Ubisoft is getting ready to reveal the next Assassin's Creed title this September, and fans are already spreading rumors about the game. When will it release? How will the combat evolve? Where will the game take place? What time period will it be covering?
Yet one question that is also being repeated all across the fanbase is what the player's character will be like. Will their personality, their fighting skills, and their weaponry match that of previous games? And, most importantly, how will they become an assassin? The assassins in Assassin's Creed often have fairly complex origin stories, and the next iteration will certainly have a lot to live up to if it wants its origin to be the best.
Adéwalé
While not as well-known as some of the other assassins, there are few stories quite like Adéwalé's of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. After all, when prompted for their favorite origin, Redditor Zendofrog remarked, "I do like Adewalé’s. There's certainly a lot to like."
Having been born into slavery in Trinidad, Adéwalé was desperate to escape safely. So after pirates attacked the plantation he was forced to serve, Adéwalé leaped into action, became a pirate himself, and killed his master. It's an incredible story that would have suited a protagonist of the series, let alone a supporting character, and it adds tremendous depth to the characterization.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
The assassin who started the series and introduced fans to the Creed of Assassins, Altaïr has certainly earned the love of fans with his temperament, but his origin has earned him much love too. "He didn't believe in the Creed and we got to see him become more wise and a follower by the end," says adVANCE03 on Reddit.
Often considered the best Assassin's Creed assassin thanks to the fact that he never suffered an injury, Altaïr was raised as an assassin from an early age and was specifically molded for the role. But it was his journey from an arrogant young lad to a calm and careful man who knew how to humble himself when necessary that thrilled fans and earned him the love he has.
Kassandra
Easily one of the best female characters in Assassin's Creed, Kassandra has enthralled fans, but it wasn't just her endpoint that managed to earn their affection. "The sagas of the Mysthios was great," says Redditor DireRaven_9, and the very start of that origin was incredibly interesting.
When her younger brother was to be killed by a priest, Kassandra returned the favor and killed the priest. As punishment, her own adoptive father pushed her off a mountain. From there, she became a mysthios, and that fascinating origin left a minefield of family confrontations for her to engage in throughout the story. It's a unique reason to become an assassin, but it showed her caring nature and willingness to go far to do what needs doing and save those she loves.
Edward Kenway
At first, a greedy privateer who turned to piracy for gold, Edward Kenway lost friend after friend in his quest, and he eventually discovered the worth of the Assassins. "Edward's just made me cry dude," says Reddit user jimmyjamsjohn. "Edward and the whole Kenway saga story is just tragic."
There's a quiet tragedy to Edward losing his wife and then being disowned just before being shipped off to sea. Like many assassins before him, he had nothing to return to, and it made it all the more poignant that he managed to find that in the Creed. Of course, it certainly doesn't help soften the blow that was Haytham's betrayal.
Haytham Kenway
The son of Edward and one of the best villains in Assassin's Creed, Haytham was raised as an assassin, but quickly found himself recruited to the Templar after his father's death. "I know he isn't an assassin, but he was meant to be raised as one. I personally think that a game about his life/story would have been awesome as hell," says Redditor Mystre316.
As a major defector from the Assassins and the son of an essential member of the Creed, defecting alone granted Haytham a fascinating story. After all, most assassins tend to remain assassins, and few ever defect from the cause. It was the first major betrayal of that sort in the games, and it was especially painful after witnessing Edward's life.
Eivor Varinsdottir
The lead assassin of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Eivor lost both of her parents at an incredibly young age but used the loss to fuel her as a fighter. Her origin lent her the credence to lead, as she was raised by the King of the Raven Clan after their deaths, and had the skill she needed to survive.
"You know, I really like Eivor," says Redditor Kolhammer85. "I don't know what it is but whenever I turn on Valhalla it feels like I am saying hello to an old friend that I have not seen in a while." Her origin helped to establish the character's justice-driven nature and shaped her into one of the most powerful assassins ever.
Arno Dorian
Like many of his fellow assassins, Arno Dorian was shocked when his parents were brutally killed while he was still a child. The young Arno was taken in by a Templar, before eventually being framed for murder and rescued by a member of the Brotherhood. It was a unique origin that borrowed from Haytham's story and flipped it on its head.
"I enjoyed his development as a character and it did a great job of humanizing both sides of the Assassin Templar conflict," says Reddit user Legitimate_Eye_8103. For the first time, players were allowed to see the light in the Templar outside of a villain's gaze, and it was a brilliant way to add some extra nuance to the series.
Bayek of Siwa
After his son's murder, Bayek and his wife set off on a journey to avenge him. He eventually came to become a legendary figure in the Brotherhood's history. "He's a guy whose country doesn't need him anymore, so he finds someone to help, wherever they are and no matter how small the help is," says Redditor AccomplishedStable96. "He starts off as a sad dad, but there's much more to his character."
Though Bayek started from a solid foundation, his joint journey helped to set him apart from other assassins. Bayek didn't have to set himself against the Order, nor did he and his wife both have to form the Brotherhood to oppose them. But, after realizing his fight was bigger than it looked, he still did it, because it needed doing. That's the mark of a hero, which really ingratiated fans to him.
Connor Kenway
Once a man called Ratonhnhaké:ton, the son of Haytham attacked by Charles Lee and his Templars before he was truly ready to fight. "Connor's story still gets me so emotional," Redditor 2pisces says. "He was only 4 years old when he gets called a savage by Charles Lee, gets knocked out and loses his mother."
It's hard to imagine being attacked by one of the scariest characters in the franchise, but Connor also lost his entire village thanks to him. Truly, it's no wonder he found his way to the assassins, nor that he would seek the chance to kill his long-time enemy. It was a great motivation that really served to make fans empathize with him.
Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Often viewed as the face of the franchise, no character has a better origin than Ezio Auditore da Firenze. "From being a bratty kid to watching his parents die due to a corrupt lie," Reddit user Its-ya-man-Dave explains. "Revenge turns into avenging, adopting the creed and becoming his own assassin. And then seeing how he became older and searching for Altaïr's tomb. Man, whirlwind of a story."
It certainly helps that fans had the chance to witness Ezio's life from birth to death. Without other characters having similar treatment, it's hard to blame them for having origin stories that don't quite match Ezio's. Sometimes, it takes witnessing it with one's own eyes to see the worth in an origin.