Assassin’s Creed Shadowstakes place in a complex era of Japanese history, and it isn’t shy about incorporating as many real-world figures as it can. From the unifying daimyo Oda Nobunaga to those responsible for overthrowing him, Naoe and Yasuke constantly cross paths with historical people who shaped the Sengoku period. Some don’t necessarily have large enough roles in the game or in history to merit discussion at length, but even those who do quickly add up.
Warning: The following article includes spoilers for the story ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows.
In standard franchise tradition,Assassin’s Creed Shadowsdoes attempt to provide some context for the characters within, and the main story beats alone help shed some light on the politics of the time. With an aggressive mix of fact and fiction, though, it can be hard to track who’s who and what’s real. To that end,an overview of the major historical figures found throughout the gamecan make both navigating the story and learning about Japanese history easier.
Yasuke Breaks Tradition As A Real Protagonist
Nobunaga’s Most Unlikely Samurai Retainer
As a figure from recorded history, Yasuke is anunusualAssassin’s Creedprotagonist. Brought to Japan by the Jesuit Alessandro Valignano,Nobunaga took him into service as a retainer and gave him his new name. Records indicate that he did serve in close proximity to Nobunaga and that the daimyo enjoyed his company, althoughShadowspresumably exaggerates his role.
WhileAssassin’s Creed Shadowspresents Yasuke’s name under the Jesuits as Diogo, it’s unknown what he was called prior to the name granted by Nobunaga.
Yasuke was indeed present at the Honnō-ji Incident, where Nobunaga was ambushed by his general Akechi Mitsuhide and ultimately committed hara-kiri. Yasuke lived through the incident but vanished from records shortly after, leaving some blank pages that the game takes the creative license to fill.
Oda Nobunaga Unified Japan At A Cost
A Powerful Daimyo Who Defined An Era
As Yasuke’s daimyo and an initial target of Naoe’s quest for revenge, Oda Nobunaga defines theearly hours ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows. Starting in the 1560s,Nobunaga quested to unify Japanby warring with other daimyo, resulting in his ultimate overthrow of the shogunate in 1573.
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Nobunaga’s complex historical reputation has shifted over time, but his major successes in unification and his various promotions of the arts grant him an image that extends beyond a bloody conquerer. AsAssassin’s Creed Shadowsdepicts,Nobunaga was attacked by his general Akechi Mitsuhide in an ambush known as the Honnō-ji Incident, leading him to commit seppuku. Nobunaga’s son Nobukatsu also appears briefly in one of the game’s flashbacks.
Alessandro Valignano Brought Yasuke To Japan
A Leader Among The Jesuits
Alessandro Valignano was an Italian Jesuit who served as a major missionary figure in Asia, and his servant Yasuke caught Nobunaga’s attention and became his retainer. While the game depicts Valignano with a supercilious attitude, he was at least comparatively more interested in respecting Japanese culture and people than the Jesuit leader Francisco Cabral, as covered in a scholarly article byJack B. Hoey IIIin the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal.
Luis Frois Is A Major Source For Records Of Yasuke
The Reason We Know Yasuke Lived
Luís Fróis, a Portuguese Jesuit, is one of the best sources of information about Yasuke. He attended the initial meeting where Nobunaga meets Yasuke, andAssasssin’s Creed Shadowsalso reflects later encounters between Frois and Yasuke, which are supported by the fact that Frois wrote about Yasuke again some months after the Honnō-ji Incident.
Akechi Mitsuhide Betrayed Oda Nobunaga
A Short-Lived Reign
A former bodyguard of the unseated shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Akechi Mitsuhide became one of Nobunaga’s most significant generals during unification.In 1582, Mitsuhide turned against Nobunaga, trapping him in a temple where Nobunaga then committed seppuku. While he had the loyalty of many of his men, Mitsuhide’s actions made it hard for him to secure support from the Imperial Court and many other daimyo.
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The volatility of his position resulted in Mitsuhide’s own death only weeks later, so thedepiction of seasons passingduring Mitsuhide’s reign inAssassin’s Creed Shadowsshould not be taken literally. Mitsuhide was unseated by Hashiba Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu and killed by a bandit leader when fleeing the battle — or by Naoe and Yasuke, if you prefer.
Hashiba Hideyoshi Took Power From Mitsuhide
The More Successful Succession
Also known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Hashiba Hideyoshi was the next to take power after Mitsuhide’s stint. With a significantly more stable tenure that lasted until his death in 1598,Hideyoshi is often referred to as the second “Great Unifier” after Nobunaga.
Hideyoshi’s legacy was later clouded by the Imjin War, a Japanese invasion of Korea that was both unwarranted and ultimately unsuccessful. He’s notable as a peasant by birth who rose to the top.Assassin’s Creed Shadowsdepicts his interest and ultimate success in avenging Nobunaga. In-game, Naoe and Yasuke naturally join the fight.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki Was The Unseated Shogun
The Last Of The Ashikaga Shogunate
The final shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate,Ashikaga Yoshiaki was unseated by Nobunagaafter his own attempt to overthrow the powerful daimyo. Yoshiaki became a monk and lived out the rest of his life without regaining the position of shogun, although he continued to attempt resistance against Nobunaga and sought to reclaim power for decades.
InAssassin’s Creed Shadows, Yoshiaki first appears to watch a sumo match that Naoe and Yasuke are attending, although history places a much greater emphasis on Nobunaga’s love of sumo.He’s later revealed to be the ultimate leader of the Shinbakufu, which squares with his efforts to remove Nobunaga from power. A letter believed to have been written by Mitsuhide after the Honnō-ji Incident mentions communication between Mitsuhide and Yoshiaki promising cooperation between the two, as discussed in the Japanese newspaperThe Mainichi.
Hattori Hanzo Was The Demon Samurai
A Key Supporter Of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Known as the Oni no Hanzo,Hattori Hanzo is one of the most prominent samurai in Japanese history. Hanzo was indeed linked to shinobi in Iga as the game suggests, although the connections between Hanzo and a splintergroup of the Assassin Brotherhoodare naturally fictionalized.
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Hanzo served and protected Tokugawa Ieyasu, who took power after Hideyoshi’s death and became the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate several years later. The game also fictionalizes Hanzo’s affection for Naoe’s mother, which leaves him bitter and vengeful for some time when she marries Naoe’s father instead.
Tokugawa Ieyasu Became The Shogun
A Supporter Of Nobunaga’s Son
In the wake of Nobunaga’s death,future shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu spent some years as a rival to Hideyoshi, supporting Nobunaga’s son Nobukatsu for succession. He ultimately surrendered after Nobukatsu gave up the fight, supporting Hideyoshi while maintaining some degree of autonomy as a uniquely powerful daimyo. Despite being one of the most significant figures of the time, Tokugawa Ieyasu doesn’t play a large role inAssassin’s Creed Shadows, but he does show up in the game as one of Nobunaga’s generals.
Momochi Sandayu Trained Ishikawa Goemon
A Legendary Figure From Iga
Like Hattori Hanzo, Momochi Sandayu was associated with the shinobi of Iga, serving as an expert in the art.Among his pupils was Ishikawa Goemon, an iconic Robin Hood figure in Japanese history. While there was no love lost between Sandayu and Nobunaga, he wasn’t actually present at the Honnō-ji Incident, where the game depicts him telling losing a duel to Yasuke before telling the samurai of Naoe in vague terms. He did, however, appear to die relatively close to this time
