Ubisoft is all set to announce the next installment in the Assassins Creed franchise, Assassins’ Creed Shadows, later today. Everyone in the gaming landscape is hyped about the upcoming title and is excited to know where Ubisoft is taking the franchise.
However, various details regarding the upcoming Assassin’s Creed game have already been leaked in a typical Ubisoft faction. These include crucial details on the game’s post-launch roadmap and story details, and they give us a look at Yasuke, who will star in Shadows as Japan’s first black samurai.
Leaks Give First Look At Assassin’s Creed Shadows Main Protgaonists
While Unisoftt is supposed to release the cinematic trailer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows on 15 May 2024, several images of the Shadows’ key art have already leaked online. The images were first posted by user fraxR7. However, the original images have since been deleted, and EndyMionYT uploaded them to their X/Twitter account.
According to the leaks, the black male samurai character is Yasuke, based on Japan’s first black samurai who served under Japanese Daimyo Oda Nobunaga in the 1500s. The other protagonist is a female character named Naoe, who is potentially a gender-swapped version of Naoe Kanetsugu.
Set in the 1500s, Shadows will most likely focus on the Portuguese rivalry in Japan, which is a suitable backdrop for the franchise’s villains, the Templars. Given the time period, we’ll likely see other non-Japanese characters like Willian Adams.
However, many community members are already disappointed that the game will not completely focus on the Japanese protagonist. While Yasuke’s real-life story is fascinating, some gamers wanted Ubisoft to feature an exclusively Japanese protagonist. Some fans in the community have also called the choice of featuring a black character “woke.” However, it’s known that Yasuke has a major place in Japanese history.
Who is Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
While Yasuke’s story is mostly seen in fictional work, he was actually a real-life person that existed, which makes the first protagonist in the franchise fit that description. Historically speaking, Yasuke served as a retainer for a Japanese Daimyo during the Sengoku period.
However, Yasuke’s story has undergone a major rewrite in Assassin’s Creed Shows. In the game, he plays the role of a slave traveling across the ocean via a slave ship. He faces an unknown force that attacks. In the battle, everyone, including his lover, gets slaughtered. However, Yasuke survives and is brought to Japan, where he learns the way of the samurai life under Nobunga’s service.
