The creative director of Assassin's Creed Shadows says that the decision to feature two distinct characters is part of the Assassin's Creed fandom's desire for two different types of main character. In an interview with GamesRadar+,

We went hands-on with Assassin's Creed Shadows, spending nearly four hours in Japan. And Yasuke feels the most different the series has been in years.

One of the more notable aspects of Assassin's Creed Shadows is that there are two protagonists. This isn't like Assassin's Creed Odyssey where the player picks between two characters who are essentially the same except for their gender.