InAssassin’s Creed Shadows, Gennojo’s questline comes to a head in a single, pivotal decision. You first meet Gennojo as part of a main quest, in which you have to track down a stolen letter and are introduced to the flirtatious thief who took it. Meeting Gennojo here opens up a short sidequest chain, giving you an opportunity to learn more about the dashing rogue and his own mission for revenge. If you follow it far enough, you can evenromance Gennojo as Naoe, deepening their relationship - but it only gets more complicated from there.
Eventually, Gennojo will reveal that he’s on a mission for revenge because the daimyo collected an unfairly demanding tax from his village’s rice harvest one year. The result, he said, was a forgotten storage shed overflowing with rice, while his family and neighbors starved, their own pantries remaining empty. Inside,you only find a single grain of rice, and Gennojo flies into an uncontrollable rage. With an armful of explosives, he attempts to blow the whole thing - including himself - sky-high.
What Happens If You Stop Gennojo?
Pros & Cons Of The Aggressive Approach
You’ll have three options at this point. Do note thatthis is a time-limited decision: you’ll have to make a choice within just a few seconds, or Naoe won’t do anything and will leave Gennojo to his own devices.
If you choose the option that reads “Stop Gennojo,“Naoe will sneak up behind him and sock him right in the jaw, knocking him unconcsiousin a sort of nonlethal assassination. Gennojo tumbles to the ground, and Naoe is able to get him out of the way before he activates the explosive fuse - in other words, his pride and his face may hurt, but he’ll live.
A short time later, Gennojo wakes up in a pile of straw with Naoe tending to him. He’s clearly a lot calmer now, and the two share a much more level-headed conversation. Eventually,Gennojo comes to the conclusion that his family wouldn’t have wanted him to die, even if it meant getting revenge for them.
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You’ll then have the opportunity to invite Gennojo to The League. If you extend the offer, he comes tolive at the Hideout. Doing so may unlock other opportunities with Gennojo later - maybe further story quests, new Hideout services, or further romance scenes - but for now, Gennojo doesn’t seem to be particularly useful. He’s not asummonable ally like Yaya, or a crafting resource like Heiji. Still, it’s nice to know that he’s still alive and actively helping Naoe and Yasuke’s movement. If you choose to part ways here, he gets up to who-knows-what, and could just as easily get himself killed.
Nor does Gennojo’s romance arc seem to develop any furtherafter this point - you’ve probably already had (and eithert taken or declined) the opportunity to see a love scene with him, whether you know it or not. The opportunity to romance him comes after you rescue him from a pair of samurai who have kidnapped him, long before this point. This is ultimately the climax of his own personal arc, and not much more. Naoe will have opportunities to romance others later, but her journey with Gennojo seems to have come to an end by the time you make this decision.
What Happens If You Soothe Gennojo?
Pros & Cons Of A Gentle Approach
If you decide to approach Gennojo more gently, by simply choosing to “soothe” him, you’ll skip a step. Instead of punching him, Naoe will simply call out to him. She’ll give him a similar monologue, telling Gennojo about her own trauma, and how she learned not to blame herself for her family’s deaths. This is enough to make him falter;Gennojo drops his explosives, and walks away.
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From there, much of the same plays out: you’ll get to choose whether to invite Gennojo to The League as per usual, and the quest will end with the same rewards. Ultimately,the difference between “stop” and “soothe” mostly comes down to how the ensuing scene plays out; as far as I can tell, it doesn’t have any wider story impacts. It’s up to you to decide, based on your interpretation of the options and Naoe and Gennojo’s relationship.
What Happens If You Do Nothing?
Pros & Cons Of The Hands-Off Approach
If you choose “do nothing,” Naoe will do…well, nothing, as Gennojo lights the fuse and walks towards the storage shed.The explosives will go off, and Gennojo will diein a blaze of glory, having finally avenged his family - but at what cost?
Somewhat unexpectedly, this is thecanon result inAC Shadows.
This is, of course, the sadder outcome. Even thoughone could argue it’s a fitting end for Gennojo, who’s never shown any particular regard for life and death, it’s just another tragedy brought on by the war, and a total end to Gennojo’s family line. It is, however, a major motivator for Naoe going into the latter chapters of the game, even if it is a bit redundant - hasn’t she already lost enough?
You Should Soothe Or Stop Gennojo
Save Him, But The “How” Is Up To You
Ultimately, when given the choice,you should either soothe or stop Gennojo- just don’t do nothing. Both choices will save Gennojo’s life and lead to a happier ending, but it’s up to you how all that unfolds.
Personally, I like the result of “Stop Gennojo” better. Naoe and his relationship has always been a little antagonistic. Even when they’re transparently hitting on each other, there’s still a tinge of good-natured mockery to it all. Gennojo’s always been a little hard-headed, too, and it only stands to reason that it’d take a little extra force to make him see reason.
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Still, with how little this decision seems to change about the bigger story, you should feel free to choose whatever makes the most sense here. Just know that if you choose to do nothing, Gennojo will die. The other two available options, though, are equally viable for keeping him alive, leading to a better outcome inAssassin’s Creed Shadows.
