GamesActionAssassin’s CreedAssassin’s Creed ShadowsWho is Assassin’s Creed Shadows' protagonist Yasuke? The history behind the first Black Samurai explainedWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesActionAssassin’s CreedAssassin’s Creed ShadowsWho is Assassin’s Creed Shadows' protagonist Yasuke? The history behind the first Black Samurai explainedWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
It’s often the little-known historical figures that prove the most fascinating. That’s the case with Yasuke, one ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows' twonew protagonists, who employs a more forthright assault-based approach compared to Naoe,Ubisoft’s other lead, who acts as a Shinobi to fill the stealth-based approach to the new game.
Firstly, let’s get the obvious out of the way: Assassin’s Creed games take liberties with their historical context. No, a man named Ezio Auditore did not fistfight the pope and get assassination weapons from Leonardo Di Vinci. This doesn’t detract from the historical evidence that yes, Yasuke was a real-life Samurai in Japan, who served under Oda Nobunaga until his assassination in 1582.
Ubisoft taking creative liberties doesn’t disqualify the historical evidence surrounding Yasuke’s very real existence. In fact, the developer might very well have to take some creative liberties when it comes to Yasuke, because so little is known about Japan’s first Black Samurai for certain.
Yasuke’s history
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
We don’t even know Yasuke’s real name, or where he came from. Yasuke was merely the name Oda Nobunaga bestowed upon him, and even the history books themselves disagree on where Yasuke hailed from: Jean Crasset’sHistoire de l’eglise du Japonclaims Yasuke was brought to Japan from India, whereas Francois Solier’sHistoire Ecclesiastique Des Isles Et Royaumes Du Japonalleges Yasuke originally came from modern-day Mozambique.
The future(Image credit: Ubisoft)Upcoming Assassin’s Creed games: Every new Assassin’s Creed game in development
The future
(Image credit: Ubisoft)Upcoming Assassin’s Creed games: Every new Assassin’s Creed game in development
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Upcoming Assassin’s Creed games: Every new Assassin’s Creed game in development
What we do know is that Yasuke arrived in Japan in 1579 in the service of Italian Jesuit missionaries. Yasuke is said to have accompanied the Jesuits to a meeting with Nobunaga, where the latter became slightly obsessed with Yasuke -he demanded Yasuke be scrubbed, because he believed his black skin was merely ink.
Yasuke, of course, did not magically become white after being scrubbed repeatedly, and Nobunaga became even more fascinated with him. The daimyo requested the Italian Jesuits effectively hand him over, which they apparently did, because Yasuke then entered the service of Nobunaga, who bestowed upon him his Japanese name.
The first Black Samurai
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Now, some people are claiming Yasuke isn’t in fact a Samurai, and here’s the bit that disproves that. Yasuke was effectively Nobunaga’s ‘Retainer,’ which meant that he was folded into the daimyo’s ‘Kashindan.’ Think of it like a ruler’s standing army - entirely different from the ‘Ashigaru,’ which were a conscripted army composed of peasants.
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If you were part of a Kashindan, you were considered a Samurai. You probably know Samurai as an elite military caste that members are often born into - and you’re not wrong, that’s just not the case here: Sengoku-era Samurai were soldiers, while the Edo era put the firm stamp of a caste system on the Samurai. Note, though, that Yasuke was also considered Nobunaga’s Kosho, which did cement him as a Samurai, but one with more direct access to the daimyo he served.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is out later this year on November 15, and personally, I can’t wait to see Yasuke’s story continue.
As we await Assassin’s Creed Shadows later this year, check out our ranking of thebest Assassin’s Creed gamesyou can play right now.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”