The Assassin's Creed Franchise has been one of Ubisoft's most successful gaming series since 2007. Fans love this gaming series because of the parkour mechanics and varied storytelling that takes place throughout centuries' worth of iconic historical events. However, these stories are only able to work because of their reliable protagonists.

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Ever since people played as Altair in the first Assassin's Creed, the series has featured a variety of different main characters. These mostly appear each time a new game is released. For these historical characters to dismiss their old lives and live as an assassin, they must first have a motive. Some of these motives are tragic; however, some protagonists in the series get away without having any tragedy in their lives. Then there are those whose lives are more tragic than others.

6 Shay Cormac

Raised By The Brotherhood After His Parent's Deaths

Shay Cormac is the protagonist of Assassin'sCreed: Rogue, a game set in 18th-century New York during the seven-year war. Sadly, Shay never knew his parents, as his mother died during childbirth and his father was absent during his early life. This led the young boy to be accepted into, and raised, by the Assassin's Brotherhood. However, Shay begins to doubt the Brotherhood when tasked with retrieving artifacts on a mission, and later allies himself with the Templars to find out more about a hidden conspiracy.

While having players take on a role as the enemy of the Brotherhood in this game, it did come at the expense of Shay Cormac. First the character was orphaned, and then the man had to tragically turn his back on everything he had ever known. Eventually, Shay Cormac would die at the hands of an assassin he would once have fought alongside.

5 Alexios

Targeted By Cultists At Birth

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey took some inspiration from some of the earlier games in the series by allowing the player to choose between two protagonists. Both Alexios and Kassandra are siblings, and the one player's pick to use in the game will have to fight the other as an enemy in the main story. Kassandra is a decent enough protagonist with a traditional hero's journey. However, her brother's story is more tragic.

Alexios is prophesized to be the downfall of Sparta, so he is kidnapped by cultists at birth. There, he is turned into a weapon, one that will eventually see him clash with his sister in combat. In this fight, it is kill or be killed depending on the playable protagonist the player has chosen.

4 Basim

Sent Mad After His Son Is Taken Away

Players first met Basim in Assassin'sCreed: Valhalla, and the character acted as the main antagonist in this entry. The character has received more of a spotlight recently, though, as he is the protagonist of Assassin's Creed: Mirage, a prequel game set in 9th-century Baghdad. Here, players get to see Basim's early life and learn why he joined the Hidden Ones in the first place.

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Basim is another character in the franchise whose family was killed at a young age and had to be raised by the assassins after living destitute on the streets as a thief. He was successful in his time with the Hidden Ones and even got to lead a chapter in Constantinople. Unfortunately, he is sent mad when his son is taken away from him and realizes that he is the reincarnated form of Loki. This realization leads him to Norway, where he is killed by Eivor.

3 Edward Kenway

His In-Laws Disapproval Led Him To Piracy

Edward Kenway was a poor man living in the West Indies in the 18th century. He met and fell in love with Caroline Scott, but her parents disapproved of their union as Edward was deemed too poor to provide for the woman. The pair did marry, but they did not recieve a dowry from Caroline's father, so they had to continue living poorly. Edward did get a job as a privateer, but a drunken brawl with a pirate in the villainous Thatch's crew saw him accidentally kill a man.

After that, Edward was welcomed onboard the ship as part of Thatch's crew and the rewards for his new pirate lifestyle allowed him to finally provide for his family. Sadly, Edward became so enamored with the pirate lifestyle and the wealth it brought that he became estranged from his wife.

2 Bayek

His Role Of Protector Cost His Son His Life

Bayek' story unfolds in the Oasis of Siwa, where he grew up to become the protector of the region when the Romans began their invasion of Egypt. During a fight with some invaders, Bayek first met tragedy when his son Khemu was killed in the crossfire. Blaming himself, Bayek then left his duty as the protector of the realm to get revenge on those who had killed his son.

Although losing his son is a tragedy for Bayek, his journey for vengeance does have an upside. The Egyptian manages to find and kill two of the men who attacked his home, and one of them was in possession of the Apple of Eden. After returning to his wife, Aya, and discovering that she too had been successful in tracking and killing the other attackers, the pair decide to unite and create an order of assassins tasked with protecting people from the same tragedy that had befallen them.

1 Ezio Auditore

Becomes An Assassin After Witnessing His Family Being Executed

• Other Games: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed: Revelations

At the start of Assassin's Creed 2, it is hard to find any tragedy in Ezio Auditore's life. He lives in 15th-century Renaissance Italy, and spends most of his time leaping across rooftops with his brother and dating a variety of women. However, this blessed life comes to a swift end when Ezio's brother and father are arrested and sentenced to be executed for seemingly no reason. A brief chat with his father leads Ezio to discover that he is part of a line of assassins, and that he must continue this legacy to honor his family.

Despite finally learning this truth, Ezio still has to watch his family being executed, which sets him on a path to revenge. This story takes place across three games and is by far the most complete journey in the franchise. Players get to take Ezio Auditore from a carefree individual to a wisened old assassin who has lost too much in his pursuit of justice.

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