According to a recent report by our friend Tom Henderson at Insider Gaming, we may see an African samurai named Yasuke in the Japan-centered Assassin’s Creed. The Assassin’s Creed series has had many real-life historical figures and this one feels welcome.
The upcoming Assassin’s Creed game, codenamed Red, may feature the African samurai Yasuke as a playable protagonist. Yasuke was a real-life African samurai who served under Oda Nobunaga during the Sengoku period in Japan. He was a skilled warrior and bodyguard, and he quickly gained Nobunaga’s favor. However, Yasuke’s time with Nobunaga was short-lived, as Nobunaga was assassinated in 1582.
After Nobunaga’s death, Yasuke disappeared from historical records, and his fate remains unknown. According to Insider Gaming, Yasuke’s story in Assassin’s Creed Red will be mostly fictional, but he will still be a real person within the game world. It is also said that Yasuke’s story will be rewritten to align with the game’s story and direction.
If Yasuke is indeed featured in Assassin’s Creed Red then the series would definitely receive more fan approval. Fans of the series love it when Ubisoft uses real-life historical figures in their games. George Washington, Mary Read, Blackbeard, King Richard The Lionheart, and many historical figures have been in these games. They’re also some of the most well-liked.
What’s cool is that we hardly hear about Yasuke in media, he’s underrepresented when his story could be fascinating. It is important to note that this is just a rumor at this point, and Ubisoft has not yet confirmed that Yasuke will be featured in Assassin’s Creed Red. However, if it’s true, I’m definitely going to buy the game to see how Yasuke plays a part.
I love seeing diversity when it’s historically accurate, even if a lot of Yasuke’s life is unknown. If Ubisoft doesn’t have this planned, they definitely should because it’s an almost completely original story.