| Ezio Auditore | |
|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed character | |
 Ezio in his outfit from Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood | |
| First appearance | Assassin's Creed: Lineage (2009) |
| First game | Assassin's Creed II (2009) |
| Portrayed by | Devon Bostick (in Lineage) |
| Voiced by | Roger Craig Smith Giovanni Noto (in Chronicles: China) |
| In-universe information | |
| Fighting style | Italian school of swordsmanship (in Soulcalibur V) |
| Origin | Florence, Republic of Florence |
| Nationality | Italian |
Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɛttsjo audiˈtoːre da (f)fiˈrɛntse]) is a fictional character in the video game series Assassin's Creed, serving as the principal protagonist of the series' games set during the Italian Renaissance. An Italian Master Assassin, his life and career as an Assassin are chronicled in Assassin's Creed II, II: Discovery (both 2009), Brotherhood (2010), and Revelations (2011), as well as the short films Assassin's Creed: Lineage (2009), Ascendance (2010), and Embers (2011) and various spin-off media of the franchise. In 2016, all three major games featuring Ezio, as well as Lineage and Embers, were re-released as an enhanced bundle titled Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection. Throughout most of his appearances, the character has been voiced by American actor Roger Craig Smith, while Canadian actor Devon Bostick portrayed him in live-action in Lineage.
Within the series' alternate historical setting, Ezio was born into Italian nobility from Florence in 1459. His family had long been loyal to the Assassin Brotherhood, a secret organization inspired by the real-life Order of Assassins dedicated to safeguarding peace and freedom, though Ezio did not learn about his Assassin heritage until his late teens, after most of his immediate kin was executed during the Pazzi conspiracy. His quest to track down those responsible sets him up against the Templar Order, the Assassins' mortal enemies, led locally by the House of Borgia. Spending decades to fight Rodrigo and Cesare Borgia and their henchmen, Ezio is eventually successful in restoring the Assassins to prominence in Italy, and becomes their Mentor in 1503. His further adventures lead him to Spain and the Ottoman Empire, where he again proves to be essential in helping the local Assassins overcome Templar threats. Following his retirement from the Brotherhood, Ezio settles down in Tuscany with his family, eventually dying from a heart attack in Florence in 1524.
The character has received critical acclaim and is often named among the greatest video game characters of all time. While most of the praise focuses on his portrayal and growth throughout the series, as well as the unique chronicling of his entire life, he has also been noted as one of the most attractive video game characters of all time. Due to his reception and the fact that he is the only character who is the protagonist of multiple major installments of the franchise,[a] he is usually considered the face and most popular character of Assassin's Creed. Ezio's popularity has led to several crossover appearances outside of the series, notably in Soulcalibur V, Fortnite, and Brawlhalla, where he appears as a guest character.
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