Gennojo

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Gennojo (源之丞; died 1582) was a Japanese thief and explosives expert active during the late Sengoku period. Described as a charming man who drowned his sorrows in alcohol, he was sought out by the kunoichi Fujibayashi Naoe to join her newly formed league, the Kakushiba ikki.

Orphaned at a young age after his samurai overseer, Tatsugoro, murdered his parents as retribution for Gennojo stealing his katana, Gennojo was radicalized against daimyō rule and sought to fight corruption. While trying to help the starving citizens of Kyoto by stealing and redistributing Nijō Castle's rice storage, he was assisted by Naoe in exchange for joining her league.

However, an encounter with Tatsugoro during their mission led Gennojo to be reminded of his trauma and lose faith in his cause. Ultimately, he committed suicide with a bomb while blowing up the same rice storage he had sought to steal, despite Naoe's efforts to help him.

Behind the scenes

Gennojo is a character created for the 2025 video game Assassin's Creed: Shadows, where he is one of several allies that can be recruited into the player's shinobi league, as well as a possible love interest for Naoe. American-Japanese actor Mackenyu provides the motion capture, as well as both the English and Japanese voices for the character. His involvement was first announced on 6 February 2025, a month prior to the game's release.

If playing Shadows in Canon Mode, it is impossible to recruit Gennojo, as the canon ending of his questline has him taking his own life. This makes him the only ally in the game that was canonically not recruited by Naoe or Yasuke.

If both Gennojo and Oni-yuri are recruited, they will engage in a "prank war" of sorts, with the latter leaving a "little surprise" in his drink and Gennojo answering by stealing something embarrassing from Oni-yuri and leaving it where anyone can see it. Gennojo will also occasionally mess with other recruits, such as Nagoya Yagoro; at one point, he may steal his Hidden Blade during his sleep, only to immediately return it after taking a moment to look at it. If romanced by Naoe, he will attempt to make her jealous by complimenting Katsuhime in front of her, much to the unease of both women. Actually romancing him seems to be the less popular choice among the homestead's inhabitants, with almost everyone commenting that Naoe "could do much better" or just wondering why she would choose him.

After completing the main story of Claws of Awaji and visiting Tsuyu at her home while playing as Yasuke, she will ask him if he and Naoe are lovers. Upon Yasuke's negative response, Tsuyu will ask if her daughter is in love with anyone. If Gennojo was romanced, Yasuke will mention it, but as if Gennojo were dead, even if he survived and was recruited into the Kakushiba ikki. This further reinforces Gennojo's death as the canon outcome of his quest.

Gallery

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  Concept art
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  Promotional image of Gennojo
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  Gennojo spending time with Naoe
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  Gennojo aiding Naoe against the guards

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Shadows