How to beat Takahashi Saburo (The Twisted Tree) in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Discover the changing locations of Takahashi Saburo and effective methods of defeating him in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Assassinate Takahashi Saburo (Image via Ubisoft)
Assassinate Takahashi Saburo (Image via Ubisoft)

The Twisted Tree is an organization in Assassin’s Creed Shadows that Naoe and Yasuke are tasked with eliminating during the Inside Help main quest. It is part of the Onryo storyline to assassinate The Fool, Ise Sadoki. Sadoki is at Yamazaki Castle, and his brother, Ise Sadatame, advises you to seek out a former castle guard who can provide a tactical advantage. When you find the castle guard, Ujimasa, at Kiyomizudera Temple, he tasks you with eradicating The Twisted Tree to earn his trust.

The Twisted Tree is a group of seven members of the Takahashi led by a ruthless patriarch. They terrorize the citizens of Kyoto with their cruel code and aren’t worthy of being called samurai according to Ujimasa. Takahashi Saburo is one of the seven Twisted Tree members you need to assassinate. Defeating him will reward you with 2,000XP, two Mastery Points, and a rare weapon. However, his location and the number of guards protecting him will change depending on the order in which you assassinate members of The Twisted Tree.

Where to Find Takahashi Saburo in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Assassin's Creed Shadows The Twisted Tree Main Quest
Location of Takahashi Saburo If Takahashi Inoshichi is alive (Image via Ubisoft)

Takahashi Saburo is located in Kyoto. However, his exact position changes depending on whether you assassinate Takahashi Inoshichi, the clan patriarch, before him. If Inoshichi is still alive, Saburo can be found on the south side of the Asukai Clan Domain.

Location of Takahashi Saburo (Image via Ubisoft)
Location of Takahashi Saburo If Takahashi Inoshichi is eliminated (Image via Ubisoft)

If you assassinate Takahashi Inoshichi before him, Saburo will be waiting for you at his father’s estate to avenge his death. The estate is located directly west of Honnoji Temple as seen in the map image above.

How to Beat Takahashi Saburo in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Takahashi Saburo rewards (Image via Ubisoft)
Takahashi Saburo rewards (Image via Ubisoft)

The difficulty in defeating Takahashi Saburo also varies depending on whether you assassinate Takahashi Inoshichi first.

If Takahashi Inoshichi is Alive

The clan patriarch has assigned a large bodyguard to Takahashi Saburo, but Saburo is resentful of his presence and eager to prove himself. This means that if you attack Saburo head-on, he will duel you honorably and his bodyguard will not intervene. To fight him directly, equip a weapon with high single-target damaging abilities and armor-piercing damage. Saburo wears armor, but he goes down quickly once you break through it. Using stealth is also viable. Climb the wall of the Asukai Clan Domain to land a stealth kill, or sneak up behind him, as his bodyguard is usually facing the same direction as him.

If Takahashi Inoshichi is Assassinated

Once you assassinate Takahashi Inoshichi, Takahashi Saburo fortifies the family estate and waits for you at its gate. He can still be defeated quickly with a head-on assault. Equip yourself with an armor-piercing weapon and focus your attacks on him when the fight starts. For the stealth approach, choose Naoe. Hug the estate wall and sneak toward the gate from the south side. Climb the wall once you are near the gate. Perform an aerial assassination on Takahashi Saburo from the high ground before enemies have a chance to react.


AC Shadows logo [Source: Ubisoft]

We provide the latest news and create guides for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Meanwhile, you can check out the following AC Shadows articles or catch us playing games on Twitch and YouTube: