Uncover the dark secret behind the Butterfly Collector in Assassin’s Creed Shadows as you hunt down elusive origami butterflies scattered across Osaka, unravel hidden messages, and track a sinister ring of kidnappers threatening the city’s children. From stealthy assassinations to daring rescues, this guide reveals every location and reward you need to dismantle the Butterfly Collector’s grip on the region and claim powerful treasures along the way.
Our Assassin’s Creed Shadows guide will tell you how to find all Butterfly Collector targets and complete all of their quests.
How to start ’The Butterfly Collector’ in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
To start “The Butterfly Collector” quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, head to Katano, located just west of Katano Castle in Izumi Settsu. There, you will find a young woman known as the Gamemaker standing next to the Ornament Vendor. Speaking with her will initiate the quest, which begins as a scavenger hunt for 10 origami butterflies hidden around Osaka. There are no prerequisites to start this quest, and once you begin, it will unlock a series of related missions and targets on the Objectives board.
The unnamed woman who starts you on “The Butterfly Collector” quest is in Katano to the west of Katano Castle and right next the ornament vendor.
When you speak with her, she’ll explain that she hid the 10 origami butterflies around Osaka. You’ll learn her name is the Gamemaker.
While you’re out looking, remember to use the left trigger to focus and look around. As long as you have “The Butterfly Collector” active and tracked, the butterflies will show up as blue dots on your HUD. And activating Eagle Vision will make them stand out a little more easily.
Or you could just see our guide on where to find all origami butterflies.
All Butterfly Collector targets in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the Butterfly Collector quest begins in Osaka when you meet the Gamemaker, who has hidden ten origami butterflies around the city as a playful challenge. Collecting these butterflies reveals secret letters that expose a kidnapping ring, leading to a new set of assassination targets: Richo, Mucho, Shucho, and Kacho. Each target has their own mini-quest chain involving rescuing kidnapped children and dismantling the gang. Completing these missions rewards players with mastery points, unique gear, and trinkets, culminating in a final confrontation with the Gamemaker to conclude the questline.
Turns out, the Butterfly Collector wasn’t really talking about origami. When you collect certain butterflies, you’ll find secret letters hidden inside pointing to a ring of kidnappers operating in and around Osaka. These will start you on several new quests and populate a new Objectives board – also named The Butterfly Collector.
The assassinations that you’ll get are all for people around Osaka. Use your scouts to, er, scout for any waypoints you’re having trouble finding. You’re looking for four kidnappers:
- Richo
- Mucho
- Shucho
- Kacho
The map above shows the locations for each kidnapper and the various associated objectives you’ll need to complete to reach them, which we’ll get into detail about below.
Where to find Richo
The first is Richo for the “All Will be Well” and “Forest Fugitive” quests.
Your first clues are that the ransom location is in southwestern Settsu, north of the Temple of Osaka, at a burnt well. There, you’ll hear a couple workers talking about a woman at a bamboo grove – which is in southwestern Settsu, north of Osaka Castle, near Noda Village.
After the stabbing, you’ll get the Dog-Ear tanto and some mon. Walk the (annoying) child home. When you get her there, she’ll give you the Trinket of Childlike Bravery trinket.
Where to find Mucho
Next is Mucho for the “Find the Child” and “Paper Trail” quests.
The targeted child (and the kidnapper) are in southwestern Settsu, on an island west of Osaka, in Kojo Ruins. Once the stabbing is done, you’ll get the Hidden Pleat tanto and some mon.
Follow the boy home where his father will point you to a paper merchant in southwestern Settsu, north of the Temple of Osaka, and near a big tree. The merchant will point you to the kidnappers’ leader in Nishinomaru Garden (we’ll get to her in a second).
Where to find Shucho
Your last target before the ringleader is Shucho as part of the “One That Got Away” and “Safe as Sandals” quests.
The escaped child is in southwestern Settsu, west of the Fisherman’s District, and near horses. After you talk to her, you’ll be looking for Shucho nearby – she’s in southwestern Settsu, was seen southwest of the Temple of Osaka, and is running around the Fishermen’s District.
What that ultimately means is that she’ll be along the southern coast of the island, about a block to the east. Killing her gets you the Ink Spiller tanto and some more mon.
Where to find Kacho
The leader of the kidnappers, Kacho, is part of the “Chrysalis” quest.
The kidnappers hideout is in southwestern Settsu, northwest of the Fishermen’s District, and surrounded by carved stones.
In the hideout (a shed), you’ll find Monshiro’s Diary Page that will point you to her location in southwestern Settsu, near Nishinomaru Garden, in a garden with butterflies. The gardens are part of Osaka Castle and hostile, so you’ll have to do some sneaking.
With her dying breath, she’ll point you back to the Gamemaker.
Should you forgive the Gamemaker?
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, when you confront the Gamemaker during the Butterfly Collector questline, you face a crucial choice: to forgive or punish her. Sparing the Gamemaker yields better rewards, including the rare Butterfly of Benevolence trinket and a slightly higher XP gain, while killing her grants a Mastery Point but misses out on these benefits. The Gamemaker, revealed to be another victim of the Butterfly Collector organization, asks you to give her a name, symbolizing a chance for a new beginning. Choosing forgiveness not only aligns with the game’s themes of mercy but also provides a more rewarding outcome, making it the recommended option for players seeking both narrative closure and gameplay advantages.
Now you can return to the Gamemaker in Katano and confront her. The first thing she’ll ask you to do is name her since she never really had one of her own. After that, you’ll have to decide if you should make her pay for what she did or forgive her. Either way, you’ll get the Ebisu’s Gamble box, some mon, and a mastery point.
If you forgive her, though, and tell her to start a new life, you’ll also get the Butterfly of Benevolence trinket that. improves your origami skills? Yeah, we’re not sure what that means either.
What hidden secrets do the butterfly locations reveal in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
The butterfly locations in Assassin’s Creed Shadows reveal hidden letters concealed within certain origami butterflies, which expose a secret ring of kidnappers operating in and around Osaka. Collecting these butterflies initiates a series of new quests centered on tracking down and assassinating four kidnappers-Richo, Mucho, Shucho, and Kacho-and rescuing missing children. This transforms what appears to be a simple collectible hunt into a darker conspiracy unraveling through the city, deepening the narrative and unlocking a dedicated Objectives board called The Butterfly Collector.
What do the secret letters hidden in butterflies reveal about Osaka’s dark past
The secret letters hidden in the origami butterflies in Assassin’s Creed Shadows reveal a dark and disturbing past in Osaka involving a secret ring of kidnappers who abduct children from the city. These letters expose the identities and locations of four key kidnappers-Richo, Mucho, Shucho, and Kacho-unveiling their sinister operations along the riverbanks and districts of Osaka. One letter, for example, mentions an escaped child near the Fisherman’s District, hinting at the kidnappers’ cruel activities and the desperate need for rescue missions. Collecting these letters triggers quests to hunt down the kidnappers, rescue the missing children, and ultimately confront the leader Kacho in a restricted area near Nishinomaru Garden. This narrative thread uncovers a hidden criminal conspiracy beneath Osaka’s surface, transforming the seemingly innocent butterfly collectibles into clues that reveal the city’s grim secrets.
