Whether or not Yasuke, an African man who briefly served feudal lord Oda Nobunaga in 16th-century Japan, was “really a samurai” is a somewhat interesting question for scholars of the era, and comes down to how the historical records of his life pair with the meaning of the term “samurai” at the time. Biographer Thomas Lockley, as one example, has said that Yasuke was indeed one of Nobunaga’s many samurai, the title simply referring to warriors who served a lord (see: this Smithsonian article).
When Yasuke was revealed as one of the two protagonists in the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows, however, an inquisition into his samurai-ness was launched not by scholars, but by onlookers who decreed it unacceptable for a Black person to headline a work of historical fiction set in Japan. Complaints about “historical inaccuracy” and “forced diversity” abounded.
As of this week, the moderators of the unofficial Assassin’s Creed subreddit are done hearing about it (thanks, GamesRadar).
“With the reveal of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, there has been an influx of certain individuals spilling into various communities online such as this subreddit and raising arguments about ‘historical accuracy’,” wrote the mods in a now-closed thread. “As we are all exhausted of this tedious discussion that has been endlessly talked to death, not to mention exacerbated by a recent official statement from Ubisoft, we would like to give a final reminder to those participating in these debates as to what exactly this franchise entails, and why there was never any point to these discussions to begin with outside of thinly veiling bad faith intent.”
The statement from Ubisoft referenced in that passage was an apology posted by the developer for generally causing “concern within the Japanese community” over details in Shadows’ promotional material so far, possibly such as Ubisoft’s use of a real-life reenactment group’s flag or a potential error regarding the placement of a torii gate. On the topic of Yasuke, Ubisoft acknowledged that his samurai status “is a matter of debate and discussion” and emphasized that the other lead, Naoe, is a “Japanese shinobi.”
As the subreddit mods get at in their post, many viewed Ubisoft’s statement as a counterproductive acknowledgement of mostly bad faith complaints that never involved genuine concern over accurate cultural representation or the integrity of the historical record in the first place. (The Assassin’s Creed games are, after all, about using “genetic memory” to relive an endless war between secret societies, and in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey you fight Medusa.)
The mods continue:
“Assassin’s Creed is historical fiction. This means that while certain locations, events and figures may be based on reality, and can even have a slight focus on accuracy, their depictions are largely exaggerated for the sake of a more enjoyable videogame. While all of our player protagonists have been fictional to date, the introduction of Yasuke has given some people the false impression that the above rule does not apply. It still does. Yasuke, who is a samurai as confirmed by multiple reputable historians around the world including from Japan, may not have held as large as a role in the real world as he does in Shadows. This is okay. It is a videogame. You are not meant to use Assassin’s Creed as a sourcebook for actual historical knowledge—it is meant to compel you to do your own external research after immersing you in a glimpse of authenticity.
“…We are not here in this community to debate on historical record. Most of us understand as fans that while these games provide us a great look into what historical settings could have felt like and have fun comparing them to actual record, we do not chase accuracy within this franchise and primarily play for other reasons. So if you are specifically here to leave comments about your displeasure about Yasuke’s inclusion or various other inaccurate details that have been pointed out in Ubisoft’s depiction of Feudal Japan, it is time to understand that this is not the place for this discussion and it never will be. Feel free to take your displeasures elsewhere, away from this franchise and its communities.”
The post concludes with the warning that “further comments attempting to dispute Yasuke’s societal status, disparage his inclusion in game or containing statements bordering on concern trolling for historical accuracy will be swiftly removed and met with a ban.”
