The official Assassin’s Creed Shadows account showed a lot of love for Naoe Fujibayashi in a post, even calling her the “heart, hope, and future” of the Kakushiba ikki in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. And to be honest? The post elicits a very crazy response. Players are already posting in the replies their favorite images of the sly shinobi, and love for the character is just barely more than a level.
The love for Naoe is among the players is far more than just reasonable. A player named Jordan came along and loaded up some of his favorites and said “Some of my personal favorites I’ve taken!” just with a link to their pictures attached. Then Luis said, “I look forward to even more Naoe stories in the future 😉” which honestly same?? The need for Naoe content is really high and thus, in the future, Ubisoft will have to note it.
But this is where it overdraws interest – there are many players who are very outspoken about it and would rather if Naoe was exclusively the main character. Mike Wighton even stated, “Naoe is fantastic. Moreover, if Shadows had Naoe as the sole protagonist it would be a much better game.” Silver7Phoenix was even more outspoken: “Playing only her would’ve been my preference. Frankly, I don’t like playing as Yasuke. He is large, slow, and cumbersome.” Oof, that was a rough blow to the samurai side of this dual-protagonist pairing.
The sharing of photos, however,?? That is where the genuine magic is. Players are posting up on the internet these incredibly beautiful screenshots of Naoe in various positions and environments. Welsh_Gamer_99 nicknamed her “my goat” (greatest of all time for those not familiar with the slang) while KinLost1 gave her the same status as Kassandra being their most loved character in the entire franchise. That is really high acknowledgment given that Kassandra is so loved!
But hold on, there are more unstated demands mixed in as well. Johnny B Gud just threw “Give her Tsuyu’s robes” like it’s the most evident thing in the world. And Codex Seeker was imploring for more masks with “U seeing this Ubi!! Give Naoe more masks please!!😩🙏🏻🙏🏻🔥🔥” The demand for customization options is really strong, folks.
Next are the practical suggestions – Lucas proposed: “A DLC showing the ascension of the Japanese brotherhood would be amazing” which honestly sounds dope. And Castelo put forward a simple request: “I like her and Yasuki but you guys need to use the term assassin more!” Fair enough, it is called Assassin’s Creed after all.
Certainly, not every comment was complimentary. Jackie was the one to bring in the financial reality check: “Wow so you’re putting up this game but it’s still $70, and I don’t have $70 for this. Can you please just make it $20 dude?”- mood truly, gaming is pricey nowadays. Then XboxGamerxXx threw in a question about that Switch 2 version that, by the way, had supposedly leaked:”So how about officially announcing that switch 2 version of assassins Creed shadows that popped up on the French store page over the weekend??”
The sheer amount of photo sharing in the replies is to say the least, quite phenomenal. Demi Gabriel shared this epic crossover concept, SithKage posted “Some of my favorite shots that I captured,” and aly talal gushed “So much love for her ❤️ my Naoe !! I looove taking pics for her , here is one of them 🥹” The gaming mode in Shadows must be really excellent based on all these submissions.
What is more, revealing is how Naoe has won players’ hearts in a manner that feels unlike any previous main character. REMYMETAL is calling her “neat”, noname is referring to her as “a kunoichi with a very pretty face” and generally, she is receiving this positive vibe from the audience which is not always the case with new AC characters. The audience appears to be truly dedicated to her story and future.
It is pretty cool that players have so quickly gotten attached to Naoe, especially in a game where there are two playable characters. The choice for her stealthy gameplay over Yusake’s more direct method is a common story in the comments. Gamers are midst fully connecting with her being the “heart” of the insurrection and that emotional tie is powering all the fan engagement.
In a way, the photo sharing campaign from the official account seems to have found a unique thing players are not just demonstrating their gaming skills, they are creating art with this character. Every screenshot tells a narrative, creates a tone, or shows a particular facet of Naoe’s personality that resonates with different players. It’s becames this communal festivity of character design, storytelling, and sheer aesthetic appreciation.
From all these reactions, it goes without saying that Naoe Fujibayashi has turned into more than just another Assassin’s Creed character – she has attracted this passionate cult-like following that is eager to see her in the franchise. Whether Ubisoft’s delivery of those hopes for more stories or DLC content is to be determined, the player demand is certainly there and it’s loud.
