Gennojo is one of six allies you can recruit in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and is also a romance option for Naoe.
Pro Tip: You cannot recruit Gennojo if you are playing on the Canon Mode of AC Shadows.
You can access Gennojo's questline after finishing "The Fool's" questline, which is one of the Shinbakufu targets. Once you complete The Rising Tide, Gennojo will show up on The League quest board. From here, you will have access to the quest, which will begin to unlock him as an ally and romance option.
In the guide below, we'll look at how to recruit Gennojo, the steps you must avoid, his abilities, and how to romance him.
How to Recruit Gennojo
Pro Tip: During this section in the quest, "The Godless Harvest," you must select "soothe Gennojo." Failing to do so will cause Gennojo to be skipped as an ally. This pop-up is a timed event, so you must react fast.
Gennojo is available to unlock after "The Fool" has been dealt with during the main story. The first time we meet him will be during the "Missing Honor" quest, which also gives us the first romance/flirt option with him. Make sure to select "You might be right" to follow that path. This quest is followed up by Sake and Swords. Gennojo is a little worse for wear here and will need your help to get back on the right path. Choose "Depends what you're offering" if you wish to romance him. You will get another chance to romance him after this by selecting "Show me, thief." Either option will lead you to the next quest.
Once done, you will see the quest Honor Among Thieves. This quest will feature an option to side with Gennojo. Next up is Stolen Hearts, where you must save Gennojo from two guards. It can be a tough fight if you try to recruit Gennojo early, so be careful. The final quest is "The Godless Harvest," and is the key puzzle piece to recruit Gennojo. Again, the option to soothe Gennojo must be selected in order to recruit them. Failing to do so will lock you out of recruiting Gennojo and adding him to the League.
Gennojo Abilities
Gennojo is a decent ally to have. In our AC Shadow allies tier list, we put him at B, but we think to get the most out of him, you should pair him with one of the two more combat-focused allies. That way, you can get the best out of his kit, and fully utilise him. Gennojo works well on his own if you attack a lot of castles, especially if you play as Yasuke and just fight the entire castle head-on.
Gennojo shares similarities with Oni-yuri, particularly in his ability to eliminate one opponent from the game. However, Gennojo operates slightly differently; he primarily serves as a direct aggro ally for enemies. Initiating a battle with a startling bomb can significantly influence certain scenarios, and his second passive, which draws an opponent away, is effective, although you cannot choose which foe to target. Additionally, like Oni-yuri, Gennojo has a third passive that prevents servants from reporting crimes they witness you commit. While beneficial, this ability is quite specific and mainly applicable during castle raids.
| Rank | Ability | Description |
| Novice | Mischivious Sabotage | Gennojo throws a startling projectile |
| Initiate | Over Here! | Draws away enemies about to attack you |
| Veteran | Charming Presence | Servants do not inform enemies of crimes they see you commit |
FAQ
Do you have to romance Gennojo?
No, but it is very easy to do so if you want to. Gennojo has the most flirt prompts of anyone in the game, making him fairly difficult to avoid if you want to recruit him.
Can Yasuke Recruit or romance Gennojo?
Only Naoe may recruit and romance Gennojo, though both of them can use him as an ally once he is recruited.
Who is Gennojo voice actor?
Mackenyu takes on the role of Gennojo in both the Japanese and English voice versions of the game. Mackenyu will be know for his performance as Roronoa Zoro in the live-action One Piece show on Netflix in 2023.
