What is the controversy surrounding the Assassin's Creed Shadows protagonist? 

Assassin's Creed Shadows is all set to receive a trailer reveal on May 15, 2024. Unfortunately, it appears that certain early leaks surrounding the race of the game’s protagonist have put it in a bit of hot water at the moment. A certain section of fans are outraged at developer Ubisoft’s intent to introduce Yasuke as one of the protagonists in a game that is otherwise set in Feudal Japan.

A full breakdown of the controversy can be found below.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the author’s opinions.

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The Assassin's Creed Shadows controversy explained

New AC Shadows info from leaker j0nathan byu/Cygus_Lorman inGamingLeaksAndRumours

The information surrounding the protagonists was leaked by notable Assassin’s Creed leaker j0nathan and details a dual protagonist setting.

The protagonists are rumored to be Yasuke, a man of African descent, and Naoe, a young woman who joins the Assassins after the death of her father at the hands of the Templars.

Both protagonists have enraged a section of the gaming community, who have taken to social media to voice their discontent at the lack of a Japanese male in the lead role of Assassin's Creed Shadows.

While it initially appears that the points posed by these fans are justified, (especially in light of recent events that have had unnecessary changes plastered onto modern media) upon further inspection, there is not much basis for the outrage.

Yasuke was, after all, a real person - as indicated by multiple historical records. While specific details surrounding his origin are still admittedly hazy, Yasuke has been known to be a man of African descent, who made his way to Japan under the rule of Oda Nobunaga during the late 15th Century.

Assassin's Creed Red was the previous name for Shadows (Image via Ubisoft)

He served as a retainer to Nobunaga for a brief period until the latter’s death. The name of Yasuke was also conferred to him by Oda Nobunaga. He was also known to be exceptionally strong and was seen accompanying Nobunaga through Kyoto - so much so that it was rumored that he might have been promoted to the status of a tono or lord later on.

Unfortunately, Yasuke was expelled from Japan after the death of Nobunaga at the hands of Akechi Mitsuhide, and the rest of his life remains shrouded in mystery.

Information surrounding Naoe is scarce, and she is likely to be an original character.

The “inclusion” of non-traditional protagonists in a Japanese setting has enraged a section of the gaming community. Some have expressed displeasure with the addition of “woke” ideologies to their beloved media of choice.

The outrage may seem rather excessive though, when taking into account that Assassin’s Creed has always had a fantasy-like, fictional depiction of historical events thus far.

As such, the addition of Yasuke and Naoe to Assassin's Creed Shadows shouldn’t be too concerning - especially when there are more pressing matters at hand, such as Ubisoft’s track record and the possible inclusion of microtransactions (and a hefty price tag for the complete edition).

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for more Assassin's Creed Shadows news and updates.

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For more content on Assassin's Creed Shadows, check out the following:

• Who is Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows?
• Who is Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows?
• Gold vs Ultimate: Which Assassin's Creed Shadows edition should you get?
• Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic trailer breakdown
• Is Assassin's Creed Shadows on Steam?
• How to pre-order Assassin's Creed Shadows? All editions, pre-order bonuses, and more explored