'People were telling me, this is massive' — Assassin's Creed Shadows Yasuke actor reflects on his role in the blockbuster game

• The voice actor of Yasuke from Assassin's Creed Shadows spoke about the role at a recent event
• Tongayi Chirisa revealed that he was new to gaming but soon had his "eyes opened to the magnitude" of the Assassin's Creed franchise
• "I didn't know that gaming was bigger than film and television," he said

Assassin's Creed Shadows voice actor Tongayi Chirisa has discussed the reception of his performance as the blockbuster video game's samurai protagonist, Yasuke

Speaking at an event held to celebrate the game's one-year anniversary and its inclusion in the ongoing Samurai exhibition at The British Museum, London, Chirisa revealed that he was completely new to gaming when he took on the role.

"It's a world that I wasn't aware of," he said. "I didn't know that gaming was bigger than film and television."

He went on to add that he quickly had his "eyes opened to the magnitude" of the Assassin's Creed franchise in his subsequent conversations with others. "When people were telling me 'this is massive', I was like 'how is that possible?'" he joked. "If more people are playing games than all of those that watch movies, it makes sense."

The actor detailed some of his own online research into the historical figure of Yasuke and also had plenty of praise for the development team's handling of the character's overall story arc, in addition to that of the other protagonist, fictional shinobi Naoe.

"They did an amazing job just balancing the emotional tone of it, historical facts," he said. "Allowing us to navigate that path in a personal, authentic way, and then just to kind of make it our own."

Assassin's Creed Shadows is currently available for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Nintendo Switch 2. It has received plenty of post-launch updates since its original release on March 20, 2025, including the addition of a paid expansion, Claws of Awaji, and a limited-time Attack on Titan crossover.

The British Museum's Samurai exhibition, which includes some footage from the game, will run until May 4, 2026. You can buy tickets via the museum's website.

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