Protagonists and settings

The series reinvents its lead almost every time, and the setting is always the co-star. Altaïr is a disciplined Crusades-era killer, Ezio Auditore a Renaissance charmer who grows up across three games, and Connor Kenway a Mohawk Assassin pulled into the American Revolution. Edward Kenway is a pirate first and an Assassin almost by accident, while Arno Dorian, the Frye twins, Bayek of Siwa and Eivor Varinsdottir each carry their city's politics in a different way.

Odyssey even lets the player choose between Kassandra and Alexios. Shadows splits the role deliberately between Naoe, a shinobi built for stealth, and Yasuke, a samurai built for open combat. The pattern is the point: change the century, change the person, and the same hidden war looks completely different.