Who are the Assassin’s Creed Shadows bosses? Initially referred to as the Onryo, before later being unveiled as the Shinbakufu, Shadows’ big bads have done a stellar job of making enemies of Naoe and Yasuke. But they aren’t the only challenges you have ahead of you.
The AC Shadows bosses represent a complex web of evil that spans every corner of Japan. Suffice it to say, you’re going to be spending the lion’s share of the open-world RPG hunting them down, taking vengeance, and retrieving what was stolen. Below you’ll find the location for each Assassin’s Creed Shadows boss and a little bit about them. Check out our AC Shadows Legendary gear guide to learn what you earn for taking them down. Beware, major spoilers ahead.
The Assassin’s Creed Shadows bosses are:
- Ido Yoshihiro (The Onryo Samurai)
- Wada Koretake (The Wounded)
- Wakasa (The Golden Teppo)
- Oda Nobunaga (The Horseman?)
- Ise Sadaoki (The Fool)
- Akechi Kagemitsu (The Naginata)
- Lady Oichi (The Mourner)
- Ukita Naoie (The Noble)
- Bessho Harumasa (The Ox)
- Takeda Motoaki (The Fox)
- Joken Hokkyo (The Wise)
- Akechi Mitsuhide (The Two-Faced)
- Ashikaga Yoshiaki (The Horseman)
- Duarte de Melo
- Kimura Kei
- Hosokawa Tama
- Nuno Caro
Ido Yoshihiro
Alias: The Onryo Samurai
Main encounter: ‘The Onryo Samuai’ quest, Katano Castle, Izumi Settsu
Box thief extraordinaire, Ido Yoshihiro proves to be a major thorn in Naoe’s side during the prologue, yoinking the league’s treasure and leaving Naoe with a nasty scar to show for it. Though it isn’t made clear why Yoshihiro’s after the box, the simple fact remains that he needs to be taken down.
Wada Koretake
Alias: The Wounded
Main encounter: ‘Heads Will Roll’ quest, Amagasaki Castle, Izumi Settsu
One of Oda Nobunaga’s most staunch supporters, Wada Koretake seeks to wipe out the remaining Ikko ikki members, no matter the cost. Suffice it to say, Naoe would love nothing more than to take revenge on behalf of her fallen league members.
Wakasa
Alias: The Golden Teppo
Main encounter: ‘Defensive Position’ quest, Osaka Castle, Izumi Settsu
Pirate-turned-tea-connoisseur, Wakasa may have ascended to the upper echelons of society, but she certainly hasn’t lost her killer instinct and sharp shot with a teppo. Naoe has more than her fair share of personal beef with this Shinbakufu member, not least because she was shot by her. Fair.
Oda Nobunaga
Alias: The Horseman?
Main encounter: ‘Temple of the Horseman quest’, Honnoji Temple, Kyoto, Yamashiro
The first unifier of Japan, Oda Nobunaga is presented to Naoe as The Horseman by Akechi Mitsuhide. Of course, those who know their Japanese history will have immediately realized what’s going on, as it’s swiftly revealed after his defeat to the shinobi that he’s not actually the guy she’s after. Rough one.
Ise Sadaoki
Alias: The Fool
Main encounter: ‘Lost Honor’ quest, Yamazaki Castle, Yamashiro
Though he may go by ‘The Fool,’ Ise Sadaoki is anything but. Akechi Mitsuhide’s son-in-law is just as conniving, going to the most extreme lengths to wrestle control of the Ise clan.
Akechi Kagemitsu
Alias: The Naginata
Main encounter: ‘Showdown in Sakamoto’ quest, Sakamoto Castle, Omi
Though Akechi Kagemitsu may be an Akechi, the snivelling wretch does his best Joffrey Lannister impression where possible while hiding in his uncle Mitsuhide’s shadow. As we know, the shadows aren’t a safe place for the Shinbakufu…
Lady Oichi
Alias: The Mourner
Main encounter: ‘The Wheel Unmasked’ quest, Hogonji Temple, Omi
Younger sister to Oda Nobunaga, Lady Oichi falls down the wrong path after she becomes heavily indebted to the daikan of Omi while trying to keep her people fed. Will she face the wrath of Naoe’s blade, or will her status as one of Yasuke’s AC Shadows romance options spare her?
Ukita Naoie
Alias: The Noble
Main encounter: ‘Spring and Fall’ quest, Himeji Castle, Harima
Ukita Naoie prizes ambition above all else, even the safety of his family. After sneakily orchestrating an attack on a rengakai featuring prominent members of Harima’s nobility, Naoie seeks his next opportunity to take down Hashiba Hideyoshi’s key allies.
Bessho Harumasa
Alias: The Ox
Main encounter: ‘Broken Horn’ quest, Miki Castle, Harima
A son of the defeated Bessho clan, Harumasa is a militant opportunist who is taking full advantage of the current upheaval to fan the flames of rebellion and strong-arm his way into power.
Takeda Motoaki
Alias: The Fox
Main encounter: ‘The Performer’ quest, Samurai Yashiki District, Wakasa
The Takeda clan was once a powerhouse, but defeat to Oda Nobunaga left it in a sharp decline. Eager to foster a return to prominence for the Takeda, Motoaki plots to overthrow the Niwa clan and reclaim Nochiseyama Castle. Though misguided, Motoaki isn’t comparable in terms of pure villainy to his fellow Shinbakufu.
Joken Hokkyo
Alias: The Wise
Main encounter: ‘Darkness Falls’ quest, Kofukuji Temple, Yamato
Yamato is currently facing the wrath of angry gods and spirits alike, which is only compounded by a missing retinue of peace envoys that could spell war between the Akiyama and Tsutsui clans. Such upheaval can only be the work of The Wise – Joken Hokkyo.
A monk who claims to broker peace from neutral ground, Joken Hokkyo is a collector of all sorts of interesting paraphernalia – such as a bloodied katana which isn’t suspicious at all. The mediator between Lady Ayako and Lord Junkei, Hokkyo abuses his position to sow distrust between the pair with the ultimate aim of reclaiming the right to rule Yamato Oda Nobunaga initially gave the monks, before later rescinding it.
Akechi Mitsuhide
Alias: The Two-Faced
Main encounter: ‘Topple the Traitor’ quest, Shoryuji Castle, Yamashiro
Of all the Shinbakufu, Akechi Mitsuhide being referred to as ‘The Two-Faced’ is perhaps the most pertinent alias. The betrayer who turned on his leader, Oda Nobunaga, for reasons still hotly debated today, Mitsuhide takes advantage of Naoe’s eagerness to take down the Shinbakufu, turning her into a weapon to kill Nobunaga from the inside.
In Shadows, Mitsuhide brands Nobunaga a madman, justifying the decision to remove him from power as an act of justice and to save innocents.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki
Alias: The Horseman
Main encounter: ‘The Man Behind the Mask’ quest, Kuramadera Temple, Yamashiro
The shadowy leader of the Shinbakufu. Akechi Mitsuhide initially leads Naoe to believe that The Horseman is none other than Oda Nobunaga. However, it was revealed shortly after that this was all a lie concocted by Mitsuhide, who used Naoe as a tool to defeat the daimyo. As we know from history, Nobunaga was succeeded by his retainer, Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyoshi. But will Shadows walk the trodden path?
After Naoe and Yasuke best Mitsuhide, the defeated retainer reveals that The Horseman’s true identity is Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the former shogun Nobunaga overthrew. Yoshiaki seems to have a lot of valuable information Naoe and Yasuke need, but will that be enough to spare him?
Duarte de Melo
Faction: Templar
Main encounter: ‘My Name is Yasuke’ quest, Obama, Wakasa
A Templar and slaver from Yasuke’s past working under Nuno Caro, Duarte de Melo is the lowest of the low. Considering their history, it’s no surprise that Yasuke is especially eager to get his hands, katana, kanabo, and whatever else he has at his disposal on him.
Kimura Kei
Faction: Templar
Main encounter: ‘Fighting for the Cause’ quest, Hibuse Fudo Temple, Kii
Kimura Kei is the next head to be hunted by Yasuke en route to Nuno Caro. The Templar sword-master has been swayed by Caro to take in wayward ronin and train them for him. Hopefully, he’ll have some useful info for Yasuke before he’s silenced for good.
Hosokawa Tama
Faction: Templar
Main encounter: ‘The Silver Queen’ quest, Tada Silver Lands, Tamba
The daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide, Hosokawa Tama is sent with her father, alongside her brother, to serve Nuno Caro in return for his support. Known as ‘The Silver Queen,’ Tama becomes increasingly concerned that her and her brother’s usefulness to the Templars is decreasing by the day. She strikes a deal with Yasuke to deal with the source of the issue.
Nuno Caro
Faction: Templar
Main encounter: ‘End of the Line’ quest, Takeda Castle, Takeda, Tamba
The root of Yasuke’s trauma, Nuno Caro is a prominent member of Japan’s Templar branch. Having led the slaver operation that intended to bring Yasuke to the land of the rising sun in the first place, Caro has plenty to answer for. His operation in Japan is slick, and the slithery, silver-tongued serpent is a slippery customer to track down – but not impossible.
And those are the Assassin’s Creed Shadows bosses we’ve encountered so far. We’ll be back to fill out the list when we’ve come to its (hopefully) thrilling conclusion. In the meantime, check out our comprehensive AC Shadows guides list for more bangers.