“Assassin’s Creed Shadows” is called “Woke” because of the black protagonist in feudal Japan

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Some conservative critics have criticized the upcoming video game Assassin’s Creed as “woke” because one of the main playable characters in the game, set in feudal Japan, is black – despite being based on a real-life black man who served as a samurai warrior – and because the developers have hinted that players will have the opportunity to pursue romantic relationships with the LGBTQ community.

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Main critics

The game’s diverse character options have angered some critics, who have dismissed the game as “woke,” including right-wing YouTuber Tim Pool, who posted a video to his 1.3 million subscribers calling it “pandering” to base a game set in feudal Japan on a black character rather than a “real Japanese hero in a Japanese time period.” Several hosts of the conservative media organization Daily Wire also criticized the game, including Brett Cooper, who joked to her 4 million YouTube subscribers that a black samurai is “exactly what I think of when I think of feudal Japan. Ever open a history book?” Although she praised the look of the trailer and Yasuke’s story, she said a Japanese main character would have been better suited to a story set in Japan, and accused the game of “mindless, empty exposition.” Daily Wire host Michael Knowles criticized the possible options for LGBTQ relationships, telling his 2 million YouTube subscribers that he supported Yasuke as a character until Ubisoft “made him gay.” Some players complained on X and in the comment sections of Assassin’s Creed Instagram posts that the game’s male protagonist is not Japanese.

Contra

Yasuke is a real historical figure considered by historians to be the “first black samurai.” Although his exact origins are largely unknown, many historians believe he was from Mozambique, while others say he may have come from Ethiopia or Nigeria, the BBC reported. Yasuke traveled to Japan with Italian Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano in 1579, likely in his service as a bodyguard, historian Thomas Lockley told Time. Yasuke and Valignano traveled to Kyoto in 1581, where Yasuke met Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga, known as one of the great “unifiers” of Japan. Nobunaga — who initially did not believe Yasuke’s skin was black and ordered him scrubbed — recruited Yasuke into his army, impressed by his size and strong stature. Lockley told Smithsonian Magazine that Yasuke was the first foreign-born man to join the ranks of the Japanese samurai, and that he was with Nobunaga when he committed seppuku (a form of suicide) after being ambushed by one of his generals.

tangent

Other video games have come under similar criticism from players and critics for their diverse character options. Some players criticized the PC and Xbox game “Starfield,” which was released in September, because the game allows players to choose their pronouns — he/him, she/her, or they/them — which can be changed at any time. “The Last of Us Part II,” a sequel to the hugely successful game that spawned an award-winning HBO series, also angered some fans in 2020 because one of the main controllable characters, Abby, is a woman with a muscular build. Others found the backlash against Abby to be misogynistic and transphobic (even though Abby is not transgender). The game was bombarded with reviews on Metacritic, dropping its user rating to as low as 3.4 out of 10, despite receiving consistently positive reviews from critics. Abby’s voice actress received death threats from angry players, prompting developer Naughty Dog to condemn the hateful messages.

Surprising fact

Yasuke’s story has been adapted into pop culture several times: In 2021, a Netflix anime series launched, with actor LaKeith Stanfield lending his voice to the warrior in the English-language edition. In 2022, Netflix also announced a live-action series about Yasuke, with French actor Omar Sy in talks to play the samurai. Several film studios have also tried to adapt Yasuke’s life for the big screen. Actor Chadwick Boseman was linked to a planned Yasuke film in 2019, although Boseman died of colon cancer in 2020. Last month, Warner Bros. acquired the upcoming film about Yasuke from director Blitz Bazawule.

Further information

The true story of Yasuke, the legendary black samurai behind Netflix’s new anime series (TIME)

The first trailer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows shows samurai and ninja action (The Verge)

The Last of Us 2 developer Naughty Dog condemns harassment and death threats (Polygon)

‘Starfield’ Gender Controversy: Some Gamers Go Viral – and Face Ridicule – for Extreme Reactions to Pronouns (Forbes)