The main Assassin’s Creed Reddit, which has over 717,000 subscribers, has taken a strong stance on the ongoing backlash towards dark samurai protagonist Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
A post from the moderation team of the popular Reddit has put an end to the ongoing “debate” over whether the real-life figure of Yasuke was a samurai or not, and how historically accurate his portrayal in Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be.
Ubisoft appeared to address the issue last week, issuing a vague statement that raised eyebrows after it apologized for “certain elements” in the game’s promotional materials that it said “raised concerns” among some Japanese fans. Now, in a lengthy statement, the moderation team says Ubisoft’s statement has “exacerbated” the issue even further.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows gameplay trailer showing the two protagonists Yasuke and Naoe. Watch on YouTube
“With the reveal of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, there has been an influx of certain individuals venting in various online communities such as this subreddit and raising arguments about ‘historical accuracy,'” wrote the Assassin’s Creed Reddit moderation team.
“While we are all exhausted by this tedious discussion that has been endlessly repeated to death, not to mention exacerbated by a recent official statement from Ubisoft, we would like to remind those participating in these debates one last time what exactly this franchise entails, and why these discussions have never had any other purpose than to cover up a barely concealed bad faith.
“Assassin’s Creed is historical fiction. This means that while some locations, events, and characters may be based on reality, and even lean slightly toward accuracy, their depictions are greatly exaggerated for the sake of a more enjoyable video game. While all of our player protagonists have been fictional so far, the introduction of Yasuke has given some people the false impression that the above rule does not apply. This is still the case.
“Yasuke, who is a samurai as confirmed by many reputable historians around the world, including Japan, may not have played as significant a role in the real world as he does in Shadows. That’s okay. It’s a video game. You’re not supposed to use Assassin’s Creed as a source of real historical knowledge – it’s supposed to force you to do your own external research after immersing you in a glimpse of authenticity.”
The moderation team continues to provide a long series of links to a “helpful list” of historical inaccuracies in every Assassin’s Creed game so far, collected by fans.
“We are not here in this community to debate historical facts,” the statement continued. “Most of us, as fans, understand that while these games give us a great look at what historical settings might have looked like and we have fun comparing them to the real facts, we are not looking for accuracy in this franchise and play primarily for other reasons.
“So if you’re here specifically to leave comments about your displeasure with the inclusion of Yasuke or various other inaccurate details that have been highlighted in Ubisoft’s depiction of feudal Japan, it’s time to understand that this is not the place for that discussion and never will be. Feel free to voice your displeasure elsewhere, away from this franchise and its communities.
“Any further comments attempting to challenge Yasuke’s social status, denigrate his inclusion in the game, or containing statements bordering on trolling for historical accuracy will be swiftly deleted and punished with a ban.”
The post itself has now been locked due to “brigadage,” an update from the moderation team says.
Online discussions around Yasuke, fueled by outraged YouTube channels and social media, have focused on the black character’s prominence in the unifying Japanese-set game alongside his shinobi co-star Naoe, and on criticism from a particular historian Ubisoft consulted about Yasuke’s real-life past.
The debate has also spilled over into the real world, so much so that a fringe Japanese politician has asked the Japanese government to comment on the issue – with apparently no meaningful results.
In a thread on X, Jeffrey J Hall, a university professor specializing in Japanese politics, described the result thus: “Foreign Ministry: Not our problem. Education Ministry: Canned response that games should not violate ‘public order and morality.’ METI [Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry] “I refused to answer because it does not concern them.”
“Internet culture warriors have exaggerated the NHK party questions as if they were a huge event, failing to understand that Japanese government ministries are not in the business of censoring historical fiction,” Hall concludes. “These kinds of questions are common in Japanese politics and are often purely performative. Many of these content creators have failed to inform their audiences that the NHK party is a small party with virtually no practical political influence in Japan.”
Last month, Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot spoke out to condemn the “malicious and personal online attacks” directed at the Assassin’s Creed Shadows development team following the game’s reveal.
Assassin’s Creed boss Marc-Alexis Coté also addressed the issue, explaining how he responded to a tweet from billionaire X and Tesla owner Elon Musk criticizing diversity in game design.
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