The Controversy Around Assassin’s Creed Shadows and the Presence of a Black ProtagonistYasuke, shows no signs of abating, so much so that a petition on change.org to even ask for the game to be deletedconsidered offensive to Japanese culture.
We imagine that Ubisoft will not listen to him, given the investments needed to make such a title, but the petition itself is relevant for the already high number of signatures collected: more than 25,000. Note that the text is written in Japanese, but it is finding support especially in our parts, as visible on the supporters page, whose major exponents are American, so much so as to make one think of something artfully constructed to appear to come from Japan.
A strange petition
In the text, written by a certain Shimizu Toru (who does not identify himself in any way and of whom there are no traces online), we can read: “The recent presentation of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, a video game developed by Ubisoft, has raised significant concerns regarding its historical accuracy and disrespect towards Japanese culture.
The game, which focuses on Japanese samurai, completely ignores the historical reality of their social class. Samurai were members of the warrior caste of feudal Japan.subordinate to the class of daimyō (feudal lords). They were not simply individual “warriors”, but part of a well-defined social and political structure.
Furthermore, the game seems to perpetuate the misperception that samurai were only elite warriors. In reality, their life was much more complex and varied according to their rank and role within society.
The figure of William Adams (Yasuke’s real name, according to the petition), a European who became a samurai during the Edo period, is misused in the game. Adams, while he was granted the title of samurai, was not a typical representative of the class. His position was the exception, not the rule.
Ubisoft’s misrepresentation of the samurai demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of their essence and role in Japanese history. This misrepresentation is not only an insult to Japanese culture and history, but also risks fueling racial prejudice against Asians.
For these reasons, we invite Ubisoft to:
Cancel the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows immediately.
Conduct in-depth and respectful research into Japanese history and culture.
Carefully review the game’s depiction of samurai to ensure accuracy and respect.”
