Assassin's Creed Red is finally taking players to a long-requested time period, Feudal Japan, but that covers a lot of ground. The Feudal era lasted from 1185 AD to 1603 AD, meaning Ubisoft has a little over 400 years it could play with. Unfortunately, nothing has been officially confirmed as to when in this period the game takes place, but relying on one specific rumor can narrow a lot down around its time period, its characters, and its story. This should all be taken with a grain of salt, until Ubisoft deems it fit to reveal more about Assassin's Creed Red, but the setting of Japan has long existed in AC lore.

Specifically, one of the more reliable Assassin's Creed Red rumors suggests that there will be two protagonists: the real-world African samurai Yasuke and the fictional Fujibayashi Naoe. While Naoe is a fictional character, she is reportedly on a quest to avenge her fallen father, Fujibayashi Nagato - a real-world figure. Yasuke is believed to have been born in Mozambique circa the 1550s and died sometime after June 1582. Ubisoft also likely chose Fujibayashi Nagato because his history is a little unclear, but he was notably a leader of the Iga Ninjas.

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Historically, Fujibayashi Nagato supposedly tried to stamp out the Ninja way of life, sending many clans into hiding. However, this could simply be the Knights-Templar messing with historical records, or he could be one of the Ninjas who allied with the Templars. His role as Naoe's father is interesting, especially if he was a Templar. What's important to know is that Nagato warred with the first Great Unifier of Japan, the daimyo Oda Nobunaga, who historically lived between 1534 and June 1582. With this in mind,

• June 1582 is a recurring date in their histories. This also lines up with the Honnō-ji incident, which saw the assassination of Oda Nobunaga. This time period will likely be important; Toyotomi Hideyoshi would complete Oda Nobunaga's Unification of Japan within the next decade. Assuming the Great Unifiers are Templars, it is likely that the game would end in June 1582 with an Assassin victory that would fall apart in the next decade. Because of the unclear events here, 1582-1592 is not out of the question either, but it would likely not be good for the Assassins.
  • It's noteworthy that the death of Oda Nobunaga is attributed to Akechi Mitsuhide, who could perhaps be an ally of the Assassins who infiltrated the Great Unifier's guard.
  • Assassin's Creed's Japan lore replaces Akechi Mitsuhide with Assassin Yamauchi Taka, who would also assassinate the second Great Unifier as well.

• AC Red protagonists Yasuke and Naoe may be in two different time periods, depending on how Ubisoft plays with Nagato's history, but it's more likely to fall into the same time periods where they are both old enough to engage in these events. Therefore, a focus around the 1570s-1582 would make sense if Naoe continued her father's goal of assassinating Oda Nobunaga.

Assassin's Creed Red Has Plenty of Japanese Lore in this Time Period

Extrapolating out, it stands to reason that Assassin's Creed Red will find itself taking place sometime between 1550 and 1600 at large. While this is still a wide period, prior Assassin's Creed releases (namely AC Memories and AC Forgotten Temple) have actually established a fair bit of lore surrounding this time. What's important to know is that the Knights Templar chose to spread Christian and Templar doctrine in the Land of the Rising Sun around 1550, thanks to several defeats by the Assassins in Europe. Several key Templars, posing as Jesuits or otherwise, were active in Japan around the 1550s and thereon.

• The Spanish Templar Francis Xavier
• The Portuguese Jesuit Missionary Gaspar Vilela
• Vilela's ally Joao Machado
  • Of note is that this period saw Oda Nobunaga ally with the Japanese Assassins against these Templars. In fact, two Assassins named Mochizuki Chiyome and Akira would take a Piece of Eden from Machado and end his life.
  • Of further note is that Mochizuki Chiyome would later turn against the brotherhood and become a Templar.

As a result, the Japanese templars were constantly undercut because of the wars between ninja clans and the Japanese people's disregard for outsiders. Furthermore, Japanese Assassins had a stronger influence among both the Ninja and Samurai than the Templars. This would suggest that Assassin's Creed Red won't be as clear cut as ninjas = assassins and Samurai = templars as some may think. Around this time, the Japanese Assassins supported warlord Tokugawa Leyasu who opposed Templars and helped them look for activity.

Despite opposition, the Templars did make some ground among the Uesugi clan, in establishing an information network, and more by about 1590. Notably, this was a turning point for the Templars, but it wouldn't last long. Once Tokugawa Ieyasu united the land in 1600, an ally of the Assassins, the Japanese Templars would fade into obscurity for the next hundred years or so.

The Mastermind Theory

Although Assassin's Creed lore replaces Akechi Mitsuhide with Yamauchi Taka, an interesting historical point is the fact that no one knows why Akechi Mitsuhide turned on Nobunaga. There are plenty of theories about a set of "Masterminds" behind this assassination, among which are implications that it was the Jesuits. Reportedly, the Jesuits supported Nobunaga with economic and military power, with Nobunaga also protecting Christianity for a certain period. However, Nobunaga would turn on the Jesuits and force their hand, leading to the belief that his betrayal of them resulted in their assistance in his assassination. This particular mastermind theory has some opposition in the real world because, while Nobunaga did protect Christianity, there are no records of Jesuits assisting Nobunaga with military might. The Japanese Jesuits were also very limited monetarily; however, in the world of Assassin's Creed, that may not be true of the Templars.

What This Japanese Lore May Mean for Assassin's Creed Red

Now, it's very unlikely the game just retcons or re-runs all of this lore; instead, it's likely to utilize it in new ways and expand upon it. As a result, there are quite a few things that fans can potentially deduce about the game.

• Yasuke, Naoe, and Oda Nobunaga put AC Red between 1550 and 1600.
• The Templars are historically weak at this time period, so they may not necessarily be the primary antagonists. Instead, it could be their allies alongside plenty of infighting among Ninja clans.
• Neither the Assassins nor the Templars have been in Japan long.
• The story can't simply be dichotomous in that Ninjas are Assassins and Templars are Samurai.
• The Jesuits may have a significant role as well.
• A Sword of Eden is known to exist around this time, but since it is tied to different Assassins, it may not be the main point of contention.
• Oda Nobunaga, if he appears in the game, seems to play both sides for a short time period.
• Tokugawa Ieyasu would be an important historical figure if Assassin's Creed Red is, indeed, in this time.
• There could be a greater emphasis on the Ninja Clans who allied with the Assassins versus those who sided with the Templars
  • Interestingly, this could mean that Naoe could be either an Assassin or a Templar, though she definitely seems to be an Assassin
  • It'll be interesting to see how Yasuke factors in, as he is likely on the opposite side of Naoe, at least for a short time.

• AC Red could have a lot of fun with the Mastermind Theory behind Oda Nobunaga's assassination.

Of course, this is all speculation. It may be that the game takes place at this time but away from these events, or it could be that the time period or focus in the region is much smaller or set elsewhere. It's hard to say for sure right now, but hopefully, the upcoming Ubisoft Forward will reveal more about Assassin's Creed Red.

Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed is an action-adventure stealth series published and developed by Ubisoft and its various first party studios. Originally releasing in 2007, the series has seen 12 mainline releases with the recent games moving to a more open-world RPG style. Each game typically showcases major historical moments like the Italian Renaissance, Crusades, or French Revolution, focusing mostly on a long standing conflict between the free-minded Assassins against the order loving Knights Templar.