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I've found my Assassin's Creed Shadows playstyle, thanks to this clip of Yasuke smashing dudes with a huge club instead of sneaking around

News
By Issy van der Velde published 13 March 2025

Nice hidden blade, nerd. Now check this stick out

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Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
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Look, I love a well-planned stealthy assassination as much as the next guy, but sometimes you just need to beat someone up with a big stick. That's exactly what Yasuke does in a new Assassin's Creed Shadows clip that shows him going ham on some enemies with a kanabo.

Kanabo quite literally translates to metal rod (according to DeepL). It's a spiked or studded two-handed club that was actually used in feudal Japan by samurai, so it's the perfect weapon for Yasuke.

In the clip, we see Yasuke absolutely clobbering some poor fellas with the thing. He's very deft with it too. He not only delivers slow, overhead strikes, but quick jabs with both the handle and the very end of the weapon, making it much faster than you may think a two-handed club would be.

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  • Samurai Miyamoto Musashi raises his sword to guard in key art for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, with enemies in a montage behind him - with the GamesRadar+ Big in 2026 "What we wanted to depict was the figure of a young, rough-edged Musashi": Onimusha: Way of the Sword's protagonist melds a historical figure with a cinematic legend

The Kanabo can deal immense damage to enemies, though be warned, its slow wielding requires masterful timing and precision.Pre-order now at https://t.co/Yx2IrEGVip#AssassinCreedShadows pic.twitter.com/qxHdBpX9JQMarch 12, 2025

My favorite combo is when Yasuke slashes the club down, cutting across an opponent's body and causing them to double over, stunned. Before they can catch their breath, Yasuke brings the weapon up through their feet, tripping them and launching them into the air before bringing the kanabo over his head and slamming them into the ground with it. It's not as brutal as his Sparta kick, but I still would not want to fight that man.

I love this weapon because it really plays into Yasuke's more strength-oriented fighting style. He's a big, strong samurai wearing heavy armor, so he can't sneak around like Naoe. Instead, he overwhelms his opponents with force and skill.

I can't wait for the game to drop on March 20. In the meantime, here are the best RPGs you can play to pass the time.

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Issy van der Velde
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I'm Issy, a freelancer who you'll now occasionally see over here covering news on GamesRadar. I've always had a passion for playing games, but I learned how to write about them while doing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student paper, The Boar. After university I worked at TheGamer before heading up the news section at Dot Esports. Now you'll find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many more places. I love all things horror, narrative-driven, and indie, and I mainly play on my PS5. I'm currently clearing my backlog and loving Dishonored 2.

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