Characters page for the late 15th century/early 16th century supporting cast of Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Assassin's Creed: Lineage and Assassin's Creed: Embers.
May contain unmarked and/or Late Arrival Spoilers.
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Italian City-States
Florence
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di Ser Piero da Vinci
Appearances: Assassin's Creed II | Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Voiced by: Carlos Ferro (English)note
"I'm not content to merely to capture the world. I want to change it."
A budding young painter and friend of Maria Auditore. He later befriends Ezio and assists the Assassin by decrypting Codex pages and building the fantastic weapons detailed on certain pages, as well as eventually having his own designs constructed.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: As in real life. Easily distracted, insensitive and brutally honest and squees over Codex pages and advanced tech. He's still a brilliant inventor and artist.
- Deadpan Snarker: In the DLC, he gets captured by Hermeticist monks and beaten up for information. His response? Snark at them.
- Defiant Captive: After being kidnapped by the Hermeticist Order, he merely taunts and mocks them while they try to get the information they want.
- Distressed Dude: In The Da Vinci Disappearance he is kidnapped by the Hermeticist Order.
- Gadgeteer Genius: It's him who upgrades Ezio's gear.
- Kidnapped Scientist: He's forced to build advanced weapons for Cesare Borgia's armies in Brotherhood.
- Lovable Nerd: He just gets so excited over those Codex pages and science in general, it's hard not to smile.
- Man Hug: Shares several with Ezio throughout their friendship.
- Non-Action Guy: One of the reasons he turns down an offer to formally join the Assassins is that he's no good at violence. He's better at making weapons so someone else can use them.
- No Accounting for Taste: Both in-game and historically, one has to wonder: what does he see in Salaì? And a better question: why does Ezio approve? Ezio could mean he approves of Leonardo's orientation and encourage his sexuality. Salaì may be dumb as a rock but he seems pretty and loyal enough to appeal to a handsome but aging artist.
- No-Sell: When Ezio accidentally triggers the Apple in the "Battle of Forli" DLC for AC II, Leonardo is the only person in the room not overcome by the Piece of Eden's power. Mario and Machiavelli are both brought to their knees, and even Ezio (who has First Civilization DNA in him) is visibly pained. It's hinted that Leo's mind is just that strong.
- Photographic Memory: Like it is implied in real life, Leonardo has a good memory and proclaims that he never forgets a design when Ezio asks him to upgrade his Hidden Blade in Brotherhood.
- Platonic Life-Partners: For Ezio given how he doesn't hesitate at all to help Ezio when he is a fugitive at the start of the game. Then there's all the bro-hugs. The reason it is this trope instead of Heterosexual Life-Partner is that it's all but explicitly stated that he is gay in the Brotherhood DLC, and in a relationship with his apprentice Salaì, which would make Ezio and Leonardo's relationship this instead of Heterosexual Life-Partner.
- Secret-Keeper: He keeps a large number of secrets for the Assassin Order, but never joins them himself.
- The Smart Guy: Any time the Italian Assassins need a scientist, they turn to Leonardo for assistance.
- Straight Gay:
- He doesn't have any 'gay' mannerisms and it's not confirmed outside of his database entry (which only mentions that he was tried for sodomy in 1476 and was "probably" homosexual), but in the Brotherhood DLC, Ezio tells Leonardo that he "approves" of Salaì, leaving Leonardo speechless. Among other hints in the DLC, he is all but confirmed to be gay.
- There is also the discussion between him and Ezio about the Mona Lisa. Ezio immediately says he shouldn't be distracted by young ladies, to which Leonardo replies that women were never a distraction for him (followed by Ezio's reaction: "Wait, I don't get it").
- Troll: At one point, he tells Ezio he needs to cut off a finger in order to attach the Hidden Blade. Ezio visibly struggles but agrees, at which point he swings down a butcher knife, hits the bench and says he was joking. Ezio's WTF? face really sells the scene.
- True Companions: Leonardo becomes Ezio's confidante, gadgeteer and best friend, a friendship that lasts throughout all the games that feature them.
Lorenzo de' Medici
Lorenzo de' Medici / Lorenzo The Magnificent
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed II
Other Appearances: Assassin's Creed: Lineage
Voiced by: Alex Ivanovici (English)note
Played by: Alex Ivanovici (Lineage)
- "Francesco de Pazzi! I'll kill him! I'll wipe his entire family from the city! They'll be ERASED!"
The de facto ruler of Florence, both Giovanni and Ezio Auditore served him as his personal Assassin. He became friends with Giovanni after the Assassin saved him from drowning as a child, leading to his close ties with the Assassin Order.
- Big Good: For Ezio and his family, and Florence as a whole, he is a high ranking politician working with the Assassin cause. In The Bonfire of the Vanities, crowd chatter laments that his descendants are very weak willed and that Girolamo Savonarola is worse.
- Bus Crash: Dies off-screen around the time of the spin-off Discovery.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: He routinely uses torture on captured opponents to gain information.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: His use of torture and retaliation against the entire Pazzi family, even those members who did not conspire against him.
- Distressed Dude: A DLC secret location allows you to save him from Templars ransacking his family's palace.
- Feuding Families: A power struggle with the Pazzi that spills over into the Auditore. It comes to a boil during the Pazzi Conspiracy where Franceso tries to wipe him out.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Comes off a lot more benevolent than his historical record would imply, although in Lineage he attends the interrogation-by-torture of a Borgia henchman and according to Lucrezia utterly obliterates the Pazzi after their assassination attempt. On the other hand, it's implied that he looks better in comparison to his counterpart Francesco de' Pazzi.
- I Owe You My Life: He says that the reason the Medici and the Auditore families work well together is because Giovanni fished him out of a river when he was a child.
- Pet the Dog: In his first proper conversation with Ezio (after finding a hiding place during the Pazzi Conspiracy) he expresses his condolences for Giovanni's death and states that Giovanni was a good man who "understood honor and loyalty".
- It's Personal: Francesco de' Pazzi did murder his brother, and tried to do the same to him.
- The Magnificent: Addressed as Il Magnifico by several characters.
- Noble Demon: Shaun's Database profile for him starts with a contradiction, namely, that he was a great supporter of the Florence Republic while at the same time preventing the general population from having legitimate political power. While he's a shadow puppeteer who regularly use torture to acquire information, he keeps the peace, patronizes the fine arts, and he's a better alternative to a legitimate Templar like Francesco running things.
- Not So Above It All: Lorenzo seems very calm and graceful but after the attack by the Pazzi he blows his handle. He also gives contract assassinations to Ezio to carry out in different city states. Even he admits to it when after being told by Ezio that all their enemies in Firenze are dead, he says he couldn't imagine that he would want the death of someone so badly. Ezio shares this sentiment.
- Parental Substitute: To some extent he serves as this to Ezio, or likely playing it up so that he can manipulate him (notice how much he ties himself to Giovanni when speaking to Ezio), but the latter does look up to him, especially after his own father died.
- The Purge: He destroys every trace of the Pazzi after their attempt to assassinate him, including having Ezio assassinate several of their associates not only in Florence but elsewhere in Italy.
Cristina
Cristina Vespucci
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed II | Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Other Appearances: Assassin's Creed: Lineage
Voiced by: Amber Goldfarb (English)note
- "I wish we could have had a second chance..."
Ezio Auditore's first love interest, seen very briefly in Assassin's Creed II but expanded upon in Brotherhood.
- Arranged Marriage: She ended up marrying Manfredo Soderini out of pressure from her family after Ezio left Florence for two years.
- Ascended Extra: She only appears in the prologue of II but the novelization of the game as well as a sidequest in Brotherhood show more of her relationship with Ezio and her importance in his life.
- Dating What Daddy Hates: Her father goes into a bloody rage upon seeing Ezio sleeping with his daughter and calls the city guards to kill him.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Dies in Ezio's arms during the Bonfire of the Vanities, as shown in a repressed Brotherhood memory.
- Dying Declaration of Love: As she dies she states that she has never stopped loving Ezio.
- Expy: Of Simonetta Vespucci
, making Ezio an expy of Sandro Botticelli, the painter who allegedly loved Simonetta. Though things are simplified with Cristina though as Simonetta married into the Vespucci family. - The First Cut Is the Deepest: She's the subject of Ezio's repressed memories in Brotherhood, which expands on the tragic love story between them. This also causes some problem for Desmond when he attempts to go deeper into Ezio's memories on the whereabouts of the Apple of Eden.
- First Love: Despite Ezio's cassonova's tendencies, Cristina is the first person he truly loves and he never really got over her even after she married someone else.
- Got Over Rape Instantly: In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, it is revealed (through suppressed memories) that Ezio and Cristina started their relationship after he saved her from an implied Attempted Rape by Vieri de Pazzi.
- Historical Character's Fictional Relative: Ezio's teenage girlfriend, Cristina Vespucci, is the cousin of explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
- In the Past, Everyone Will Be Famous: Once joked that her cousin Amerigo would have a shipping company named after him. Funny how things work out, innit?
- Lost Lenore: Her death greatly affected Ezio and a woman resembling her triggers some repressed memories to Ezio in Brotherhood. In fact, Ezio will not get over her death for many years until he meets Sofia.
- One Degree of Separation: In addition to all the famous Renaissance names Ezio has regular contacts with that need no elaboration, he happens to be in love with a woman who's the (fictional) cousin of the guy whose name would be used to christen two continents, Amerigo Vespucci.
- Rescue Romance: Their relationship officially kicks off as Ezio (who was tracking her on Federico's advice) rescued her from an Attempted Rape by Vieri de' Pazzi.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Despite being introduced as Ezio's first flame in AC2, Christina is written out of the story rather quickly after the death of Ezio's father and brothers and never mentioned again. Brotherhood later establishes exactly why Desmond was not able to recall any other memories with Christina, turns out Ezio repressed them.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Calls Ezio out when she finds out she'd been kissing him under the guise of her husband. Not for the deceit, but for disappearing from her life for several years without so much as a goodbye.
Savonarola
Girolamo Savonarola
Appearances: Assassin's Creed II
Voiced by: Alex Ivanovici (English)note
"Why do you disturb me?! You should be cleansing your homes, cleansing your SELVES!"
An exiled monk who stumbles upon a wounded Ezio and the Apple of Eden, taking it for himself to begin a reign of terror in Florence — and one of the only people in the whole series to wield a Piece of Eden without being Assassin or Templar-aligned.
- Arc Villain: The head villain the "Bonfire of the Vanities" DLC, a single arc in the story of Ezio versus the Borgia era Templars.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Appears in the background in several cutscenes during the "Battle of Forli" chapter, before stealing the Apple of Eden at the end and rising to prominent as the villain of the "Bonfire of the Vanities" chapter.
- Drunk with Power: It's implied that the Apple did this to him, giving him considerable power but driving him mad in the process.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: His name became a by-word for fundamentalism in real life, so it's no surprise that the game goes there, but the actual record notes that while his actions are extreme he did appeal to the poor of Florence (which even Shaun's video notes) and takes up their cause. It was Rodrigo Borgia / Pope Alexander VI who ordered his execution by being burnt at the stake in real life. It's implied that using the Apple of Eden to force subjugation and basically usurping Florence like an Evil Sorcerer instead of personal charisma or poor championing is the cause of the upgrade.
- Evil Luddite: A proto-Luddite, that is, he preached a "return to Eden" by destroying all sorts of progress, be it artistic or otherwise.
- Eviler than Thou: He may have been unaware of both the Assassin and Templar agendas — and is the only antagonist to be simultaneously targeted by both.
- The Exile: He had been exiled from his monastic order.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: From nobody exiled monk to Florence's subjugator.
- Karmic Death: The man who asked people to burn vanities in public is sentenced to being burnt at the stake in public.
- Kill It with Fire: The people of Florence try to burn him alive but he actually dies via Hidden Blade mercy kill.
- Knight Templar: He's trying to force what he calls "peace" on Florence's population, but for once, he's not an actual Templar. The real ones want the Apple.
- Large Ham: He gets pretty bombastic in his sermons to the (increasingly rebellious) people of Florence. His page quote above is just the tip of the iceberg.
- Ludd Was Right: His general dogma is that humans have strayed from the path God had laid out for them with their human "advancements" and so they needed to be purged.
- Mercy Kill: As he is burned on the stake, Ezio climbs up and kills him with a single (albeit brutal) stab to the neck.
- Mind Rape: Courtesy of the Apple, and done to the leaders of Florence, forcing them and the people of Florence to follow him.
- Outside-Context Problem: It takes years for the Assassin Brotherhood to find him after he steals the Apple of Eden because he comes out of freakin' nowhere. Savonarola does not work for Rodrigo Borgia. He is not a Templar. He just picks up the Apple of Eden and walks away with it when Ezio drops it due to injury. Ezio doesn't know what he looks like, only that he's missing a finger.
- Sinister Minister: A monk who mind controls, manipulates, and otherwise forces his religious beliefs on others.
- Straight Edge Evil: He doesn't approve of courtesans so Paula's girls can't find him and he hates luxuries so La Volpe's boys aren't likely to know of him either. All he has to do is leave his black monk robe at home and stick his Red Right Hand in his pocket when he goes out in public, and he's incognito.
- Tyrant Takes the Helm: Florence under him is essentially a theocratic state with little of the freedom of thought that it was formerly known for.
Duccio
Duccio De Luca
Appears in: Assassin's Creed II | Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood | Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Voiced by: Shawn Baichoo (English)note
A Florentine noble who eventually becomes a merchant. He was once engaged to Claudia Auditore, but was having an affair with various other women and Ezio does not take kindly to those who cheat on his sister. Ezio encounters him again during his time in both Rome and Constantinople.
- Asshole Victim: In Revelations you can beat him up for basically no reason but him being there, but he's so loathsome no one really cares.
- Bullying a Dragon: In Brotherhood, Duccio should have know a bit of Ezio's folklore story or that he is the one who ended Savonarola's reign of terror in Florence yet still tries to provoke a man armed to the teeth into fighting him. He seems to learn this lesson by Revelations as his first reaction upon seeing Ezio again is to flee in terror.
- Butt-Monkey: "...Whenever he would show himself, my fist would find his face."
- Casanova Wannabe: As described by Ezio in minstrel disguise in Revelations:"There once was a man named Duccio. A rat with lecher's taste..."
- Hypocrite: When he appears in Brotherhood, he keeps calling Claudia a prostitute because she happens to oversee a brothel... yet he's flirting with a new woman every time we see him, and then cheats on them the moment they have their backs turned.
- Jerkass: A prick who insults Claudia and the Auditore family as a whole just because Claudia refused to have sex with him, and cheats on her in Florence for the same reason.
- Kick the Dog: When he appears in Brotherhood in the Da Vinci Disappearance DLC, he spends his time insulting the Auditores while fighting Ezio.
- Killed Offscreen: Dies in 1520 of rabies after getting bitten by a rabid dog.
- Manchild: Even 30 years after his first appearance, Duccio has not matured in the slightest in Brotherhood. Aside from still being a lecher, he tries to get back at Ezio for the beating he received when they were teenagers.
- Oh, Crap!: Duccio immediately flees for his life upon seeing Ezio in Constantinople, apparently having learned to stop talking smack about him and Claudia. Still doesn't stop Ezio from beating him up when he's drunk.
- Punny Name: Likely not a coincidence that his name is pronounced similarly to the English word "douche".
- Recurring Character: He has a small appearance in each game of the Ezio Trilogy.
- Riches to Rags: Goes from being nobility to becoming penniless following all his business failures, and dies from rabies in 1520.
- Running Gag: He gets punched in the face by Ezio in each game of the trilogy.
- Smug Snake: After getting the snot beaten out of him in Assassin's Creed II, he appears again in Brotherhood with a gang of mooks, still confident that he can beat him. He doesn't.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Upon seeing Ezio again in Revelations, after the previous two beatings, Duccio decides to run rather than face Ezio again.
- Straw Loser: He's only in the story to act like a complete jerk for Ezio to put in his place.
- Video Game Cruelty Potential: About halfway through Revelations, his location appears on your mini-map, where you get one more opportunity to reacquaint his face with your fists for old time's sake. There's even an achievement for doing so, "Bully".
Manfredo
Manfredo Soderini
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Voiced by: ???
A Florentine noble who becomes Cristina Vespucci's fiancé following Ezio Auditore's two year departure from Florence. She eventually married him.
- All There in the Manual: He appears in Assassin's Creed: Renaissance, the novelization of Assassin's Creed II, but not in the game itself. His first and last in-game appearances are in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.
- Arranged Marriage: He does love Cristina, but she married him out of family pressure and not out of love.
- The Missus and the Ex: Ezio has an "ex-lover talk" with him after saving his butt, doing so to ensure he will be a decent husband to Cristina.
- Nice Guy: Brief as his appearance is, he expresses gratitude towards Ezio for rescuing him and seems to have honored his promise to be a good husband to Cristina.
- Straw Loser: Ezio is a more charismatic, self-confident, and handsome man than Manfredo would ever dream to be, let alone his combat abilities vs Manfredo's nonexistent ones. Cristina doesn't find Manfredo romantic one bit also, and she still loves Ezio deep down.
- Trapped by Gambling Debts: In the Cristina Memory of Brotherhood that introduces him, Ezio has to save his butt from soldiers he owes gambling money to. Ezio also uses that occasion to test if Manfredo's love for Cristina is genuine, promising to kill him should he fail to be a good husband to her.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He appears in only two Cristina Memories in Brotherhood, and he gets mortally wounded by Savonarola's soldiers when the second one opens, in 1498, during the Bonfire of the Vanities.
Flavia
Flavia Auditore
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Embers
Voiced by: Angela Galuppo (English)
The daughter of Ezio Auditore and his wife Sofia Sartor, born after Ezio came back to Italy with Sofia from his adventures in the Ottoman Empire.
- Cheerful Child: She has a fun, cheeky relationship with her father.
- The Cutie: She's cute, sweet and carefree.
Forlì
Caterina Sforza
Caterina Sforza
Appears in: Assassin's Creed II | Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Voiced by: Cristina Rosato (English)note
The countess of Forlì, Caterina is a significant ally (and a bit more than that) to Ezio.
- Action Girl: During the siege of Forli picks up a butcher knife without hesitation.
- Adaptational Modesty: A rather interesting example. During her infamous taunting against the Orsi brothers, you can clearly see her wearing white panties underneath the dress. This isn't the case in real life, in which she wore nothing under her dress, so she basically exposed her genitals to the public.
- Bus Crash: She does not appear again after Sequence 4 of Brotherhood, which ends with her riding to Florence to petition for the return of her rulership of Forlì, as she felt that she was useless as a political/military ally to the Assassins otherwise. According to Shaun, she would be unsuccessful in this and die of pneumonia, never returning to the city she once ruled over.
- Cluster F-Bomb: She's a pretty foul-mouthed lady in general, but when the Orsi brothers take Forli right out from under her, leaving her stranded outside her own city walls, she launches into the most epic example of this trope in the entire franchise, all of it directed at the guys manning the parapets. Her swearing gives even her hardened allies pause, but since it's almost exclusively in Italian, enabling the subtitles might be necessary lest you miss out.
- Dark Action Girl: Her Brotherhood biography mentions she doesn't have much of a problem with infanticide, just like the Real Life Caterina Sforza, a woman described by Badass of the Week as an Evil Overlord in her own right. Although some historians like Lady Antonia Fraser have noted that she was a highly ambiguous figure who suffered for breaking the medieval glass ceiling.
- Doomed by Canon: Doomed by History more like in that she will never regain Forli and die alone and prematurely, just like the real Countess.
- Fiery Redhead: Redheaded with a very fiery personality.
- Hot-Blooded: Best shown while in the captivity of Lucrezia Borgia, she's very foul mouthed and aggressive.
- Noodle Incident: In the game proper we never find out how she got stranded out on an island where Ezio finds her, though in the novelization of the game she's having an argument with her husband and he pushes the boat she's on out into the water when he gets sick of arguing with her. It can be safely assumed that roughly the same thing happened offscreen in the game.
- Purple Is Powerful: Leader of Forli, and she's most often seen wearing purple.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: She reminds Ezio that his duties are to the Assassins and that personal feelings and relationships are not as important as The Chains of Commanding and that he should have even sacrificed her to the Borgia rather than trying to romantically rescue her.
- Rescue Romance: With Ezio, since she's instantly charmed when he comes out by gondola to rescue her. When they meet again in Sequence 12 of AC II, there's some light flirting and she is quick to mention that her husband is dead. Ultimately subverted, as he was a Guy Of The Week for her.
- Roaring Rampage of Rescue: Ezio pulls one for her in Brotherhood and she tells him that he shouldn't have bothered since she's not useful politically and clearly amazed that Ezio would risk so much for her and even regretful that he seemed to have taken their one-night stand very seriously.
- Romantic False Lead: With Christina seemingly getting written out of the story rather early, Caterina was the closest thing to an "official" love interest that Ezio had. The two mutually flirted throughout their encounters in 2 and then consummated their relationship at the start of Brotherhood. This ultimately proved to not be the case however as, wanting to be an ally for Ezio, she opted to return to Forli in an attempt to petition for the restoration of her land rather than remain in Rome with him. Ensue the aforementioned Doomed by Canon.
- Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: She tells Ezio the hard truth when he rescued her, noting that, grateful as she is for his romantic gesture, its useless politically and that she only seduced him to cement an alliance.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: She out-swears Ezio, much to his surprise and delight.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: A fiery partner and political leader that Ezio has already made love too? Certainly she's going to reclaim her home become a major reoccuring character? Not so, as mentioned in Bus Crash above the real life Caterina died of pneumonia. As mundane as it is, even famous historical figures can just get sick and pass away one day.
- Tough Leader Façade: On the wall of her fortress, she publicly and defiantly tells the Orsi brothers that they can kill her children for all she cares. Backing away from the wall, she is much more emotionally vulnerable and tells Ezio that she can't bear to lose her children and tells him to get them back for her.
- We Have Reserves: After the Orsi brothers kidnap two of her children, she taunts them that she can make more. Subverted, since she asks Ezio to save them immediately afterwards. According to Badass of the Week, with the obvious exception of Ezio's involvement, Sforza did this for real.
- We Need a Distraction: So Ezio can sneak into Forli to open the city gates. She goes for the epic Cluster F-Bomb approach mentioned above. It's a bit unclear how much of it was her intentionally serving as a distraction, and how much was simply the Fiery Redhead in her completely flying off the handle.
Amelia
Amelia
Appears in: Assassin's Creed II
Voiced by: Paula Jean Hixson (English)
A woman Ezio meets outside Forlì. She promises him a "private riding lesson" if he wins a horse race challenge.
- Double Entendre: It's pretty clear that she doesn't mean a literal "private riding lesson" when proposing this to Ezio if he wins.
- Making Love in All the Wrong Places: For all we see, she has sex with Ezio on a roadside, and they do it right in the view of both the passers-by and the monks talking at the nearby church.
- Optional Sexual Encounter: She's there to show that Ezio is a Chick Magnet and Really Gets Around, and her sidequest is entirely skippable.
- Sex for Services: Promises a "private riding lesson" to Ezio if he beats the horse race time record of the men she was talking to, and gladly obliges when he wins.
- Sidequest: Her horse race is not necessary to progress in the game.
Venice
Rosa
Rosa
Appears in: Assassin's Creed II
Voiced by: Lita Tresierra (English)note
A member of the Venetian thieves guild who teaches Ezio how to grab higher ledges and eventually joins the Assasins. Implied to have also had an intimate relationship with him.
- Action Girl: She can hold her own in a fight just fine, and her database entry notes that when a fellow thief tried to kiss her, he managed to escape "with most of his mouth intact".
- Determinator: She tries to run with an arrow in her leg and makes it a good distance before collapsing.
- Five-Finger Discount: She made her living by picking pockets and small items before being recruited by Antonio after a failed attempt to pick his pocket.
- Ink-Suit Actor: Bears more than a passing resemblance to Lita Tresierra.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: To the point that if they hadn't kept much of her dialog in Italian while they're treating her wound the game's rating would likely have had to be bumped up, from an M.
- Parental Abandonment: Her father was an unknown nobleman and her mother a prostitute who turned her out, so Rosa grew up fending for herself in the streets of Venice.
- Ship Tease: With Ezio. It's been strongly hinted that she was to be a main love interest in future games but her voice actress died before Brotherhood was produced.
- Son of a Whore: Her mother was a prostitute so she had little chance of making her way in the world, in this society, other than the same or thievery.
- Tomboy: She dresses like the other Venetian thieves and has a fouler mouth than them.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite indications that she would be Ezio's love interest, she doesn't appear in Brotherhood or Revelations.
In the novels it is mentioned she eventually takes over the Rosa in Fiore from Claudia and becomes an Assassin leader. The real-life reason is likely because of her voice actress dying in a car crash between games.
Paganino
Paganino
Appears in: Assassin's Creed II | Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Voiced by: ???
One of the thieves found in Venice. He shows up when Ezio carries Rosa back to the Thieves' guild.
- Ascended Extra: He goes from an extra with a notable design to a mole for the Borgia in Brotherhood.
- Bald of Evil: Once he's revealed to be a Borgia spy he's still as bald as ever.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Forces himself unto Ezio's Hidden Blade when confronted.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Seemingly a random thief, he turns out to be the Borgia mole.
- Dirty Coward: It's how Ezio realizes something was off— he ran during the Villa attack.
- Eyepatch of Power: Apart from being bald, he's blind in one eye, hence the eyepatch.
- Face–Heel Turn: An ally during II, he becomes a Borgia spy in Brotherhood.
- "Get Back Here!" Boss: Ezio has to chase him before capturing him.
- Metaphorically True: Or Exact Words, depending on how one interprets his line about "going to help the troops" during the assault on Monteriggioni. Whose troops?
- The Mole: For the Borgia in Brotherhood.
- Suicide by Cop: Forces himself on Ezio's Hidden Blade rather than betray the Borgia.
- Undying Loyalty: To the Borgia, committing suicide on Ezio's Hidden Blade rather than fess up any information.
- Walking Spoiler: Is at the center of a very important subplot in Brotherhood.
Agostino Barbarigo
Agostino Barbarigo
Appears in: Assassin's Creed II
Voiced by: ??? (English)note
The younger brother of Marco Barbarigo, Agostino is an ally of the Assassins in Venice. He replaces his brother as Doge after Ezio kills Marco.
- Face–Heel Turn: Despite his promises, he eventually betrays the Assassins after being offered more power by the Borgia. This leads to his eventual poisoning by Tessa Varzi.
- You Killed My Father: Averted as he bares no ill will towards Ezio for killing two members of his family. In fact, he says that his brother got what he deserved.
Doge Mocenigo
Doge Giovanni Mocenigo
Appears in: Assassin's Creed II
Voiced by: ??? (English)note
The Doge of Venice from 1478 to 1485. The Templars of Venice unsuccessfully try to corrupt him and end up plotting to assassinate him.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: There was indeed speculation about his death happening by poisoning, but Real Life Giovanni Mocenigo died of the Plague. Here, he is poisoned by his treacherous advisor, Carlo Grimaldi.
- The Good King: At the very least, he doesn't let himself be corrupted by the Templars, preferring to listen to his trusted advisors rather than let himself be convinced by Carlo Grimaldi's toadying.
- Hat of Authority: As the Doge of Venice, he wears the traditional corno ducale, a stiff horn-like bonnet.
- Historical Domain Character: He really existed, although he died differently, and not as part of a political plot to overthrow him.
- You Are Too Late: Ezio Auditore can't stop his poisoning by Carlo Grimaldi.
Rome
Fabio Orsini
Fabio Orsini
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Voiced by: Gianpaolo Venuta (English)note
"Today, Cesare commands my men, but soon, I hope, we will be free."
Cousin of the Assassin Bartolomeo d'Alviano, Fabio was a commander in the Papal army and a secret ally of the Assassin Order.
- Boom, Headshot!: He later died during the Battle of Garigliano while fighting alongside Bartolomeo, felled by a crossbow bolt to the head.
- Chekhov's Gunman: He appears briefly near the beginning of the game to provide the Assassin Order their hideout on Tiber Island, and reappears near the end of the game to arrest Cesare on the orders of Pope Julius II.
- Historical Domain Character: While obscure outside of Italy, Orsini was a real person.
- The Mole: He provides information to the Assassins on Cesare's activities and army movements.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: He is married to Jeronima Borgia, which is how he came to serve under Cesare.
- Private Military Contractor: He was a condottiero before joining the Papal army.
- You Killed My Father: After Cesare kills his father, Fabio drops all pretenses of loyalty and wages open war on him, which forces him to become an outlaw.
Egidio Troche
Egidio Troche
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Voiced by: ??? (English)note
"Senators used to petition about real issues, like unlawful cruelty, abandoned children. Now we write up legislation on the appropriate width of women's sleeves."
A Roman senator who becomes an ally of the Assassins.
- Drowning My Sorrows: When he cannot make any progress on his efforts to empower the Roman people and take power away from the Papacy, he turns to drinking, gambling, and sleeping with prostitutes. After Ezio helps him with his debt problems, he quite happily goes sober, saying that he hasn't "seen the inside of a tavern" for months.
- The Gambling Addict: He gambled so much he got into debt with the Banker, which is why Ezio seeks him out in the first place.
- Hope Is Scary: He remarks several times that he can't believe someone like Ezio exists because he represents something he gave up on, "hope". He seems happy enough to re-embrace it.
- Knight in Sour Armor: Despite his disgust at his fellow senators basically giving power to the papacy, making no progress on his goals, and developing numerous vices in response, Egidio never stopped fighting for his ideals.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: After learning from his brother that Cesare was planning on invading Romagna, Egidio wrote several letters to warn the ambassador of Venice, essentially betraying his own country. Unfortunately for him, one of his letters was intercepted and Cesare sent guards to kill Edigio before Ezio saved him.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: He got into politics thinking he could shift power away from the Papacy and to the democratically elected institutions of Rome. Reality quickly whacked him upside the head because he thought he could do so through legislation alone and without the kind of assistance that the Brotherhood of Assassins provides to politicians like him.
Salaì
Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, aka "Salaì"
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Voiced by: David Kaye (English)note
"Why would I spend my time at the workshop when I can go out and have fun?"
The apprentice of Leonardo da Vinci and his lover. He appears in the DLC "The Da Vinci Disappearance" for Brotherhood.
- The Confidant: Ezio gets annoyed at how much about him Salai knows from Leonardo.
- Gold Digger: Averted. While he has all the characteristics of a Gold Digger, he legitimately cares for Leonardo.
- Never Learned to Read: He's illiterate, which is something that Leonardo is trying to correct.
- Odd Couple: Why exactly is the hard-working genius Leonardo with the lazy, gambling, and thieving Salaì?
- The Slacker: He seems to hardly ever do any actual work for Leonardo.
Ercole Massimo
Ercole Massimo
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Voiced by: Arthur Holden (English)note
"Why seek knowledge without putting it to use? We have the chance to fashion a better world, one in which we have the freedom to shape our own destiny."
A powerful Roman nobleman and leader of the Cult of Hermes. He is searching for the Temple of Pythagoras.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: He's an evil nobleman in direct conflict with Ezio.
- Big Bad: Of the "Da Vinci Disappearance" DLC for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.
- Blue Blood: The Massimo were one of the richest and most powerful families in Rome, which enabled Ercole to fund his operations.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: He doesn't like some of the things he does, but views them as necessary.
- Visionary Villain: He wants to remake humanity and spread knowledge with the contents of the Temple of Pythagoras.
- We Can Rule Together: Offers Ezio the opportunity to work with him to make the world a better place, but Ezio refuses due to his methods.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He wants to spread knowledge and better humanity, but does so through extreme methods involving murder and kidnapping. Leonardo repeatedly calls him out on this while being beaten up.
- Wicked Cultured: Ercole is a patron of the arts: among his projects was helping form the Roman library and convincing Pope Julius II to bring several artists to Rome.
- Worthy Opponent: He openly admires Leonardo and Ezio, complimenting the latter on ending Caesar Borgia's plans of conquest, and wants to work with them instead of fighting them.
Followers of Romulus
The Followers of Romulus
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Also known as Secta Luporum ("Sect of the Wolves" in Latin), the Followers of Romulus are worshippers of Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. They squat around famous ancient ruins of the city.
- Animal Motifs: According to legend, Romulus and his twin brother Remus were raised by a female wolf, and as a result, they were said to be half-wolf and half-human. In tribute to this, the Followers' attire includes skinned wolf pelts.
- Cult: As their name implies, they are worshippers of Romulus.
- Nemean Skinning: They wear wolf pelts, with the wolf's head as hood.
- Paper Tiger: They look menacing, but they don't do much damage individually.
- Le Parkour: They're as agile as the Assassins when it comes to freerunning.
- Treasure Hunt Episode: They found the armor of Brutus, and each one of their leaders keeps a key to open the room containing the armor. Ezio Auditore sets out on a hunt for said keys in each of the ruins inhabited by the Followers.
- Unwitting Pawn: The Followers' leaders are agents working for a cardinal (thus, the Borgias) and manipulate this Pagan cult into forcing the people of Rome to get closer to the Catholic Church.
- Zerg Rush: They always attack in numbers.
Ottoman Empire
Sultan Bayezid II
Sultan Bayezid bin Mehmed / Bayezid II
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Revelations (mentioned only)
The Sultan reigning over the Ottoman Empire, the father of Selim and the grandfather of Suleiman.
- Abdicate the Throne: Selim eventually forces him to abdicate and takes the throne.
- The Ghost: He's often mentioned, and never seen.
Prince Suleiman I
Suleiman the Magnificent
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Voiced by: Haaz Sleiman (English)note
"I suppose the moral of any story matches the temper of the man telling it."
The grandson of Sultan Bayezid II and an important ally of Ezio.
- Conflicting Loyalty: He feels this greatly. He doesn't like his Uncle Ahmet's Templar affiliation but doesn't want him dead either and he wants Ezio to spare him if possible from his father.
- Good Is Not Soft: He's a nice guy but he's still a Prince and is not afraid to take hard calls. He's firm when he asks Ezio to kill Tarik Berleti, believing that the evidence clearly shows that he's disloyal to his father. He regrets this when he finds out that Berleti was loyal after all. Though that's more a case of him being Entertainingly Wrong than anything.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He's aghast when he discovers that Tarik Berleti, who he ordered a hit on, was loyal to his father, even moreso when he has to hide the fact that he did it.
- Patrick Stewart Speech: He made one of of these during a conversation with Ezio.Suleiman: I have not lived long, but I have lived long enough to know that the world is a tapestry of many colors and patterns. A just leader would celebrate this, not seek to unravel it."
- The Wise Prince: Widely admired for his intellect, even by the Janissaries who dislike Ahmet for sharing the same traits.
- Young Future Famous People: When Ezio met him, Suleiman was just a 17-year-old prince with low standing in the Ottoman courts. (He even self-identifies as a university student when introducing himself to Ezio.) Eventually he will go on to become one of the most successful Sultans in the history of the Ottoman Empire, known as Suleiman I the Magnificent.
Prince Ahmet
Prince (Şehzade) Ahmet
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Voiced by: Tamer Hassan (English)note
"To achieve true peace, mankind must think and move as one body, with one master mind."
One of Bayezid's sons and the uncle of Suleiman, he is the favored son to become the next Sultan. He also happens to be the new Grand Master of the Templar Order.
- Affably Evil: Generally shows respect to Ezio, even stating that he's disappointed that two men who should be friends have to be working against each other. Doesn't stop him from hanging Sofia from a tree..
- Anti-Villain: Okay, so he's a Templar and a tad cruel, but when compared to the Borgias, this guy is far more sympathetic. There's also the fact that his brother (Selim) is a bit of a psycho whom the Janissaries want on the throne so he can lead them in a holy war. Plus, unlike Cesare, Ahmet actually follows the Templars' goal of creating the perfect world, rather than power for power's sake. Sadly, that makes no difference for Ezio due to the whole "tried to hang Sophia and killed Yusuf in the process" thing, all so he could get his hands on the Grand Temple keys Ezio was collecting..
- Big Bad: He is the true head of the local templars.
- Cain and Abel: He's rivals with his brother Selim, as the two are the candidates in a Succession Crisis. It's unclear if he planned on killing his brother, but the database says that Ahmet was the loyal son. After all, he's not the one marching an army towards the capital.
- Cutscene Boss: Killed off by his brother Selim. However, the end of Sequence 8 has Ezio chasing and having a brief freefall fight with him.
- Disney Villain Death: Strangled and pushed off a cliff, sending him falling into the sea.
- Evil Prince: An Ottoman prince who kidnaps and kills to maintain his claim to the throne.
- Evil Uncle: To Suleiman, because he was the one who arranged for the attempted murder, though he didn't actually plan on killing him. Rather, it was supposed to be a staged rescue for himself to enact.
- Final Boss: He's the final villain of the Ezio trilogy, and Revelations' last assassination target.
- The Man Behind the Man: He is not revealed to be the Templar Grand Master until fairly late in the story and is the true force behind all the Templar plots in the game.
- Oh, Crap!: His reaction upon Selim's return is panic, given that it means his brother has won the throne..
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to his brother Selim's red. Ahmet is intelligent, calm and scholarly while Selim is a hot-tempered and bellicose warmonger. Because of this, the Janissaries primarily favor Selim.
- Sibling Rivalry: It's stated in the database and by Yusuf that this was the Ottoman succession strategy; princes would compete with each other and kill the other for the throne, with The Social Darwinist idea, years before its time, enforced as a matter of principle.
- The Unfavorite: Ahmet is disliked for being the choice for next Sultan. While Tarik comments how Ahmet is too soft when it comes to war, but too paranoid when it comes to peace, it should be noted that the only known critics of Ahmet are the Janissaries, who are shown and described through the entire game to be close to an entire Praetorian Guard of Culture Police, so their opinion might not be the most trustworthy. Plus, Ahmet's database entry seems to imply the Janissaries are also hoping for a sultan who leads them into a holy war against all other countries, making Ahmet's decision to join the Templars more comprehensible.
- Villainous Valor: Say what you will about the man, but to keep trying to fight and kill Ezio while they're falling off a cliff shows just how much this guy is bent on finding the Grand Temple and fulfilling his goal. The guy is falling to his probable death, and he just keeps fighting.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He wishes to destroy the feuds and lines that divide men, but wants to conquer and take away the people's free will to do so.
Prince Selim I
Prince Selim I
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Voiced by: Shawn Baichoo (English)note
The youngest son of Sultan Bayezid II and father of Suleiman, Selim is engaged in a civil war with his father in an attempt to take the throne of the Ottoman Empire instead of his brother Ahmet.
- Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: It depends on your filter of moral ambiguity if you see him as bad, but Ezio was in a conundrum since he promised Suleiman he wouldn't kill his Uncle, but Sultan Selim has fewer compunctions and he ends Ezio's Templar problem once and for all.
- The Conqueror: His goal is to expand the Ottoman Empire to the whole of the known world.
- Evil Laugh: Gives off a great one after murdering Ahmet and banishing Ezio from Constantinople. Specifically, it's because of Ezio threatening to strike him and being held back by Sofia, leaving Selim clearly amazed at his audacity.
- Evil Parents Want Good Kids: Despite being a conquering warmonger he has high hopes for Suleiman, and spares Ezio because Suleiman respects him.
- Evil Prince: He is actively waging war against his own father and brother to gain the throne, due to being lower in line of inheritance. It's no wonder he was called Selim the Grim.
- Four-Star Badass: One of the reasons the Janissaries prefer him over his older brother is due to his military experience.
- Fratricide: Murders Ahmet after deposing his father, although it is unclear if Ahmet was also planning on killing Selim. It's likely since that was the method of succession for the Ottoman throne at the time.
- Get Out!: Selim banishes Ezio from the Ottoman Empire, making it clear the only reason he's sparing the Assassin is because Suleiman likes Ezio.
- Jerkass Has a Point: He comes off as a real piece of work but from his point of view, his brother Ahmet was allying with their enemies (the Byzantines) and clearly had anti-State interests and affiliation, and who also tried to kidnap his own son, and while Ezio doesn't mean harm, he brought chaos to his kingdomnote and murdered a trusted associate in Tarik Berleti, though that was Poor Communication Kills on both sides. Basically, he has a point in telling both the Assassins and Templars to stuff themselves.
- Karma Houdini: It's a Foregone Conclusion, but he is the one to become Sultan despite being considered more violent than his brother, exiles Ezio from Constantinople despite him helping take down Ahmet, and laughs after Ezio tries to attack him before being stopped by Sofia, while he walks away. He would later become a ruthless conqueror that would make the Ottomans the most prestigious of all Islamic empires, but by shedding much blood.
- Minor Major Character: He only shows up once in Revelations despite his major role in the motivations of several character's actions, although his conflict with his father is mentioned throughout the game.
- Princeling Rivalry: Starts a war with his father Sultan Bayezid II in order to make himself Sultan, kills Ahemet at the end of the story, and historically had his other brother Korkut killed upon becoming Sultan.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to his brother Ahmet's blue. Selim is a hot-tempered and bellicose warmonger while Ahmet is intelligent, calm, and scholarly. Because of this, the expansionist-minded Janissaries primarily favor Selim. Is it any wonder he was called Selim the Resolute?
- Sibling Murder: Personally strangles Ahmet before throwing him off a cliff.
- The Unfettered: He is fully capable of strangling and killing his own brother in cold blood which seems to take Ezio, who values family greatly, aback. Though considering how Ottoman succession worked back then, you can also say he did what he had to do.
Tarik Barleti
Tarik Barleti
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Voiced by: JB Blanc (English)note
"Ahmet, I am not depraved enough to imagine the conspiracy you accuse me of."
The Captain of the Janissaries, Tarik supports Prince Selim I over Prince Ahmet to be the next Sultan. He is suspected of collaborating with the Templars to discredit Ahmet by Suleiman and Ezio.
- Ambiguously Evil: A major part of the story is trying to figure out if he is a Templar. He is not, and is actually trying to fight them.
- Brutal Honesty: He really does not hold back when telling Ahmet why he would be a bad Sultan.Tarik: You are weak, Ahmet. Pensive in times of war and restless in times of peace. You lack passion for the traditions of the ghazi (holy warriors), yet you speak of fraternity in the company of infidels. You would make a decent philosopher, Ahmet, but you will be a poor Sultan.
- Dogged Nice Guy: He was in love with Dilara, who served him as a spy, but she never returned his affections. Clay notes in the database that this caused Tarik a lot of grief.
- Good All Along: Too bad Ezio learns this just as his blade leaves Tarik's chest.
- Permission to Speak Freely: Tarik requests this before telling Ahmet why he thinks he'll be a poor Sultan because he shows the proper respect to a prince, even one that he personally disapproves of.
- Poor Communication Kills: At the request of Prince Suleiman, Ezio assassinates Tarik, who had secretly been working against the Templars. Would've been nice if he had shared that info. In the end, his plan succeeds only because Ezio intervenes.
- Even he admitted that, in hindsight, it was sorta his fault:
Tarik: I blame myself. Not for treason, but hubris. - Praetorian Guard: Since he is the commander of the Janissaries, the elite guards of the Sultan, he is charge of these guys.
- Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Averted rather horrifically - the assassins only hear about him being an ally as he lay dying after being mistaken for an enemy.
Sofia Sartor
Sofia Sartor
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Other Appearances: Assassin's Creed: Embers
Voiced by: Anna Tuveri (English)note
A Venetian bookstore owner and scholar who runs her uncle's shop in Constantinople. Ezio enlists her help with finding the keys to Masyaf's vault.
- Alliterative Name: Sofia Sartor.
- Babies Ever After: Her and Ezio's daughter Flavia shows up in Embers as part of their peaceful family life. They also had a son Marcello, who makes a brief appearance in the film.
- Bookworm: She owns a bookstore in Constantinople and loves to read in her free time.
- Cute Bookworm: Her sheer passion for books is one of the first things that stirred Ezio's feelings for her.
- Happily Married: She married Ezio following Revelations and they are in quiet domestic bliss during Embers.
- Hostage for MacGuffin: Ahmet kidnaps her to force Ezio to give up his Masyaf Keys.
- It's Not You, It's My Enemies: The reason that Ezio originally hesitates to have a romantic relationship with her is that he doesn't want to drag her into the Assassin-Templar war. It turns out that his concerns were totally justified as the Templars kidnapped her to threaten Ezio near the end of the game. They still end up getting together in the end.
- Last Girl Wins: The final girl Ezio flirts with is the one who becomes his wife, who then bears the child that will eventually lead to Desmond.
- May–December Romance: With Ezio, who is nearly 17 years her major. To wit: she was born in 1476, the same year that the events of Assassin's Creed II began.
- Meaningful Name: 'Sofia', at its root, derives from 'sophos', the Greek for 'wisdom'. Quite appropriate for the resident bookworm. Also, the theme of the game is Ezio's search for wisdom which he finds, in both forms.
- Redhead In Green: She has red hair and wears a green dress.
- Second Love: For Ezio, after Cristina's death. He even says so in a letter to Claudia.
Dilara
Dilara
Appears in: Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Voiced by: Nadia Verrucci (English)note
Born in the Topkapı Harem in Constantinople, Dilara rejected the strict boundaries this life created for her and became known as being ill-mannered and brazen. This behavior caught the notice of Tarik Barleti, who recruited her as a spy for the Janissaries.
- A Mother to Her Men: She is extremely protective of the spies under her command.
- I'm Not Here to Make Friends: Dilara says that she's in Cappadocia to rescue her men, not make friends when Ezio asks why she's so uncooperative.
- The Mole: A spy in Cappadocia for the Janissaries.
