A notorious racist meme is being used in Assassin’s Creed Shadows gameplay and it needs to stop

Right now, there are dozens of Assassin’s Creed Shadows gameplay videos on TikTok with the incredibly problematic “I want to be ninja” sound attached to them. Though the sound itself has been on the internet for a number of years, specifically since 2016, it has seen a resurgence as of late thanks to the Japan-centric video game where people are overlaying it on their gameplay videos.

Assassin’s Creed has taken us across the world over the course of thirteen main games and almost too many minigames to count. We’ve been to ancient Greece, Egypt, Victorian London, the Seven Seas, and even mythical lands like Valhalla and Mount Olympus. Assassin’s Creed Shadows finally takes us to feudal Japan, specifically the Azuchi-Momoyama period. It follows Yasuke – the only Black samurai to have been recorded – and Naoe, who acts as the steal character.

Assassin’s Creed has always been a stealth game, but only now, after the introduction of a ninja-like character, are people using the “I want to be ninja” sound on TikTok. You’ll usually find the sound attached to Naoe gameplay videos: Sneaking around the castles, jumping from high heights, and taking out people in complete silence.

Where is the ‘I want to be Ninja’ meme actually from?

The vile TikTok sound is originally from Miss America candidate Jennifer Murphy, who was also featured on The Apprentice with Donald Trump. In another desperate attempt at fame in 2016, Jennifer released a song on YouTube entitled “I want to be NEENJA!” that she recorded at a private party promoting her line of Murphy beds.

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In the song, Jennifer, a white woman, sings about wanting to be a ninja. Though somewhat problematic by itself, she then pairs the tune with a stereotypical and non-specific Asian accent. Of course, the song received a huge amount of backlash, and Jennifer soon issued a lengthy apology on Facebook that essentially shifted the blame onto other people.

“For those people that were hurt by my song, please understand that it was taken out of context and misconstrued. I promise it was not mean-spirited. I have a big heart, and I’m a goofball. I’m not perfect, and I don’t always hit the mark. I have a very charismatic personality and grew up in a big family with a lot of humour and joking around. I am a performer and a comedian,” the most accountable moment of her apology read.

@jeuneloup1906

#assassincreedshadow

♬ dźwięk oryginalny – dxddy_pxrschx 𖣂

“I have done many accents and impersonations in my videos, but usually, I simply poke fun at myself for being a blonde and having ‘blonde moments.’ I drive a kids Barbie Jeep in my videos, I wear Ring Pops, and I drink out of sippy cups. My character, ‘GoGirl’ is like a kid at heart, is not perfect, and falls down a lot… but she’s always trying to spread smiles and never gives up.”

Despite initially deleting the video, the track has been used countless times on just about every social media site. It’s more often than not employed for overtly racist jokes and gags, and it’s only gotten worse since Jennifer Murphy reuploaded it in 2021. She later went on to star in, produce, and direct a self-titled film on the same topic.

The Assassin’s Creed franchise has always been INSPIRED by real-life events, people, and periods of history – so why are some of the players using a racist song in a game that they claim to love? Jennifer Murphy is awful, but using the sound is your choice!

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Featured image credit: Ubisoft/Jennifer Murphy