Sorin

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"Vengeance is a lonely path, Naoe. Believe me. There are other ways to heal."

―Sorin to Fujibayashi Naoe, 1582.

Sorin (宗元) was a Japanese monk based at Makinoodera Temple in Izumi Settsu during the late 16th century. He served as Junjiro's teacher before abandoning monkhood to join the kunoichi Fujibayashi Naoe's group.

Biography

In late September 1581, Sorin and Junjiro found the body of the young boy's father, Ido Yoshihiro, in the courtyard of Katano Castle. Venturing outside, they came across a heavily-wounded Fujibayashi Naoe lying unconscious next to her father Nagato's body. Seeing she was still alive, the two brought her back to Makinoodera Temple and tended to her injuries.

While Naoe was unconscious, Sorin encouraged Junjiro, who was aware that Naoe had killed his father, to show her kindness. Later, he caught Junjiro standing over Naoe, holding a knife, which he quickly threw away. Subsequently, he observed the boy draw the kunoichi in the form of a demon, so he encouraged Junjiro to let his hate out in other ways.

After Naoe regained consciousness, Sorin introduced himself and Junjiro to the kunoichi and, when asked about Nagato, remorsefully informed her that her father had passed away. He then left Naoe to continue her recovery, occasionally visiting her, either alone or accompanied by Junjiro, to bring her food. After a few weeks, once Naoe's broken foot had healed, Sorin came to remove her cast, though he ultimately decided to let Junjiro do it. He also encouraged Naoe to try and befriend Junjiro, claiming that she and the boy had more in common than she realized.

Over the following months, as Naoe slowly regained her strength, Sorin and Junjiro would occasionaly join her for walks around the Makinoodera Temple. Once Naoe had fully recovered and decided to leave the temple to pursue vengeance against her father's killers, Sorin tried to encourage her that there were better ways to heal from her trauma, to no avail. Seeing he could not change her mind, Sorin and Junjiro bid Naoe farewell and wished her well on her journey, as the kunoichi left the temple and headed to a homestead owned by Tomiko, an old family friend.

Not long after, Sorin came to Tomiko's homestead to drop off Junjiro before he left on a pilgrimage across Japan. Claiming that Naoe had inspired him to try helping others affected by the war instead of living in isolation at the Makinoodera Temple, the monk trusted Naoe to look after Junjiro in his stead and assured the kunoichi that he would stay safe before the two parted ways once again.

Behind the scenes

Sorin is a character created for the 2025 video game Assassin's Creed: Shadows, where he is voiced by Motomasa Mori.

Etymology

Sorin is a Japanese masculine given name or historical personal name composed of two kanji: 宗 (sō or mune), meaning "religion, sect or origin," and 元 (gen or moto), meaning "origin, source, or foundation."

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Shadows