Assassin’s Creed Shadows: A Fresh Take on the Templars

Heads up: This piece dives into some significant plot points from Assassin’s Creed Shadows, so proceed with caution if you’re avoiding spoilers.

It’s been a long time since the epic showdown between the Assassins and Templars took the spotlight in the Assassin’s Creed series. We’ve navigated ancient worlds in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, which takes place centuries before the birth of these warring factions; witnessed their roots in Assassin’s Creed Origins among the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients; and heard whispers of the Templar’s beginnings in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Now, with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the classic conflict makes a return, yet it doesn’t completely dominate the narrative.

The latest title shifts its focus mainly on the Shinbakufu, a shadowy entity responsible for the death of Naoe’s father, leaving her for dead at the game’s onset. Yet once she’s dispatched every last one of them across Japan, the Templars step into the limelight, their malevolence on full display in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

As the story unfolds, players will delve deeper into Yasuke’s backstory through his personal missions. These quests have him tracking a group of Templars tied to his past, a connection that only becomes clear as the narrative reaches its climax.

Duarte de Melo, the first Templar Yasuke confronts, leaves little to the imagination about his vile nature. Upon nearing Duarte’s ship, players witness him torturing a captive, spewing, “What did I say about crying? I hate crying,” before he brutally silences the man forever.

Upon their confrontation, Duarte’s sinister role is exposed: he was the slaver who captured Yasuke and his mother years back. Their ensuing battle is fierce and unforgiving, with Duarte fueled by prejudice, his final parting shot being, “Filth like you does not deserve a name.”

Then we meet Kimura Kei, a lower-ranked yet influential Templar figure in Japan, known for indoctrinating new recruits. Despite Yasuke’s attempts to sway Kimura away from his Templar allegiance during their battle, Kimura staunchly believes that only the Templars can restore peace to war-torn Japan.

Finally, players face off against Nuno Caro, possibly the ultimate boss if the missions align that way. Nuno captained the vessel that transported Yasuke and his mother. A tragic memory haunts Yasuke: his mother’s execution by Caro, turning her death into a stark warning to others on the ship, including Yasuke, who narrowly escaped with the aid of a mysterious Assassin.

In the aftermath of his climactic duel with Yasuke, Nuno ominously declares that his death signals the “beginning of the end” for Yasuke and his allies, marking the onset of open warfare between the Templars and the League of the Hidden Blade.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, launched on March 20, 2025, with an ESRB rating of Mature 17+, delivers a gripping tale laden with mature themes, from intense violence to powerful language, all stitched together to reshape its iconic Assassin-Templar conflict.