We are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking the best Assassin's Creed protagonists across the stealthy series. There are so many characters that have starred in all the best Assassin's Creed games, and close to all are memorable in our eyes. However, there are a few covert killers who do shine.
We've replayed all the Assassin's Creed games in order, as well as the newly released remake of the fourth outing in the timeline with Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. Our mission was simple: agree on the best heroe in the franchise, putting writing and their personal journey first. And, after hours of time and many debates later, we've landed on the top 10 figures that all have their own strengths and the best stories to tell.
Now keep in mind that this ranking may change in the future as new games get released. After all, Assassin's Creed Hexe is still on the way and could change things up. But for now, read on to see who managed to snag a spot in our ranking as the top heroes in Ubisoft's iconic franchise.
The best Assassin's Creed protagonists
10. Fujibayashi Naoe
Game: Assassin's Creed Shadows
Played by: Masumi Tsunoda
Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows is a skilled shinobi with lots of skills that make for excellent and engaging stealthy escapades. With a variety of different weapons at her disposal, and her nimble movements, the latest protagonist really is a dream assassin to play as, and offers different approaches to fellow protagonist Yasuke, who's more action-leaning and puts more emphasis on his strength in combat.
Outside of her skills and stealthy prowess, she's also such a resilient character who goes through lots of hardships in Feudal Japan during the Sengoku period. As an RPG, you can choose to shape her responses, but there's a great journey of personal growth to explore in the adventure.
9. Adewale
Game: Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry
Played by: Tristan D. Lalla
A much-loved figure in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Adewale was an escaped slave who served as quartermaster alongside Edward Kenway on the Jackdaw. He got top billing in Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry, where players helped him to free slaves in the Caribbean. Adewale isn't as light-hearted as his roguish captain, but his stern, serious manner serves the character well given the grim environments of his work, and he's an extremely admirable and likable figure with a truly vital goal.
Eloquent and principled, he's a genuinely nuanced and fascinating character, something that not all protagonists in the series are able to live up to. While he may not be ranked as highly as other characters on this list, he's definitely one of the most memorable. He's also the first protagonist who is a Black man, a shortlist that's now joined by Yasuke from Assassin's Creed Shadows, allowing the game to tell a different type of story than we got in any of the other games.
8. Eivor
Game: Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Played by: Cecilie Stenspil and Magnus Bruun Nielsen
Putting Eivor on this list almost feels like cheating since it's two protagonists for the price of one, with players able to choose between a male or a female Eivor. They're quite different, too, and will impact your time in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, with the male version being more spirited and the female version more stoic. This is a more important choice than it may appear as well, as Valhalla is a very long game.
Both protagonists have some excellent dialogue, and the sidequests allow them to explore more of their personality, revealing the complexity behind them. They're a charming protagonist to be around, and despite the overall length of Valhalla, the charm doesn't wear off, thanks to excellent performances on the part of both voice actors.
7. Evie Frye
Game: Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Played by: Victoria Atkin
Debatably the first female protagonist in the series (Aveline de Grandpre is the first, but only featured in a spin-off of Assassin's Creed 3), Evie Frye is another serious character. Compared to her brother, Jacob, who players can also play in Syndicate, she takes her duties as an Assassin far more seriously. This could have lent to making her a fairly boring character, but like Adewale, she's able to remain compelling. She also has a sense of humor, which shines through on occasion, and it's interesting to see a lead character in the series who takes the job of being an assassin deadly seriously.
It's also notable that a lot of missions in Syndicate revolve around her clearing up after Jacob, and we stan a competent king (or queen) at GamesRadar+. That goes a long way to making her a much more likable protagonist than Jacob – not that he's entirely unlikeable.
6. Basim Ibn Ishaq
Game: Assassin's Creed Mirage
Played by: Lee Majdoub
Like Eivor, Basim is an Isu incarnation of Loki specifically. In both his lead appearance in Assassin's Creed Mirage and his supporting appearance in Valhalla, he comes across as mysterious and suspicious, with some shady motives. In Mirage, we get to see more of his backstory and learn what made him who he is today.
Basim is an interesting character with a well-written background – a devotee to the search for knowledge but who occasionally gets reckless with it, causing conflict and some surprisingly unpleasant outcomes. Part of what makes him a strong protagonist in Mirage springs from our knowledge of him in Valhalla, and having his story spread across separate games like this is a very interesting choice. Plus, the man is literally the reincarnation of a God, I mean, that's pretty cool. He'd rank higher on the list were it not for the slightly more intriguing and well-written characters still to come.
5. Kassandra
Game: Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Played by: Melissanthi Mahut
The de facto protagonist of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Kassandra may share the billing with Alexios, but, in reality, she's the clear winner. Don't get us wrong, Alexios is fun, but Kassandra is a much more interesting character. She's a muddle of contradictions in a very human way, very capable of showing compassion, especially to children, while also capable of showcasing the brutality that Sparta is renowned for.
Her story is expanded by the DLC as well, which sees her surviving until 2018. This is, of course, nonsensical, but that's part of the charm of the series. Not only is Kassandra a fun character to play as, she's also one of the most key figures in the entire series.
4. Altair Ibn-La’Ahad
Game: Assassin's Creed
Played by: Philip Shahbaz
The original protagonist of Assassin's Creed and one of the best, Altair, was our introduction to the assassins, their creed, and the world that they inhabit. While he may only have got one game, he's strikingly memorable. He was quite literally raised by the assassins, and reflects that upbringing through a cold, sometimes brutal nature. He was deeply flawed, often arrogant or objectionable, but his characterization developed a great deal throughout the game.
By the time you've reached the end, he may not be some towering Dostoevskian figure, but he's wiser and more mature, making him significantly more likable. Like Basim, Altair was a man in search of knowledge, which ultimately led him to repeat similar mistakes to his wayward master, Al Mualim, becoming obsessed and reliant upon the Apple of Eden. A deeply conflicted character, his writing was sharper than that of a lot of contemporary video games and made a huge impact on gaming culture.
3. Bayek
Game: Assassin's Creed Origins
Played by: Abubakar Salim
If you want to talk about Assassin's Creed characters with genuine emotion in their performance, they don't come much higher-rated than Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins. An Egyptian living under Greek occupation, Bayek is no stranger to strife, but it's the death of his son, Khemu, that puts him on the path to revenge. He carries himself as a figure of vengeance, radiating coldness and ruthlessness to all those who he considers his enemies.
While this could potentially lend itself to a one-dimensional character, Bayek is anything but. Despite all that he goes through, he's still capable of kindness, and he also occasionally feels guilt for the assassinations he carries out. Perhaps the most emotionally complex character that we've ever seen in an Assassin's Creed game, Bayek is a sensational hero in a sensational setting, he's a natural fit on this list.
2. Edward Kenway
Game: Assassin's Creed Black Flag
Played by: Matt Ryan
Edward Kenway is a man on a mission, but not for revenge – for glory and booty. A genuine Errol Flynn-type roguish character, Edward is the Welsh-born pirate captain of the Jackdaw, the most dangerous pirate ship on the seven seas. Shiver your timbers and board the ship alongside him, and you'll follow him on his quest for power and the desire to become more than his birthright. He's a bit of an idiot at times, frequently reckless, and definitely of questionable morals, bending the titular creed to his own whims at times.
Yet above all that, Edward's personality is roguish, as roguish as a pirate captain should be. His interpersonal relationships are a particular highlight of the game, with his friendship with Edward Teach, AKA Blackbeard, a real highlight not just of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag but of the series as a whole. He's equally charming, enthralling, and foolish, all coalescing into a really well-rounded and likable protagonist. He's second only to the man who, for all intents and purposes, is the long-standing face of the series.
1. Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Game: Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Played by: Roger Craig Smith
As far as series protagonists go, they don't come much more important than Ezio Auditore. He's been the protagonist of three mainline games in the series, from Assassin's Creed 2 to Revelations. Part of what makes him number one is likely the fact that we spend so much time with him across so many different situations and settings, but that's not to take away from the fact that his characterization is fantastically done.
Ezio is, essentially, living quite a banal, if luxurious life to begin with. If there were a medieval Rich Kids of Instagram, he'd have been featured regularly, living a life of ease. Yet as events turn against him, he struggles with anger and a desire for revenge, juxtaposed against his former life of largesse. Over the course of three games, we witness him go through a lot, and it's impossible not to identify with him. A genuinely vital figure of Assassin's Creed, Ezio remains the face of the franchise to this day.
Next, look ahead with our list of all the upcoming Assassin's Creed games on the horizon.
