All Kanabo Skills for Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and how to unlock them

The Kanabo Skills for Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows make him an unstoppable juggernaut, with the protagonist using a giant spiked war club to bludgeon enemies with crushing force. When compared with Naoe's sneaky assassin moves, Yasuke is all about brute force, heavy hits, and momentum. Ubisoft created the Kanabo skill tree to highlight his tank-like playstyle, turning him into a nightmare for anyone who dares get in his path.

This article will go through each Kanabo ability, how they work, and how to unlock them in AC Shadows.

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All available Kanabo Skills for Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Kanabo Skills tree in AC Shadows (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Ubisoft)

Knowledge Rank 1

This is the foundation of Yasuke’s Kanabo mastery. These abilities enhance combo chaining, crowd control, and attack speed.

Ability Name	Function	Nodes	Type
Devastation	Switch attack type at the end of a combo to trigger an additional Combo Ender.	1	Kanabo Passive
Spine Breaker	Grab an enemy with the Kanabo, dealing 100% ability damage and knocking out regular foes. Large enemies take reduced damage.	1	Kanabo Active
Forward Momentum	After hitting an enemy, press R1/RB or R2/RT to chain attacks faster.	1	Kanabo Passive

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Knowledge Rank 2

This rank introduces branching skills, meaning certain abilities can only be unlocked after unlocking previous ones.

Ability Name	Function	Nodes	Type
Combo Ender Damage	Increases Combo Ender damage by 12% per node.	3	Global Passive
Turmoil	Devastation combo enders generate 50% of an Adrenaline Chunk on hit. Also increases Devastation damage by 40%.	2	Kanabo Passive
Power Surge	Each successful Forward Momentum before a Combo Ender increases its damage by 15%.	1	Kanabo Passive

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Knowledge Rank 3

This rank improves ability damage while introducing a new staggering crowd control move.

Ability Name	Function	Nodes	Type
Ability Master	Increases damage with all abilities by 9% per node.	3	Global Passive
Irresistible Force	Increases Spine Breaker’s knockout duration by 10 seconds and boosts its damage by 40%.	2	Kanabo Passive
Crushing Shockwave	A downward smash that deals 126% ability damage, disables enemies, and staggers all enemies within a 3-meter radius.	1	Kanabo Active

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Knowledge Rank 4

This tier introduces stronger abilities that add second attacks, improved knockbacks, and area control.

Ability Name	Function	Nodes	Type
Infinite Devastation	Press the opposite attack input after Devastation to perform a second one. Also increases Devastation damage by 60%.	2	Kanabo Passive
Slugging Rampage	A series of spinning strikes, each dealing 20% ability damage and sending enemies flying.	1	Kanabo Active
Unstoppable Strength	Spine Breaker now works at full effectiveness on large enemies. Also increases Spine Breaker’s damage by 60%.	2	Kanabo Passive
Greater Shockwave	Crushing Shockwave now inflicts Daze and gains 40% more damage.	2	Kanabo Passive

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Knowledge Rank 5

At this level, Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows gains damage resistance and extended attack durations.

Ability Name	Function	Nodes	Type
Damage Reduction	Increases damage resistance by 1% per node.	3	Global Passive
Slugging Torrent	Extends the duration of Slugging Rampage.	2	Kanabo Passive
Constant Pressure	Forward Momentum no longer requires hit confirmation. Press R1/RB or R2/RT at any time to chain attacks instantly.	1	Kanabo Passive

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Knowledge Rank 6

The final tier for Kanabo Skills unlocks the strongest versions of Yasuke’s abilities, focusing on massive AoE control.

Ability Name	Function	Nodes	Type
Slugging Fury	Further increases the duration of Slugging Rampage.	2	Kanabo Passive
Absolute Shockwave	Expands Crushing Shockwave’s area of effect by 167%, making it a battlefield-wide attack.	2	Kanabo Passive

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How to unlock skills in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Unlike previous Assassin's Creed games, Shadows implements a Knowledge Rank (KR) system, where you have to go through Yasuke's learning of the Kanabo before acquiring higher-level skills.

To level up Knowledge Rank, you will need to do engage in the following:

• Temple, Shrine, and Kofun explorations
• Kuji-kiri puzzles
• Hidden Path findings
• Kata training
• Main and side quests

After a required Knowledge Rank is obtained, skills can be unlocked using Mastery Points. These points are acquired through the completion of in-game tasks, and certain abilities cost more than one Mastery Point to completely upgrade.

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