How to recruit Yaya in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

When you start playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows, in addition to Yasuke and Naoe, you’ll encounter several allies who are eager to join your fight against the oppressive Shinbakufu. One of them is Yaya, but if you want to recruit her, you’ll need to choose correctly when the time comes. Otherwise, you might find yourself down an ally. To avoid that, use our guide to pick the right options to recruit Yaya in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

How to Recruit Yaya as an Ally

Yaya is the first ally you’ll recruit in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and her journey begins during the Wada Koretake assassination quest. As you follow this quest, you’ll find yourself helping mercenaries in a temple by defeating enemies, and this is where you’ll first meet Yaya.

Later, as you enter Koretake’s stronghold to complete your mission, you’ll face a critical moment. After you defeat the target during a brief cutscene, Mitsumune attempts to execute one of Koretake’s soldiers. Yaya objects to this violent act, emphasizing that it’s not the way they handle things. At this point, you’ll have a choice that will affect your relationship with Yaya. If you want her to join your cause, you need to select the “Killing them isn’t justice.” option. While Mitsumune will still kill the soldier, this choice will unlock the opportunity to recruit Yaya.

How to Complete the Stray Dogs Quest

After making the right choice during the cutscene, you’ll receive a new ally quest to recruit Yaya. This quest will guide you to western Osaka, where you’ll find Yaya in need of help. Once you reach her location, you’ll need to defeat a group of enemies who are attacking her.

Afterwards, Yaya will talk to you and ask for your assistance in handling a situation involving a monk. During this part of the quest, you’ll also encounter a surviving enemy, and Yaya will ask for your opinion on what to do with him. Your choice here should be to select “We forgive him.”

Next, you’ll need to find Tetsuo to retrieve Yaya’s kanzashi, which can be located in the Church of Takatsuki. This church is situated to the northeast of Amagasaki Castle, at the northern edge of Izumi Settsu. Once you arrive, you can use the Observe mode to make it easier to pinpoint the exact location.

When you speak to Tetsuo, he’ll try to escape but will be intercepted by Yaya, who contemplates punishing him. You’ll then face your final important decision – select “You need to forgive each other.” Afterwards, you can ask Yaya to join your team once more, and she’ll agree. Congratulations, you have successfully recruited Yaya to your team.

How to use Yaya and her abilities

Once you’ve recruited Yaya, you can summon her to join you during fights (as long as her ability is not on cooldown). To use her, simply open your tools menu and find her portrait on the bottom-right side of the screen. You can then press the button to activate her ability while targeting an enemy.

When activated, Yaya will appear nearby and assist you in battle, starting by using a pushback attack on enemies. However, note that this attack may sometimes fail to land, especially if she takes too long to reach the enemy in tight or cluttered locations. After her initial attack, Yaya will continue fighting alongside you until the fight’s over, after which she will vanish in a smoke cloud. 

You can also upgrade Yaya’s abilities by building a Dojo in your Hideout. You can spend Mon to upgrade her abilities afterwards. Yaya has the following abilities:

• Rikishi: Yaya joins the fight and performs pushback attacks.
• Oshitaoshi (Initiate rank): When joining the fight, Yaya will knockdown an enemy.
• Inner Strength (Veteran rank): Yaya uses a powerful kick to send enemies flying.

With that, you’ll have your first ally to join your cause. You can read more about our playthrough in our Assassin’s Creed Shadows review.