Big Questions That Assassin's Creed Shadows Leaves Unanswered

Summary

Potential DLC may address Tsuyu’s disappearance, Yasuke’s future, and the return of the Templars
The present-day storyline with The Guide raises questions about Layla’s fate and impact on future events.

Every story needs an ending. Assassin’s Creed Shadows has a decent-length story, where you hunt multiple targets from different groups throughout Japan, and once the main group is dealt with, there’s even a nice epilogue that concludes some topics. Still, that does make us wonder about where things will head next.

naoe and yasuke in assassin's creed shadows

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Whether these topics will just stay on our minds or they’ll be tackled in the future through DLC (since Assassin’s Creed is famous for continuing its story in DLC arcs), there are a few topics that are just living rent-free in our minds after we dealt with the Shinbakufu.

We are talking about the plot, so there will be a lot of spoilers here.

8

What Happened To Tsuyu?

Where Is She?

Assassin Insignia in a hideout, from Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Of all the questions we have, this is the one we believe will be addressed in a DLC, though they could tackle it in other ways, such as comics. Naoe’s story ends with Hattori Hanzo having a lead to find Tsuyu, Naoe’s mother, which we spent most of the game believing was dead.

The game ends in a bit of a cliffhanger while using this information, which is why it may be addressed as DLC. Regardless, she’s been gone for years, which means there are a lot of topics that can be addressed, such as her whereabouts, what she was up to, and whether the templars have something to do with her disappearance.

7

What Will Yasuke Do?

Besides Helping Out

Yasuke smiling in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Unlike Naoe, Yasuke doesn’t have a clear motivation for possible DLC stories. He took out the templars in Japan, more so for personal reasons than anything, freeing himself from his past in the process. Still, while Naoe will search for her mother and Yasuke will likely help her, he doesn’t have a goal for the moment.

Will he integrate himself more with assassin ideology? Will he remain acting out as a benevolent Ronin? Will he leave Japan and try to find his original home? The last one is unlikely for a ton of reasons, but still. He’s in a blank state, story-wise.

6

When Will The Templars Return?

Because They Will Definitely Return At One Point

Nuno Caro, a templar from Assassin's Creed Shadows.

The templars’ influence in Japan was small, even though it was growing (which, credit where credit is due, associating their arrival with Europeans reaching Japan was clever). Yasuke prevented such growth, but the templars are a tough group to kill, considering they’re around in the present day, too.

Split image of Assassin's Creed Shadows and Ghost of Tsushima.

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When will they return to Japan, though? It’s unlikely they’ll just leave a whole country alone. Are they also popping up in a future DLC, or will that happen far in the future, when both Naoe and Yasuke will already be dead? Either way, it’s curious to think about when they’ll strike back.

5

What Will Junjiro’s Future Be Like?

Assassin In The Making

The game makes it clear that Junjiro wants to train to be part of the League of the Hidden Blade – Naoe’s version of the Assassin Brotherhood. Still, just because his future is clear, that doesn’t mean we don’t want specifics.

Junjiro grew to be one of the best side characters in the game, which makes us interested in knowing what exactly his future will be. What will adult assassin Junjiro be like, and what sort of dangers will he face?

4

Will Naoe’s League Become Actual Assassins?

From The Brotherhood, We Mean

Naoe next to an assassin banner in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Speaking of the League of the Hidden Blade, this group is in an odd position. Naoe is an assassin, sure, but she’s not an ‘Assassin™’ – aka, she’s not part of the Brotherhood. Instead, she created her own group based on what she was taught and what the assassins left behind in their outposts – basically, a copy of the Brotherhood.

Still, we wonder how this group will develop in the future. Will assassins from the Brotherhood find out about them? Will the League be integrated into the Brotherhood, or will it remain its own thing, even if similar to the Brotherhood?

3

Will We Open Those Boxes?

What Power Lies Inside Them?

Naoe’s main goal in the story is to retrieve a box. The box itself is never opened (not even to check if the item is still inside after retrieving the box), but it’s revealed to be the Yasakani No Magatama, a jewel that is known as one of the Three Sacred Treasures, or the Imperial Regalia of Japan.

From conversations between the characters, we know the other boxes contain the other two treasures, a sword known as Kusanagi No Tsurugi and a mirror known as Yata No Kagami.

They also talk about how these items are magical, which, in Assassin’s Creed language, means they’re likely Isu technology, making us wonder what they’re capable of. So, are we ever opening them? What can they do?

2

Where’s The Third Box?

Something Is Missing

Boxes containing two of the Imperial Regalia of Japan, in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

There’s another problem when it comes to these three special boxes: we’re missing one of them. Finding the third box seems like a very important thing for the assassins to do, which means there’s also a good chance the third box will be explored in DLC.

Yasuke stands looking pained and basked in orange light on the left, Naoe looks up and in distress in moonlight on the right, and Mistumune sits meditating under the shadow of a tree in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

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Finding out where it is, who has it, and, again, what the item inside is capable of is a good plot hook for future expansions. In fact, there’s a chance that this third box is related to how Tsuyu is missing after all these years – or these could be entirely separate plot hooks, who knows?

1

What Does The Guide Have To Do With The Game?

Maybe We Just Want A Good Present-Day Story Again

Ever since Origins, Assassin’s Creed has finally started to tackle the present again through a new protagonist, Layla. Her story seemingly ended in Valhalla. Now, we have pretty much nothing with the present story, with its content being even vaguer than Unity’s or Sindicate’s.

Still, there is one character that talks to us (literally us, as there’s no present-day protagonist again): The Guide. They show us that we’re fighting against an IA for our free will; however, the details as to why we are there are scarce. Where will this story go? What will happen next?

Still, when it comes to these present-day storylines with no named protagonists, it’s more likely that this won’t really go anywhere, having no big impact on events to come. If you enjoy the present-day story and are curious to see where it’ll go, you’ll likely have to wait for a sequel that will hopefully touch upon where Valhalla ended.