Assassin's Creed Shadows had to have 2 different characters because players want both stealth and combat, and you couldn't have both with just one

Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot.

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+, Jonathon Dumont explained why Assassin's Creed Shadows characters Yasuke and Naoe have such different ability sets, pointing to Assassin's Creed Syndicate for his answer. That game, also developer by Shadows main studio Ubisoft Quebec, was the first to feature the dual-character archetype that appears in this new game.