Ubisoft gave the world a thrilling revelation that left it one and a half goose-stepping. And on that news, the official Assassin’s Creed account Tweeted about split rocks believed to exist in a feudal Japan setting, worthy of note that they draw inspiration from a real samurai legend that also inspired Demon Slayer. In other words, the anime connection is actually legit historical stuff.
The story itself moves into the wild side of things, whereby Yagyu Munetoshi, the famous samurai supposedly split a rock in two while dueling with a tengu. That is the very same legend that Demon Slayer drew from for those epic rock-splitting scenes witnessed in the anime.—Now Assassin’s Creed Shadows features these sorts of geological wonders for players to hunt for within the game world. These details will honestly illustrate how deeply the developers have really done their research into this setting.
Well, then the replies started. Some players cried for a full Demon Slayer collaboration. RisingTron gasped, “on my knees begging for a tanjiro outfit for yasuke,” which honestly same?? And KinLost1 chimed in with, “I would love to see a real Tengu in Shadows, ngl (and maybe also a Demon Slayer collab đź‘€),” so the demand is surely there.
Then you’ve got straight Assassin’s Creed discourse happening in the comments because, of course, it has to be. Spoonz152 barges in with “Bring back actual assassins in assassins creed,” quite ironically beginning a lengthy debate about what actually constitutes an assassin game. Tyler came back with “Shadows literally has the best assassination gameplay in the entire series, what you on about?” and Nick chimed with “This one literally has assassins, by name, by clothes, by every metric that makes them assassins,” and so classic AC-win-win arguments are alive and well.
Then there’s always this one guy… Goku_sensei_666 chiming in with “No, because I don’t buy games with mentally ill DEI slop in them,” like, bro, just let people enjoy things?? Raymond Taylor rejoins, “That’s just embarrassing they think there as good as anime. How about disclosing how many copies u sold instead of players,” to which Jake immediately replied, “Do you not have a life? The game released in March, bro”–this drama is chef’s kiss..
What is really crazy, though, is the sheer amount of folks who are picking up on that crossover potential. Pedrotharagui simply asked, “where are the collabs mateđź‘€?” followed by an entire thread chronicling previous collabs with Dead by Daylight and Critical Role. Ghost_LoMein mentioned, “They did. It was actually a really well-done collaboration. They’re supposed to do more,” hence, it sounds like Ubisoft has been rolling out these partnerships, and now players are shouting out for MORE.
Demon Slayer, as one of the biggest anime franchises right now, really works well in terms of timing with Assassin’s Creed taking a detour into feudal Japan, so that’s one big overlapping audience. Solid_Skullz even chimed in, “When you’re chilling in assassins creed and Akaza shows up,” with a crying laughing emoji, and indeed that would be both terrifying and amazing.
What makes this whole thing successful, however, is the fact that it isn’t some random anime reference slapped in—it is real Japanese history and folklore that both properties draw upon. The split rock legend is real (or at least the story is real), and it’s always fascinating to see the different ways in which different media interpret the same source material. It shows that the developers really did their homework and didn’t just throw in generic “Japanese” elements into the game.
The community is split between those who appreciate the cultural depth laying beneath and those that are just rowdy with demands to see their favorite anime characters in-game. Also, there are the regulars who complain about… well, basically everything. But the very excitement regarding the future collaborations and the attention paid to detail in building the world indeed sets up Assassin’s Creed Shadows for a promise.
There are those little touches that make an open world feel researched and alive. Instead of being some generic historical setting, they wove in specific legends and stories with actual cultural significance. And when these exact stories show up in pop culture, say like Demon Slayer, they build a phenomenal linkage between two different entertainment mediums groping into the same mythology.
Whether or not the Demon Slayer collaboration happens will be up to the future of Ubisoft—they have gone through cross-promotion before, and this desire is definitely in the air. But if not, the subtle nods to our shared cultural touchstones further enrich the player’s delight while treading that game world. That is the difference-maker in the open world that houses good versus excellent games, where every rock (split or not) has a story behind it.
So keep an eye for those split rocks once Assassin’s Creed Shadows drops—these aren’t your run-of-the-mill structures; these are living histories connecting old and modern stories. And, hey, maybe that Tanjiro outfit is just around the corner.
