The main Assassin’s Creed reddit, subscribed to by more than 717,000 users, has taken a strong stance on the ongoing backlash against Black Samurai protagonist Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
A post by the moderation team on the popular reddit has put an end to the ongoing “debate” over whether or not the real-life figure of Yasuke was a samurai, and to what extent his portrayal in Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be historically accurate.
It’s an issue that Ubisoft appeared to address last week in a vaguely worded statement that raised eyebrows after apologizing for “certain elements” in the game’s promotional material that it said had “caused concern” among some Japanese fans. Now, in a lengthy statement, the moderation team says that Ubisoft’s statement has “escalated” the matter further.
“With the reveal of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, there has been an influx of certain individuals who have taken to various communities online, such as this subreddit, and raised arguments about ‘historical accuracy,'” wrote the Assassin’s Creed reddit moderation team.
“Since we’re all tired of this tedious discussion being endlessly talked to death, not to mention exacerbated by a recent official statement from Ubisoft, we’d like to give a final reminder to those involved in these debates of exactly what this franchise leads to, and why it never made sense for these discussions to begin outside of thinly veiled mala fide intentions.
“Assassin’s Creed is historical fiction. This means that while certain locations, events, and figures may be based on reality and may even have a slight emphasis on accuracy, their depictions are largely exaggerated for the sake of a more enjoyable video game. While all of our main characters have thus far been fictional, the introduction of Yasuke has given some people the false impression that the above rule does not apply.
“Yasuke, being a samurai, as confirmed by numerous respected historians around the world, including Japan, may not have had as much of a role in the real world as he did in Shadows. This is good. It’s a video game. aren’t meant to use Assassin’s Creed as a source of actual historical lore – it’s meant to force you to do your own external research after soaking you in a glimmer of authenticity.”
The moderation team continues to provide an extensive series of links to a “helpful list” of historical inaccuracies in every Assassin’s Creed game to date, collected by fans.
“We are not here in this community to discuss historical data,” the statement continued. “Most of us understand as fans that while these games give us a great look at what historical settings might have felt like and we have fun comparing them to the actual entries, we’re not chasing accuracy within this franchise and we’re mostly playing for other reasons.
“So if you’re here specifically to leave comments regarding your displeasure with the inclusion of Yasuke or various other inaccurate details that have been pointed out in Ubisoft’s depiction of feudal Japan, it’s time to realize that this is not the place for that discussion and never will be. Feel free to take your displeasure elsewhere, away from this franchise and its communities.
“Any additional comments that attempt to challenge Yasuke’s public status, downplay his inclusion in the game, or contain statements bordering on trollish concern for historical accuracy will be immediately removed and met with a ban.”
The post itself has now been locked due to “bridging,” says an update from the moderation team.
The online discussion surrounding Yasuke, fueled by outraged YouTube channels and social media, has focused on the Black character’s prominence in the game, based on feudal Japan, alongside Shinobi co-star Naoe, and criticism of a particular historian consulted by Ubisoft regarding Yasuke’s real life background.
The debate spilled over into the real world, so much so that a fringe Japanese politician asked the Japanese government for comment on the matter – to a seemingly pointless result.
In a thread on X by Jeffrey J. Hall, a university lecturer in Japanese politics, described the result as follows: “Foreign Affairs: it is not our concern. Ministry of Education: canned response saying games should not violate “public order and morals”. Matty [Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry] refused to answer because it doesn’t concern them.”
“Internet culture warriors blew up the NHK Party issues as if they were some huge thing, not understanding that Japanese government ministries are not in the business of censoring works of historical fiction,” Hall concluded. “These kinds of questions are common in Japanese politics and are often just performative. Many of these content creators failed to inform their audience that the NHK Party is a small party with almost zero practical political influence in Japan.”
Last month, Ubisoft boss Yves Guillaume spoke out to condemn “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 Côté also addressed the issue and discussed how he responded to a tweet from billionaire X and Tesla owner Elon Musk criticizing diversity in game design.
