There’s a big contrast between the two leading characters of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Yasuke–the samurai–is built like a brick house, armed to the teeth, and powerful. Conversely, Naoe–the shinobi–is made for stealth and speed. According to the game’s developers, Naoe is so fast that she can even pull off a Naruto run–the running style made famous by the manga and anime of the same name.
Creative director Jonathan Dumont confirmed to EW that Naoe can imitate Naruto’s running stance where he leans forward with his arms bent back while moving at incredible speeds. However, Dumont stopped short of calling it a Naruto run.
“We do have a run on top of buildings that has a little bit of a wink-wink to it,” said Dumont. He went on to share some elements of Naoe’s backstory, and how she is the link to the Assassin Brotherhood through her father, even though she doesn’t know it at the beginning of the game.
“[Naoe] was shielded by her father from what’s happening in the world, and it comes crashing down,” noted Dumont. “She is pushed into war. She doesn’t know much about her origins. Her father’s been training her, but she doesn’t know much about her mother, who’s been gone. But as a cool proverb from Japan says, ‘A frog in a well knows nothing of the sea.’ She is tossed into the real world, and through that, she will learn that she is not just a shinobi, that there is a little bit of a lineage or at least some mystery about some sort of different type of shinobi. They’re Assassins, so she’s somewhat linked to that.”
Dumont recently unveiled Shadows’ Canon Mode, which will make the big story decisions for you, including which characters to romance. Players will still have the option of making their own choices themselves. Ubisoft has also indicated that Shadows will introduce a new direction for the modern-day storyline. The developers also shared a lengthy overview of how combat will work in Shadows. Details about the game’s battle pass have leaked online, and Ubisoft has stated that the rewards in the Animus Hub are free.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on February 14, 2025.