Assassin’s Creed – Every Side Character Ranked

Assassin’s Creed is know for its blood-pumping action and historical / sci-fi story, but I think an aspect that has flown under the radar is the consistently memorable cast of side characters. Well, most of them are memorable …

I’ll be ranking every notable side character in the series (not EVERY minor character, or we’d be here all day) with a few exceptions – I haven’t played “Mirage” yet so can’t form an opinion on those characters, and playable characters such as Haytham or Aya are too “main” to include here. Oh, and villains won’t count either – that could be a list for another day.

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Pointless

23 – Randvi (Valhalla)

After completing Valhalla twice (the second time might have been a mistake in hindsight …), I’m convinced Randvi was added a week before the game finished.

She acts as a plank of wood / boring romance option to drive an extra wedge between Eivor and Sigurd, and the story wouldn’t have changed in the slightest if she didn’t exist.

22 – Markos (Odyssey)

He’s a bit more impactful than Randvi, on account of him adopting Kassandra when she was young, but I’d forgive you for forgetting that Markos existed.

He’s a spineless con-man that’s far less likeable than the writers think, and he’s only around for about 1% of Odyssey’s story.

Forgettable

21 – Alkibiades (Odyssey)

Putting Alkibiades in the “Forgettable” tier is a little unfair as he certainly made an impression, but he’s a walking joke more than a character.

He likes to bone. Cool. Any other character traits? Any impactful scenes or story moments to make him relevant to the plot? No? … Sure.

20 – Niccolo Machiavelli (AC2 / Brotherhood)

Whenever I replay the Ezio trilogy, I always forget this guy exists.

Machiavelli is a bit mysterious by nature, and he doesn’t do much as the leader of the Italian Brotherhood.

19 – Rebecca Crane (Modern Day)

The least interesting character in the modern day cast, Rebecca Crane is the tech wizard with a moderate attitude. That’s about it.

18 – Lucy Stillman (Modern Day)

Lucy Stillman had the potential to be the most interesting of the modern cast, but then the writers threw it all away.

Her defection from Templar to Assassin is one of the best plot points in first few games’ modern day segments, but her unceremonious demise and subsequent reveal that she was a traitor sours her character considerably.

Made Their Mark

17 – Henry Green (Syndicate)

During all of the Frye twins’ bickering in Syndicate, I was just glad to have a voice of reason presiding over them.

Henry Green isn’t exactly the most interesting of characters, but his uplifting attitude, astute professionalism and flirtatious friendship with Evie made him a worthwhile addition.

16 – La Volpe (AC2 / Brotherhood)

La Volpe is just as mysterious as Machiavelli in AC2 and Brotherhood, but I think that works far better for the former than the latter.

It was actually quite intimidating to interact with La Volpe, as you could never quite tell his intentions or whether he’d backstab you at the next opportunity.

15 – Sofia Sartor (Revelations)

The woman who finally tamed Ezio Auditore.

At times it can be a little unbelievable that Sofia of all people was the one to woo the iconic assassin, but there are some scenes in Revelations where their chemistry is off the charts.

14 – Shaun Hastings (Modern Day)

The clear highlight of the modern day sections, Shaun Hastings almost makes those segments worth it. Almost.

His witty barbs are a lot of fun, even if his attitude can get a little grating at points.

13 – Sigurd Styrbjornsson (Valhalla)

All of the characters in Valhalla were as dull as a doornail, except one.

Sigurd acts as Eivor’s morally complex older brother – his devotion to the gods and his fate made for some fascinating motivations as the story went on.

Scene-Stealers

12 – Achilles Davenport (AC3)

While I have some problems with AC3 on the whole, it does quite well in the character department.

Achilles acts as Connor’s mentor for the majority of the story, and I loved his bitterness and eventual turnaround.

11 – Barnabas (Odyssey)

Like with Valhalla, I didn’t really care about Odyssey’s side cast – except for Barnabas.

He’s just a joy to be around, and he’s a loyal friend by your side as you sail the Adrestia across the Greek seas.

10 – Mario Auditore (AC2 / Brotherhood)

Ezio’s uncle, and one of the main reasons he ended up with the Assassins at all.

He’s a source of boundless optimism despite the dark times clouding Renaissance Italy, and his death in Brotherhood was heart-breaking.

9 – Charles Vane (Black Flag)

Spoiler alert – you’re about to see a lot of Black Flag characters in this top ten. As far as colourful, in-depth side characters go, Black Flag has every AC game beat and then some.

Charles Vane represents the chaotic subsect of pirates that just want to be free men in a free world, and I respected that a lot. I actually felt quite sad when you had to take him out during the castaway section.

8 – Stede Bonnet (Black Flag)

The first side character that you meet in Black Flag, Stede Bonnet makes an immediate impression.

It’s hilarious how unfit for piracy he is, and his friendship with Edward is surprisingly sincere and sweet.

7 – Bartolomeo d’Alviano (AC2 / Brotherhood)

There have been some minor characters in AC games that were a little OTT, but Bartolomeo struck the perfect balance of realistic yet absolutely mad.

His dialogue exchanges with Ezio were always a delight, and he wasn’t half bad on the battlefield either.

6 – Pierre Bellec (Unity)

I know I said “no villains” in my initial rules, but since Bellec goes on a journey from mentor to villain I think that makes him notable.

His motives were the perfect mix of despicable and sadly understandable, so killing him was one of the sombre highlights of Unity.

5 – Adéwalé (Black Flag)

Barnabas was your trusty naval sidekick in Odyssey, but he was never going to reach the levels of Adéwalé in Black Flag.

He’s not a character that gets too much time in the spotlight, but the tidbits of backstory you learn while talking to him – and his strong opinions whenever Edward hatched a plan – made him a highlight of an already stacked cast.

My Brotherhood

4 – Yusuf Tazim (Revelations)

Ezio was out of his comfort zone and had few friends when he travelled to Constantinople, so it’s amazing he found an absolute bro so quickly in Yusuf.

He’s the charismatic leader of the Turkish Brotherhood, and his sacrifice to protect Sofia – the love of Ezio’s life – was one of the most selfless acts in the series.

3 – Leonardo Da Vinci (AC2 / Brotherhood)

Speaking of absolute bros, Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the earliest friends you make in the Ezio trilogy and his compassion sustains for two whole games.

Rarely does Ubisoft nail a historical character like this, but Da Vinci’s kind personality and outrageous inventions made him an invaluable ally.

2 – Edward Thatch / Blackbeard (Black Flag)

“In a world without gold, we could’ve been heroes!”

Edward Thatch – who later goes by the infamous “Blackbeard” – delivered possibly my favourite line in the series, rich with thematic resonance and emotion, but his achievements don’t stop there.

He’s the textbook pirate, which makes him such a scene-stealing character in the first half of Black Flag, but once he revealed his desires to settle down in his old age I was absolutely floored. You can imagine my despair, therefore, when he met his demise after that golden line.

1 – James Kidd / Mary Reed (Black Flag)

In terms of the character with the most depth, the one that sticks in your mind long after the credits rolled, and the one that arguably had the biggest impact on the main character, none could ever really eclipse Mary Reed.

James Kidd revealing herself to actually be a woman is one of the great AC plot twists, and she’s the one that ends up teaching Edward the ways of the creed and why he should care. Of all the side character deaths, Mary’s hurt the most – that’s when you know you’ve written an impactful character!

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