Assassins Creed: Japan Deserves Better

[Wanderer]

Yasuke’s Mythic Makeover: Historically, Yasuke was an African man in Oda Nobunaga’s service around 1581-1582, possibly a retainer or warrior. Evidence for him being a full samurai is shaky at best, records are sparse, mentioning him briefly as a novelty. Ubisoft spins him into a central, sword-swinging legend with a rap soundtrack, ignoring the lack of documentation and turning a footnote into a superhero fantasy.

Neglecting Japanese Icons: The Sengoku period is packed with documented legends like Miyamoto Musashi, Takeda Shingen, or even Nobunaga himself with his brutal ambition. Instead, Ubisoft sidelines these rich, culturally resonant figures for Yasuke’s “unique” angle, diluting Japan’s own historical narrative for a Western-friendly gimmick.

Square Tatami Mats Blunder: Tatami mats in the Sengoku era were rectangular, designed with specific proportions for functionality and aesthetics. Square mats? Not a thing until way later, if at all. It’s a rookie mistake that screams “we didn’t check.”

Cherry Blossoms Out of Sync:  Cherry blossoms bloom in spring (late March to early April) not whenever Ubisoft feels like it for dramatic effect. Showing them out of season in a game set in 1579-1580-ish is a lazy visual flex that ignores Japan’s natural and cultural calendar.

Shrines as Set Dressing:  The game’s shrines look like a generic mash-up of “Eastern” tropes, red torii gates and lanterns thrown together with no regard for regional or temporal accuracy. Real Sengoku-era shrines had distinct styles tied to Shinto practices, not this tourist-poster vibe.

Etiquette Trainwreck:  Nobunaga’s aides sitting eye-level with him? Warriors casually plopped on tatami borders (a big no-no)? Japanese culture, especially in a warlord’s court, was rigid about hierarchy and respect, sitting positions mattered. Ubisoft treats it like a free-for-all, tossing out basic social norms.

Western Exploitation Vibes:  A French studio takes Japanese history, picks Yasuke as a diversity checkbox, and filters it through a blockbuster lens, rap beats included. It’s less about celebrating Japan and more about packaging it for Western consumption, raising appropriation flags when Japan’s voice feels sidelined.

Shaky Expert Choices:  Ubisoft tapped Thomas Lockley, who’s been criticized for exaggerating Yasuke’s role beyond primary sources, and Sachi Schmidt-Hori, whose focus leans more literary than Sengoku-specific. It’s like hiring a poet to write a war manual, expertise feels mismatched or stretched.

Shrine Controversy Blowback:  Japanese shrines, like Ise Jingu, are sacred and yet Ubisoft recreates them for carnage without permission. Locals and officials are livid, seeing it as a disrespectful cash grab on their heritage, not flattery.

Historical Fiction Cop-Out:  Ubisoft’s “it’s just a game” apology ducks the issue. Past AC titles bent history but built believable worlds, Shadows leans on that excuse to justify sloppy research and cultural tone-deafness, ignoring fan and Japanese backlash (like an 80,000-signature petition).

Weapon Weirdness:  Early footage shows Yasuke with dual katanas and oversized gear that feels more anime than Sengoku. Samurai weapon use was practical, katana and wakizashi pairs came later, and armor wasn’t that cartoonishly bulky. It’s flash over fact.

Language Laziness:  Accents and dialogue in previews sound off, modern or inconsistent inflections that don’t match how Japanese was spoken then. Even a nod to period-appropriate phrasing could’ve shown effort, but nah.

This isn’t just nitpicking, it’s Ubisoft stumbling over cultural respect and historical grounding in a way that’s hard to ignore. Shadows could’ve been a masterpiece; instead, it’s a misstep with a katana.

[dulany67]

I'm not Japanese.

[brisket]

holy yap fest batman

[astralumi]

Out of curiosity do you think historically a man named Ezio Auditore de Firenze fistfought Rodrigo Borgia to death over a magic apple, or do you suddenly only care about historical accuracy because it's Japan?

[brisket]

Originally posted by astralumi:

Out of curiosity do you think historically a man named Ezio Auditore de Firenze fistfought Rodrigo Borgia to death over a magic apple, or do you suddenly only care about historical accuracy because it's Japan?

Shhhh they didn't actually play AC

[EasyOut]

Originally posted by PSA:

Originally posted by astralumi:

Out of curiosity do you think historically a man named Ezio Auditore de Firenze fistfought Rodrigo Borgia to death over a magic apple, or do you suddenly only care about historical accuracy because it's Japan?

Ezio Auditore never existed but it would still be more realistic since the fight over the apple didn't happen in public.

Hey you're back what were we supposed to google to see your work again? you disappeared last time, "professor"

[brisket]

Originally posted by EasyOut:

Originally posted by PSA:

Ezio Auditore never existed but it would still be more realistic since the fight over the apple didn't happen in public.

Hey you're back what were we supposed to google to see your work again? you disappeared last time, "professor"

all they told me to do was look up PSA
i did
didnt reply to me after i told them all i got was public service announcement

[CzUSMC]

The fact Ubisoft put Chinese Dragon on Japanese Samurai Armor is absurd. This AC game that takes place in JAPAN is more Chinese than Japanese. They even added the Chinese Dragon for Japan...

[EasyOut]

Originally posted by PSA:

Originally posted by EasyOut:

Hey you're back what were we supposed to google to see your work again? you disappeared last time, "professor"

You're the one who thinks there was a third world war in 1960?

I think you're confusing me with another poster, professor.

[Saibot2840]

Assassin's Creed 2 punch the pope and talk to aliens and 2012 apocalypse seriously regular people won't notice this

[Ryuudou]

Yasuke was a samurai.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasuke

[EasyOut]

Originally posted by Wanderer:

Shrine Controversy Blowback:  Japanese shrines, like Ise Jingu, are sacred and yet Ubisoft recreates them for carnage without permission. Locals and officials are livid, seeing it as a disrespectful cash grab on their heritage, not flattery.

https://imgur.com/a/0MVanqI

[Iwantacookie]

I wonder if OP made a similar thread for Ghost of Tsushima

Since they care so much about "cultural respect"

[Spectrum Fox]

You know this is fiction, right?

[quadZe]

Originally posted by Spectrum Fox:

You know this is fiction, right?

>You know this is fiction, right?
>You know Yasuke was a real samurai, right?

Which way western man?

[Thejthar]

Wasn't the Japanese government going to "investigate" AC Shadows? How is that going?