Assassin's Creed Shadows has a long list of historical figures, and breaking down the major ones provides some helpful context for the game's story.

Assassin's Creed Shadows features an assortment of legendary figures from Japan's history, including the "demon" samurai Hattori Hanzo.

In the original Assassin’s Creed, the line between combatants and civilians was clearly defined. The first game used its lore as an excuse to prevent players from killing random civilians, citing any unendorsed killing as a disruption of prewritten history. In Shadows, the distinction is murkier. And the kills, messier.