit inspired by her. The costume works only in Ace Combat Online, as our editions guide and multiplayer guide explain.
Who You Play As
Light spoiler warning: this section covers the campaign’s opening setup. Bandai Namco spells it out in its own Ace Combat 8 overview, but skip ahead if you want to go in blind.
You play as Rex, an unknown pilot pulled from the sea by the Endurance along with another survivor, David Jenkins, a former Air Force maintenance officer who serves as the carrier’s chief mechanic. Joker Flight’s leader at the time is Jan Cope, the original Wings of Theve, a legendary ace the FCU uses as a symbol of hope for its lost capital, Theve. Bandai Namco’s own roster admits the legend “was not real”: Cope was picked for a manufactured ace project because of his flying skill.
Per Bandai Namco, you fly as Cope’s navigator until a surprise attack during a routine patrol brings your aircraft down and Cope does not make it out. Losing him would crush morale, so you are tapped to take over his flight identity: Joker 1, callsign Rex, the new Wings of Theve. Reviewers add that your pilot never speaks, which is why Tasha, Baxter and Coster carry so much of the story.
Where Tasha’s own story goes from there is something Bandai Namco has not revealed, and we will not spoil it. Our how long to beat guide covers how much campaign you have ahead of you, the early access story has unlock times, and the Ace Combat 8 hub collects every guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tasha playable in Ace Combat 8? Not in the campaign, where she is an AI wingman you command. In Ace Combat Online, the Deluxe Edition’s Tasha Costume Set lets your own avatar wear an outfit inspired by her.
What is Tasha’s callsign in Ace Combat 8? Bandai Namco Europe lists her callsign simply as “Tasha.” Her position in the squadron is Joker 3.
Who voices Tasha in Ace Combat 8? Emi Lo in English and Chika Anzai in Japanese, per Bandai Namco’s character reveal.
Where is Tasha Severskaya from? Yuktobania, the Strangereal nation from Ace Combat 5. She flew for its Zvezda aerobatic team before the war.
Who do you play as in Ace Combat 8? A silent pilot called Rex, who takes over Jan Cope’s identity as Joker 1 and the Wings of Theve, per Bandai Namco’s official overview.