TheAssassin’s Creedfranchise has been consistently releasing games for over fifteen years now, constantly switching out protagonists with nearly every entry to create a tapestry of master Assassins throughout all known human history. This naturally raises a question: who is the best Assassin?
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With over a dozen playable Assassins from the games to consider, not to mention the myriad of ones from the comics or NPCs from the games, answering that question is difficult. While the answer to that question may come down to personal preference or an analysis of personality, it can also be determined by examining character’s feats, how remembered they will be throughout history and how long they remain in the Assassin’s Brotherhood.
14Arno Dorian
Barely an Assassin
Right at the bottom of the list is Arno Dorian fromAssassin’s Creed: Unity, the only protagonist in the series to be kicked out of the Assassin’s Brotherhood for incompetence. That alone would be enough to place him at the bottom of this list, but Arno makes a worse name for himself throughout the story of Unity by frequently siding with a Templar and causing unnecessary deaths.
With his long series of failures, a pension for killing with proper sanction and a strange outfit even by Assassin’s Creed protagonist standards, one has to wonder how he was the only previous protagonist to make a cameo in the 2016 Assassin’s Creed movie.
13Kassandra
Born before the Brotherhood Existed
While both Kassandra and Alexios are selectable protagonists inAssassin’s Creed: Odyssey, only Kassandra is treated as Canon, a shocking choice considering how long it took for Ubisoft to make amainline game with a female protagonistand therefore only she makes this list. Despite making the list, though, she has to rank low by default for one simple reason: she isn’t an Assassin.
Due to Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey taking place nearly 400 years before the Assassin’s Brotherhood was created, Kassandra not only lacks many aesthetic tools associated with the Assassins such as a hidden blade, but personality-wise she would much rather charge into enemy camps and fight them all at once than even consider sneaking in. She will at least rank higher than Arno as never becoming an Assassin is still higher praise than being kicked out of the Brotherhood, though.
More Viking than Assassin
Similar to Kassandra from Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Eivor fromAssassin’s Creed: Valhallanever joins the Assassin’s Brotherhood. Unlike Kassandra, though, Eivor’s actions throughout the course of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla are much closer to what one would expect from an Assassin’s Creed protagonist.
In between dealing with Sigurd’s shenanigans and forming alliances all over England, Eivor performs stealthy assassinations on members of the Templar Order with a hidden blade. She was even able to discover that the King of England himself was a Templar, making her enough of an Assassin to not be placed at the bottom of the list.
11Shay Patrick Cormac
Betrayed the Brotherhood
Shay Cormac is unique among Assassin’s Creed protagonists as he’s the only one to betray the Assassins and join the Templar Order, an act that Desmond Miles had only considered but didn’t act upon. While this makes Shay an interesting character as the player watches his struggle, it also of course means he has to rank low on a list of the best Assassins.
Unlike others below him, though, he did willingly choose to leave the Brotherhood as opposed to never joining or being kicked out, which gives him extra points. Despite this low ranking, though, he isn’t at the bottom of the list due to his amazing cunning, use of gadgets such as an air rifle, and skills that allowed him to take down master Assassins such as Achilles and Adewale.
Shay is actually one of my favorite protagonists in the series, it’s just almost impossible to justify ranking him high on a list of the best Assassins.
10Shao Jun
The Apprentice Doesn’t Live Up to the Master
One would expect great things from the apprentice of Ezio Auditore, but sadly Shao Jun from Assassin’s Creed Chronicles doesn’t live up to them. From a combination of a lack of screen time to the strange structure of Chronicles, Shao Jun comes off as more incompetent than anything.
Spending the majority of her game searching for a box she swore to protect and watching many comrades and citizens die over it, only for that box to end up overseas, may leave a sour taste in the mouth of players. While her manga would later give her extra character development, it’s a shame that Shao Jun was never given a full console game to really show her skills
9Basim Ibn Ishaq
A Master of Mischief
Basim is unique among Assassin’s Creed protagonists as he was introduced as a side character in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla before going on to star in his own mainline game. Typically side characters in this franchise get relegated to side games or comics like Shao Jun was.
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Despite starring in his own mainline game, Basim’s actions in Assassin’s Creed: Mirage don’t measure up to what one would expect from an Assassin’s Creed protagonist, as he hardly makes a dent in the Templar Order’s plans. He does, however, make a name for himself by saving the Assassin’s from extinction and devising a plan to live far beyond his years. One can only hope we see the full scope of his plan in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.
8The Frye Twins
Two Halves of the Same Whole
Jacob and Evie Frye will be sharing a slot on this list for a simple reason: they are a duo who bring out the best in each other. ThroughoutAssassin’s Creed: Syndicatewe see various examples of the two truly needing each other to pull off the incredible schemes required of them, combining Evie’s intelligence with Jacob’s brute force.
Through working together the pair are successfully able to liberate the entirety of England from the rule of the Templars, find the cloak of Eden and even stop the famed serial killer Jack the Ripper later in their careers. While they may not be the best Assassins in the series, they fully deserve placement in the middle of this list.
Liberator of the Seven Sea
Adewale is a rare example of an Assassin’s Creed side character who went on to lead his own game. Well, a DLC expansion that was later sold as a standalone release. Despite the short length of Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry, Adewale is quickly able to shine as a grand Assassin in his own right.
Despite the world and society being against him, Adewale constantly proves his bravery and morality by going out of his way to save slaves from plantations and eliminate those who would oppress him. While his impact on the world is small and limited to a single island, he more than deserves to be placed in the middle of this list.
6Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad
Iconic and Original
Next up on the list is Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad, Assassin grand master and main character of the original Assassin’s Creed. Altair may have less screen time than most other Assassins in the franchise due to his game being shorter than theirs, but he makes up for it in presence and feats.
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Altair’s scenes in Assassin’s Creed Revelations portray him as the wisest of Assassins, willing to bide his time and plan for years instead of immediately charging into battle. This leads to him being a wise mentor for an entire castle’s worth of apprentices and his name being remembered throughout history. The only reason he isn’t higher on this list is because those above him have a higher amount of feats.
5Connor Kenway
Honest to His Ideals
Connor Kenway, also known as Ratonhnhaké:ton, became an Assassin during one of the most important points in history: the foundation of the United States of America. This was a time of tribulatons for both the Assassins and the Templars as both organizations were trying to set their roots in this new nation, hoping to put their own allies in power.
Despite fierce opposition from some of the best names in the Templar Order, including his own father, Connor was able to beat the odds and become America’s first master Assassin. Skill at both land assassinations, battles at sea and negotiations, Connor was a threat to any who would stand in his path. His only flaw was thinking peace was truly achievable, a mistake that led to his tribe losing their home. Despite that, though, he more than deserves to be near the top of this list.
