Assassin's Creed Shadows: Historical and gaming aspect

Assassin's Creed Shadows is an upcoming instalment in Ubisoft’s Assassin's Creed video game series, and this time, players will see a feudal Japan from the Late Sengoku Period. The game will feature dual protagonists, Naoe, a Shinobi and Yasuke, a black Samurai. While Naoe is designed specifically for the game, Yasuke is a historic character.

Ubisoft has recently revealed that while the game features a dual protagonist system, players can opt to play with any character they want, be it the tanky Yasuke going head-on against opponents or nimble Naoe striking from shadows.

Also Read: Assassin's Creed Shadows is set to release in November and will feature offline play.

Origins of Yasuke

While Naoe is pretty much a regular Shinobi in a game set in Japan, Yasuke, however, has made headlines everywhere due to being a black Samurai. This is not the first time he has appeared on the internet. A Netflix series dedicated to Yasuke was also released back in 2021.

What interests people is his origins, Yasuke’s origins and how long he was in Japan are up for debate. Some believe he was enslaved to Japan, while others say he visited the country with an Italian Jesuit missionary named Alessandro Valignano.

Yasuke later met with Oda Nobunaga, who was believed to be fascinated by Yasuke. Impressed by his features, Nobunaga offered him a place, and Yasuke entered his service. Yasuke is described as well-behaved and possessing immense strength. He was a skilled warrior, which checks out the theory that Valignano hired him as his bodyguard.

Here’s where things get complicated, many believe that Yasuke was not a Samurai but instead was a confidant. Although, he was trained in martial arts and had a weapon. The word Samurai, however, applies to all who fight for the lords in Japan, so in a sense he was an actual Samurai, with multiple experts confirming.

The Assassin's Creed controversy

All of this has now led to a divide in the gaming community. While many are happy to be Yasuke, others are citing this as historical inaccuracy. In the process, what people are forgetting is that Assassin's Creed is a video game, and it is using the character to build upon it. People are so distracted with hating the character, they are forgetting the true evil, the atrocious pricing Ubisoft is putting on their video games.