10 Historical Figures in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Yasuke

We’re starting with the most obvious historical figure “Shadows” includes, the legendary samurai Yasuke. This isn’t the first time Yasuke has been a character in a video game, showing up in both “Nioh” and “Nioh 2” from Team Ninja, not to mention in various manga over the years. Little is known about Yasuke, just that he was enslaved by the Portuguese and brought with them on a mission to Japan where Oda Nobunaga became fascinated by him, making him a samurai. This is the first time a historical figure has ever been playable as a lead character in an “Assassin’s Creed” game, with the scarce details of Yasuke’s later life making him an ideal candidate for an adaptation.

Oda Nobunaga

Japan’s “Great Unifier” plays a vital role at the beginning of “Assassin’s Creed Shadows”, becoming an early target for Naoe, who believes he’s part of the secret order that conspired to destroy her home and murder her father. The first act ends with Nobunaga’s death during the Honnō-ji Incident of 1582, but we revisit him frequently through flashbacks about Yasuke’s first six months in Japan. Upon release, the portrayal of Nobunaga received praise from Japanese review outlets for its nuance. He was both a violent warlord and a visionary, with a dream of fully unifying Japan, something that would eventually be achieved after his death under the Tokugawa shogunate.

Akechi Mitsuhide

Speaking of Oda Nobunaga, he ultimately committed seppuku after being cornered in a rebellion by Akechi Mitsuhide. Mitsuhide was a samurai and betrayed Nobunaga, only to be killed himself two weeks later by some of Nobunaga’s most trusted allies in the Battle of Yamazaki. In-game, Mitsuhide tricks Naoe early on by telling her that Nobunaga is the leader of the order she wants revenge on – though in reality, Mitsuhide is one of its most high-ranking members. This is a fascinating piece of history because to this day, historians debate exactly why Mitsuhide turned on Nobunaga. However, if you don’t rush to immediately complete the story after Nobunaga’s death, many in-game years will pass before you can take down Mitsuhide, rather than the two weeks it actually took.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki

For 250 years, the Ashikaga shogunate ruled Japan, and in its final five years, the shōgun was Ashikaga Yoshiaki. You’ll encounter him briefly in-game during the second act while Yasuke and Naoe attend a sumo match. They observe, and a friendly but mysterious old man gives them advice, as well as his verdict on why the underdog will ultimately win the match. They don’t recognize him, but others do, and he ends up leaving; only then do our heroes put two and two together and realize that they were just speaking to the deposed shōgun, who, in real life, spent his later years after losing power living as a monk under an assumed name.

Sen no Rikyū

While hunting down one of her earliest targets, Naoe needs to infiltrate a tea ceremony. Being from a modest background in Iga, she’s not familiar with the complexities and rules of the tea ceremony, and needs to learn them and find appropriate clothing. She does this by visiting legendary tea master Sen no Rikyū, tea master to Oda Nobunaga at the time. He teaches her his famous “way of tea” and, if you’re playing on canon mode, she breezes through the ceremony with flying colors. If you’re not playing on canon mode, you’ll have to remember everything he teaches you for yourself. Later, you’ll encounter him in Kyoto, and he’ll ask you to collect various tea sets for him.

Ukita Naoie

As we all know based on the disclaimer at the beginning of every “AC” game that they’re a work of fiction, sometimes Ubisoft bends the truth to fit its story. Caterina Sforza, for instance, is portrayed as much older than she really was at the time back in “Assassin’s Creed II”. A similar thing happens in “Shadows” with Ukita Naoie, who, in real life, died months before Nobunaga in 1582. This means that he should definitely be dead already by the time you encounter him in Harima, but here he is. It’s a great arc, though, with Naoie living up to his reputation as one of “Japan’s Three Great Villains” by kidnapping his own son as part of a play to gain more power.

Lady Oichi

A few feathers have been ruffled by the option to romance Lady Oichi, Oda Nobunaga’s sister, while playing as Yasuke. But remember, “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” let you have a tryst with Aspasia, a hugely influential figure in ancient Athens – not to mention, yet again, the fictional character Ezio Auditore’s on-off love affair with Caterina Sforza. So, this is hardly new ground for “Assassin’s Creed”. In “Shadows”, Oichi is a charming character, and her story with Yasuke – should you choose to pursue it – unfolds naturally. There are some twists in this tale that we won’t spoil, but one of our favorite moments in “Shadows” is when Naoe eavesdrops on their budding courtship and jokes with Yasuke about his crush.

Fujibayashi Nagato

Unlike Yasuke, Naoe isn’t based on a real person – but her father IS. Very little is known about Nagato, but he was a key figure in the Iga ikki, the society of shinobi that live in Iga before the game begins. Nobunaga’s armies destroy the Iga ikki and Nagato dies while protecting Naoe from the order manipulating things from behind the scenes. We see a lot more of him in flashbacks, though, as he teaches Naoe how to fight but doesn’t tell her everything about what the ikki was before nearly all of its members are killed. A big part of her character arc in the game is putting together these pieces and learning about the Assassins.

Lady Nene

At the time the game takes place, she’s still known as Nene, but is better remembered in history by her later name, Kōdai-in. Nene talks to Yasuke and Naoe about Oda Nobunaga’s death as her husband, Hashiba Hideyoshi, returns home to avenge him – which, again, didn’t take very long in real life, but takes years in-game. Hideyoshi was away fighting another clan at the time so Nene is managing his affairs. But she also appears in flashbacks with Yasuke, including teaching him calligraphy and about other aspects of Japanese culture. She eventually became a nun and lived out the rest of her days in Kyoto.

Hattori Hanzō

In real-life and in-game, the legendary samurai Hattori Hanzō is another member of the Iga ikki, and works for Tokugawa Ieyasu – soon to be shōgun – helping Tokugawa to escape after Nobunaga’s death. Hanzō remains venerated in Japan for his skill as a warrior and as a tactician, an extremely important general in the late Sengoku era and the early Tokugawa era. You see him initially in Naoe’s flashbacks as he arrives to warn the Iga ikki about Nobunaga’s advance into the province. He asks the Igans to ally themselves with Tokugawa, believing that they’ll be destroyed if they don’t. Of course, this is exactly what comes to pass because the ikki don’t want to surrender.

Let us know in the comments which historical figures you hope we meet in “Shadows’” incoming DLCs.