Assassin's Creed Shadows' One Piece Controversy Explained

Summary

The controversies surrounding Assassin's Creed Shadows continue, with the latest involving similarities to the One Piece series.
A sword featured in Ubisoft's booth closely resembles one from One Piece, sparking plagiarism accusations and a petition for cancellation.
Despite the controversies, some fans are excited about the game's release and the prospect of using the disputed sword in gameplay. However, it will likely be removed due to the backlash, if Ubisoft even planned to include it in the game at all.

Assassin's Creed Shadows has 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 Shadows keeps marching on headstrong toward its November 15, 2024, release date to give players the very first Assassin's Creed title 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 Shadows has once again found itself in a controversial mess thanks to some eagle-eyed fans of a popular manga and anime series.

While much of Assassin's Creed Shadows' controversy has involved its samurai protagonist Yasuke and its recreation of feudal Japan, its latest controversy involves the manga and anime series One Piece. As the case has been with each of Assassin's Creed Shadows' controversies, the One Piece dispute has only added fuel to the fire that says the game should be discontinued. Currently, a petition to cancel Assassin's Creed Shadows is even live on change.org — a petition which, at the time of writing, has received over 90,000 signatures. If Assassin's Creed Shadows continues to defy cancelation, at the very least, the One Piece controversy may have effectively turned off yet another demographic from purchasing it in November.

The Details of Assassin's Creed Shadows' One Piece Controversy

Assassin's Creed Shadows' One Piece controversy stems 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 from One 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 for Assassin's Creed Shadows, there is no indication that Yasuke's One Piece blade 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 with Assassin's Creed Shadows' weapon and loot system. However, if the sword is indeed featured in Assassin's Creed Shadows, at this point, Ubisoft is likely to remove it from the game if it hasn't already.

It's unfortunate that Assassins' Creed Shadows keeps finding itself in deep water since it was initially such a highly anticipated experience. Fans have been requesting an Assassin's Creed title set in Japan for many years now, and Assassin's Creed Shadows was meant to be the answer to that. Thankfully, at least some One Piece fans are flattered at Ubisoft's seemingly plagiarized sword, with some even stating how excited they are at the prospect of using it against enemies in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Hopefully, the game finds a way to rise above all the controversy in the coming months ahead of its release.

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