All Assassin’s Creed Shadows romance options

While you may be exploring and saving Japan, there’s always time for a little romance in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, especially when there are so many options.

Alongside taking down the League, Naoe and Yasuke must assemble a small army of allies in order to take down some of the most powerful lords in Japan. After all, it can hardly be done alone, even in Story mode.

As such, you’re bound to meet a variety of NPCs. Some of these characters can aid you in battle, while others are set to fall in love with the two protagonists, but only if you play your cards right and complete the right quests.

All romance options

There are three romance options for Yasuke and Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Naoe gets two of them, and Yasuke gets only one.

Naoe is able to fall in love with the slippery thief rascal, Gennojo, and stoic teppo-wielding Katsuhime, which occurs later on in the main story. As for Yasuke, his only romance option is Lady Oichi, who happens to be Lord Nobunaga’s sister.

How does romance work

Romance in Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t work like it did in previous AC games, like Valhalla and Odyssey. Instead, players will gain the ability to choose whether these become short-term relationships or love, and will have to work for them as the quests develop.

During your quests, when you meet Lady Oichi, Katsuhime, and Gennojo, you’ll be given dialogue options that let you flirt. Whether it’s initially successful is up to the NPC, but it doesn’t happen instantly.

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These dialogue options are displayed with a heart, but when you want to make the relationship official, it’ll be represented by a heart crossed with an arrow. Once you select this, you’ll be given an intimate scene featuring the NPC, though it’s not explicit.

How to romance

Depending on how you approach Assassin’s Creed Shadows, it’s entirely likely that you’ll miss a few romance options, though some are featured in the main quest, so you should find at least a few to fall in love with. Regardless, you’ll want to know the quests you need to complete and the options you should choose.

Lady Oichi (Yasuke)

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An Education

We first meet Lady Oichi during Yasuke’s flashback questline, An Education. During this, she takes an interest in the samurai as he’s taught how to fight by the sensei, Nobutsuna. Eventually, you’ll enter a dialogue with her, to which you’ll want to choose the “Some company might be nice” dialogue option.

A Prayer For Omi

The nest quest where you meet Lady Ochi takes you along Lake Biwa as she invites Yasuke to a boat ride while she tells the tale of the Dragon King that lies beneath the water. Once you’ve crossed the Lake, she’ll ask you: “If you knew your castle would fall tomorrow, how would you live your last night.”

To this, reply with: “I would spend my last night with you.” Despite your advances, Lady Oichi will reject the idea, explaining that it cannot be.

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The Wheel Unmasked

Later on down the main storyline, you’ll discover that she’s been wrapped up with The Morner, a member of the League you swore to take down. During this quest, you’ll need to spare the target at the end of the story. This will continue your romance with Lady Oichi and she’ll head off to recover for a while.

The Wheel Turns

The final step is The Wheel Turns, which has Yasuke and Oichi heading to Cat Island. Before you head off, the two will reconnect and you’ll want to choose the “I miss your smile” option when talking. Then, you’ll head off to Cat Island in the middle of Lake Biwa and meet her three daughters.

While you can choose to leave the dog with them, despite the heart option, it doesn’t impact the story, so we suggest taking it to add it to your Hideout.

Lastly, choose the “let’s enjoy the moment” dialogue option, and Yasuke will eventually wake up covered in cats. You can make the inference as to what happened there.

Katsuhime (Naoe)

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Showdown in Sakamoto

The first time you meet Katsuhime is during the Showdown in Sakamoto main quest, found when working to destroy the Naginata member of the League. You’ll meet a man who will aid you in storming Sakamoto Castle.

His daughter is Katsuhime, to which Naoe will follow for the majority of the quest. When speaking to her, select “I like your teppo” to begin flirting. She won’t instantly flirt with you, and will instead be a little more reserved.

Letter from Katsuhime

When you’re in Omi, head to the Shimmering Fields and begin the Letter from Katsuhime questline. During this, she’ll be found mourning the loss of her sensei, the man who taught her how to wield a teppo. She’ll ask you to find some Sake since her father drank what she was going to offer to the grave.

Once you find the Sake you can invite Katsuhime into your ikki. While giving her the offer, choose: “It offers time with me.” She’ll invite you to Wakasa to meet her friends in response.

The Tales of Genin

Once you go to meet her friends, you’ll find her standing in a destroyed home. She’ll reveal that her father and her were keeping the family of her former master safe and hidden, but someone appears to have gotten to them.

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Assist in this and tell her “I do enjoy your company” after saving the family. She’ll be a little more romantic here but will be more focused on getting back her master’s teppo.

Diary of Lady Rokkaku

For this quest, meet Katsuhime in Ado River Valley. She’ll act a little hastily and will run into the fort on her own to grab the teppo. She’ll fail and will be facing death, meaning Naoe needs to rush in and save her. Be quick here or she’ll die and your romance will, of course, fail. When you save her, you’ll need to carry her out of the castle. Then, you can recruit her as a companion.

The Jounin Pillow Book

This is the final quest you can take part in with Katsuhime. Head to Jogu Shrine and choose “Let’s find out” to engage in a full romance with her. Then, if you want to fully cement it, select “Yes. Forever.” If you do, the two will begin killing, and do what lovers do.

Gennojo (Naoe)

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Missing Missive

Gennojo is the first romanceable option you’ll meet in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. He’ll be pretending to be a spirit in one of the forests when actually he’s just stealing from any rich passers-by. Fight him and retrieve the letter he stole.

Sake and Swords

Next, you’ll stumble across Gennojo in Ogura Pond, Yamashiro. He’s attempting to sell the items he stole, though the town isn’t too happy about his antics. When speaking to him, select the following options: “Depends what you’re offering” and “Show me, thief.”

Honor Among Thieves

Once in Kyoto, you’ll need to steal a scroll for him by invading the castle nearby. Complete this and he’ll joke that the scroll contains a nude picture of him. Select “I’m keeping it, then” in response to this to continue the romance.

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Stolen Hearts

Lastly, head to the Hills of Meeting and chat with Gennojo once more. He’ll eventually open up about his past and how he lost his parents, blaming himself for what happened. Choose: “I’m here for you” after hearing this. Then, when given the offer, select “I’d like to embrace you” to complete the romance.

Can you romance multiple characters?

Yes, you can romance multiple characters in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Though most are unlocked in a specific order as they’re all tied to the main quest.

No NPCs will react to you romancing more than one person at any time, so you’re free to fall in love with whomever you choose.

So, that’s all you need to know about romance in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. While working on falling in love, be sure to check out Naoe’s best skills, how expansive the map really is, or everything you need to know about the game’s scouts.