The Case for Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Dual Protagonists in a Sequel

Ubisoft Quebec’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows was an outlier compared to recent Assassin’s Creed games in numerous ways. For one, Assassin’s Creed Shadows was the first mainline Assassin’s Creed game to take place in an Asian region. Additionally, Shadows didn’t feature any Isu or explicit modern-day characters compared to previous open-world titles, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla. However, Shadows is arguably best known for featuring dual protagonists in the form of Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke. While it’s believed Assassin’s Creed: Codename Hexe won’t feature dual protagonists, there’s still a lot of potential for the feature to return in a Shadows sequel or other future Assassin’s Creed games.

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The History of Assassin’s Creed Dual Protagonists

Arguably, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has featured dual protagonists in most mainline entries, though they weren’t always utilized proportionately as Naoe and Yasuke were in Shadows. From Assassin’s Creed 1 to Assassin’s Creed 3, every entry features dual protagonists between modern-day protagonist Desmond Miles and his ancestors Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and Connor Kenway. Miles’ ancestors took up most of the games’ runtime, but Assassin’s Creed 3 could be considered the franchise’s first attempt with true dual protagonists, with Connor’s father Haytham Kenway being playable for a large chunk of Assassin’s Creed 3’s early sequences. After Miles died at the end of Assassin’s Creed 3, future games featured modern-day gameplay less and less, with many modern-day playable characters never receiving explicit identities.

Most fans consider the franchise’s first true attempt at dual protagonists to be with 2015’s Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. Here, players embody the late 19th century twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye as they strive to liberate London from Templar control. Both Frye twins featured distinct gameplay strengths and weaknesses, with Jacob being more of a brawler and Evie being an expert at stealth. However, players couldn’t seamlessly switch between Jacob and Evie whenever they wanted to. Instead, certain missions and sequences will force players to embody only one twin, with occasional events forcing players to switch protagonists nearly instantly. Syndicate’s runtime wasn’t divided up equally either, with most of the base game forcing players to embody Jacob instead of Evie.

Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Protagonists Explained

Syndicate’s follow-up, 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, was the next game to feature multiple protagonists. While Origins did feature a handful of modern-day sections with Layla Hassan, most of the game is focused on the vengeful journey of Ptolemaic Egyptian Medjay Bayek of Siwa and Aya of Alexandria. However, Origins’ runtime is not split equally, with players embodying Bayek for the majority of the game, while Aya is only playable in a handful of sections. Bayek and Aya further didn’t feature any distinct gameplay differences as compared to the Frye twins or Naoe and Yasuke, save for Aya having a limited weapon arsenal.

An Argument for Dual Protagonists in Future Assassin’s Creed Games

In terms of gameplay, Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Naoe and Yasuke are proper dual protagonists with players being able to seamlessly switch between the two and both characters featuring unique gameplay and cosmetics. For example, Naoe has eagle vision and can easily climb most structures like classic Assassins of old, while Yasuke can lift heavy objects but struggles to climb certain structures due to heavy armor and weight. Naoe is additionally the only playable character to wield a hidden blade, while Yasuke primarily utilizes Samurai weaponry such as a kanabo. Either character can be played in most quests, though both Naoe and Yasuke have a few quests dedicated to themselves, such as Yasuke’s quests to eliminate slave-trading Portuguese Templars.

Given the successful sales numbers and critical reception of Shadows, Ubisoft should consider making a direct sequel to Shadows featuring Naoe and Yasuke as dual protagonists once more. While Naoe and Yasuke’s story and gameplay are expected to be expanded upon in future DLC such as the Claws of Awaji Expansion, many fans have wanted to see Assassin’s Creed protagonists’ stories continued in direct sequels. The Assassin’s Creed franchise hasn’t had a historical protagonist’s story continued in a direct mainline sequel game since Assassin’s Creed Revelations and Naoe and Yasuke could become new, modern mascots for the franchise alongside Ezio if they’re given a sequel game. A Shadows sequel game could additionally expand Naoe and Yasuke’s connection with the larger Assassin Brotherhoods found around the globe.

New Dual Protagonists in Future Assassin’s Creed Games

If Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t receive a direct sequel, Ubisoft could still replicate Shadows’ successful dual protagonist system with entirely new characters in future Assassin’s Creed games. For example, if the rumors of a future Assassin’s Creed game set in the Aztec Empire are true, the game could be set around the Spanish conquest of the Empire in the early 1500s. Here, players could potentially play as a Spanish Assassin and an Aztec warrior attempting to thwart an oppressive Spanish occupation led by Templars. Having dual protagonists in future Assassin’s Creed games can continue to make gameplay more diverse and help delve into the many cultures and perspectives of historical civilizations.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji Expansion is expected to debut in late 2025 and feature over 10 hours of additional content.