You’d be forgiven for thinking Yasuke is the starting character in the early moments of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The opening cutscene follows his introduction to Oda Nobunaga; then time skips to an action-packed tutorial that showcases Yasuke’s basic controls.

Discover how Assassin’s Creed Shadows breaks barriers by offering players the chance to pursue same-s*x relationships with Yasuke and Naoe.

Yasuke is one of two playable characters in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. But unlike the other protagonist, Naoe — the stealthy shinobi who bears the iconic hidden blade — Yasuke is conspicuously absent during the first part of the game.