Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed Shadows are being accused of using One Piece’s Roronoa Zoro’s katana as well as props purchased from Amazon as official artwork for the game.
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
In a post to the game’s official French account on X, a translation from DeepL reads, “Katana and Yasuke’s mask (by @PureArtsLimited) or artworks from the game, at our Ubisoft booth at the Japan Expo offers you an… immersive experience.”
It adds, “We’ll be immersing you in the spirit of the game until Sunday, July 14!”
Assassin’s Creed France on X
The company was accused by X user kyabetsuhuman of grabbing the products off of Amazon. A translation from DeepL reads, “Official Assassin’s Creed Shadows merchandise is available from Amazon.
He then shared a number of product images that match what the Assassin’s Creed France account posted.
Assassin’s Creed France on X
Former World of Warcraft Team Lead Mark Kern also identified the katana on the stand as Roronoa Zoro’s sword from One Piece. He wrote on X, “Ubisoft ripped off One Piece, gives fake-samurai Yasuke Roronoa Zoro’s katana at Japan Expo. That’s going to piss of (sp?) even more Japanese.”
He continued, “I’m getting sent a FLOOD of references for what Assassin’s Creed Shadows has ripped off from Japanese artist. But this is the worst one so far.”
Holy Crap!
@Ubisoft ripped off One Piece, gives fake-samurai Yasuke Roronoa Zoro’s katana at Japan Expo.
That’s going to piss of even more Japanese.
I’m getting sent a FLOOD of references for what Assassin’s Creed Shadows has ripped off from Japanese artist. But this is the… pic.twitter.com/FpCjMUYoKg
— Grummz (@Grummz) July 13, 2024
Both the katana and the stand are sold by a French company called Féenomen that sells a reproduction of Zoro’s Sandai Kitetsu. The katana and stand are listed on the company’s website for 39,99 €.
A listing for Zoro’s Sandai Kitetsu on Feenomenn.fr
The Geisha statue looks very similar to a $14.99 listing from manufacturer A W H A O that is found on Amazon.
A listing for a Japanese Kimono Geisha Doll
A similar listing is all available for a 3-piece set from Didiseaon through Amazon.
A listing for a 3pc Japanese Kimono Geisha Doll set
These accusations come in the wake of Japanese politician Satoshi Hamada signaling he could bring the game up in front of the Japanese Diet, Japan’s legislature.
Hamada indicated on X earlier this week, “Request for Opinions: We have received a consultation regarding the alteration of Japanese history by a French game company. We share the consultation below with images. We have also quoted a post that we believe points out the problem with the game in question. We would be happy to receive your comments and suggestions, including specific requests.”
ご意見募集
フランスのゲーム会社による日本の歴史改変について、ご相談をいただきました。相談内容を以下に画像で共有します。
また、当該ゲームの問題を指摘していると思われるポストを引用させていただきました。
具体的なご要望等、皆様からのご意見を賜れればと思います。 https://t.co/O1MBWe5bO7 pic.twitter.com/WhuM4ticLA
— 浜田 聡 参議院議員 WBPC問題調査中 💉💉💉 YouTubeやブログは毎日発信 (@satoshi_hamada) July 10, 2024
In a subsequent post, he added, “Thank you for your many comments about the new ‘Assassin’s Creed’ series of games set in Japan. In relation to the above, we received a consultation from another person about cultural theft and cultural invasion regarding ‘Yasuke,’ a black man who served Nobunaga Oda. We share the content of the consultation with you.”
↑からの続き
ご相談内容の共有。（2/2） pic.twitter.com/VtA6vZ4Yeq
— 浜田 聡 参議院議員 WBPC問題調査中 💉💉💉 YouTubeやブログは毎日発信 (@satoshi_hamada) July 11, 2024
Ubisoft Japan recently issued an apology for using the back flag of the Sekigahara Teppo Corps without the reenactment group’s permission. The back flag was shown in a promotional video for the game as noted by former World of Warcraft Team Lead Mark Kern.
This is the banner Ubisoft used without permission.
Video is here: https://t.co/7x3GSi63gn pic.twitter.com/S1V0DRct3h
— Grummz (@Grummz) June 18, 2024
Ubisoft Japan apologized for using the flag without permission earlier this week. It wrote on X, “We have received notice that two pieces of concept art previously released for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows use the flag of the Sekigahara Battlefield Hospitality Union “Sekigahara Rifle Corps” without permission. The group was given the opportunity to apologize, and it was accepted.” This is likely an issue with the translation and it is probably better interpreted as “The group gave us the opportunity to apologize, and it was accepted.”
The company added, “The art in question will not be used or distributed any further beyond this date, except for being included in the artbook in the Collector’s Edition. We deeply apologize for this matter.”
Ubisoft Japan on X
All of this comes after Ubisoft initially marketed the game as being historically accurate. The company shared in a blog post, “Ubisoft Quebec went to great lengths consulting source documentation and building a network of expert historians, professors, and cultural consultants to help the team build a world as authentically as possible, from castle construction principles to tea ceremonies to tatami alignment.”
It added, “The team made trips to Japan to help them properly grasp the landscape and the culture, and more importantly, connect with Ubisoft’s Tokyo and Osaka teams, who helped with the creation of the game.”
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
The blog post also made it clear that they were attempting to tell a historical story of Yasuke. It detailed, “[Yasuke] also offers a unique perspective on the period: players can discover Japan alongside him. On one hand, he serves as a warning for the colonizing threat that the Portuguese present, and on the other, he adapted and thrived in Japan, and can be viewed as an example of the meritocratic structure established under Nobunaga.”
”In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, his historical story is established, and then developed and expanded from that point (the team won’t spoil how he’s linked to Assassin’s Creed’s lore; players will have to play the game to find out),” it declared.
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
The game’s Associate Narrative Director Brooke Davies even admitted in a video uploaded to the Ubisoft YouTube channel, “The historical character of Yasuke presented a really exciting opportunity for the narrative team. We approached it in the same way that so much of the work is done in Assassin’s Creed, which is really in terms of research and history first.”
She then admitted, “Not a lot is known about him, but what we did know or we do know is that he arrived in Japan in 1579 right when our game starts. And that he had relationships with some of the most interesting people in our setting, like Oda Nobunaga, the Portuguese and Jesuits, which made it very sort of tantalizing and enticing from a narrative perspective to come in and start weaving these facts with story in between.”
What do you make of these accusations against Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
