Yasuke, the legendary samurai, makes a striking but brief debut in Assassin’s Creed Shadows before vanishing from the spotlight-leaving players wondering when they can finally take control of him. The wait ends after completing the pivotal “Temple of the Horseman” mission and a couple of major assassinations, unlocking Yasuke as a playable character alongside Naoe. Master both warriors and seamlessly switch between stealth and brute force as their stories collide in Sengoku-era Japan.
In this Assassin’s Creed Shadows guide, we’ll walk you through when you unlock Yasuke, how he and Naoe differ from each other, and how to change between the two characters at will.
[Ed. note: This guide contains spoilers for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.]
When do you unlock Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
Yasuke is initially playable only during a brief prologue combat tutorial in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. After that, players switch to controlling Naoe for approximately 8 to 12 hours, depending on side content, as they progress through the main story. Yasuke is unlocked as a permanent playable character after completing the main campaign quest “Temple of the Horseman,” which typically occurs after finishing two major assassinations, “The Wounded” and “The Golden Teppo.” Following this mission and a couple of subsequent quests, Yasuke returns to the story and becomes available for free character switching.
Yasuke is the first character you play as in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but you’ll lose track of him after the prologue. Yasuke will eventually reenter the story as a playable character at the very end of the “Temple of the Horseman” mission. This mission concludes first act of the main story and can take you anywhere from 10 to 20 hours to reach, depending on how many optional activities you get distracted by.
To reach Yasuke as quickly as possible, focus on eliminating the first two major targets in your Objectives menu: the Wounded and the Golden Teppo. After you take out both targets, head back to the Hideout and then follow the mission objectives for the next available major target.
During the next few story beats (which, for those who have brushed up on their history, comprise the real-life Honnō-ji Incident), you’ll run into Yasuke for the first time since the prologue. After quite a few cutscenes and some short gameplay sections, you’ll get Yasuke as a playable character and be able to both change his gear and invest in his skill trees.
Yasuke’s absence throughout the first act of Shadows may come as a bit of a surprise, considering the game was marketed as one in which you split your playtime between two protagonists. Publisher Ubisoft revealed in 2024 that Yasuke – a Black man likely born in the mid-1500s in present-day Mozambique, Nigeria, or Ethiopia – would serve as one of the protagonists. Shadows has since received backlash on the tenuous basis of historical accuracy, despite historical evidence suggesting that Yasuke was in fact a Black man of African descent who served the warlord Oda Nobunaga (the same character he works under in the game) as Japan’s first and only Black samurai.
Ubisoft acknowledged the backlash in a letter last summer asking people to stop harassing its developers. The studio then delayed the game twice before it ended up with its March 2025 release date. A representative for Ubisoft told AELGAMES the studio had not “altered” the original vision for Shadows’ narrative.
Yasuke and Naoe differences in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Yasuke and Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows offer distinctly different playstyles that cater to contrasting approaches to combat and exploration. Naoe embodies the classic stealth assassin archetype, excelling in agility, silent takedowns, and exploration with tools like a grappling hook and Eagle Vision. She is best suited for players who prefer quick-paced, stealthy assassinations and careful navigation through enemy territory. In contrast, Yasuke is designed as a heavy melee combatant, focusing on brute strength and durability. He is less mobile, cannot kill silently, and is ideal for confronting large groups of enemies and tough bosses head-on. Yasuke’s combat style is more aggressive and direct, with powerful swordplay and brutal assassination moves that initiate combat rather than avoid it. While Naoe thrives on stealth and speed, Yasuke offers a tank-like experience, making him the go-to character when players want to embrace raw power over subtlety.
Yasuke and Naoe play very differently from one another, with each representing a different pillar of Assassin’s Creed gameplay. Naoe is better at stealth, while Yasuke is stronger in combat. As a result, they use different weapons.
Naoe is your typical assassin. She’s a shinobi – essentially synonymous with ninja – who wields the classic Assassin’s hidden blade, sneaks around rooftops, and is otherwise geared toward stealthily assassinating targets. She’s nimble, has a grappling hook, and can’t survive many hits in open combat – at least at the start of the game.
Yasuke, on the other hand, is a killing machine. Yasuke is extremely powerful in combat and tends to use larger weapons, but he climbs much more slowly than Naoe, doesn’t have Eagle Vision, can’t walk on tightropes, and can’t perform the traditional “leap of faith.” (That said, jumping into a hay bale as Yasuke is hilarious and will also earn you an achievement or trophy, so it’s definitely worth doing at least once.)
Both Naoe and Yasuke can assassinate targets, although Yasuke’s is a “brutal assassination” ability that you’ll need to unlock first. Naoe can’t assassinate everyone in a single hit at the start of the game, but earn enough mastery points, and you’re able to level up her ability to take targets out quickly from stealth much more efficiently than Yasuke. In exchange, Yasuke has more weapons and much heavier armor to use to his advantage, and he can carry more rations (that’s Assassin’s Creed speak for potions).
Yasuke and Naoe are meant to embody “samurai” and “shinobi,” respectively, including the positives and negatives that come with each. So if you find yourself climbing around a lot at Yasuke, you should probably swap to Naoe. And if you find yourself in combat often as Naoe, maybe it’s time to take your samurai out for a spin instead.
How to switch between Yasuke and Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
To switch between Yasuke and Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you first need to unlock Yasuke by progressing through the main story until the end of Act 1, which typically takes around 8 to 13 hours depending on your playstyle. After completing key missions such as “Temple of the Horseman,” “Lightning and Thunder,” and “Mibuno Showdown,” the game allows you to freely switch between the two characters. You can switch by holding the designated button (Square on PlayStation or X on Xbox) in the Inventory menu or while fast traveling by holding the same button to spawn as the other character at your chosen location. Note that character switching is restricted during certain quests, combat, or in restricted areas, and some missions are character-specific, requiring you to play as either Yasuke or Naoe exclusively.
Once you’ve unlocked both characters, you can swap between Yasuke and Naoe either in your menu(s) or by fast traveling.
In your Inventory and Mastery menus, you’ll find a button prompt asking if you want to swap to the other character at the bottom of the inventory screen. Holding that input will reload the world and situate you in (more or less) the same spot you were, but as the other character.
The fast travel option simply gives you a second button prompt when fast traveling anywhere in the world. Instead of holding X on PS5, for example, you can hold Square to fast travel to the location as the other character. When you arrive, you’ll have already swapped.
The main caveat here is that you cannot swap while in combat or in a restricted area. Basically, anytime you see a red or yellow bar at the top of your screen – while you’re infiltrating a castle, for example – you won’t be able to switch characters, even if you’re just standing on a rooftop and not actively fighting an enemy. Think about it like this: If you can’t fast travel from where you are, you can’t swap characters either.
There are also certain quests and optional activities that you can only complete as one character or the other, and you can’t swap in the middle of those, either.
When exactly do I get to play as Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
You get to play as Yasuke again in Assassin’s Creed Shadows after completing the first two main assassination targets, The Wounded and The Golden Teppo, and then finishing the main mission called Temple of the Horseman. This sequence marks the end of the game’s first act, after which Yasuke becomes a fully playable character alongside Naoe, allowing you to switch between them freely. Depending on your pace and side activities, this can take roughly 10 to 20 hours into the game.
How long did it take others to unlock Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Players typically unlock Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows after completing the first two main assassination targets, The Wounded and The Golden Teppo, and then finishing the Temple of the Horseman mission, which concludes Act 1 of the story. This process usually takes between 9 to 20 hours depending on playstyle and side activities, with some players reporting times as low as around 10-12 hours and others taking over 20 or even 30 hours. There are also speedrun guides that show how to unlock Yasuke in under 2 hours by focusing solely on main objectives and setting the difficulty to Story mode.
