Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows Gaming PC

Should You Spare Or Attack Lady Oichi In Assassin’s Creed Shadows?

adminMarch 23, 2025

0 13 4 minutes read

There’s rarely much reason to show mercy to the Shinbakufu targets in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but Lady Oichi might be an exception. While she turns out to be a member of the villainous group, she isn’t there because she lusts for power or has deeply misguided ideals, but because she sees it as her best option in a difficult position. Yasuke knows her well enough to understand her plight, while Naoe is less likely to be empathetic to a noble who bears some measure of responsibility for the death of Naoe’s father.

After Lady Oichi explains her story, the confrontation with her ultimately presents the choice to attack her or turn the other cheek. The choice to spare her belongs to Yasuke, who will anger Naoe by doing so, while Naoe leaps to attack Oichi if the more violent option is chosen. While the consequences of attacking Lady Oichi might not be exactly what they seem, it’s nonetheless a choice with some level of impact on the characters involved.

What Happens If You Spare Lady Oichi

Naoe Won’t Be Angry For Long

If you select Spare Lady Oichi, Yasuke will stand up and tell Naoe that they need to show mercy to set themselves apart from their enemies. Naoe flings a shuriken at the wall in anger before stalking out of the room. Oichi thanks Yasuke for helping her and gives him Nobunaga’s sword, the Myth Slayer, setting him on his way to hunt down Mitsuhide to gain all the answers about the members of the Shinbakufu. She also promises to reflect on her misdeeds.

Naoe from Assasin's Creed Shadows with Yaya

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Complete Choices Guide

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has several pivotal choices that change the outcome of its plot and the fate of its characters. Here’s how to resolve them.

When Yasuke returns to Naoe, she’s visibly emotional, expressing her frustration at the seemingly impossible goal of building a new nation with so many lives already lost. Quickly, though, she nudges at a potential romance between Yasuke and Oichi in a more lighthearted tone, declaring that it will never work because of their differing backgrounds.

What Happens If You Attack Lady Oichi

Kuma Takes The Fall

Naoe talking about Lady Oichi in Assassin's Creed Shadows

If you choose to attack, Naoe will rush forward with a blade, but Lady Oichi’s right-hand man, Kuma, will step in to protect her and take the attack himself. Naoe is visibly distressed by Kuma’s injury and bemoans the situation as another example of the poor suffering for the crimes of the rich. In the subsequent scene between Yasuke and Oichi, Oichi confirms that Kuma will live, so there’s no need to worry about losing the ability to turn in Corrupt Daikan targets to Kuma.

Naoe and Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Dual Protagonists Explained

Everything to know about playing and switching between Naoe and Yasuke, the two protagonists who share the spotlight in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Oichi still gives Yasuke the Myth Slayer, and the scene plays out similarly, with the biggest difference being that Yasuke defends Naoe’s wrath as justified. When Yasuke reunites with Naoe outside, she expects him to be angry, but he quickly lightens the mood. The same conversation about a potential romance can play out afterward, and the transition between the two lines of discussion might actually feel a bit less jarring in this version.

You Should Spare Lady Oichi In Assassin’s Creed Shadows

There’s Nothing To Gain From Attacking

Yasuke talking to Lady Oichi in Assassin's Creed Shadows

There’s ultimately nothing to gain from attacking Lady Oichi in this scenario. Even if you feel that she deserves to die, the game won’t allow it, and Kuma’s association with her doesn’t feel like it merits his injury. While Naoe may be frustrated by having to stay her blade, she’ll be more upset over hurting Kuma, so it doesn’t make either her or Yasuke feel any better. If you’re attempting to romance Lady Oichi as Yasuke, this also seems like the safer overall choice, as they part on a more pleasant note.

Morally, the choice hinges on whether revenge for Oichi’s misdeeds can ultimately be justified as justice. The scene makes it clear that she’s changing her path and attempting to help the common people, so there doesn’t seem to be a risk involved in choosing to leave her alive. Kuma certainly doesn’t seem to pose one, and he’s ultimately the accidental target in question.

Sparing Lady Oichi is also the Canon Mode choice. That shouldn’t necessarily be the primary deciding factor for which choice to make, but a number of Canon Mode choices focus on Naoe’s capacity for vengeance, so the fact that she doesn’t go through with it here is a relatively strong statement.

That being said, everything comes back around to the same narrative throughline with Lady Oichi and Kuma both alive, so there’s no significant downside to attacking if you prefer the choice. It also makes for a more memorable scene, as long as you don’t mind seeing Kuma suffer for the sake of a compelling narrative. Choosing to spare Lady Oichi in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the option that makes the most sense overall, but you’re free to follow your heart without incurring any major consequences.