The Assassin’s Creed franchise has been going strong for almost two decades, and its latest entry, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, looks to bring something new to the table. Set in feudal Japan, the series’ aesthetic is changing a lot, but even still, one iconic weapon from Assassin’s Creed III looks to be making a return.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Brings Back a Beloved Weapon
Following the release of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set during the Azuchi-Momoyama Period between the 15th and 16th centuries and introduces us to a new assassin named Naoe as she works with the real-life historical figure, the samurai Yasuke. From a gameplay perspective, Naoe looks to be largely stealth-based, utilizing ninja techniques to become a versatile and deadly assassin.
With a new region, new weapons are also on the way. While this includes shuriken and the tanto and wakizashi blades, it also means a new type of hidden blade that can flip into a small dagger so that the stealthy weapon can be used offensively. But what makes such a small shift so useful for an assassin in feudal Japan? More so, what could an individual who is otherwise precise and stealthy need with such a brutal style of blade?
With opponents in the game often wearing layered armor designed to deflect katana swipes, a small blade is the perfect way to get in between those layers and do serious damage before the enemy can realize it. For an assassin like Naoe, who is reliant on stealth, this offers more versatility in a way the hidden blade can’t achieve.
Assassin’s Creed III Was the First Time the Hidden Blade Transformed
Set during the Revolutionary War, Connor Kenway was a Native American who lost his family and tribe and, filled with anger, sought revenge on those who took everything from him. Becoming an assassin along the way, Connor blended his fighting and hunting skills with assassin combat and retrofitted his hidden blade into a flippable dagger that he used in tandem with his tomahawk.
One thing that stood out for players between Assassin’s Creed Revelations and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was how Assassin’s Creed III featured a brutal and violent combatant. Connor could hook enemies in with his tomahawk and deliver several fatal stabs with his hidden dagger, and it reflected the anger the character felt for losing his life, land, and family. To this day, Connor has remained the rawest assassin in motivation and combat. Now that his iconic weapon is in the hands of a new character, it could mean these same feelings could translate to Naoe.
How Naoe’s Hidden Blade Could Define Her Character
For now, not much is known about Naoe and her motivation to don the hood, but as the cinematic trailer shows, she is someone who fights for what’s right. What’s more, she’s angry that an Empire more powerful than her village has laid waste to everything she knew, and to stand by would be the worst choice she could make. As a result, she may be disciplined and calm on the outside, but her fighting style and hidden blade betray her true feelings.
Naoe is precise and dangerous when fighting and doesn’t waste energy. As the Assassin’s Creed Shadows trailer showed, she never makes a movement unless it’s toward a kill shot, proving her training comes naturally. However, in the final moments of the trailer, it’s revealed that Naoe is clearly someone to be feared. As she kills her target, she retaliates and follows through with a strike from her hidden blade. But rather than slash his throat with a straight blade, something she could’ve easily done, she chooses to turn her blade into a dagger, ensuring his death is quick but painful.
In the end, Naoe’s hidden blade dagger predates Connor’s by at least a century. Therefore, it proves that assassin tech crossed oceans so that everyone was equipped with the best, allowing Conner to create his own dagger variation. But more than that, it shows that even time can’t stop the anger of two individuals and their desire to right the wrongs of the past. And to prove this, we only need to look at the iconic weapon they both carry.
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