Ashigaru

Ezio, my friend! How may I be of service? This article has a lot of room for expansion. Please improve it with additional information in accordance with the Manual of Style

Where are the paintings? This article is in need of more images and/or better quality pictures from Assassin's Creed: Shadows in order to achieve a higher status. You can help the Assassin's Creed Wiki by uploading better images on this page.

Ashigaru (足軽; "light of foot") were a class of peasant foot-soldiers in feudal Japan. First mentioned in 14th century texts, their regular use by daimyōs during the Ashikaga shogunate to support their samurai and armies led to the simple troops becoming the backbone of many factions' armed forces. As befit their status as lower-class troops, ashigaru used simple gear like spears, basic swords, and light armor that facilitated ease of movement but left them highly vulnerable to advanced weapons like firearms or blunt weapons like the kanabō. What they lacked in equipment and weapons training was made up by their numbers, as warlords could easily recruit them from the surrounding populace.

History

In their quest to to take down the shadowy organization known as the Shinbakufu and rebuild the decimated Japanese Assassins, Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke encountered many ashigaru, many of whom were hired by the pair's assassination targets. Being a non-specialized soldier, ashigaru were often ordered to take on a variety of different roles as their superiors demanded, whether it was providing covering fire with teppō, engaging their enemies in close-combat, or investigating disturbances when stationed on guard.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu (first appearance)
• Echoes of History (first mentioned)
• Assassin's Creed: Shadows