TheAssassin’s Creedfranchise has produceddozens of gamessince its debut in 2007, and thanks to their varied settings, most have introduced entirely new casts of characters. With so many heroes and villains, spanning multiple continents and millennia, no one character stands out as the series’s main protagonist or figurehead going forward.
Instead, there are many characters whose legacy will help carryAssassin’s Creedinto the future, and each represents a different style ofgameplay, art direction, and tone. For a series that some have criticized for being formulaic, its standout characters are as varied a collection as any you’ll find. With so many distinct personas to choose from, the best are those whose legacy and impact will affect the franchise for years to come.
For players ofAssassin’s Creed Origins, she’s known best as Aya, Bayek’s wife and co-founder of the very first Hidden Ones. But by the end of the game, Aya becomes Amunet, whose new name represents her role both in-game and out as more of a symbol than an assassin.
Amunet has been a symbol of the series’ far-reaching historical roots as far back asAssassin’s Creed II, in which her assassination of Cleopatra is spoken of as the first great hit by the order. Though she’s only playable for a few, relatively linear missions inOrigins, Aya/Amunet has been an important figure in the series since nearly the beginning, representing the important rolefemale assassinsplay in a sometimes overtly male game world.
WithinAssassin’s Creedlore, Odin lives two lives and dies twice, first as the Isu Odin and then as the Viking assassin Eivor. Even dead, however, Odin’s influence is immeasurable, mainly because of what he represents for the future ofplayable characters.
Assassin’s Creed Valhallais unique in that it dedicates its DLC to a playable Isu, namely Odin. Though Eivor only channels him through visions, it is revealed that she herself is his reincarnation, so his story is nonetheless very real within the game. Future DLC are now free to continue this trend of putting players in the role of Isu/gods, which opens more new doors for the series than any other single character to date.
First seen inAssassin’s Creed Valhalla,Basim shares a lot in common with Eivor, as both characters are Scandinavian Isu reincarnated as human assassins. Unlike Eivor, though, Basim is a vengeful, scheming villain whose story weaves through multiple games, teasing at even more.
Most mainline games in the franchise follow modern descendants accessing genetic memories through an Animus, linking characters in a shared family tree. What Basim, aka Loki, brings to the series instead is a new way to connect narratives by technological reincarnation. Like Basim’s story inValhallaandMirage, future game stories now have the option to abandon the Kenways and Auditores in favor of whatever Isu lineage and reincarnation they choose.
7Ezio Auditore da Firenze
The Undisputed Face Of The Games
Few characters in the history ofAssassin’s Creedhave resonated with players like Ezio, partially because he has more screen time and character development than any other, aside from Altaïr. More than any other factor, though, Ezio has become iconic to the franchise for being its de facto face, even to this day.
By this point, Ezio has become synonymous withAssassin’s Creeditself. He is the go-to character for crossovers, such as his inclusion inSoulcalibur VandFortnite, and Ubisoft won’t be able to untangle his legacy from the series’s as a whole anytime soon.
It had long been at the top of fans’ wish lists to play a pirate-themedAssassin’s Creedgame and luckily,Black Flagdelivered soundly. At the literal and figurative helm of that triumph is Edward Kenway, who is not only a pirate assassin but also represents a major tonal shift in the games towards the whimsical and experimental.
More than perhaps any other game in the series,Black Flaghas kept fans asking for a remaster, and Edward himself is a large part of that lasting passion. Edward also represents a nexus of sorts for the games, as he is one of the only characters to bridge the older European games and the newer, intercontinental titles.
5Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad
Defined The Role Of Assassin
In terms of locations, time periods, and cultural backdrops,Assassin’s Creedis as diverse as it gets, and if handled poorly, that variety could be a detriment to any long-running series. With no singular hero for players to follow, fans naturally gravitate towards the very first, and that is Altaïr.
In addition to being the first playable assassin, Altaïr is one of the few to receive his own dedicated spin-offs. Ubisoft gives Altaïr more facetime than perhaps any other series protagonist, and that becomes a certainty when considering how many marketing materials that feature his face and how many games have featured hisiconic robesas an unlockable.
4Desmond Miles
The Heart Of The Ancestry Years
Though opinions of the games’ modern-day segments have remained largely mixed since the beginning, there is no denying that the sequences serve to unite the many games and remind players of the overarching story. It seems unlikely that Ubisoft will abandon the framework of ancestral memories anytime soon, if ever, meaning their most iconic character, Desmond Miles, remains an integral part of the story.
Essentially, Desmond is the face of the first half ofAssassin’s Creedstorytelling, the ancestor-based stories. Though his plot is largely wrapped up, any upcoming plots meant to bring the sometimes patchwork-feeling threads together will virtually have to reference Desmond and his ancestry.
As the ending ofAssassin’s Creed Odysseyreveals, the Spartan assassin Kassandra has been alive and behind the scenes throughout almost every game and story in the series, potentially making her its greatest linchpin canonically, if not also in the real world. Thanks to the Staff of Hermes and her Isu heritage, Kassandra lived around 2,500 years, racking up an unparalleled list of accomplishments in that time.
Though she finally dies at the end of her game, Kassandra manages to directly impact the plots of bothOriginsandValhalla, as well as bring the overall Isu story closer to completion. Outside of the game, she’s become a fan-favorite, and between her fans and storyline impact, Kassandra may yet return.
For those who have playedAssassin’s Creed Shadows, it is immediately clear that Yasuke is unlike any protagonist the series has created thus far. In addition to being a fish far out of water in his own story, the African samurai is also a fish out of water among the franchise’s playable characters. Unlike his stealthy counterparts, Yasuke is a tank, and his gameplay might signal a new direction for future games.
Especially given Ubisoft’s recent push for more protagonists per title, Yasuke’s dramatically different playstyle may signal a more team-based approach to future games, with specialized squad members instead of interchangeable assassins. Furthermore, as one of the few majorAssassin’s Creedcharacters based on an actual historical figure, Yasuke’s inclusion in future games could add genuine weight to the storytelling.
1Fujibayashi Naoe
The Most Natural Assassin
WhileAssassin’s Creed Shadowsmay be the most recent entry in the series, it feels in many ways like the most natural. From the first entries, which focused on the Crusades and Knights Templar, all the way toValhalla, which focused on the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, none of the settings and cast have ever fit the parkour, stealth, and assassination gameplay quite right until Naoe the shinobi/ninja.
As a ninja, Naoe is by far the best fit for the signatureAssassin’s Creedgameplay, style, and tone. Likewise, Japan’s Warring States period is arguably the best setting andgame worldto showcase those features. Though she hasn’t yet left the legacy of earlier characters like Altair and Ezio, Naoe is young, compelling, and embodies theAssassin’s Creedstyle more than anyone, making her a strong face for the series going forward.
