In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Gennojo is first encountered during one of The Fool’s story missions. Once you’ve completed that thread, he gets his own questline. To recruit and romance Gennojo, a charismatic thief, you need to engage in his questline and select flirtatious dialogue options marked with a heart icon. During key missions, choosing specific responses will determine the outcome. If you make the right choices, Gennojo will become a romance option for Naoe, enhancing Naoe’s journey. This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough to successfully recruit and romance Gennojo, ensuring you can fully experience this character’s potential in the game.
Unlocking and Progressing Gennojo’s Romance (Lost Honor & Sake And Swords)
Before diving into Gennojo’s questline, it’s important to note that you’ll first encounter him and unlock the romance option during the Lost Honor main story quest. After defeating the final boss, Gennojo will approach Naoe and suggest they make a good pair. If you’re aiming to romance him, respond with “You might be right,” though either choice will still allow you to recruit him later.
Once Lost Honor is completed, Gennojo’s ally quest will unlock, located near Ogura Pond. You’ll recognize this area from a previous story mission, so fast-travel there and find Gennojo in a drunken state. Speak with him, and if you want to romance him, select “Depends what you’re offering.” Other choices are fine too, though they lead to a battle with a few villagers, who are easy to defeat.
After the villagers are defeated, choose “Show me, thief” if you’re pursuing a romance, or “You stink” if you’re not. Either way, a new mission will be unlocked where Naoe will meet with Gennojo to offer assistance.
Meeting Gennojo at Shokokuji Temple (Honor Among Thieves)
Gennojo will ask you to meet him near Shokokuji Temple, which triggers the next mission. After talking to him, he’ll request your help to steal back a scroll located just over the wall he’s standing next to at the Kubo Sama Old Residence. Jump over the wall and use LT on Xbox or L2 on PS5 to observe your surroundings and spot several scrolls. Collect each one until you find the right scroll, which will prompt you to return to Gennojo.
Speak with Gennojo again, and you’ll encounter the first important dialogue option, marked with the notice “This will impact Gennojo.” If you’re aiming to romance him, select “I’m keeping it then.” If you’re only interested in an ally, choose “This is serious.” Both choices will influence your path, but it’s not the final decision, so proceed to the next mission in the questline.
Rescuing Gennojo (Stolen Hearts)
The next part of Gennojo’s quest will lead you to an area near the Hills of Meeting, which will be marked on your map. Upon arrival, you’ll find a troubling puddle of blood, signaling that something has gone wrong. To locate Gennojo, use Scouts or follow the marked spot on the map. Once there, you’ll need to fight two soldiers who have captured him, which should be manageable even if you need to use Naoe.
After defeating the soldiers, a cutscene will trigger, allowing you to decide if you want to pursue a romance with Gennojo, while also learning more about his backstory. If you’re aiming to romance him, choose “I’d like to embrace you,” but if you’ve had a change of heart, select “You should embrace your past.” Choosing the romance option will lead to Naoe and Gennojo finally getting together, triggering a unique cutscene.
Note: Make sure you have Rations available for this fight. While I managed without them, it took several attempts due to the strength of the heavy enemy. With Rations, the fight should be much easier.
Completing Gennojo’s Questline (The Godless Harvest)
The final part of Gennojo’s questline takes place near Nijo Palace, and it will be marked on your map, so Scouts aren’t necessary. Head over to the location to start the quest, which involves sneaking into the castle and finding the rice. It’s tricky to locate if you enter from where Gennojo is, but we’ve marked the exact spot on the map to guide you.
Once you reach the rice, either avoid or stealthily eliminate enemies. Upon reaching the rice, a cutscene will trigger, leading to a boss fight against Tatsugoro. He’s relatively easy to defeat, as his attacks follow a typical pattern of heavy strikes and consecutive light attacks, with only his larger health bar making him slightly more challenging.
After the battle, Gennojo will threaten to blow up the rice storage, prompting another round of dialogue options that will “impact Gennojo.” Whether you’re aiming to romance him or not, make sure to choose “Soothe Gennojo” to calm him down and prevent him from making a rash decision. Once you’ve de-escalated the situation, you’ll have the choice to recruit Gennojo with “We make a good team” or part ways with “I guess this is goodbye.”
Recruiting Gennojo adds him as a valuable ally in combat and he’ll also hang around the Hideout. Unless his cheeky thief personality doesn’t sit well with you, there’s no reason not to recruit him—or romance him.
Note: Be aware that a few soldiers may join Tatsugoro, so be cautious of being overwhelmed. Take them on one by one to avoid getting rushed.
