The gaming world is once again caught up in a manufactured controversy, and this time, it’s over history. Assassin’s Creed Shadows revealed its two protagonists, and suddenly, conservative gamers are melting down. The problem? One of the lead characters is Yasuke, a real-life Black samurai who served under the famous Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga. For those who love to scream about historical accuracy, this should be a dream come true. Instead, they are furious.

Historical Accuracy Was Never the Problem

The Assassin’s Creed series has never been about strict historical accuracy. The games blend history with fiction, science fiction, and conspiracy theories. Players have controlled a Welsh pirate in the Caribbean, a Viking colonizer in Anglo-Saxon England, and a Greek mercenary who fought mythical creatures. No one batted an eye at these historical liberties. But now that a Black samurai is in the mix, suddenly everyone is an expert on Japanese history.

If history is the concern, then Yasuke’s inclusion should be celebrated. Unlike many past protagonists in the series, Yasuke was a real person. Records show he was an African slave brought to Japan by Christian missionaries. He rose through the ranks and served directly under Nobunaga. He was granted a stipend, a sword, and a residence—similar to what many samurai received. Yet, gamers who claim to care about historical accuracy insist he wasn’t a “real” samurai. The reality is they just don’t like that he was Black.

Double Standards in Historical Media

Western entertainment has a long history of distorting facts, but that has never triggered the same level of outrage. Hollywood has spent decades portraying Jesus as a white man, despite him being Middle Eastern. Films like Braveheart and The Patriot take massive liberties with history but rarely face backlash for it. When history gets rewritten to glorify white heroes, no one complains. But when a historical Black figure gets a moment in the spotlight, the complaints flood in.

The hypocrisy is blatant. If a fictional European or American protagonist in Assassin’s Creed is fine, then why is a real-life African samurai where they draw the line? The truth is, this isn’t about history. It’s about the fact that they don’t want to see a Black man in a position of importance in a historical setting.

The Gamers Who Suddenly Care About Japan

One of the strangest aspects of this backlash is the sudden protectiveness over Japanese history from people who have never been to Japan and know little about it beyond anime and video games. These gamers claim that Yasuke’s inclusion is Western “woke colonialism” being forced onto Japan. What they fail to realize is that Yasuke’s legacy has been acknowledged by Japanese scholars and storytellers for centuries. Japanese people have been telling his story long before Assassin’s Creed decided to include him.

In fact, Japanese developers working on the game have defended Yasuke’s inclusion. They see it as a way to introduce more people to an often-overlooked part of history. But instead of listening to them, Western gamers are telling Japanese creators what their own history should look like. That isn’t about protecting history. That is about control.

The Real Reason Behind the Outrage Over A Black Samurai

The backlash against Assassin’s Creed Shadows has nothing to do with historical accuracy and everything to do with the ongoing culture war in gaming. Many of the same people angry about Yasuke’s inclusion were also furious when The Last of Us Part II featured a muscular female lead or when Horizon Forbidden West gave Aloy realistic body proportions. These are not historians. They are the same group of people who constantly complain about diversity in media while pretending their concerns are about integrity and quality.

If these critics truly wanted historical accuracy, they would embrace Assassin’s Creed Shadows for finally using a real historical figure as a protagonist. Instead, they are revealing their biases. They are fine with fictionalized history as long as it centers on white men, but the moment a Black man or a woman takes the lead, it’s suddenly a problem.

The Bigger Picture

Japan’s impact on global pop culture is massive. From anime to video games to cinema, Japanese media has long been respected and celebrated. Western audiences have had no shortage of samurai stories featuring Japanese men. Games like Ghost of Tsushima and Rise of the Ronin have focused on these figures without controversy. The idea that one game featuring a Black samurai somehow erases Japanese representation is laughable.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows does not take anything away from Japanese history. It expands the conversation by bringing attention to a real figure who played a unique role in that history. The people outraged over this are not defending history. They are defending their own narrow, exclusionary view of it.

Final Thoughts

The backlash against Assassin’s Creed Shadows is not about historical accuracy, but about who gets to be centered in history. Yasuke was real. His story deserves to be told. The same gamers who accepted aliens, ancient aliens, and centuries of historical liberties in this franchise are now up in arms because the protagonist is a Black man in Japan.

If you are truly a fan of history, you should be excited to learn more about overlooked figures like Yasuke. If you are angry about his inclusion, maybe the problem isn’t the game. Maybe the problem is you.

Discover more from Feminegra

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.