A photo from “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” showing the game’s playable character, Yasuke, based on a real historical figure popularly known as the first black samurai. Photo: Ubisoft.Ubisoft’s upcoming video game Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been slagged in Japan over alleged historical inaccuracies and its depiction of a Shinto shrine’s destruction. The controversy comes just weeks before the game’s scheduled release on March 20, alongside a few hiccups that have already seen the biggest parts of its gameplay leaked.
The game, the latest installment in the long-running Assassin’s Creed franchise, is set during Japan’s Sengoku period, an era of civil war and social upheaval spanning the 15th and 16th centuries.
I'm so excited for assasins creed shadows pic.twitter.com/3x8h7pUPmk
— Odder Commentary (@OdderCommentary) March 2, 2025
Excitement for the game was initially high, but some backlash over its representation of history has birthed several controversial takes in Japan, centered on its portrayal of Yasuke, a real-life historical figure whom AC Shadows recognized as the first Black samurai.
Was Yasuke a true Samurai? Japan says no
Assassin’s Creed Shadows made a decision to feature Yasuke as a co-main protagonist, with a young girl named Shinobi named Fujibayashi Naoe, a 17-year-old seeking to avenge the death of her father.
Will you take on Yasuke’s brute force or Naoe’s stealthy strategy?
See the samurai and shinobi in action with over 12 minutes of Assassin’s Creed Shadows gameplay: https://t.co/rZkpFXFlzw pic.twitter.com/9XMdxihuDg
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 10, 2024
According to Britannica’s archives, Yasuke lived in Japan during the late 16th century, but not much is known about how he led his life in the Asian country. He is believed to have arrived in Japan from Mozambique around 1580, traveling with Portuguese missionaries, and later became a servant and bodyguard to the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano.
The “warrior” eventually entered the service of Oda Nobunaga, a powerful warlord regarded as the first “great unifier” of Japan.
Although some historians argue that Yasuke was Japan’s first foreign-born samurai, the bigger part of Japan do not consider him a samurai by the “standards” of the time. Most records of Yasuke’s life that are currently accessible come from Portuguese Jesuit reports and Japanese chroniclers such as Ōta Gyūichi and Matsudaira Ietada.
The documents confirm that Yasuke was present in Nobunaga’s inner circle and even fought in at least one battle. But they all stopped short of providing definitive proof that he actually held an official samurai rank.
Some pictorial evidence, including depictions on lacquerware accessories such as chests and writing boxes, is believed to represent Yasuke. Still, according to a report from the South China Morning Post, experts have not been able to authenticate these images as definitive portraiture.
A 2021 letter from Mozambique, discovered by University of Tokyo professor Oka Mihoko, is thought to reference Yasuke, but since the document does not name him directly, historians believe it is not enough to support his alleged samurai status.
“It’s clear that some cultural toes have been trodden on with the game,” said Mathew Thompson, an associate professor of premodern Japanese literature at Sophia University in Tokyo. “I am not saying that the reaction has been completely reasonable, but there are many groups in Japan that have views of certain historic topics, and this pushes their buttons. A game that takes liberties with Japan’s past was bound to provoke their anger.”
AC Shadows gets bashed for destroying culture and too much gore
Outside the case of Yasuke, the game has angered Japanese nationalists for its depiction of a Shinto shrine’s destruction. Critics argue that this is disrespectful and offensive to Japan’s indigenous religion and cultural heritage.
Social media users are accusing Ubisoft of disregarding Japanese traditions, while others have called out the game developer for making the game too “gory.”
When you assassinate key figures in #AssassinsCreed Shadows, the black and white graphic with the blood splatter will show! 😍🩸⚔️ pic.twitter.com/ZePNWWEaDX
— AC: Landmarks (@ac_landmarks) June 10, 2024
One message on the Sankei newspaper’s website beckoned, “If you borrow Japanese culture and history for business purposes, you need to respect it. If that’s not possible, you can just set the story in a fantasy country that resembles Japan.”
Another commenter pointed out that if a game set in a Christian world featured the destruction of a real-life church, it would likely lead to the same public outrage. “I think that any country would find it insulting to see their own temples being destroyed,” the user wrote.
Still, Thompson, the Sophia University professor, insists that historical action games, especially in the Assassin Creed franchise, incorporate violence as an element of gameplay. “Most history-based games are going to incorporate elements of violence, in large part because that is a key part of gameplay for consumers,” he said.
Ubisoft’s sales in Japan could plummet
The Assassin’s Creed series launched in 2007 and has been one of the most successful video game franchise in history, selling over 200 million copies across 13 sequels and spin-offs. Yet, the negative public sentiment and pushback gamers have made towards AC Shadows could affect Ubisoft’s sales and commercial success of the franchise in Japan.
The Japanese gaming audience is not happy with Assasins creed shadows https://t.co/UEzpkLB0mt pic.twitter.com/eeqfmFQzbi
— Emerald Apple (@AI_EmeraldApple) January 16, 2025
“I understand that the developer did try to make some changes when some of these issues were brought up, but it becomes more difficult later in the process,” Thompson said. “I imagine the controversy will affect sales in Japan because these negative opinions are out there and are affecting public opinion.”
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