Summary
Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas been the center of attention in gaming for a couple of months now, but not entirely for the best reasons. Persistent controversy has surrounded the upcoming title to the point that it often seems to be more popular to criticize it than it is to be excited about it. Nevertheless,Assassin’s Creed Shadowskeeps marching on headstrong toward its Jun 05, 2025, release date to give players the very firstAssassin’s Creedtitle set in feudal Japan, with dual protagonists who complement both stealth and action playstyles. Unfortunately, despite all that it may have going for it,Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas once again found itself in a controversial mess thanks to some eagle-eyed fans of a popular manga and anime series.
While much ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows' controversy has involved its samurai protagonist Yasuke and its recreation of feudal Japan, its latest controversy involves the manga and anime seriesOne Piece. As the case has been with each ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows' controversies, theOne Piecedispute has only added fuel to the fire that says the game should be discontinued. Currently,a petition to cancelAssassin’s Creed Shadowsis even live on change.org — a petition which, at the time of writing, has received over 90,000 signatures. IfAssassin’s Creed Shadowscontinues to defy cancelation, at the very least, theOne Piececontroversy may have effectively turned off yet another demographic from purchasing it in November.
The Details of Assassin’s Creed Shadows' One Piece Controversy
An Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Popup Featured a Sword Resembling Roronoa Zoro’s From One Piece
Assassin’s Creed Shadows’One Piececontroversystems from a sword featured at a Ubisoft booth during Japan Expo in France that took place from July 11 to July 14. Put on display at the popup was Yasuke’s mask and sword, the latter of which very closely resembles Roronoa Zoro’s sword fromOne Piece. In fact, the two are nearly identical. To make matters worse, an X user by the name of @pewpiece informed the public in a post that the sword used in Ubisoft’s booth at Japan Expo is officially marketed as a replica of Zoro’s sword and can be purchased online. Thankfully, this bit bodes well for the game itself, especially with the amount of controversy it has been shrouded in lately.
Yasuke’s One Piece Blade May Not Be Featured in the Game
Based on what has been revealed so far forAssassin’s Creed Shadows, there is no indication that Yasuke’sOne Pieceblade is featured in the game. As such, it could be that Ubisoft simply used the design for the popup alone, though that still doesn’t necessarily excuse plagiarism of any kind. It’s possible that Yasuke will obtain this particular sword at some point during the game, especially withAssassin’s Creed Shadows' weapon and loot system. However, if the sword is indeed featured inAssassin’s Creed Shadows, at this point, Ubisoft is likely to remove it from the game if it hasn’t already.
It’s unfortunate thatAssassins' Creed Shadowskeeps finding itself in deep water since it was initially such a highly anticipated experience. Fans have been requesting anAssassin’s Creedtitle set in Japanfor many years now, andAssassin’s Creed Shadowswas meant to be the answer to that. Thankfully, at least someOne Piecefans are flattered at Ubisoft’s seemingly plagiarized sword, with some even stating how excited they are at the prospect of using it against enemies inAssassin’s Creed Shadows. Hopefully, the game finds a way to rise above all the controversy in the coming months ahead of its release.
