From a Japanese perspective, I’ll personally give reasons why there are many critical opinions about the ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ trailer.

I will summarize the content I posted on X because it was too long.

As a typical Japanese person, I'd like to share my thoughts on the controversy surrounding Yasuke. Frankly, since there are few detailed records about Yasuke's background or what he did in Japan, I don't see any problem with Ubisoft portraying him extensively in their game as a protagonist. After all, it's just a game!

However... Does Ubisoft perceive samurai and medieval Japan as such a barbaric world? Even if it's fiction, there are quite a few expressions like "there's no way..." which I find questionable. Considering that dramas like "Shogun" have garnered quite a reputation in the USA, I feel they could at least use those as a reference. Well, let's get to the main point.

Do people living abroad truly grasp who the individuals called "samurai" were in the first place?

I often hear descriptions like proud warriors or embodying the spirit of bushido, but I think they're essentially similar to the knights in the West. In other words, samurai were professional soldiers who served a lord. That's the basic idea.

And if I may add something extra, samurai were inherently very violent and barbaric, at least until the Kamakura period. After all, it was common practice to attack travelers under the guise of training and display their heads on gateposts. In fact, perhaps more civilians were attacked by samurai than by thieves.

Then, when did this viciousness begin to subside? It was after the Minamoto clan established the Kamakura shogunate, a unified military government in Kamakura.

There might be a misunderstanding here, but it's true that even before this period, Japan had laws. However, as previously mentioned, samurai were largely illiterate and considered somewhat barbaric, so their understanding of written laws was limited. Essentially, concepts like "law"? What's that, something to eat? level. Of course, each warrior family had its own rules...

So, the Kamakura Shogunate set out to create understandable laws for the samurai of the time.

Please don't laugh...

To summarize a few points:

• You must not kill others.

• Conflict starts with insults, so you must not speak ill of others.

• You must not physically assault others.

• Falsifying documents is prohibited.

• Arson and robbery are condemned.

• Taking peasants' property is forbidden.

• Taking someone else's land is prohibited.

• You will be punished for joining fights.

• Plaintiffs must not threaten defendants using the authority of the shogunate.

These are more like morals than laws, aren't they?

Those who wondered what these crazy people were up to should look into the Goseibai Shikimoku. You'll find much more detailed information than my explanation.

Sorry, I've digressed a bit.

Let's get back on track. We're talking about the Azuchi-Momoyama period in Japan, which is the setting of the game. This was the era when Yasuke and his master, Oda Nobunaga, were prominent figures.

Firstly, what is a samurai? As previously mentioned, they were professional soldiers. Among them were those who led and commanded commoners conscripted as part of taxes.

They were already referred to as samurai at that time, but they were employed by the aristocrats who ruled the land, working under their command to maintain order and collect taxes, among other duties. In essence, they originally served the aristocracy.

...When written like this, they really are just like knights of the East, aren't they?

However, many warrior families grew weary of serving the aristocracy over time. They used their military strength to seize control of noble lands and began consolidating their power. These individuals later came to be known as daimyo.

Even though there was some calm with the establishment of the shogunate, it seems the aristocracy couldn't fully control the savage warriors, who were among the most barbaric of all.

From there, time progressed to the era of Oda Nobunaga. He utilized his military strength and developed his country's economy, striving to seize power from the shogunate, which was then in decline. This period marked the Oda clan's efforts towards a unified military government—essentially on the brink of establishing a shogunate.

It goes without saying, but the legitimate government of Japan at that time was centered around the imperial court (or "court"), which was based on the imperial family. However, unlike modern times, there were no rapid communication methods, making it impossible to control regional powers. Warlords of the Sengoku period roamed freely in various regions, and civil war... well, local lords didn't have a sense that Japan was a unified country with neighboring territories. They didn't have an awareness of civil war either. The imperial court had to relinquish complete control over the samurai armies. The shogunate was a legitimate military regime for controlling other samurai. The leader of the shogunate is called the "shogun."

I'll omit the formal titles since they are not particularly relevant to this discussion.

In ancient times, after the collapse of the Kamakura shogunate, the imperial family attempted to regain political control from the samurai but failed. This resulted in a large-scale civil war centered around the aristocracy. Naturally, samurai aligned with various factions participated in these battles, and as a result, the political influence of the samurai increased. Eventually, efforts to control the proliferation of samurai across Japan were effectively abandoned, and governance was instead entrusted to the shogunate.

If you're interested, I can research the Nanboku-cho period for you. It's a period in Japanese history that can be quite complex and headache-inducing to delve into.

And as time progressed, nearing the unification of Japan under the Oda clan, he received contact from the Jesuit missionaries of Spain. This marked the beginning of their efforts to spread Christianity within Japan.

Nobunaga aimed to unify Japan and sought to incorporate knowledge from foreign powers. During this time, the missionary Alessandro Valignano visited Nobunaga for an audience. It is recorded that yasuke accompanied him as a slave. It is uncertain if there were other Africans in Japan at that time, but Nobunaga, upon seeing someone with black skin despite not being sunburned, reportedly couldn't believe it and ordered them to undress and wash their body. At least, there are records and evidence that indicate yasuke's existence.

It seems that Nobunaga, who had a fondness for unusual things, reportedly expressed a desire to have the African brought to him, brought by that missionary. At that time, he was effectively the highest authority in Japan. Rather than refusing Nobunaga's request outright, Yasuke apparently came to serve under Nobunaga. The details of their initial meeting are unclear, but historical records mention that Yasuke was granted lodging and a short sword called a "saya-maki," indicating that he was likely favored by Nobunaga.

Receiving a short sword didn't mean that Shosuke became a samurai. It was extremely rare for someone of low status to receive something like a short sword as a reward. This was simply considered a token of Nobunaga's favor, and it's believed to have had no further significance.

It seems like mere speculation, but there were whispers that yasuke might be granted some form of estate (though calling it a castle might be an exaggeration). However, even if he was a favorite, the sudden promotion to lordship would seem excessive. If it had indeed happened, yasuke would have likely faced considerable challenges, imagining the circumstances he had to overcome.

However, if Yasuke was indeed promoted to the position of castle lord, he would likely be considered a samurai, or a warrior. During that time, being a samurai or warrior typically required being born into a military family—a prerequisite. Therefore, to attain the status of samurai or warrior through other means, it was necessary to be explicitly granted that status by a ruler.

However, later on, Nobunaga was assassinated due to Akechi Mitsuhide's rebellion. Yasuke was disarmed by Mitsuhide's followers and reportedly told, "You are not Japanese. According to the missionaries, you are not human but an animal. Therefore, there is no need to kill you." He was then returned to the Jesuits (the Church), and his fate thereafter is unknown.

With the loss of Nobunaga, the leader of the Oda clan, and his successor Nobutada, the Oda clan would have been thrown into great turmoil. As for Yasuke, effectively expelled from Japan by the traitor Mitsuhide, it's likely that hardly anyone cared about his fate.

I've written at length, but in my opinion, Yasuke served under Nobunaga, which aligns with the meaning of "samurai" as someone who serves. From this perspective, it's undeniable that people in the Western world could consider him a samurai. However, based on the institutional norms of Japan at that time, unfortunately, he wasn't officially recognized as a samurai. I don't refute the idea that he came close to that status, but...

If I were to put it in terms understandable to you, it would be like saying he didn't receive knighthood, so he's not a knight. This isn't discrimination or anything of that sort; it's just a factual statement.

Understood, this is strictly about the game context. In a fantasy setting, if the game portrays Shosuke as formally becoming a samurai or warrior, that's entirely acceptable within that fictional framework. However, if someone were to distort history and claim, "He was a samurai!" it's natural for others to react with confusion or disbelief, thinking, "What are they talking about?"

I want to make it clear that no one is denying that Yasuke becomes a samurai in the story of this game. Nobody is denying that Yasuke becomes a samurai. Furthermore, nobody is refusing the idea of a black person becoming a samurai. However, the point is that during that time, within the ruling class and the samurai society, it was practically impossible for him to become a samurai. It's a very difficult concept even for the Japanese of that time.

And another thing, I have issues with how samurai are depicted in this game. Why does this huge man wear the Oda clan crest even though he's not officially a member of the Oda family? And why is he walking around town fully armed and armored? This is akin to forging a knight's coat of arms and is quite a risky behavior.

Thinking logically, since Yasuke's position in this game is unclear, I'll avoid specific references to that. But whose territory is that town in, and under whose authority is he using force? Even a slight misstep could be seen as an act of declaring war, couldn't it?

If a fully armed foreigner was walking around a seemingly peaceful town like that, people would likely run away before even bowing their heads! Honestly, as a game, that sounds more entertaining though!

I may have rambled on, making my message unclear, but at the very least, from a historical and societal perspective of Japan at that time, it's quite implausible to claim that Yasuke, a foreigner, was a samurai. If it's a game setting, and they decide to portray him as such, then so be it.

I'll emphasize again, this is not discrimination... In fact, portraying Yasuke as an uncivilized, rude character in such a manner is rather unfortunate.

I won't mention anything specific about the other protagonist, who seems to be a female ninja, at this point.

I'm grateful that you stayed with me through the long conversation.
Thank you!