The Favorites - Ranked Assassin's Creed Protagonists: Favorite to Least Favorite

Well, it’s a new year, and things still feel like they haven’t changed. 2021 wasn’t a great year, but I can’t call it bad either. It had its usual ups and downs. Anyway, one thing I wanted to eventually cover was who my favorite Assassin’s Creed protagonists were. Even though I still haven’t played Liberation (which actually is now on the PS4 on that AC3 remaster), I want to go on and get this done.

So, what’s the criteria in a good protagonist? I think there are many factors, but the main one is that they gotta be likable. You can even find some likability by playing a protagonist who’s off into some dark deeds like Shay Kormac from Rogue or Haytham Kenway from AC3. Development is definitely a plus in my department. Even when some get one game, the story surrounding them is usually pretty dang good. Throw things like fighting ability, personality, and a crapton of other stuff as well. For a bit of a shock, I’m also including other protagonists like the modern day ones, ones from DLC, and ones we play for a little bit. So, let’s start off with easily the best of the bunch:

1. Ezio Auditore da Frienze (the Ezio Trilogy) – Yeah, you know Ezio is going up top. One of the reasons the franchise got such a kick in popularity was because of Ezio. We got to see him grow (literally, we first see him after he’s born!) from a brat into one of the wisest Assassins. He a lover, a fighter, and everything in between. Even though he wasn’t the first Assassin, he was one of the reasons why I became a fan of Assassin’s Creed. I also have to credit Robin Atkins Dowe for providing some great voice acting.

2. Bayek of Siwa (Origins) – This was a tough one because either Bayek or the next pick was going to get this spot. I just had to do a Wesley Snipes and “Always go with black” on this one. In my replay, I was excited to return to Egypt to experience the butt-kicking Medjay. While Bayek did have a bit of a familiar backstory (he wanted a taste of revenge), there was a lot more to him than that. He was already a protector, he was a husband, and he had a son. Seeing him and Aya lose their son, Khemu, and dedicate themselves to a higher calling was interesting. Abubakar Salim did a great job in voicing Bayek.

3. Edward Kenway (Black Flag) – One of the reasons Black Flag was such a success was because it had a cool protagonist in Edward Kenway. He was a scoundrel who interacted in the Assassin/Templar conflict in an interesting way. Heck, he stays a bit of a scoundrel for a majority of the game since he was a pirate. He only wore the Assassin garb for show and took “nothing is true, everything is permitted” a little too literally. It took losing everything he had (his family, his friends, his ship, and almost his life) for him to change his pirate ways and become an Assassin in the end. Matt Ryan (John Constantine!) voiced him and did a wonderful job.

4. Altair (AC1, Revelations) – Next, we have our first Assassin in Altair Ibn La-Ahad. While the first AC game may not be the best of the bunch, it had an interesting story that had Altair right at the center. He was an Assassin who lost his way, and we follow him as he learns what it means to be an Assassin. We also see him grow into a mentor towards the end of his life in Revelations. He wasn’t a perfect Assassin, but he was a good one and one of the best. Phillip Shahbaz voiced him in AC1 while Cas Anvar voiced him in Revelations.

5. Haytham Kenway (AC3) – Yes, Haytham ‘Son-Slappin’ Kenway made it on the list. Heck, we play him for 3 sequences, so he’s in the protagonist column. Yeah, he’s a turncoat traitor to the order, but let’s not hold that against him! Haytham was cool, suave, and had dry wit to him. He was an upper class Brit, after all. He even upstaged his own son, which to be honest, is kinda something I hold against AC3. It was also interesting to see a different side to the Templar order. Usually, they’re unrepentant bastards. Haytham was different in the ways he handled things as a Templar. Then again, his last words were that he wish he killed his son, Connor, much sooner, so… yeah, he’s an ass, but a cool one nonetheless. He was voiced by Adrian Hough.

6. Desmond Miles (AC1 through AC3) – Next up is a character who’s sorely missed by me: Desmond. Yeah, he wasn’t in the coolest parts of the games, but it was at this time where the modern day story actually had some weight to it. Following Desmond as he accepts the calling of an Assassin was pretty cool. He gets quite a bit of development over five games. Heck, the guy saves the world, so that means something. The only disappointing thing about him really is his end. I still peeved about that. The great Nolan North provided Desmond’s voice.

Our present day heroes.

7. Evior (Valhalla) – Next up is our most recent protagonist, Evior. Evior is more of an ally to the Assassins, and not a bad one either. He wears cloaks and stabs folk with the best of them. What makes Evior better than most is that he’s well-rounded. He’s a natural-born leader, a good warrior, and one heck of a flyter. He also knows how to keep a cool head and not get too highminded about being a god. Yeah, he may or may not be the reincarnation of a Norse “god”, but he didn’t let that stop him from doing what was right for his clan. Magnus Bruun was the male voice while Cecile Stenspile was the female voice.

8. Evie Frye (Syndicate) – Evie was the better half of the Frye duo from Syndicate. While Jacob had his pros, Evie was just better. She was the smarter of the two when it came to the history of the Assassins and Templars. She also had a lot more finesse when compared to Jacob’s bruteness. Her story arc isn’t too deep, but it does develop her into someone who realizes that there’s more to life than being a bladed acrobat. Plus, she just played better to me. She was voiced by Victoria Atkin.

9. Ratonhnhaké:ton ,aka Connor Kenway (AC3) – To me, Connor gets a bad rep. Some see him as this character who’s angry and one-note. I think the fact that he wasn’t another Ezio and that he gets upstaged by Haytham doesn’t help. While he can a bit too angry at times, there was more to him than meets the eye. His backstory is pretty tragic and he’s dealing a lot more than the normal Assassin/Templar conflict. He wanted to protect his village from settlers. He also really didn’t know who to trust at times since everyone was exploiting his people. Also, a lot of his more warmer moments were saved for the Homestead missions instead of the main story beats. Noah Watts did a good job in bringing this character to life.

10. Kassandra/Alexios (Odyssey) – Next up is the literal demigod. While you don’t’ get much actual Assassin work with them (the group didn’t exist just yet), they were fun to play. You pretty much lived the life of a mythological hero like Persesus, Hercules, or Jason through them. Heck, you can even see bits of that through the family parts of their story. Other than those things, that’s really all I can say about Kassandra and Alexios. I will say that of the two, Kassandra is a little better. Melissanthi Mahut voiced Kassandra while Michael Antonakos voiced Alexios.

11. Aya (Origins) – Aya, or Amunet, was Bayek’s better half in Origins. Like Bayek, Aya was a warrior, and pretty good one at that. You don’t get to play her as much in the game, but she was good. I’ve seen that she kinda gets a bad rep too especially with what happens at the end of Origins. She also can come off as a little cold at times. You then remember that she also lost Khemu, and her way of coping is basically throwing her all into the Hidden Ones. She may not be the best protagonist, but she is an interesting one. Alix Wilton Regan provided the voice for Aya.

12. Adewale (Black Flag, Freedom Cry) – Adewale was a slave that was saved by Edward Kenway in Black Flag. He became his number one on the Jackdaw until he decided that he wanted something better. He joined the Assassins, had a ship of his own, and even tried to free slaves in his adventures. I never got to play him in his DLC, but he was a cool character in Black Flag. I got the idea that he and a couple of other characters were the only positive influences in Edward’s life. He’s probably one of the reasons Kenway became an Assassin at the end. Tristan D. Lalla provided the voice.

13. Aveline de Grandpre (Liberation) – Aveline hales from the PS Vita game that’s been remastered and put on the AC3 remaster. I haven’t played it, but I did try to look at a let’s play to get a feel for Aveline’s character. She’s alright, honestly. She’s a half-French, half-Black assassin who tries to save slaves in New Orleans. While I did like her character, her story’s a bit poor. That could be due to the fact that it’s a pretty short game. Aveline’s voice was done by Amber Goldfarb.

14. Layla Hassan (Origins through Valhalla) – So, Layla Hassan had a bad break as the new Desmond. While it was cool for us to finally get an actual modern day protagonist, Layla just didn’t do it for most folk including me. She was an Abstergo employee who became an Assassin. I wanted to like her, but we barely spent any time with her in the present day of all three modern games. Even when she has more to do in the latter games, the storytelling just fails the character especially in Valhalla. Sorry, kiddo. She was voiced by Chantel Riley.

15. Shay Cormac (Rogue) – Mr. “I Make My Own Luck” has the distinction of being another Assassin-turned-Templar. In Rogue, Shay has a falling out with the Order and is drafted into the Templars. Rogue wasn’t the best game story-wise (interesting but undercooked), but it was cool to see an Assassin turn his back on the brotherhood. Outside of that, that’s all I can give him. Also, he takes out my man, Adewale, so you know Shay isn’t going to be high on the list. Steven Piovesan provided Shay’s voice.

16. Arno Dorian (Unity) – Arno was another protagonist who was wanting that thing called “REVENGE”. He also had a relationship with a Templar by the name of Elise. When the romantic interest is much more interesting than your main character, there may be a bit of a problem. Yeah, Arno wasn’t a bad character, but he was quite a boring one. Oh yeah, he had some nice assassin moves. Dan Jeanotte provided Arno’s voice.

17. Jacob Frye (Syndicate) - You know, I almost forgot about the bull-headed Brit known as Jacob. That should say something about his character. Unlike Evie, he was more boisterous and tended to blow more stuff up. I will say that he does get a little more development towards the end as he sees what his actions cause. He also played an interesting role in that Jack the Ripper DLC. Still, I wasn't a fan of the man. He was voiced by Paul Amos.

18. Cal Lynch/Aguilar de Nerha (2016 movie) – Yeah, I’m throwing the 2016 movie on here since it’ll probably be forgotten about. Cal was an inmate who was taken by Abstergo and used to find an Isu artifact through his ancestor, Aguilar. Cal was pretty dull and didn’t have much development. It’s like they took Desmond’s arc and shoved it into a two hour movie. Aguilar fared no better with his 30 minutes of screen time. Yeah, he had an Assassin girlfriend, but that’s all I can remember. I will say that Michael Fassbender did his best with what he was given in that role.

19. The Abstergo Debugger (Black Flag and Rogue) – While the one I call “Nameless: The Debugger” wasn’t a protagonist, I thought I’d mention him/her. Outside of interacting with a couple of Isu and getting threatened into the Templars by gunpoint, there’s nothing much to say. At least Nameless was an okay hacker.

20. The Assassin Initiate from AC: Unity and AC: Syndicate – “Ooo, let’s just interact through some random Assassin lady and see Shaun and Rebecca kick butt via Zoom! That’ll be cool!” Not. As you can tell, I didn’t like how they handled the modern day story at this point.

………………………………………..

Well, I can officially say that I’m done talking about the franchise here for now. It was a long ride. Now, if this whole “Assassin’s Creed Infinity” thing takes off and is good, maybe I’ll throw my hood and blade again. I really don’t know. As for what’s next with my time in AC, I don’t know. I might replay AC2, finally finish Valhalla (yeah, right!), or see what comics have done with the franchise. Yes, there are AC comics, but I’m not sure if they’re good or not. Either way, I’m done for today. Until then, Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there. “Unicron” is still kicking folks’ butt out there, so please be safe on this MLK Day.