Did Assassin's Creed Shadows originally have a Japanese male protagonist? Rumor explored

Assassin's Creed Shadows has been the center of controversy since its first glimpse, largely involving the protagonist Yasuke. The black samurai is the first real-life example of a historical individual to become the protagonist in Ubisoft's acclaimed historically inspired open-world series. This has also made him a target of wild accusations, including claims that he was shoehorned into the game over a Japanese male hero.

Is this true or are these just baseless rumors? Let's find out by assessing where these claims emerge from and what industry insiders have to say about the matter.

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Assassin's Creed Shadows was always planned to feature Yasuke as the protagonist

This rumor has been floating around since the game's reveal, with online users across social media platforms suggesting that Ubisoft axed a "planned" Japanese male protagonist in favor of Yasuke. One in particular suggests that this change was made in light of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Industry insider Tom Henderson was quick to dismiss this claim.

Conversely, everything Ubisoft has revealed so far about Assassin's Creed Shadows suggests this was the original vision.

The game's developer team aimed at their Japanese fanbase for this installment.

Here are the key parts from the detailed response to take note of:

"While we strive for authenticity in everything that we do, Assassin's Creed games are works of fiction inspired by real historical events and figures. From its inception, the series has taken creative license and incorporated fantasy elements to craft engaging and immersive experiences. The representation of Yasuke in our game is an illustration of this. His unique and mysterious life made him an ideal candidate to tell an Assassin's Creed story with the setting of Feudal Japan as a backdrop."

The team also mentioned how they considered the sensitive aspect of this approach:

"While Yasuke is depicted as a samurai in Assassin's Creed Shadows, we acknowledge that this is a matter of debate and discussion. We have woven this carefully into our narrative and with our other lead character, the Japanese shinobi Naoe, who is equally important in the game, our dual protagonists provide players with different gameplay styles."

With Ubisoft confirming the game was an integral part from the get-go, the claim that the team removed a previous Japanese male hero only to replace them with Yasuke can be put to rest as being false on all records.

Assassin's Creed Shadows launches on February 14, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S platforms.