Assassin’s Creed Shadows Actress Masumi on Naoe & the Challenges of Acting in Games

Assassin’s Creed Shadows often feels like two games in one. If you play as Yasuke, you’ll mow down enemies like an indestructible tank. If you play as Naoe, you’ll dance in the shadows, elegantly carving a path toward your goal. 

They’re opposites in so many ways. Yasuke is a gentle giant with strong convictions, while Naoe’s petite stature contains a wealth of rage and fury. Over time, she hones this storm of emotions into a sharp blade, focused squarely on restoring freedom to Japan. 

The actress behind this performance? Masumi, a Japanese American who previously starred in Netflix’s Yakuza Princess. We interviewed her about her first major role in a AAA video game, where we learned about all the skills she brought to Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

A Deep Dive Into Naoe’s Traumas

Players who have seen the moment where Naoe and Yasuke meet know about her initial character arc. She goes from grief to greatness, and in Masumi’s words, Naoe finds her “true power in her own shadows.” 

“All of the knowledge, skills, and wisdom that are passed down to her becomes almost like a curse because she doesn’t know how to control her shadows made of trauma, anger, and pain,” she said. “This story is about Naoe overcoming her inner demons and harnessing the true power of the shadows.” 

Naoe and Yasuke initially meet in an awkward position, but as Masumi puts it, they go from “enemies to lifelong friends.” At first, they rely on each other because of their different talents, but throughout the game, you see more tender moments between them. These moments are courtesy of the acting work of Masumi and Tongayi Chirisa, who plays Yasuke. 

“Working with him was a treat! It didn’t feel like work because we had so much fun working together,” Masumi said about her fellow protagonist. “I respect him so much as an actor and a senpai as well, so I got to learn a lot from working with him.” 

Personally, I found that Yasuke brings out the best in Naoe, breaking down her trauma-built barriers with kindness. It adds emotional complexity to her character, which Masumi really related to. 

“I love how she takes in the moments of beauty when she notices them and lets the moments of sadness sink in when they come,” she said. “She can be cool and calm like a ninja, or rage fiercely like a warrior! All while being the petite size that she is.”

The Hard Parts of Acting in a Video Game

Masumi’s previous experience on Yakuza Princess prepared her well for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. She had training in Japanese sword fighting with actor Masa Kanome in LA because of the movie, and it came in handy for her role as Naoe. 

“We practice coming up with a fight choreography within 5 minutes at the end of every class. We have to quickly memorize all the choreography parts and tape it,” she said. “So that skill definitely helped me book the job and also add some movements to Naoe in the game.” 

Assassin’s Creed Shadows presented Masumi with her first opportunities at motion capture and performance capture, both of which are common ways to record human movement and acting for games. In fact, these techniques can be used for animals, too! 

You’ve probably seen behind-the-scenes videos of people doing this in skin-tight body suits, often with markings for the cameras to track them. Needless to say, it’s not the most immersive setting for an actor to perform in.

“You really have to tap into your imagination and trust your body to bring the character to life,” Masumi said about the challenges of motion capture. “I also needed to ask questions about the weight or texture of the ‘door’ that I might be opening in a scene, to make it real for myself!”

“As challenging as it was, it was also a rewarding experience. I learned so much.” —Masumi, actress

Nonetheless, motion capture still lets a person act with their entire body. With voiceovers though, all the perceived “output” comes through only in voice. 

“You have to convey everything through tone, breath, and energy. And because it’s a game, you’re not always recording in sequence, which means finding the right emotional beats without the full context,” she said. “I have such renewed respect for VO actors after being on this project!” 

Overall, this wasn’t an easy experience, especially with the volume of work that goes into acting in a video game. Story aside, actors have to record a lot of yelps and hints, along with combat grunts and side quest musings. 

“It was a ‘marathon’ as [creative director] Jonathan Dumont advised me in the beginning. I’ve learned a lot about advocating for recovery time and taking care of myself,” she said. “But honestly, as challenging as it was, it was also a rewarding experience. I learned so much.”

A Sense of Pride

Masumi herself doesn’t play too many video games, but she did check out some of Assassin’s Creed Shadows recently—I mean, why wouldn’t she, after all that hard work? 

“While it was beautiful and super exciting to watch Naoe and Yasuke’s story, the fight scenes were a bit too violent for me to get through,” she said with a laugh. “I can’t watch bloody horror movies either, so I would just have to enjoy walking through the town with Shadows.” 

Still, there’s a lot she should be proud of. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is arguably one of the best in the franchise, with a healthy player base that has grown a lot since release. Additionally, it adds an extra sense of weight and honor to Masumi, being part of a game that showcases parts of Japanese history and culture. 

“I feel so honored and grateful that people are interested in our culture,” she said. “I hope this will entice people to come to Japan and explore the beautiful cities and countrysides in Japan!”