S. W. Raine

Steampunk/Urban Fantasy Author

My Favorite Assassins in Assassin’s Creed

Assassin’s Creed is hands-down my favorite video game series ever. And with the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows last week, I thought I’d write a post about my favorite assassins in Assassin’s Creed.

There are so many reasons I love this series. The gameplay is awesome (even if some of those stealth sections make me want to throw a controller), the history-meets-fantasy approach is my favorite thing ever, and the storytelling is rich and layered.

But what really sticks with me long after the credits roll? The assassins themselves. These characters are so compelling, they’ve taken up residence in my brain, and I absolutely refuse to allow them to pay rent.

I’ve already spent the weekend running around in AC Shadows, and let me tell you—this game is visually gorgeous. Naoe’s a shinobi, which means she’s amazing at sneaking around and getting in those stealth kills… which would be great if I could properly stealth-kill to save my life (I can’t). I’ve already desynchronized more times than I’d like to admit.

But that’s fine. I’m just waiting to unleash Yasuke and smash some enemies straight into next week instead of vice versa. Balance, right?

So in celebration of this magical, murder-y franchise, here are my favorite assassins in Assassin’s Creed, ranked by the ways they live in my head, influence my writing, and occasionally whisper “nothing is true, everything is permitted” when I’m stuck on a scene.

The One Who Started It All: Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad. Photo from Assassin’s Creed Wiki.

Ah, Altaïr. My first assassin love.

My husband got me Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles for Nintendo DS one Christmas. Mainly because it had a pickpocketing feature (and I played a rogue in a D&D campaign at the time). I ended up loving the game—even with the rage-inducing ending.

Since it was a prequel, I figured I’d play the original Assassin’s Creed before jumping into the newly announced ACII. And that’s when my real obsession began.

Sure, Altaïr started out as a bit of a jerk. He was arrogant and reckless. His ego needed a serious tune-up. But that’s what made his character arc so satisfying. He grew. He questioned authority. And he basically reshaped the future of the Brotherhood. And the more I learned about him through the later games, the more epic he became. Altaïr wasn’t just a cool assassin… he was a legacy.

The One With the Best Character Growth: Ezio Auditore da Firenze

Ezio Auditore
Ezio Auditore. Photo from Assassin’s Creed Wiki.

Ezio is a bit of a cheat answer since he got three games (ACII, Brotherhood, and Revelations), but he also earned every minute of that screen time.

We literally saw him come into the world and then followed him all the way to the end of his life. That’s decades of development, growth, heartbreak, wisdom, and sass.

He started out cocky and driven by revenge, but by the end of ACII, he let go of vengeance and fully embraced the creed. By Revelations, he was the wise, weathered master assassin passing down knowledge. And by Assassin’s Creed Embers, the short film? Don’t even get me started.

He was smooth and smart, and he gave us the Assassin’s Creed trilogy of character arcs. Ezio’s journey is what you show someone when they ask, “What does good character development look like?”

The One I Had the Most Fun Playing As: Edward Kenway

Edward Kenway
Edward Kenway. Photo from Assassin’s Creed Wiki.

Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag was like someone looked into my brain and went, “What if we gave her a pirate assassin with blond hair, tattoos, and weapon proficiency with dual swords and four guns?” I was sold.

Edward was a mess, but I lived for that mess. It was greed that first led him to the assassin path, but over time, he started to understand the weight of the fight he’d gotten into. His transformation didn’t feel forced. It felt earned.

(And bonus: he’s the father of the man I named my son after, so… sentimental points there too.)

The One Who Surprised Me: Kassandra of Sparta

Kassandra of Sparta
Kassandra of Sparta. Photo from Asssassin’s Creed Wiki.

I almost picked Alexios when I started AC Odyssey—mostly out of habit of always playing male characters in most video games. But my friend was already playing as him, so I figured why not give Kassandra a shot?

I was glad I did.

She was sharp and such a blast to play. I didn’t expect to love her as much as I did, but she completely won me over with her wit, confidence, and myth-slaying swagger. She was a reminder that sometimes the path you almost didn’t take becomes a great one.

Honorable Mention – My Favorite Non-Assassin: Haytham Kenway

Haytham Kenway
Haytham Kenway. Photo from Assassin’s Creed Wiki.

Okay, yes, Haytham’s a Templar—but hear me out.

Ubisoft nailed the twist in ACIII. All the marketing focused on Connor, so when we started the game playing as this charming British guy named Haytham, we were all like, “Who’s this guy? Oh, okay, he’s cool!”

And then… surprise! You find out he’s actually a Templar at the end of sequence 3.

The betrayal hit hard, but it also made him incredibly memorable. His sharp wit, sassy arguments with Connor, and overall presence made every scene he was in better. And I loved his name so much that I ended up naming my son after him.

So no, he’s not an assassin in this list. But he still lives rent-free in my head, and that earns him a spot.

Why These Characters Stick With Me

A character lives in my head long after the story ends when I connect with them on a deeper level. Sure, compelling motivations and dynamic arcs help, but it’s also about the flaws I relate to, the tropes I love, and the personalities that just click.

These characters aren’t just fun to play, they’re my favorite assassins in Assassin’s Creed. And they inspire the way I approach character creation in my own writing. I want my characters to be the ones that linger, the ones readers think about days (or years) later.

Maybe they won’t all wield hidden blades. But they’ll still hit where it counts.

What characters—book, video game, or otherwise—live rent-free in your mind? Let me know in the comments! I’m always here for character-driven obsessions.

Raine

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