Assassin's Creed Shadows: How to complete Missing Missive main quest

The Missing Missive main quest in Assassin's Creed Shadows kicks off right after The Bad Brother and can be played using either Naoe or Yasuke. Whoever you choose, the outcome remains the same. This mission revolves around tracking down Ise Sadatame’s missing messenger and recovering an important reply from Sadoki, tying into the Onryo assassination storyline that leads to taking down The Fool.

Along the way, you'll meet Gennojo, a potentially recruitable and romanceable character involved in the letter’s disappearance. This guide will help you clear the quest in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

---

Missing Missive main quest walkthrough in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Locating the messenger in Missing Missive

The messenger in the Missing Missive main quest (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming // Ubisoft)

First, travel west of Kyoto, keeping along the river heading north until you see a bridge close to the Tenryuji Temple. You can find the messenger standing in the middle of the bridge, looking disturbed. Heeding your approach, he says the letter was swiped by an Oni, a supposed demon that was allegedly hiding in the area.

The messenger then sends you northwest of Tenryuji Temple, where the Oni was last spotted, towards the Bamboo Grove. Open up the map, locate the search area, and upon arrival, use the observation tool of Naoe or Yasuke's tracking ability to determine the Oni's location. But lo and behold, the Oni is not a demon – it's Gennojo.

---

How to defeat Gennojo

Gennojo in the Missing Missive main quest (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming // Ubisoft)

Once you track down Gennojo, you’ll have no choice but to fight him to get the letter back. If you’re playing as Naoe, you can sneak up on him and land a stealth attack, immediately taking out a huge chunk of his health. If you’re Yasuke, you’ll have to engage in a straight-up duel, though his brute strength makes quick work of Gennojo.

Combat with Gennojo (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming // Ubisoft)

Once he’s at critical health, Gennojo surrenders and admits his grudge against Sadoki. Instead of fighting further, he decides to cooperate, handing over the stolen letter. If you’re playing as Naoe, he even flirts with her after the battle.

---

How to decode the letter

Decoding the letter in Assassin's Creed Shadows (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming // Ubisoft)

With the letter in hand, return to the messenger, who is still waiting nearby. However, the letter is encoded, making it unreadable at first. Hand it over, and the messenger will decipher its contents, revealing that Sadoki has outright rejected Sadatame’s offer of help and claims his victory is already assured.

This marks the completion of the Missing Missive main quest, rewarding you with 1,000 XP. From here, the Onryo assassination story continues with The Rising Tide, setting up the next phase in the hunt for The Fool. If you want to recruit Gennojo as a companion, you'll need to complete the Lost Honor questline, which becomes available after this mission.

Check out: Assassin's Creed Shadows: Should you pick Red Silk or Black Silk?