Assassin’s Creed Shadows is less than a month away and the controversy surrounding the game doesn’t seem to be slowing down in the slightest. But why is that exactly? Is the use of a black protagonist (Historically accurate or not) in an AC game set in Japan really so bad? Or is there something more?

From misrepresentation, cultural appropriation, historical inaccuracies, and slander, Assassin’s Creed Shadows came under fire for a multitude of accusations. When the game was announced months ago, fans instantly zeroed-in on the fact that a black samurai was one of the protagonists. Fans initially clamored that Ubisoft’s new game is making Assassin’s Creed “go woke” and were misrepresenting feudal Japan.

History Check

Yasuke, for all intents and purposes moving forward, was in fact a real person in the Sengoku period of Japan. The controversy revolves around the accuracy of his depiction in Assassin’s Creed Shadows as a Samurai. Now, why is this a problem? The main contention that fans have is that this is historically inaccurate for several reasons.

For one, fans cite that there’s only anecdotal evidence suggesting that he did fight on the battlefield but as a squire or weapon holder for Oda Nobunaga. They point out that historically speaking, samurai were noble individuals who came from rich and powerful households, much like the knights of England. They state that Yasuke was more of a retainer and a peasant and so could not be a samurai.

While this is mostly correct, historians have pointed out that this concept of the samurai comes from texts of the Edo period; a relatively peaceful time where being a samurai was more of a social symbol. Yasuke experiences happened during the Sengoku jidai, the warring states period. Given that, one could argue that samurais at the time were more warrior than symbol and thus if you fought for your lord on the battlefield, you were considered a samurai.

Another example that some historians online bring up is the example of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a peasant under Oda Nobunaga who eventually became a general after being Nobunaga’s retainer in the army. He then went on to become Nobunaga’s successor and became a daimyō. This contends that being a samurai isn’t linked to class and thus Yasuke could have been a samurai under Nobunaga as well.

Historically Inaccurate?

While there is evidence that Yasuke existed, we don’t know much about him other than some anecdotal accounts and a recently published book by one Thomas Lockley in 2019. Before that, Yasuke was a relatively obscure figure in history.

It was thanks to the book published by Lockley that Yasue suddenly got a lot of attention in popular media. With that said, why are people suddenly so mad about him being another protagonist in another franchise? One could argue that it’s a poor choice on Ubisoft’s part to cast a non-Japanese individual as the protagonist of their Japanese-set game. Many fans online are saying it’s weird to play as a non-Japanese samurai killing Japanese people in their Japanese game.

The inaccuracies don’t end there, unfortunately. On top of the Yasuke controversy, the caretakers of the Itate Hyozu Jinja Shrine have requested that Ubisoft remove it from Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In a gameplay video, it’s shown that players can enter the sacred shrine and even destroy the interior and altar. The shrine’s leaders are not happy and have forwarded a formal request to remove the location in its entirety from the game.

Mark Kern, former lead designer of World of Warcraft, had this to say:

Closing Thoughts

Honestly, Ubisoft could have avoided all this drama if they had chosen to create their own original character to be the male protagonist rather than using an actual historical figure. While the Assassin’s Cree franchise has never actually been 100% historically accurate, it prides itself on presenting history properly.

The recent debacle has fans accusing Ubisoft of historical revisionism and even the Japanese government going after Ubisoft for the portrayal of their culture and history.

Regardless of whether the game is historically accurate or not though, It’s still going to sell. At the end of the day, it’s still an Assassin’s Creed game and people are still going to play it. Let’s just hope that this makes Ubisoft put more thought into the next installment.

Want more game news and hot takes? Check out these articles

Read More

Hideo Kojima’s Instagram Post Sparks P.T. Revival Speculation

Tides of Annihilation: Just Another Fanservice or Actual Gold?