Junjiro

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"I thought you were a demon. A monster. But Sorin taught me. Showed me other ways to let the hate out. And slowly... you started looking like something else. A person. A friend. Family."

―Junjiro explaining how he learned to forgive Fujibayashi Naoe, 1582.

Junjiro (順次郎; born c. 1572) was a young monk-in-training who was apprenticed to Sorin at Makinoodera Temple in Izumi Settsu during the Sengoku period. He was the son of the samurai and Shinbakufu member Ido Yoshihiro, as well as a budding artist.

Following his father's assassination by the Iga kunoichi Fujibayashi Naoe in 1581, Junjiro and Sorin came across a wounded and unconscious Naoe and took her back to the Makinoodera Temple to treat her injuries. Although resentful of Naoe at first, Junjiro slowly forgave her for killing his father and grew close to the kunoichi over the following months, developing a sibling-like bond. When Sorin later decided to depart on a pilgrimage, he left Junjiro in Naoe's care at the boy's own request, and he moved into the homestead of Naoe's friend Tomiko.

Junjiro eventually informed Naoe about his parentage during an encounter with the samurai Yasuke, who sought Naoe's forgiveness for his role in the conquest of her home. After telling the kunoichi how he had forgiven her for killing his father, Naoe agreed to give Yasuke a chance to make amends and invited him to join her fledgling league, the Kakushiba ikki. Junjiro also joined the league, which he came to see as his new family.

Biography

Befriending Fujibayashi Naoe

Naoe: "Sorin said you paint what you see. I'm sorry you had to see this."

Junjiro: "There are lots of beautiful things too, if you know where to look. I can teach you. Let me get my brush!"

—Junjiro offering to teach Naoe how to paint, 1581.

In late September 1581, Junjiro and Sorin visited Katano Castle, where the boy came across his recently murdered father's body, much to his shock. Minutes later, he found the killer: a heavily-wounded Fujibayashi Naoe, who lay unconscious beside her father Nagato's body. Seeing that she was still alive and at Sorin's insistence, the two brought her back to Makinoodera Temple and tended to her injuries.

Naturally, the traumatized boy hated the kunoichi on sight and contemplated murdering her in her sleep at least once, only being stopped by his hesitation and his master. On Sorin's recommendation, Junjiro later pushed his hatred into his drawings, at least one of them showing Naoe as a horned demon. In time, he began seeing the kunoichi not as an enemy, but as a person.

Once Naoe woke up, seeing her suffering from her wounds and mourning her father made Junjiro slowly warm up to her, though he remained shy in her presence and mostly avoided her. Nevertheless, he continued to tend to her alongside Sorin, looking after Naoe in her sleep when she was struck with fever. When the time came to remove Naoe's leg splint, Sorin assigned the task to Junjiro, allowing him to overcome his shyness as he saw the vulnerable Naoe trusting him with her safety. As he befriended the kunoichi, Junjiro, to his own shock, started to see her not as a monster, but as someone who had lost a loved one and was struggling with her emotions just like him.

Over the following months, as Naoe slowly recuperated, Junjiro and Sorin joined her for walks around the Makinoodera Temple to help her get used to walking again. The boy also tried to teach her art, showing her a tanuki he liked to observe, and used kintsugi (金継ぎ) to repair her father's broken tsuchibue, which he presented to her as a gift. In time, Junjiro came to see Naoe as more than just a friend; he regarded her as his "big sister".

Life on the homestead

Naoe: "This isn't some temple, hidden in the mountains. It isn't safe here."

Sorin: "It isn't safe anywhere. But the boy wants to be with you."

Naoe: "Fine. I'll take care of him."

—Naoe agreeing to look after Junjiro, 1582.

Eventually, once Naoe had fully recovered, she left the temple to pursue vengeance against her father's killers, the Shinbakufu; the same group Junjiro's father had been part of. The boy bid her farewell and promised to look after both himself and Sorin in her absence. However, shortly after Naoe's departure, Sorin made the decision to go on a pilgrimage and brought Junjiro to a homestead in Izumi Settsu owned by Naoe's friend Tomiko, trusting the two women to look after the boy, who insisted on remaining by Naoe's side.

In June 1582, before Naoe traveled to Katano Castle to look for leads to the whereabouts of the Shinbakufu member Akechi Mitsuhide, Junjiro begged her not to go and fled after her refusal, much to both her and Tomiko's confusion. To prevent Naoe from learning what she had involuntarily done to him and to protect her from the Shinbakufu, Junjiro made the decision to travel to Katano himself and destroy any clues he could find until Naoe stopped him. As the kunoichi confronted him, they were both surrounded by soldiers under the command of Aoki Ujimasa.

Petrified in fear, Junjiro refused to follow Naoe as she begged him to escape with her, though fortunately they were both saved by the samurai Yasuke, who dealt with the soldiers. When Yasuke revealed his involvement in the conquest of Iga, Naoe's home, and asked for her forgiveness, the kunoichi refused to accept his apology and prepared to kill him. Junjiro stopped her and confessed the truth about his father's identity and how he had contemplated killing Naoe in revenge, until Sorin helped him overcome his grief and anger.

While Naoe was shocked by this revelation and apologized to Junjiro, the boy told her that he had already forgiven her and urged her to give Yasuke a chance to make amends for his own mistakes. Naoe accepted and the trio left Katano Castle, returning to the homestead. There, Tomiko briefly scolded Junjiro for running away before the boy witnessed the formation of Naoe's league alongside Yasuke and Tomiko. After the group named their organization the Kakushiba ikki, Junjiro designed their banner.

Behind the scenes

Junjiro is a supporting character in the 2025 video game Assassin's Creed: Shadows, where he is voiced by Nikita Kim. He serves as Naoe and Yasuke's unofficial first "recruit", being seen around Tomiko's homestead, interacting with other characters.

If Oni-yuri is recruited into the Kakushiba ikki, Junjiro will develop a childish crush on her, much to Yasuke's unease. He will also mention that she can be scary sometimes. If Ibuki is recruited, Junjiro will mention taking a liking to them and spending time together speaking about art. If Ibuki is romanced by Yasuke, Junjiro will approve of the relationship, since it will make his "uncle" less tense and more sensitive to flowers and nature.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Shadows