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He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. |
Shimazu Sei is a Japanese Templar working as a doctor for Abstergo Industries aboard the Exitus research vessel in Southeast Asia. She is a descendant of Shimazu Saito, an 18th-century Templar and samurai of the Shimazu clan.[1]
In 2023, Sei was charged with locating a Piece of Eden believed to have been found by the British Assassin Edward Kenway, in order to salvage relations between the Shimazu clan and the Templars. Following Abstergo's abduction of one of Edward's descendants, Noa Kim, Sei forced him to relive Edward's memories in the Animus, though she later ended up striking a deal with him, promising Noa his freedom in exchange for his cooperation.
Once Sei and Noa successfully found a Piece of Eden – a crescent amulet – the Templar's superiors ordered Noa's termination, believing he had outlived his usefulness. Wishing to uphold her promise, however, Sei secretly went behind the Order's back by making a deal with the Assassin Nathan Zhang to ensure Noa's safety.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Sei was born into the Shimazu clan, a Japanese noble clan which had been allied with the Templars since the time of the Tokugawa shogunate.[2] After graduating from Harvard Medical School, Sei followed in her family's footsteps by joining the Templar Order and became a doctor for Abstergo Industries, working in their Archaeological Research Department.[3]
At one point, Sei met and befriended Layla Hassan, a fellow Abstergo employee from the Historical Research Division.[4] Some time prior to Layla's departure and defection from Abstergo,[5] she left behind a gift for Sei – a portable version of the Animus HR-8 – along with a picture taken of both of them together.[4]
Search for the Piece of Eden[]
Noa Kim's abduction[]
By 2023, relations between the Shimazu clan and the Templars had soured and Sei was tasked with overseeing an important operation in order to prove her family's loyalty and worth to the Order.[6] Sei's mission was to locate a Piece of Eden believed to have been found by the Assassin Edward Kenway in Southeast Asia, and so she began looking for a descendant of Edward in order to gain access to the Assassin's genetic memories.[7]
Sei and her team observing Noa in the Animus
Through the genealogy site WhyYou developed by the Abstergo Genetic Research Lab, the Templars eventually identified the Korean-American student Noa Kim as a descendant of Edward and lured him to Macau on the pretense of a vacation prize trip.[7] Following Noa's abduction by Abstergo, he was brought to the Exitus research vessel,[6] where Sei and her team forced him to use the Animus to relive Edward's memories.[7]
However, due to Noa being unaware that he was experiencing someone else's memories and taking the events he witnessed for granted, he ended up causing several synchronization errors. During one such error, the Animus reacted violently and electrocuted Noa, causing his heart rate and adrenaline levels to spike. Sei attempted to warn Noa, but due to his stubbornness, she and her team were eventually forced to end the Animus session.[8]
A risky deal[]
After Noa's condition had been stabilized, Sei visited him in his room and told him the truth about the Animus, Edward's role as an Assassin, and Abstergo's search for the Piece of Eden. She also revealed that Abstergo had made sure no one would search for Noa and warned him that it was in his best interest to be cooperative. Enraged at being told what to do, Noa pulled Sei by her labcoat collar but was quickly subdued by Abstergo security. As he was being dragged away, Noa decided to offer Sei a deal.[8]
Noa proposing a deal to Sei
In exchange for helping Sei acquire the information she sought, Noa asked that he be given free rein to do what he wanted while in the Animus, as well as his freedom afterwards. Though reluctant, Sei agreed to the terms, but reminded Noa of interfering with his ancestor's history and warned him that constant interference could make the subject experience the Bleeding Effect, potentially leading to Noa forgetting his own memories.[9]
Noa noticed Sei's sudden caring attitude towards him and teased her about being kinder than she seemed. A shocked Sei rebuffed him and insisted that she only wanted to make sure Noa did not die before Abstergo obtained what they were after. She then watched as Noa returned to the Animus to continue reliving Edward's memories.[9]
Conversations with Noa[]
- Noa: "I guess you can be helpful from time to time after all, Sei."
- Sei: "I'm only lending you a hand, given our need to extract the information from you sooner rather than later. And I don't recall allowing you to address me as anything other than Doctor Shimazu."
- Noa: "Why? I thought we were on a first-name basis now that we're in the same boat."
- —Noa's banter with Sei, c. 2023.[src]-[m]
Sei continued to converse with Noa during the latter's time in the Animus, telling him about her views of the Assassins, whom she regarded as self-righteous criminals that brought chaos wherever they went.[10] She also noticed similarities between Noa and the Assassins in their stubborn belief that they could always help everyone, which worried her.[11]
Sei being annoyed by Noa's comments
When a later memory required Noa to remain synchronized by staying undetected and avoiding casualties, Sei told Noa not to mess around, as he would have to restart the memory if he failed. However, Noa teased her by saying that Edward did not seem to match Sei's description of the Assassins being "ruthless criminals," much to her annoyance.[12]
Later, Sei decided to deliver on her promise to teach Noa more about the Assassins, and used the Animus to send him information about the most notorious of them: Ezio Auditore. She then asked one of her scientists for Noa's status, to which he revealed that the test subject was displaying the most stable synchronization rates since Subject 17. Satisfied, Sei ordered her team to maintain the current synchronization level as they moved forward.[13]
When Noa ran into an issue after completing one of Edward's memory sequences, he asked for Sei's help. The doctor took the opportunity to tease him about his earlier stubbornness and refusal to be told what to do, before bringing up a journal formerly owned by a ceramic merchant in Macau who had encountered Edward. Using this information, Noa was able to synchronize with his ancestor's memories and progress to the next sequence. As he did so, he said that Sei could occasionally be helpful and addressed her by her first name, irritating the doctor.[14]
Sei being angered by Noa's ignorance of the Bleeding Effect's dangers
After completing the next set of Edward's memories, Noa began showing signs of the Bleeding Effect, leading Sei to demand that the test subject be removed from the Animus and taken to rest. However, as he was being grabbed by two guards, Noa mistook them for ninja and attacked them, though he quickly fell asleep afterward.[2]
Sei waited for Noa to wake up in his room, whereupon she explained the Bleeding Effect to him. Noa was excited by the prospect of assimilating Edward's skills, but an angry Sei responded that she had seen people lose their minds due the Bleeding Effect and that she would not let that happen to Noa until she obtained the information she sought. Noa again teased Sei for caring about him more than she let on, and deduced that her family was in trouble if she needed to rely so much on him. He then asked that he be taken to Macau, claiming to know where Edward had gone next, and Sei reluctantly accepted.[2]
Trip to the A-Ma Cultural Village[]
Sei and Noa on their way to the A-Ma Cultural Village
After getting dressed up for the trip, Sei went to Noa's room and handed him a blindfold and a pair of headphones to put on, as he was not allowed to see the other areas of the Exitus. After leaving the ship, Sei allowed Noa to take the items off when he started to complain that he would not get to enjoy his first vacation abroad.[3]
Having assumed that Noa had travelled overseas before as was custom among college students, Sei asked him why that was not the case. Noa explained that he had never been able to afford it, claiming that Sei could never understand his struggles given her wealthy upbringing. To Noa's surprise, Sei agreed, but revealed that, because of her work, she had never been able to take a vacation either.[3]
Once they arrived at the A-Ma Cultural Village in Macau, Noa told Sei that the information they sought was located inside the old Zhang residence. However, when Sei went to speak with the security guards, they denied her entrance, claiming that Abstergo's request to perform fieldwork in the area had been rejected.[3]
A furious Sei then called on her guards and demanded to be let in or else they would be forced to take action. However, the security guards were unmoved by her threats and, in the ensuing commotion, Sei failed to notice Noa running away to find an alternative way into the building.[3]
Sei watching Noa come to her rescue
While Noa was away, Sei and her guards were attacked and quickly overwhelmed by a number of thugs—a distraction by agents of the Zhawang Corporation, who had come to retrieve Noa. However, Noa refused to leave with the agents and instead rushed to Sei's aid, using Edward's skills he had developed as a result of the Bleeding Effect to defeat the thugs. When Sei asked why Noa had not run away, he simply told her that their deal was still intact, before showing her a book he had found.[15]
After returning to the Exitus, Sei had the book translated and found that it contained information about Edward's later activities. She then went to retrieve Noa from his room so that he could continue to track Edward's memories. Before Noa went into the Animus, Sei thanked him for saving her and warned him not to succumb to the Bleeding Effect until their transaction was complete.[15]
Later Animus sessions[]
When Noa came across another one of his ancestors, the Korean scholar and engineer Yun Pyeong-Gyu, in Edward's memories, Sei added an Animus database entry for Yun to allow Noa to learn more about him.[16] Later, Noa and Sei witnessed Edward recruit Sei's ancestor Shimazu Saito into the Zhang Wei Union. When Saito revealed her perfect photographic memory, which helped the Union members in their quest to find Angkor, Noa made a joke about Sei inheriting her "Harvard-educated" brain from Saito, annoying the doctor.[17]
Noa playing a prank on Sei
Shortly after completing this memory, Sei ordered that Noa be removed from the Animus as the machine was unable to track Edward's memories any further. As Sei told Noa that he needed to find a clue about his ancestor's later activities, she became concerned to see Noa seemingly succumb to the Bleeding Effect, believing himself to be Edward and mistaking Sei for Saito.[18] A terrified Sei immediately told her team to initiate the breakdown protocol and tried to help Noa return to his senses, only for him to pin her against the wall.[6]
Suddenly however, Noa began to chuckle and revealed that he had played a prank. Sei was not amused and slapped Noa before returning him to his room, where she angrily reprimanded him for treating everything like a joke. Noa retorted that Abstergo had kidnapped him to use him as a guinea pig, so Sei had no right to get angry at him as she was just a criminal.[6]
Visibly hurt by Noa's words, Sei agreed to leave him alone and, as she departed, she told him she had never been worried about him in the first place. Later, she called her superior to inform him of her mission's progress, revealing that she had to relocate to Cebu in the Philippines in order to physically trace Edward's footsteps.[6]
Sei on the phone with her superior
The superior reminded Sei that this operation was her only chance to prove the Shimazu clan's value to the Order, and warned her not to leave any more loose ends like the thugs who had attacked her in the A-Ma Cultural Village, whom Abstergo had yet to identify. He also informed her that, given the likelihood of another attack in Cebu, he had approved Sei's request for backup, putting both an Abstergo task force and Sigma Team at her disposal.[6]
After warning Sei to only use them as a last resort, the superior told Sei that he was looking forward to good news and ended the call. Left alone with her thoughts, Sei vowed to succeed in her mission at all costs as her entire family's fate depended on it.[6]
Investigation in Cebu[]
After the Exitus sailed to Cebu, Sei and Noa went to explore the city in search of leads to help them track Edward's memories. For protection, Sei donned body armor and was accompanied by an Abstergo entourage, including her personal bodyguard Yuki. Travelling to the Basilica del Santo Niño, Noa used his Eagle Vision inside the Magellan's Cross Pavilion but was unable to find anything useful, which Sei suspected was because the cross was a replica.[19]
Sei and Noa running away from the Doom Eagle thugs
As the Abstergo convoy headed to their next destination, they were suddenly ambushed by members of the Doom Eagle criminal organization, who sought to rescue Noa.[19] The car transporting Sei, Noa and Yuki was able to escape and head to a shopping mall, where Abstergo was gathering the local police. However, the car was then hit by a truck, sending it flying into a fountain and momentarily knocking Sei unconscious. After she awakened, Sei was pulled out of the wrecked car by Noa and was informed by Yuki that the police had been ambushed, leaving them with no backup until the arrival of Sigma Team.[20]
With Yuki too injured to protect Sei, she gaver her bracer, which contained a retractable electric shock baton, to Noa and ordered him to keep her boss safe. Sei and Noa then ran into the mall as Yuki provided them with cover fire, intending to hide from Nathan Zhang and his thugs until Sigma Team's arrival.[20]
After heading into a shop and buying new clothes to disguise themselves, Noa decided to use Sai as bait to lure out the thugs pursuing them, and vanished into the crowd. Thinking Noa had abandoned her, Sei began making her way to the mall's top floor alone. She was unknowingly followed by several Doom Eagle thugs, but Noa silently incapacitated them. After Nathan fired his pistol into the air to create a commotion, more thugs attacked Sei and Noa, but the latter effortlessly dispatched them.[21]
Sei and Noa confronted by Doom Eagle
Upon reaching the top floor, Sei and Noa were confronted by Nathan, whom the former appeared to recognize, though she could not recall why he looked so familiar. After Noa rejected Nathan's offer to surrender himself in exchange for Sei's safety, Nathan asked him how he planned to protect both himself and Sei from his gang. Agreeing with Nathan that Sei was just "dead weight" and would slow him down, Noa proceeded to push her off the balcony and onto an inflatable castle below, much to her shock and anger.[21]
Sei survived her fall and was found by several Abstergo guards, whom she ordered to retrieve Noa before Doom Eagle took him. In response, one of the guards revealed that Sigma Team was set to arrive in one minute, making it unlikely that the thugs would be able to escape the mall with Noa.[22] Ultimately, Sigma Team managed to secure Noa, and Sei was relieved to see that Yuki had survived her shootout with Doom Eagle with only an arm injury.[23]
As Sigma Team prepared to escort Noa back to the Exitus, Sei angrily confronted him over throwing her from the balcony. Upon hearing this, Yuki became furious and requested permission to use "lethal force", but Sei told her it was not necessary as they needed Noa alive for the Animus. She then ordered the Sigma Team operatives to let Noa go, as she planned to escort him to the Exitus herself, and thanked Noa for saving her life once again.[23]
Further investigations[]
- "All I can tell you is that, at one point in time... the Templars carried out a wholesale purge of the Assassin Brotherhood. In the process, an untold number of Assassins lost their lives. As for your father, whether he was among the casualties... or if he was even a member of the Brotherhood in the first place is impossible to ascertain."
- ―Sei telling Noa about the Great Purge, c. 2023.[src]-[m]
Sei watching Noa go back into the Animus
Following their return to the Exitus, Noa was ready to go right back into the Animus, which surprised Sei, who warned him that it was dangerous to continue so soon given his recent experiences with the Bleeding Effect. After Noa stated that he understood the risks better than anyone, Sei complied and loaded up the next sequence of Edward's memories based on information from the sea log of Captain Mustafa, which Noa had acquired from Nathan Zhang.[23]
Before entering the Animus, however, Noa informed Sei that Nathan had told him his father was an Assassin, and asked the doctor if this was true. Briefly taken aback by the question, Sei revealed that, years prior, the Templars had carried out a large-scale purge against the Assassins. However, she claimed that it was impossible to determine if Noa's father was among the casualties or even a member of the Brotherhood, as Abstergo had no prior knowledge of Noa's Assassin heritage when they decided to kidnap him.[23]
Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Noa told Sei that his father had abandoned him during his childhood, but whether this was because of the purge or some other reason, it mattered little to him. Sei then asked Noa to let her know if anything else was troubling him in the future, as part of her job was to ensure his mental well-being, before the two resumed tracking Edward's memories.[23]
When Edward was subjected to the powers of the crescent amulet, a Piece of Eden capable of conjuring realistic illusions, and seemingly lost his right arm, the intense pain Noa felt at that moment caused a synchronization error. Although Sei wanted to end the Animus session, Noa insisted that they continue.[24] However, Edward's contact with the amulet soon proved to have negative consequences for Noa, causing his health and synchronization rate to deteriorate.[25]
Sei being worried for Noa's safety after he fell unconscious
Panicked, Sei immediately called for medical attention, but this proved unnecessary as Noa awakened from his brief coma. Sei went on to explain that Noa had experienced a data reflux due to the vast amount of information stored within the amulet, which was too much for the human brain to handle.[26]
Although Sei warned Noa that another encounter with the amulet could leave him in a vegetative state or worse, the latter did not care about the consequences and wished to return to the Animus. This prompted Sei to admit that she was worried for Noa's safety because his high synchronization rates made him an extremely valuable asset for Abstergo. However, she ultimately relented and allowed Noa to go back into the Animus after warning him that she would pull him out herself if she felt his life was in danger.[26]
Sure enough, when Edward again came into contact with the amulet in Cebu, Noa's mind and body reacted violently to the Piece of Eden's powers, causing Sei to abruptly end the session.[27] As Noa continued to be unresponsive, Sei ordered that he be taken to intensive care while her team finished downloading the data from the Animus.[28]
Concerned for Noa's safety, Sei called her superiors to update them on the situation, only to be taken aback when they ordered Noa's termination. As the data from Edward's memories had revealed the amulet's location near the Strait of Malacca, the Templars believed that Noa no longer was of any use to them, but Sei disagreed. However, she could not protest as her superiors promptly informed her that she would be re-assigned to another project soon and told her to consider the great service she had done to her family.[28]
Betraying Abstergo[]
Deal with Nathan Zhang[]
- "Pretty soon, he'll suffer the same fate as all the other test subjects. But let me guess, you don't want that, do you? That's why I called you specifically, Supervisor Shimazu. We both want something from each other... So let's be rational and reasonable about this. I'm sure we can work out some sort of a deal..."
- ―Nathan Zhang proposing a deal to Sei to ensure Noa's safety, c. 2023.[src]-[m]
Sei being contacted by the hackers
Left alone with her thoughts, Sei was furious with her superiors' decision to dispose of Noa, believing there was still much they could learn from his genetic memories. As she vowed to not let things end like that, the Exitus' security system was suddenly breached by a hacking syndicate, who directly contacted Sei, offering her a deal on behalf of a "guest".[28]
The client in question turned out to be Nathan Zhang, who revealed that he was aware of Noa's predicament. Suspecting that Sei did not wish Noa to meet the fate of Abstergo's other test subjects, the Assassin proposed a mutually beneficial deal to ensure Noa's safety, which Sei reluctantly accepted. Nathan then ended the call and the hackers restored control of the Exitus back to Abstergo.[29]
Moments later, Yuki barged into the room, alerting Sei that Noa had succumbed to the Bleeding Effect and had gone on a rampage. The doctor immediately requested to be taken to the test subject, despite Yuki's warnings that it was too dangerous and that even Sigma Team had been unable to restrain Noa. Ordering all units to stand down, Sei approached Noa alone and tried to reason with him, only to be quickly pinned to the ground.[29]
Undeterred, Sei slapped Noa and yelled at him to snap out of it so that they could finish what they had started together. This allowed Noa to regain control of his mind and body and he swung down his fire axe, narrowly missing Sei's head. He then quipped that Sei's slap hurt while everyone around him was left speechless.[29]
Retrieval of the Crescent Amulet[]
After Noa was returned to his room, Sei called her superiors, trying to convince them of the necessity to keep the test subject alive. She reasoned that, since Edward Kenway was the only known human to successfully overcome the crescent amulet's effects, Noa may have inherited his resistance to the Piece of Eden's powers and was Abstergo's best chance at retrieving it. The Templars decided to trust Sei's judgment and sent her a diving bell ship so she could recover the amulet from the shipwreck of the SS Ourang Medan.[4]
Sei, Noa and Yuki on the diving bell ship
Prior to boarding the ship, Sei had Yuki retrieve the prototype Animus HR-8 gifted to her by her friend Layla Hassan many years prior. She then explained to an irritated Noa, who was still recovering from the Bleeding Effect, the purpose of their mission before sending him to put on his scuba gear.[4]
While Noa was getting dressed, Sei and Yuki interrupted him, much to his awkwardness and annoyance, and the former revealed that Yuki would be accompanying Noa during his mission. After Noa jokingly asked if he could keep any sunken treasure he found besides the amulet, Sei told him to keep his nonsense out of it and focus on retrieving the Piece of Eden.[4]
Later, Sei watched Noa and Yuki enter the diving bell before it submerged into the water.[4] While the pair explored the Medan's wreck, Sei kept in contact with Yuki from the ship's control tower and was informed that Noa had gone missing during their search. The doctor found it suspicious that Noa had been able to shake off a trained bodyguard like Yuki, and believed it to be the work of the amulet.[30]
At that moment, Sei received a message from the hackers on her phone, informing her they would reach her position in approximately 30 minutes. Although concerned that Noa and Yuki might not make it back in time, she decided to put her faith in them since everyone's lives depended on their mission's success.[30]
Personality and traits[]
- "Knucklehead."
- ―Sei's nickname for Noa.[src]
Due to her upbringing as a member of both the Shimazu clan and the Templar Order, Sei never experienced life outside of serving the Templars.[3] As a result, she was a firm believer in their cause and despised the Assassins, seeing them as nothing more than self-righteous and ruthless criminals that needed to be stopped.[10] She also developed a strong sense of honor and believed that any failure, be it as small as failing to uphold her end of a deal, would bring dishonor not just to herself, but to her entire family.[9]
Sei laughing at Noa's discomfort
After being tasked to search for the Piece of Eden found by Edward Kenway, Sei realized that the Shimazu clan's fate now rested on her shoulders, as failure in her mission would result in her family losing the Templars' support. As such, she became extremely devoted to her task and would not let anything distract her from it.[6] Despite this, she still had people in her life that she cared about, such as her bodyguard Yuki, whom she regarded as a genuine friend, showing concern when she was injured[20] and later being relieved to find out she had survived.[23]
Over the course of her interactions with Noa Kim, Sei came to show a less professional side of herself, mainly whenever Noa teased or otherwise annoyed her. Though she refused to admit it, she cared about her test subject, showing concern for Noa's well-being,[9][2] and eventually grew accustomed to his comments, even teasing him in return at one point.[14] She was also grateful when Noa chose to return to her instead of escaping,[15] and was visibly hurt by Noa calling her a criminal for kidnapping him.[6]
However, Sei could lose her composure if Noa did not take situations as seriously as he should, mainly in regards to the Bleeding Effect. Having witnessed many previous test subjects succumb to it, Sei was worried that Noa might suffer the same fate and took all the necessary precautions to prevent it from happening. As such, when Noa was dismissive of the Bleeding Effect's dangers, Sei could not control her anger and smashed a plate, cutting her hand.[3] She had a similar reaction when Noa later played a prank on her, slapping him and reprimanding him for his childish behavior.[6]
Sei's concern for Noa's well-being went so far that she was willing to betray Abstergo by making a deal with Nathan Zhang, despite her personal distrust of the Assassin. She was also unafraid to confront Noa when he succumbed to the Bleeding Effect, and firmly held her ground until he returned to his senses, knowing Noa could not bring himself to harm her.[29]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
References[]