Assassin’s Creed Shadows Faces Censorship in Japan Over Violence

Danica Davidson January 29, 2025

The upcoming game Assassin’s Creed Shadows may take place in Japan, but when it reaches that country, it’s going to make some changes. That’s because Japan’s CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating Organization), which does age ratings for the country’s video games, thinks this latest Assassin’s Creed is too much, and its developer has agreed to alter some things.

Specifically, CERO takes offense to scenes of dismemberment. The game has received a rating of CERO Z, which indicates it’s for people 18 and older. Though it’s rated for adults, CERO still says that no dismemberment can happen (just think about that seppuku acting contest that got cancelled).

CERO has demanded changes to video games in the past. For instance, it thought Resident Evil Village was too much, and Capcom responded by getting rid of decapitations (dismemberment again) and also made it less bloody in general.

CERO also thought that The Callisto Protocol was too violent. Its developer didn’t want to make the changes CERO asked for, and this resulted in The Callisto Protocol not being released in Japan at all.

When it comes to rating levels, CERO says it looks at the following when it gauges “Violence expression type”:

description of animated blood
description of mutilation/body-cutting
description of corpse
killing/wounding
horror
description of versus beat ’em-up game/fighting

The organization noted, “Each expression item has an upper limit, the content and expressions that exceed the upper limit are designated as ‘banned expressions, and the computer and video games that include the banned expressions will not be assigned a rating.”

Ubisoft gave this description for Assassin’s Creed Shadows:

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Summary

Live the intertwined stories of Naoe, an adept shinobi Assassin from Iga Province, and Yasuke, the powerful African samurai of historical legend. Against the backdrop of the turbulent late Sengoku period, this remarkable duo will discover their common destiny as they usher in a new era for Japan.

Source: PC Gamer

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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.