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How to unlock Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows explained

This took longer than expected.

Two screenshots from AC Shadows, showing Yasuke from the front and behind, superimposed together.

Ubisoft

Published: Monday, 24 March 2025 at 12:17 pm

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If you've been playing Assassin's Creed Shadows for a couple of hours, you might be wondering what happened to Yasuke.

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Despite being introduced front and centre in the prologue, Yasuke is nowhere to be seen during your next few hours of playtime in the game.

So, what gives? How do you unlock Yasuke and start playing as the powerful samurai? Keep on reading to find out!

And while we've got you thinking about Yasuke, did you know he's based on a real historical figure? Our friends at History Extra have you covered with all the details on his true story.

How to unlock Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows explained

A screenshot of Yasuke and Naoe from Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Which one will be your favourite? Ubisoft

To unlock Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows, you need to complete the following tasks as Naoe:

Once you've finished those three chunks of the main story, Naoe and Yasuke will team up and you'll be able to swap between them at will.

Basically, all you need to do is follow the main story until it leads to a very obvious scene where Naoe and Yasuke meet. Their interests align, and you'll be off to the races.

It took our reviewer 8.5 hours to hit the point where Yasuke is unlocked, but that timing will vary depending on how much side content you choose to partake in.

To see more of your Assassin's Creed Shadows questions answered, check out our video below.

How to swap characters in Assassin's Creed Shadows explained

To swap characters in Assassin's Creed Shadows explained, you need to follow these steps:

During the game, there will also be moments during cut-scenes where you can choose which character to move forward with.

Also, whenever you're about to fast travel, you'll see the option to switch to the other character while you're in transit.

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Which character is better in Assassin's Creed Shadows?

For this writer, Naoe is the best playable character in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

When I play as Yasuke, I find his lack of agile movement frustrating. I don't enjoy seeing him wobble on roof tops, and he even snaps tight-ropes when he tries to walk on them.

I was going for a more stealthy approach, and for that, Naoe is by far the better choice.

However, if you're going for more of a smash-and-grab, violent playthrough, Yasuke will be better for that. The choice, as they say, is yours.

And that's all you need to know! Now that you've have both characters, the wide open world is your oyster, and you'll now have two sets of skill trees to work on. Have fun!

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Rob Leane, smiling against a lime green background.

Rob LeaneGaming Editor

Rob Leane is the Gaming Editor at Radio Times, overseeing our coverage of the biggest games on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile and VR. Rob works across our website, social media accounts and video channels, as well as producing our weekly gaming newsletter. He has previously worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional and Dennis Publishing.

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