It doesn’t take long before getting to know one of the greatest characters inAssassin’s Creed Shadows, Junjiro, the young boy who tends to Naoe’s wounds right after the prologue. You’ll get to know Junjiro well over the course of the main story, and he becomes integral to Yasuke and Naoe’s larger journey. Junjiro sees the brighter side of life, and his relentless optimism is a shining light in an otherwise bleak world full of warring factions and needless bloodshed. I just wish we could play as Junjiro inAssassin’s Creed Shadows.
While it may seem like Junjiro wastes his time on simple pleasures like painting and cooking up delicious soups, he’s also very interested in learning fromAC Shadows' Yasuke and Naoe, andthere is a massive missed opportunity for us to train as Junjiro and possibly even play him as an additional character archetype.Junjiro has an incredible backstory and shows amazing growth throughout the story, and it would be both fun and entertaining to take control and complete a few missions with him.
Who Junjiro Is & Why He Is Important To Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Juniro Is AC Shadows' Little Bundle Of Relentless Positivity
While Yasuke and Naoe have intricate and complex storylines full of epic adventures and intense battles, none would be possible without Junjiro. You first meet Junjiro after the prologue, nursing Naoe back to health as Sorin the monk’s apprentice.
Do You Need To Play Any AC Games Before Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
Whether you’re new to Assassin’s Creed or a veteran of the franchise, AC Shadows doesn’t require any special knowledge, though it might help.
Eventually, Junjiro is dropped off at yourAC Shadowshideout, and that’s where he’ll post up for the rest of the game, aside from a handful of side quests where you’ll meet him in the open world.Junjiro has an important part to play in bringing Yasuke and Naoe together as allies, and if not for him, there’s a good chance they’d have killed each other.
Junjiro’s story is explored to some extent, and he’s even given his line of unique quests, but I’d be interested to see more of how Junjiro became so awesome.
Junjiro displays excellent maturity, and he is even capable of forgiving Naoe for her role in destroying the life he once knew. Junjiro has the strongest and least corrupt moral compass of any character inAssassin’s Creed Shadows, and don’t chalk it up to naivety -he’s had his share of tragedy and loss. Junjiro’s story is explored to some extent, and he’s even given his line of unique quests, but I’d be interested to see more of how Junjiro became so awesome. More so, I’d love to see him in action and be able to run around the world to explore things through his rose-colored glasses.
Why Junjiro Should Be Playable In AC Shadows
I’d Settle For A Junjiro Mini-Game Or Interactive Cut-Scene
Junjiro has all the right components for a light-hearted side quest where we can control him and do some Junjiro-style exploring, painting, puzzles, martial arts, and more. Think of Ciri’s quest inWitcher 3: Wild Hunt, where she gets her own areas to explore, moves, abilities to play around with, etc.There are endless possibilities for him to showcase the skills he picked up from his monk mentors, Yasuke and Naoe, and in the process, he could fill in even more details about his past. Junjiro even shows that he’s willing to fight if the worst comes.
One Game Would Be The Perfect Assassin’s Creed Shadows Follow-Up, But Ubisoft Jumped The Gun
There would be one great way to follow-up Assassin’s Creed Shadows with another game, but the perfect replacement already exists in a lesser form.
Even if this was confined to a limited area, and he never actually assassinates anyone, it would still be a blast to see him practice developing skills, even for a limited time. While I don’t think this is likely to happen, being able to play as two characters with completely different handling, abilities, and skills has me thinking about the possibilities. In an ideal world,Assassin’s Creed Shadowswould introduce even more playable character archetypes, such as Juniro or Gennoji, with complete skill trees and progression of their own.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Set during Japan’s Sengoku period, two distinct protagonists—Naoe, a shinobi, and Yasuke, a historical African samurai—must navigate political intrigue and violent clashes between the Assassins and Templars. Players can switch between stealthy, shadow-based gameplay with Naoe and Yasuke’s direct combat approach, exploring the duality of their missions in a beautifully rendered open world.
