More Assassin’s Creed: Shadows Yasuke Drama: Another Japanese Academic Sacrifices His Integrity At The Altar Of D.E.I.

Ubisoft's primary cultural defender for Assassin's Creed: Shadows willfully ignores Japanese history to push the video game's agenda.

Japanese historian Yu Hirayama, a specially appointed professor at the University of Health Sciences, has sacrificed his integrity as an academic by claiming that Yasuke, the black protagonist from Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, is indeed being portrayed historically correct by Ubisoft and that Yasuke “there's no doubt that he was a "samurai" who served Nobunaga.”

AC Shadows has been embroiled in controversy ever since the reveal of Yasuke as the protagonist of their video game, along with a female ninja character, to add D.E.I. requirements to the story set in feudal Japan. Ubisoft also confirmed there will be LGBTQ romance options for both characters in a further insult to the history of Japan. 

Japanese gamers have rejected the game, creating a Change.org petition to remove Assassin’s Creed: Shadows from production because the historical inaccuracies insult Japan. Japanese politicians have also gotten involved, calling for hearings on AC Shadows and Ubisoft to determine whether this type of content should be allowed to invade their culture. 

Yu Hirayama posted this speculation on X: “It seems like there's a lot of talk about Yasuke, a black man who served Oda Nobunaga. There are very few historical documents about him, but there's no doubt that he was a ‘samurai’ who served Nobunaga. Regardless of one's social status, if one's master promoted one to the rank of ‘samurai,’ one could become one in medieval (warring states) society. I can say this because the historical documents state that ① Nobunaga gave him a ‘stipend,’ ② he was given a house, and ③ he was given a sword. Being given a ‘stipend’ and serving Nobunaga closely fulfills the important requirements of a ‘contract between master and servant’ and ‘agreement to receive a stipend.’

He added, “It is also important that he was allowed to carry a sword, so he was a two-sworded servant and not a servant (servants were not allowed to carry swords). And if he was given a house, there's no room for doubt. He was probably a slave until Nobunaga took over the missionary slave, but due to the above ① to ③ , he probably became a ‘samurai’ of his own volition. During the Honnoji Incident, Akechi's side did not kill Yasuke because he was an ‘animal’ or ‘not Japanese’, but that was only because Akechi did not recognize Yasuke as a ‘samurai’ (probably because he had discriminatory feelings). At that time, it was common for a master to promote someone of low status to a ‘samurai’, To begin with, there is a good example in Hideyoshi.”

X users were quick to point out Hirayama’s sleight of hand by claiming that Yasuke's being allowed to carry a sword made him a samurai. Historical records show that Yasuke was given a “sayamaki with noshi,” which is a short sword. The single-edged long swords carried by samurai were commonly called "Tachi," while a sayamaki is a short blade worn thrust through one's belt.

Some X users pointed out that Hirayama is a known communist party supporter and claim he is a globalist, via his work with the Pony Canyon group. Which goes a long way to explain why  Hirayama is willing to sacrifice academic integrity and throw Japanese history under the bus.

Let us know in the comments what you think about Hirayama’s integrity as an academic, and if Ubisoft can sink any lower in the Assassin’s Creed: Shadows controversy. Restack this article so more can see it!

by Jack Dunn