During the Tea Ceremony sequence in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Naoe narrows her suspicions to two guests—Otama and Wakasa—one of whom is the Golden Teppo who killed her father and also nearly assassinated her. The game leaves the final call to you, and making the wrong choice changes the mission path that follows. Our guide explains who you should confront between Otama and Wakasa in AC Shadows and what each outcome triggers.
Should You Pick Otama or Wakasa in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
Between the two suspects, Wakasa is the one you should confront, because she’s the real Golden Teppo. The Tea Ceremony wants you to suspect Otama—she critiques your clothing, picks apart your gift choice, and generally acts like the obvious troublemaker. It’s intentional misdirection. She is not your target, and accusing her only drags you into a lengthy path that forces you through a heavily defended castle later. You’ll still reach Wakasa, but you’ll do it the hard way, and there’s no upside unless you enjoy an extended fight or a stealth gauntlet.
Wakasa, meanwhile, keeps a calm, measured presence throughout the party. Her stories hint at deep political ties, she never gives away what she’s thinking, and she reacts to Naoe’s casual comments with a sharpness that doesn’t fit a simple social gathering. If you’re good enough to notice small details—her comfort discussing old shogunate circles, or the way she locks onto inconsistencies in your cover—often pick up on who she really is. Wakasa is the riflewoman who nearly killed Naoe earlier in the game, and she recognizes her instantly if you slip in choices. The narrative quietly builds toward her being the expert assassin, even if the game prefers to let you connect the dots yourself.
What Happens If You Confront Wakasa?
You will receive one of two possible outcomes, and which way you go depends on how you play the cards in the tea party.
1. You Preserved Your Cover (4+ correct actions)
Wakasa never realizes who you really are, so she plays nice and invites Naoe to her home. Inside her house, you can inspect the room and find the gleaming Golden Teppo hanging on her wall. Touching it triggers a cutscene where Naoe kills Wakasa to get the job done. It’s a quick, controlled assassination with no extra fight or attention. For the reward, you will receive a Pirate Flag decoration for your hideout.
2. You Blew Your Cover (3 or fewer correct actions)
If anything in your dialogues contradicts itself—name, origin, etiquette—Wakasa will catch that on the spot, and your disguise will be blown. She will instantly leave the ceremony, and to confront her, you’ll have to infiltrate Osaka Castle, slip (or slice) past heavy guards, and find her at the top of the fortress. Either way, killing Wakasa always nets you the Shinobi’s Fury Tanto, one of Naoe’s strongest AC Shadows weapons.
What Happens If You Confront Otama?
Choosing Otama is the wrong read, and the game doesn’t hand-hold you out of it. Once you accuse Otama, she runs into the street in an attempt to escape. Naoe has to chase her down through Sakai and kill her. She isn’t the Golden Teppo, but not harmless either; you’ll find the evidence of her corruption on her corpse. After Naoe thinks the only remaining lead is Wakasa, she’ll head to the same Osaka Castle infiltration to assassinate Wakasa, only without the easier assassination route.
