How To Unlock and Play as Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Yasuke is the second playable character you unlock in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Here’s how and when you can unlock him.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the latest title in Ubisoft’s AC series that will be released worldwide on March 20, 2025. In this game, you get to play as Naoe, a skilled shinobi, and as Yasuke, a dominating samurai. Naoe is great for sneaky assassinations, but you need to have Yasuke for head-on battles. However, once you play Yasuke in the prologue, he simply vanishes and Naoe becomes your only playable character.

Don’t expect to play as Yasuke until you achieve significant progress. However, it is natural for players to want to get Yasuke quickly so they can fight head-on with strong enemies. To help you with that, here’s how you can unlock and play as Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Also Read: Assassin’s Creed Shadows Combat Guide

Unlocking Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Yasuke is the first of the two protagonists you get to play as in the Assassin’s Creed Shadows prologue. After the prologue, you are left with Naoe, alone with no sight of Yasuke anywhere. You have to go forward in the story to be able to play as Yasuke again.

Reach the Temple of the Horseman main mission. This quest lets you team up with Akechi Mitsuhide to raid Oda Nobunaga’s hideout at the Honojji Temple. Completing this mission leads to a sequence of cutscenes after which you finally get to play Yasuke again. 

As Yasuke, you need to go to Naoe to complete this section. Then after some cutscenes, both protagonists are sent back to the hideout. Here, you have to choose either Yasuke or Naoe. Do not worry as this is just the game asking whether you want to currently play as Naoe or Yasuke. You can switch between the protagonists later.

Swapping Between Yasuke and Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

There are two ways in which you can swap between the protagonists in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The first method is quite simple as all you need to do is open your inventory to get the prompt to swap between Yasuke and Naoe. The second method is through a new fast traveling option that changes your location and swaps the character as well.

Also Read: How Long Does It Take To Beat Assassin’s Creed Shadows

---

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:

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows: PS5 and Xbox Performance and Quality Modes Explained
• Can You Do One-Shot Assassinations in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
• How To Get Assassin’s Creed Shadows Slash of Sprecher for Free
• Who Are the Assassin’s Creed Shadows Protagonists? Everything We Know About Yasuke and Naoe
• Can You Play Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Steam Deck
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows Release Time Countdown for All Regions