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Spoilers: This guide names all eight romance paths and describes quest gates and outcomes. Naoe can pursue Gennojo, Katsuhime, Koshiro, or Mayu; Yasuke can pursue Lady Oichi, Ibuki, Hori Hidemasa, or Rin. Some guides list only four options because they focus on the two featured companion romances for each protagonist.
How romance works in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Romance routes generally require choosing heart-marked, flirtatious dialogue and completing a character-specific quest sequence. Ubisoft’s beginner guide explains that dialogue icons identify response types and that the heart signals a flirtatious choice (Ubisoft’s beginner guide). The route steps below come from published game guides.
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Before starting a romance, check that Canon Mode is off: guides report that it disables romance options because it selects dialogue responses for you.
Who can Naoe romance?
| Character | Route timing and main gates | Outcome or important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Gennojo | Complete “Missing Missive,” “Lost Honor,” “Sake and Swords,” “Honor Among Thieves,” and “Stolen Hearts.” Choose the heart-marked responses; at the final encounter, choose “I’d like to embrace you.” | A romance path for Naoe. The final response is a key route choice. |
| Katsuhime | Start during the Naginata investigation; complete “Letter from Katsuhime,” rescue her during “The Diary of Lady Rokkaku,” recruit her, and finish “The Jounin Pillow Book.” | If Naoe also romances Gennojo, the guide describes a choice between keeping Katsuhime as a fling and committing to her. |
| Koshiro | A later route tied to the Bull investigation and subsequent quests. Spare Seiji, complete the relevant target and soldier quests, wait for a season change, then choose the relationship dialogue. | Progression depends on both quest completion and a season change. |
| Mayu | Follow the Jizo statue quest line. The guide reports intermediate requests for 10 and then 35 statues; the final conversation comes after all 69 have been honored. | The 10- and 35-statue figures are intermediate steps; the guide places the final conversation after all 69. |
For the detailed quest sequence, see PC Gamer’s romance guide. GamesRadar’s shorter account describes Gennojo’s route as beginning with his ally quest and highlights the embrace choice after saving him (GamesRadar+’s guide).
#1 Best Overall
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- Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
- Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles.
- Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
- Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.
Who can Yasuke romance?
| Character | Route timing and main gates | Outcome or important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Lady Oichi | Progress through “An Education,” “A Talk With a Lady,” “A Prayer for Omi,” and later story quests. Spare her as Yasuke during the Wheel story, then choose the romance dialogue during “The Wheel Turns.” | Sparing her is the essential story gate called out by the guides. |
| Ibuki | Complete “Homecoming,” recruit Ibuki, finish “Putting Down Roots,” and gather three anemone. Deliver the flowers and choose “I want more than friendship.” | The flower delivery and dialogue choice complete the route. |
| Hori Hidemasa | After completing “The Betrayers,” return to Hidemasa and choose “Meeting you was my reward.” | An understated route that is missing from shorter lists limited to featured companion romances. |
| Rin | Follow the late, season-gated chain: “The Winter Raiders,” “Arrow Strike,” “War Horse,” and “Ride Into Town.” Choose the responses about helping, the race, and the final kiss. | Season changes separate stages, so the quests may not appear consecutively. |
PC Gamer details these quest gates in its full route guide. GamesRadar also highlights sparing Oichi, and the flower delivery and relationship response for Ibuki (its romance overview).
Can you romance multiple characters?
Yes. GamesRadar says Naoe’s romances do not affect Yasuke’s, and that the listed main paths can be completed in one playthrough. PC Gamer also describes a fling-versus-commitment choice for Katsuhime in the relevant circumstances. GamesRadar reports that Katsuhime may later leave after a “forever” commitment and a breakup conversation, but says the trigger is unclear and may be bugged; it is a reported possibility, not a guaranteed result. See PC Gamer and GamesRadar+.
Rank #2
- Experience an epic, historical action adventure in feudal Japan and become a deadly Shinobi assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open game world in chaotic times
- Sneak as a Naoe to not be discovered, use your agility to confuse your opponents and stretch down your opponents with deadly precision and power as a Yasuke
- Use information as weapons and build your own spy network to have eyes and ears everywhere and find your targets easier and recruit new allies on the go with unique skills to help you with your missions
- Create a fully customizable hideaway for your growing Shinobi league, where you train recruits, craft new equipment and interact with important characters; set the room layout, decoration and accessories yourself
Why do some guides say there are only four romance options?
The counts use different scopes. PC Gamer’s 2025 guide and Gamepressure’s overview list eight named paths across both protagonists. GamesRadar’s count of four covers the two featured companion romances for each: Gennojo and Katsuhime for Naoe, and Ibuki and Lady Oichi for Yasuke. The four additional names in the broader list are Koshiro, Mayu, Hori Hidemasa, and Rin. See Gamepressure’s overview.
Did the final update change the romance routes?
Ubisoft announced that the final update launched on June 16, 2026. It describes “Black Tides” as an approximately two-hour story capper wrapping up Naoe and Yasuke’s adventure, but the announcement does not say that it adds romance characters or changes route requirements. No romance-system change should be inferred from that update (Ubisoft News announcement).
Quick Recap
Rank #3
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