To date, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has provided fans with 14 years of slick and savage Assassin protagonists through its 12 instalments. They may seem like fearless, deadly fighters, but they’re achingly human too. Anyone who has played through the games will know that sometimes ruthlessness means recklessness. Each protagonist has their own, century-relevant Achilles’ heel.
Whether it’s familial loyalty or romantic naivety, each lead character has a flaw ready to be exploited by the nearest Templar. Though often irritating, these vulnerabilities help to create engaging and believable narratives, which is impressive in a franchise that follows a time travelling brotherhood across an often-confusing timeline.
18 Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad: His Impetuousness
The Creed of the Assassin Order has three main tenets: do not kill the innocent, do not draw attention, and never compromise the brotherhood. To kick off the franchise in Assassin’s Creed, Altaïr is quickly stripped of his rank, gear and possessions for breaking all of these rules.
He does this in pursuit of the Apple of Eden from Solomon’s Temple. Thus, his impetuous attitude is what demotes him back to novice and is ultimately a weakness for the original assassin.
17 Desmond Miles: His Very DNA
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The first protagonist in the modern storyline, Assassin’s Creed 1-3 tell Miles’ story. He was kidnapped in 2012 so that the Templars could use his DNA to find the Pieces of Eden through his ancestors’ memories.
He was a target because of his lineage, therefore the weakness is literally in his genes. His DNA means he is burdened with saving the world.
15 Ezio Auditore da Firenze: His Philandering
This ladies’ man was brought up without knowledge of the brotherhood, healthy and wealthy. Then, his brother and father are executed in front of him. He vows revenge and the Assassin Order essentially grooms him to become the next Master Assassin.
Although the brotherhood demands discipline, Ezio is often found distracted by women. His eye is drawn to the Florentine courtesans in Assassin’s Creed 2 and he even offers a “private riding lesson” to a woman who loses against him in a horse race. However, this vice is more dangerous than mere horseplay. For example, he is tricked by Caterina Sforza, who deceives him for political gains. Ezio’s ultimate weakness: women.
14 Ratonhnhaké:ton, aka Connor: His Naivety
In Assassin’s Creed 3, Connor has a strong sense of morality. He is unable to understand the complexities of ethics. This is evident when he endorses a government equally as oppressive as the one he has vowed revenge against.
And again, when dreaming of an amicable reunion with his father Haytham (a Templar), Connor feels he could unite Templars and Assassins to form a peaceful world. There’s a whole franchise that proves otherwise. Unfortunately, Connor’s weakness is his naivety.
13 Aveline de Grandpré: Her Suspicion And Distrust
Grandpré was the headstrong lead in Assassin’s Creed: Liberation. Born to a rich French merchant and a slave named Jeanne, she was torn about her own identity and never really felt accepted.
This distrust influenced her career as an Assassin, as she often kept valuable information from the brotherhood. She did not trust her mentor, Agaté, and their relationship eventually soured and she began to doubt her allegiance with the Assassins.
12 Edward Kenway: His True Pirate’s Greed
Kenway’s days as a pirate seeking riches, glory and infamy seep into his work for the rivalling orders. He begins extorting both sides. In Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, he has found the Observatory, yet realizes his quest for riches meant nothing without allies by his side.
It took Kenway being entangled in the bitter feud to realize that his materialistic chase was meaningless. This vice meant Kenway was vulnerable to bribery. A pirate through and through, Kenway’s weakness is his greed.
11 Adéwalé: His Humble Nature
Adéwalé is featured as a secondary character in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag and as a main character in the game’s Freedom Cry DLC. He is a stern man with rigid ideals and a serious demeanor.
He often dislikes Kenway’s selfish ways. However, he allows Kenway to captain the Jackdaw despite being more qualified, more dignified, and probably a better man for the job. Perhaps things wouldn’t have gone as awry as they did if Adéwalé had stepped forward.
10 Shay Cormac: His Guilty Conscience
After years in the Assassin’s Order, Cormac realizes the corruption caused by the Colonial Brotherhood’s pursuit of the pieces of Eden. He leaves (hence the game’s title Assassin’s Creed: Rogue) and joins the Templars.
Some would argue that it is a futile effort, as the Templars can be every bit as dangerous and merciless as their enemies. Cormac wrestles with the guilt of having killed innocents and sometimes takes mercy on his targets, so he is not as seasoned and relentless as other Assassins. His guilty conscience is his weakness.
9 Arno Dorian: His Love For Élise de la Serre
In Assassin’s Creed: Unity, Dorian works with his adoptive sister turned lover, Élise de la Serre. Dorian falls too hard, though, and takes more than a few leaps of faith for Élise, who seems to have more agency in this story than he does.
Her death leads to his tragic downward spiral, which is only solved by a return to the brotherhood. Although loyalty is important to the creed, you must also stay true to yourself. Arno’s weakness is definitely Élise de la Serre herself.
8 Jacob And Evie Frye: His Rashness And Her Overthinking
The twins of Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate have weaknesses that complement each other. Jacob has a rash attitude and fails to see the chaos caused by his destructive behavior. He often breaks the “do not draw attention” tenet when acting on impulse.
By contrast, Evie is a stickler for the rules. Her overthinking sometimes means she is slow off the mark. In this way, a target could slip through her fingers. Jacob’s weakness of being impulsive balances his sister’s of being too cautious.
7 Shao Jun: Her Restlessness
Shao Jun features in Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China. As is the case with many of her counterparts, she is embarking on a journey of revenge.
She is also on a quest for knowledge, a suitable goal for such a prolific planner. This agitation is valuable in terms of attention to detail, but works to her own detriment many times too. She often stays up all night before a mission, which could be deadly in her line of work if it dulls her abilities.
6 Arbaaz Mir: His Expectations Of His Son, Jayadeep Mir
Arbaaz Mir was rescued by the brotherhood early in life. He trained with them and turned out to have the killer instinct necessary to join, as fans see in Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India.
He encouraged his son, Jayadeep, to join the creed but he could not live up to his father’s success. After compromising the brotherhood, Jayadeep proved to be the weak link and was exiled to London. A tragic situation, but one that could have had far-reaching consequences for all the Assassins.
5 Nikolai Orelov: His Bitterness And Cruelty
Orelov is the protagonist of Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia. He is haunted by the death of another Assassin, who, just before his execution, indicated that Nikolai was responsible for his demise.
This, combined with the loss of his child, embittered him and often caused him to be too violent and ruthless. For instance, he threatens a Templar’s innocent family while holding him hostage.
4 Bayek Of Siwa: His Unquestioning Loyalty
In Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Bayek roams Egypt to punish those responsible for the death of his son, Khemu. Along the way, he partakes in rituals and political gatherings from Memphis to Alexandria, teaching the player a surprising amount about Ancient Egypt as he travels.
More than once, his determination blindsides him and he ends up poisoned or stranded in the desert. He is loyal to his family and his duty, and is therefore dedicated to Cleopatra too. For her part, Cleopatra ultimately uses this fact to betray him. Bayek’s weakness is his misguided loyalty.
3 Layla Hassan: Her Addiction To The Animus
Layla’s storyline begins in Assassin’s Creed: Origins. She is a modern-day assassin, and a determined one at that. Eventually, though, she becomes addicted to the Animus. She experiences the Bleeding Effect, also having episodes of anger that she forgets about.
She exhibits self-destructive behaviour for the sake of the brotherhood, losing sleep and taking harmful substances into her body. It is evident that the Animus itself became a vice for her.
2 Kassandra And Alexios: Her Gentle Heart And His Complacence
Kassandra, the mercenary players meet in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, appears to only be persuaded by drachmae. She meets many headstrong historical figures, but is largely unimpressed. It is her alliance with Athenian orphan Phoibe that reveals her vulnerability. Kassandra even carries around a wooden eagle gifted to her by the little girl while on her travels. That act of sentimentality cannot have been practical for an Assassin. When Phoibe’s life is cut short, we see that Kassandra is heartbroken.
Kassandra’s brother Alexios was brought up by the Cult of Kosmos and has an incredible sense of his own importance. He believes that being a demigod meant he was the chosen one to bring order to Greece. This sense of self importance prevented him from seeing how much control the cult had over his life.
1 Eivor Varinsdottir: Their Overconfidence
This mighty Viking warrior is featured in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. A more poetic side to them is also made apparent during gameplay, although this might take some background knowledge of this formidable Norse race.
A thoughtful a storyteller as Eivor may be at times, it is their sense of independence that can leave this lone wolf vulnerable. Eivor is most at risk when going it alone, as they believe they are indestructible and frequently find that this far from the truth (learning little from the experience).
NEXT: Assassin’s Creed: 10 Quotes from the Game To Live By
