Interview: MASUMI on portraying Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Assassin's Creed Shadows is releasing soon with Fujibayashi Naoe as one of the game's playable protagonists. Set feudal Japan, the game features reactive environments, intriguing stories, and missions galore. MASUMI is the voice actress for Naoe, and ahead of the Assassin's Creed Shadows release date, she sat down with esports.gg for an interview! MASUMI talked about bringing Naoe's story to life through voice acting, what this role in Assassin's Creed Shadows means to her, and more.

Given her background as an actress and singer-songwriter, voice acting for a video game character was a first for MASUMI. However, that didn’t stop her. In her interview with esports.gg, she revealed that she was drawn to the motion capture aspect of it all. The new environment without props was very different compared to working on a movie or TV show, but it strengthened her imagination.

MASUMI then shared that introspectiveness is often misunderstood as weakness, but she sees it as a source of strength. By connecting her internal dialogue with Naoe's character, she hoped to show that strength can come from quiet reflection as opposed to only outward confidence.

"Just because a character is not outwardly really loud and really strong and really tough doesn't mean that they're not strong. In fact, Naoe is a very vulnerable assassin, and I want people to see all the layers of what it means to be a strong person, a strong character," she said, noting that she hoped her Japanese heritage showed in her portrayal of Naoe.

"I feel like I can play these strong characters because I have a lot of quiet time, a lot of internal dialogue, time in my closet, and writing — [and] that's also kind of related to my heritage, too," she said. "I think a lot of Japanese people can be very quiet but also [have] very strong beliefs and values [at] their core, and that's something that I think would be really interesting for people to see."

MASUMI talked about some behind-the-scenes details of what it was like to voice Naoe as well. She was surprised by the unexpected romance in her character's role — particularly with Naoe's interactions with Gennojo. She did find it intriguing how video games have these opportunities to explore themes like romance, however. Additionally, working with Mackenyu's voice was a fun and interesting experience.

"I had no idea that there was going to be romance, and I don't know if I was quite prepared for that. I was like, 'Is this what I think this is?'" MASUMI said. "That's the interesting part about video games, I think — is that these are the things that you don't really get to explore in movies and [TV shows] because you have all of these options of what you can do with romance and in other things. I really loved working against Mackenyu's voice. I think he's a great voice actor, and although I didn't ever get to see him, it was interesting and fun to be able to play Naoe in these situations because otherwise I would have never thought of that situation."

MASUMI also acknowledged that Assassin's Creed Shadows had an overall heavy theme. She said she was surprised to learn she would be playing a ninja, and despite the game's theme, working with Tongayi Chirisa helped her get through it. Chirisa is the voice actor for Yasuke, who is the other Assassin's Creed Shadows protagonist.

For more context, Naoe and Yasuke were initially at odds because under warlord Oda Nobunaga, Yasuke was part of the faction that invaded the Iga Province. This fragmented Naoe's family. Later, however, the two characters allied with each other.

"This project and the theme is quite heavy. I would say that there's very little light scenes, but then I would say that the cinematic shoots, whenever I get to work with Tongayi Chirisa, my partner, [it] was a lot of fun — even if I had to basically cry the whole day for the scene," she said. "I felt like he was there and he was like my brother and we would joke around and we would always help each other have these light moments, even though [the] story is very heavy."

Adding to this, the emotional intensity of the role and heavy theme required her full commitment. Although it was difficult at times, she didn't want to tell any lies with her voice acting. Drawing inspiration from her close relationship with her father, she connected Naoe’s story to his experiences growing up after World War II. She drew inspiration from her grandfather, a World War II veteran, as well.

"I want to say that, as an actor, I really value the time where I spend in these painful parts of the memories because I think the pain tells you what the gifts are, and the pain tells you where you want to go and what you want to achieve," MASUMI told esports.gg. "And it also shows you what's important to you. And for Naoe, it was her people, it was her family, and her connections and relationships with people. And so I talked a lot with my own father because I'm really close with my father, and also, my father was born the year World War II ended, so he had a lot of stories to share about what it was like to live through that time."

MASUMI focused on finding Naoe's authentic voice, wanting to make the struggles with the character's feelings and history tangible for players. She did not shy away from the tough moments of portraying that period in Japan's history. MASUMI added how Naoe's journey can resonate with many players because she navigates hardships that are universally understood.

As for parting words, MASUMI said that she's excited about the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows. Having kept the Assassin's Creed Shadows project a secret for two years, it made the process an even more memorable experience. In fact, she even had her husband capture the moment she got booked to be Naoe in the game.

She also mentioned being part of a sci-fi TV show on Apple TV that's releasing later this year. Additionally, she's in the movie The Weight of the Darkness, where she plays Jamie King's best friend. This movie is slated for later this year.

"I'm really excited for people to see different [sides of] MASUMI in a video game, and then movies and TV shows," she said.

That's all for now. The Assassin's Creed Shadows release date is March 20. Stick around on esports.gg for more interviews, news, and updates.