There is little doubt in my mind that we will be hard pressed to find a gamer who has not heard of Assassin’s Creed. In fact, let me correct that statement, we will be hard pressed to find anyone (connected to the internet) who has not heard of the franchise.
Why? Because Assassin’s Creed is an award-winning game series that currently consists of nine main games, seventeen spin-off games, several short films and various trans-media projects. Each of the main games has spawned novelizations, adapting and adding to the story of their respective game. The game series was so effective and popular that it acted as a base for the 2016 movie “Assassin’s Creed” starring Michael Fassbender.
With such wide-spread reach, it also follows that everyone who knows about it have their own favorite Assassin. And with Assassin’s Creed Origin ramping up its hype train, we thought it would be a good idea if we listed down the top 5 Assassins of all time. Let us know if your favorite made it to the list.
Top 5 Assassins
FROM
Assassin’s Creed
5. Arno Dorian
“All that we do, all that we are, begins and ends with ourselves.”
Appearance: Assassin’s Creed Unity
Heralded as the twig that broke the camel’s back, Assassin’s Creed Unity had a lot of problems. Arno, the protagonist of the game set in the French Revolution was not one of them.
Arno can be called as the most underrated assassin of the entire game series. Arno’s father also was an assassin and was murdered by Shay Cormac who was a rogue assassin when Arno was a kid. Later he was also framed for the murder of the Templar Grand Master who raised him. But still he never felt weak and fought for the truth.
He can be called as the mixture of the qualities of all the mentioned assassins. He loved a templar like Altair, joined Brotherhood for revenge like Ezio. He is a self made man and determined to do the right like Connor, determined to achieve something great like Edward, and he ended up betraying the brotherhood for the sake of others like Shay.
Arno had a very sleek attitude and smooth combat mechanism with perfect counters and movements. He was also much better at the Parkour and stealth movements. He was the first assassin to introduce the Phantom Blade which uses the mechanics of a crossbow to fire a silent projectile at a great distance. Arno always fought within the boundary of the assassins ideology for the greater good.
4. Edward Kenway
“In a world without Gold, we might have been heroes.”
Appearance: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag
Mostly its the amazing Assassin’s personality which makes the overall game better. In the case of Kenway though, an argument can be made that he enjoyed being the central character in a very well made and fun game.
The pirate-turned-assassin is not as stealthy as Ezio, and certainly conforms least to the morals of the creed, but is still very tactical minded.
Edward was always money minded and that’s why he turned into a pirate to increase his riches. But it is also true that he was a very strong person, otherwise, who can single- handedly kill a master assassin with no former training. Even though he became an assassin just to earn money, he slowly understood the true meaning of the brotherhood.
Later we see changes in Edward as he shows remorse and sympathy and becomes a loving father. Edward is the grandfather of Connor (Ratonhnhaké:ton) and father of templar Grand Master named Haytham Kenway.
Edward has always been a fearless fighter and a bad-ass Assassin. There were times when he was the captain of one of the most feared ships in the Caribbean seas. An expert combatant who wielded multiple blades and armory, he followed more of an open combat approach and had a huge variety of skills. He used to carry 4 guns, 2 swords, 2 hidden blades, sleeping darts, berserk darts, etc. He can also hunt sharks and whales, and swim underwater. It is true that he developed his skills without any mentoring, which is awesome, since his moves are most impressive. He is quite the daring and intellectual individual and it provokes a nice sensation when playing as Edward.
3. Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad
“Only a mind free of impediments is capable of grasping the chaotic beauty of the world. This is our greatest asset”
Appearance: Assassin’s Creed
Well there is no AC gamer who will not be familiar with the legendary Assassin Altair. He is considered as a legend among the Assassins, an assassin who fought till his last breath.
According to me Altair’s backstory was not very interesting, but his character was a powerful one. I mean just look at his achievements -becoming a master assassin at an early age of 25, bringing his order out of corruption not once or twice but thrice, reason for the spread of the Assassins empire, and many inventions which helped the assassins in having the upper hand over the Templars – he is the renowned father of the assassins.
I am not downsizing Ezio and Connor, but Altair had the traits of both the assassins as he was stealthy as well as an open combat expert. He was also an expert in sword fights and using small knives. He has clearly affected the order the most. Altair is the model for all the assassins everywhere. He was active during the crusades! Thousands of years later, he is still looked upon by everyone as the greatest assassin there ever was.
2. Ezio Auditore
“My story is one of many thousands, and the world will not suffer if it ends too soon.”
Appearance: Assassins’s Creed 2
You saw that coming a mile away didn’t you. Ezio is so cool, that Ubisoft gave him a triology within a trilogy, so that the fans around the world could play with him a little bit more. Ezio is our pick for the sheer influence on the entire franchise (which some would argue is even more than Altair).
Ezio was depicted as a womanizer who eventually becomes an assassin by chance and then understands the true meaning of being an Assassin. His father and two brothers were falsely accused of treason and were hanged. Ezio has surely one of the most tragic backstory where nearly half of his family was murdered. He faced a lot of problems to reach to the position of a Mentor and a Master Assassin. But he still kept a hold on his charm throughout his life. Under his expert guidance many rookie assassins became master assassins.
As an assassin Ezio follows more of a stealthy approach, he believes in sneaking on his enemies and uses blending tactics. He is one of the sneakiest and quickest assassin till date. He is the first assassin who used twin blades. Also considered as the only person who had the charm to influence others to join the brotherhood. He unlike most assassins used ally support to the maximum. Well, it is true that real strength lies in teamwork.
1. Connor Kenway (Ratonhnhaké:ton)
“It’s only after you’ve lost everything that you’re free to do anything”
Appearance: Assassins’s Creed 3
I might get a lot of flack for placing Connor above Altair AND Ezio, but I have my reasons, as you will see.
Connor can be considered as one of the coolest Assassins of all time. He is the only assassin who believed in work rather than bragging. He is a great example of “Demonetization of the introvert.”
He faced a lot of troubles and dilemma in his life. He lost his family, his tribe, his mentor and saw gruesome ups and downs. Fate never supported him as he saw his mother getting burned alive, and had to kill his best friend and father with his own hands. He never had any support while growing up, so he relied more on himself. Everyone he depended upon either died or back-stabbed him. He struggled his whole life. He married and had kids but even they abandoned him. Such woes however never broke his inner spirit as an assassin. He was one of the assassins who completely followed all the ethics of a respectable assassin.
As an assassin, Connor had an additional touch of tribal techniques, he is probably the only assassin who can climb trees with utmost ease. Unlike Ezio, Connor is more of an explosive assassin, who believes in open combats rather than being stealthy. He faces his enemies upfront in face to face combats. In addition to this, he is adept with dual pistols, swords, clubs, and, in a new addition to the order’s arsenal, a tomahawk with a blade in the shape of the Brotherhood’s emblem. Connor is also the best and skilled fighter out of all the assassins, don’t believe me? Watch the Assassin’s Creed 3 trailer and see him taking out an entire army.
So there you have it folks, a detailed look at 5 of the most heroic assassin’s you can find. Did you favorite make the cut, did you favorite make it to his rightful position. Let us know what you think in the comments.