Trying to complete The Butterfly Collector quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows? This guide has you covered. What begins as a simple task of finding 10 origami butterfly locations for a mysterious Gamemaker, soon reveals a dark child kidnapping plot in Osaka. Here’s everything you need to know — all butterfly locations, the full assassination quest that follows, and the final choice you’ll have to make.
Table of Contents
How to Start The Butterfly Collector Quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Before hunting butterflies, you’ll need to unlock the quest first:
- Look for the quest marker in the village west of Katano Castle.
- Speak with the Gamemaker (a woman on the street north of Katano Oil Trading).
She’ll explain that she’s created a game involving origami butterflies hidden throughout Osaka, but strangely, no children are playing it. That’s where you come in.
All 10 Origami Butterfly Locations in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Each butterfly is attached to a tree within Osaka. While some are colorful collectibles, three special white butterflies contain notes that reveal the darker purpose behind this “game.”
| Color | Detailed Location | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Purple | Located at the northern tip of Osaka’s main island. Look for a tree right next to the water’s edge with a lantern nearby. | – |
| 2. Green | Found in east Osaka in a house backyard. The butterfly is attached to a tree surrounded by a fence. | – |
| 3. White (Richo’s) | Attached to a tree adjacent to the middle bridge in east Osaka. This is your first special white butterfly with a note. | Contains a note about kidnappings and unlocks All Will Be Well quest. |
| 4. Yellow | After collecting Richo’s butterfly, cross the bridge and look for a garden. The yellow butterfly sits on a large tree in this garden. | – |
| 5. White (Mucho’s) | Head west from Osaka toward Kojo Ruins. Between the two bridges crossing the river, you’ll find this butterfly on a tree near the waterline. | Contains a note about kidnappings and unlocks For the Sake of Sake quest and Find the Child sub-quest. |
| Color | Detailed Location | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6. Red | Located inside the Temple of Osaka grounds. Go to the northern side of the temple, and you’ll spot it attached to a tree. | – |
| 7. White (Shucho’s) | Found in the eastern part of Osaka just south of the Kakurega. Look for a tree near the corner of a road by the river. | Contains a note about kidnappings and unlocks the One That Got Away sub-quest. |
| 8. Blue | Western side of Temple of Osaka. Behind a shrine with a Torii gate, above the shrine’s roof. | – |
| 9. Pink | Near the southern of Osaka, just north of the bridge leading to Sakai. Look for a path enclosed by fences. The butterfly sits on a tree in the corner of this area. | – |
| 10. Orange | Southeast of the Temple of Osaka. Head to the northern edge of the river and look for a tree near a couple of small huts. | – |
Also Read:
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Things You Need to Know Before Playing
- How to Unlock Relationships for Naoe and Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows: All Allies and How to Recruit Them
- 12 Important Early-Game Things to Do in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
The Butterfly Collector Quest Guide
After collecting all three white butterflies, you’ll unlock The Butterfly Collector Objective Board with several assassination targets. This quest reveals that the butterflies are actually part of a communication system for a child kidnapping ring operating in Osaka.
All Will Be Well Quest – Richo’s Assassination
- Head to the bamboo grove at the northern end of Osaka Castle.
- Find Richo outside a cabin.
- Assassinate her.
- Enter the cabin to rescue the kidnapped child.
- Escort the girl back to the outskirts of Osaka Castle for a reunion with her mother.
For the Sake of Sake Quest – Mucho’s Assassination
- Cross the west bridge toward Kojo Ruins.
- Find the targeted child and Mucho, who will flee when spotted.
- You can either:
- Assassinate Mucho immediately as she runs.
- Speak to the child first, then find Mucho in Kojo Ruins outside a wooden house.
- Once Mucho is dead, escort the child back to his father in the city.
One That Got Away Quest – Shucho’s Assassination
- Go to the southwest corner of Osaka near the southern bridge and head to the marked location where Shucho is searching for the child by a fence.
- Sneak up and eliminate her.
- Unlike the other quests, this child will return home on her own.
Paper Trail and Chrysalis – Kacho’s Assassination
After completing all three previous assassinations, two short quests will lead you to the ringleader:
Paper Trail
- Speak to a paper merchant at the marked location.
- Learn that the woman buying paper for the Origami Butterflies has a home in Nishinomaru Garden.
Chrysalis
- Visit the small wooden cabin marked on your map.
- Read the note on the floor to confirm Kacho’s hideout.
Assassinate Kacho
- Find Kacho in the outer layer of Osaka Castle on the west side.
- Eliminate her. As she dies, Kacho reveals the Gamemaker’s involvement in the kidnapping ring.
Return to the Gamemaker
The quest will be done when you return to the Gamemaker in Katano. She reveals that the butterfly game was her way of escaping Kacho’s kidnapping ring, hoping someone like Naoe would uncover the truth and put a stop to it. At the end of the conversation, you will need to choose between killing or giving the Gamemaker a second chance.
If you choose to kill her, you’ll need to chase and assassinate her. If you spare her, the quest ends with her alive. Either choice awards the same rewards, though killing her may trigger nearby guards to attack you.
Assassin’s Creed Shadow The Butterfly Collector Quest Reward
For fully completing this questline, you’ll receive:
- Butterfly Of Benevolence
- Provides boosts to Health, Adrenaline Gain, Critical Chance, and +100% origami skills
- Ebisu’s Gamble
- Mastery Point
- 5,000 XP
- 225 Mon
The Butterfly Collector is more than a simple collection quest. After finding all the origami butterfly locations, you also reveal a dark part of Osaka’s sake trade, where children are taken to push families out of business. As Naoe investigates, she proves she cares about helping people, not just her main goal. You’ll help stop this bad group and decide what to do with the Gamemaker at the end.
Each butterfly you collect pulls you deeper into the conspiracy, transforming what seems like an innocent game into one of the most morally complex sidequests in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
