Ezio Auditore da Firenze

Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Italian pronunciation: [ˈettsjo audiˈtoːre da fiˈrentse]) is a fictional character in the video game series Assassin's Creed. His career as an Assassin during the Italian Renaissance serves as central plot of Assassin's Creed II, II: Discovery, Brotherhood, and Revelations, as well as the animated short film Embers. Ezio also makes an appearance as a playable character in the fighting game Soulcalibur V.

Ezio is an ancestor of Desmond Miles, the protagonist of most of the series' backstory, who experiences Ezio's life through a device unlocking hidden memories inside his DNA. First appearing in Assassin's Creed II, a young Ezio witnesses the execution of his father and brothers at the hands of Templar conspirators. After killing the man responsible for their deaths, Ezio begins a journey to avenge his family and free Italy from Templar control. While rebuilding the Assassin Order, Ezio breaks the Templar dominance in Italy, Spain, and the Ottoman Empire. In his later years, Ezio begins his search for Altaïr's library in Masyaf and helps restore the Ottoman Assassin Order. After discovering Altaïr's piece of Eden, he decides to retire from the Assassin Order to live a more peaceful life. The character as such, his depiction, personality and development, as well as the chronicling of his entire life, have received critical acclaim.

Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed II and II: Discovery

As it is shown in the beginning of Assassin's Creed II, Ezio was born into the nobility on June 24, 1459, in the Italian city of Florence. Ezio led an affluent, care-free lifestyle until a tragic turn of events changed his life forever. Betrayed by Uberto Alberti, who was a friend of his father, and other corrupt nobles, Ezio's family were the victims of an evil plot that ultimately took the lives of his father, Giovanni, and two brothers, Federico and Petruccio. Of the Auditore men, only Ezio was able to escape because their capture occurred whilst Ezio was running errands for his father. Through Ezio's help however, both his mother and younger sister managed to survive, finding a way to escape the city with him. According to the Florentine Guard's record books, Ezio appeared as a womanizer, with guards rarely able to capture him.

Ezio's memories begin during the Renaissance in the 15th century, where his father Giovanni discovers a plot to assassinate the leader of Florence. Giovanni gathered evidence to accuse Francesco de Pazzi as a conspirator. Giovanni attempts to present the evidence to Uberto Alberti, the Gonfaloniere of Florence. Uberto, however, is revealed to also be conspirator and orders for the Auditore family's arrest, blaming them for the plot. Out running errands for his father, Ezio is not home when his father and two brothers are arrested. Giovanni and Ezio's brothers are publicly hanged. Ezio, following his father Giovanni's final advice, finds his father's Assassin tools and flees the city with his mother and sister to the safety of his uncle Mario's villa in the countryside. Mario assists Ezio in discovering the people behind the conspiracy, the search leading Ezio from Florence, to San Gimignano, Forlì, Venice, and eventually to Rome. As he identifies and assassinates more and more political figures, Ezio also gains several allies, including Niccolò Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci, the latter of whom helps Ezio improve his equipment using schematics found in Altaïr's Codex pages. These allies train Ezio into an Assassin and guide him on his quest. Eventually, the conspiracy leads to the mastermind of the plot: "the Spaniard" Rodrigo Borgia, Grand master of the Italian Templars. He sought to find the Apple—a Piece of Eden—which lay in Florence. He organized the attempted assassination of the Medici family in Florence with the help of the Pazzi family and the Barbarigo family in Venice. Ezio finds Borgia in possession of the Apple that Altaïr had recovered centuries ago and learns that Borgia believes himself to be "the Prophet" that will lead the Templars to the fabled "Vault". Ezio is able to confront Borgia with the help of his allies and recover the Apple, but Borgia flees before he can be killed. Ezio's allies reveal they are all Assassins and believe Ezio to be the true Prophet, allowing him to join their ranks.

During the events of Assassin's Creed II: Discovery, which plays during Assassin's Creed II, Ezio travels to Spain in 1490 to free his fellow Assassins, who have been imprisoned under the guise of the Spanish Inquisition. In the process, he discovers that the Templars are planning to sail west to discover the New World.^[1] Ezio had to save Christopher Columbus and kill Tomás de Torquemada to end the Templar threat. Ezio also had to assassinate some other important targets such as: Gasper Martinez, Pedro Llorente, a Templar spy, and Juan de Marillo. Along the way, Ezio saves many Assassins who help him, including Luis de Santángel and Raphael Sanchez. Also, Granada City is taken under siege by Templars, and Ezio has to save the Moorish King Muhammad XII. Ezio also encounters Queen Isabella.

Years later, in 1492, Borgia becomes Pope Alexander VI at Vatican City. By 1499, Ezio and his allies have completed the Codex, which is revealed to be a map, and discover that "the Vault" lies in Rome and that the Papal Cross is another Piece of Eden. Ezio and his allies travel to the city. While his allies distract the city's guards, Ezio infiltrates the Vatican and attempts to assassinate Alexander. The Pope used the Staff to incapacitate Ezio and then wounds him with a knife. He escapes with both the Staff and the Apple, the two keys to the Vault. Ezio, now injured, finds Alexander in time to stop him. Ezio fights him in hand-to-hand combat, easily defeating the older man. Ezio decides to let the Pope live, realizing that killing him will not bring back his family. Now in possession of both the Staff and the Apple, Ezio opens the Vault, where a holographic figure approaches him. Identifying herself as Minerva, she confirms that he is the Prophet. She explains that she is part of an extinct and highly advanced race pre-dating humanity. They created humans with the intent of using them as slaves, but the humans revolted, launching a war between the two races. The war was brought to a sudden end when a cataclysmic solar flare killed the Old Ones and most of the humans. Minerva goes on to explain that the Old Ones built several Temples as a fail-safes to protect against another solar flare. As Minerva's projection fades, she mentions Desmond Miles, Ezio's descendant, viewing the memories of Ezio in the present. Ezio is left confused as he tries to ask who Desmond is.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

After returning to his uncle's villa from Rome at the start of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Ezio goes into the villa's Codex room and tells them everything that happened and what Minerva had said. A day later, the villa is besieged by the Papal Armies led by Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander and the new leader of the Templar Order. The Apple is lost, Monteriggioni is sacked, Caterina Sforza is kidnapped, and Ezio's uncle Mario is killed in the siege. Escaping outside the city with his mother and sister and the surviving townsfolk, Ezio sets off for Rome to destroy the Borgia once and for all. However, Ezio was wounded during the raid on Monteriggioni; he collapses and falls unconscious on the road. Days later, Ezio awakens in Rome in the care of a woman. He receives a new set of Assassin robes and his basic gear, brought to him by Niccolò Machiavelli, a fellow Assassin. After his wounds heal, Ezio meets with Machiavelli and sets his plan in motion – to liberate Rome and remove the Borgias from power permanently, as well as retrieve the Apple of Eden. Slowly, over the next three and a half years, Ezio and his allies win a series of victories over the Borgias, reclaiming and restoring the city. In 1503, Ezio assassinates Cesare's banker and French general ally, leaving his power base in disarray. Cesare, in a fit of rage, kills his father, the Pope, and begins losing control over the city. By the end of 1503, Borgia control over the city is completely broken and Cesare is arrested by the new Pope. Ezio had also recovered the Apple of Eden and hid it below the Colosseum in the Temple of Juno. Cesare ultimately escapes from prison and heads to Spain to raise a new army. In 1507, Ezio travels to Spain and catches up with Cesare at the siege of Viana Castle. Ultimately defeated by Ezio, an indignant Cesare Borgia is thrown off the castle walls to his death. Ezio then returns to Rome as the leader of the new Brotherhood of Assassins.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

After the events of Brotherhood, Ezio discovers a letter left behind by his father that talks about a hidden library full of vast knowledge hidden underneath Masyaf Castle by legendary Assassin Altaïr Ibn La'Ahad, setting the events of Assassin's Creed: Revelations into motion. In 1510, Ezio sets out from Rome to uncover this library and the knowledge it contains. Arriving at Masyaf in early 1511, Ezio is ambushed by Templars who occupy the fortress and are also searching for Altaïr's Library. After escaping capture and assassinating the Templar captain, Ezio recovers the journal of Niccolò Polo, which tells of the five seals hidden in Constantinople which will open the door to Altaïr's library. Arriving in Constantinople, Ezio begins his search for the seals while helping the local Assassin's Guild get rid of Byzantine Templar control. Ezio succeeds in eradicating Templar influence and subjugating the city to the rule of the family of Prince Suleiman. Recovering four of the five keys, Ezio then travels to an underground city in Cappadocia in the year 1512, the new Templar base of operations. After assassinating the Templar leader Manuel Palaiologos and recovering the final key, it is revealed that Prince Suleiman's uncle Prince Ahmet has been secretly leading the Byzantine Templars and wishes to open Altaïr's library for himself. Ahmet asks Ezio to give him the Masyaf keys but Ezio pretends he did not know there were any more. Ahmet threatens Ezio to harm Sofia and sails off, leaving Ezio in Cappadocia (which is full of smoke because Ezio blew up the gunpowder given to Manuel by Tarik Barleti). Upon returning to Constantinople, Ezio finds that his love interest Sofia Sartor has been kidnapped by Ahmet and Yusuf Tazim has been murdered (Ezio's friend and the Master Assassin previously leading the Constantinople Brotherhood) to force Ezio to return the keys. Leading an attack with the Constantinople Assassins, Ezio ultimately saves Sofia and recovers the keys from Ahmet. Ezio and Sofia make their way back to Masyaf and open Altaïr's Library, where Ezio finds Altaïr's skeleton and his Apple of Eden, but no books. He finds out that the entire purpose of the library was to convey a message to Ezio's descendant, Desmond Miles.

Assassin's Creed: Embers

In the animated short Assassin's Creed: Embers, it is shown that Ezio retired from the Assassin Order and settled down in a Tuscan villa of Monteriggioni with Sofia and had two children, Flavia and Marcello. Years later, a mysterious Chinese woman appears at his door requesting his help. The woman, Shao Jun, is a member of the Chinese Assassin Order and sought Ezio's advice in how to help her people and rebuild their order. After helping Shao fight off soldiers sent by the Chinese Emperor, Ezio sees Shao on her way back to China, armed with the wisdom she came seeking Ezio for. Shortly thereafter, while on a trip to the market square in Florence, a young man approached Ezio, berating the women of Florence. Ezio responded by implying the man was the problem, not the city. Immediately afterward, Ezio began panting and holding his chest in pain. The young man quickly grabbed Ezio's hand and told Ezio to have courage, then left. Breathing heavily, Ezio looked over at Sofia and Flavia, smiling, before passing away peacefully. His legacy and contributions to the Assassin Order would continue to resonate for hundreds of years following his death.

Other appearances

His signature outfit, now known as his Roman Robes, can also be unlocked in all subsequent releases of the series. Ezio also appears as a guest character in the fighting game Soulcalibur V. His Roman robes are unlockable in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Final Fantasy XIII-2 (it has an exception with only Ezio's Pilgrimage outfit from Revelations), as well as in LittleBigPlanet for the PlayStation 3 and PowerUp Heroes for Kinect on the Xbox 360 and one can unlock his outfit in all following Assassin's Creed installments. His signature hood (under the name the "Dashin' Hashashin") was presented as promotional headgear to Team Fortress 2 players who had pre-ordered Assassin's Creed: Revelations, along with a special knife modeled after his hidden blade (called "The Sharp Dresser") for the Spy class in the game.

He is also available as the best character in the app Soul Hunters.

Reception

The character was critically acclaimed by the media and general public alike. Ezio Auditore received an award from GameSpot for the "Best New Character" in 2009.^[2] GameZone had him nominated for "Gaming God of 2009".^[3] He was also nomination at the Spike Video Game Awards 2010 for "Best Character" and received an award for the "Best Dressed Assassin".^[4] The 2011 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition lists Ezio as the 35th most popular video game character.^[5] Ezio was also voted as the third top character of the 2000s decade by Game Informer's readers.^[6]

In 2012, GamesRadar ranked him as the seventh "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in games.^[7] They also placed him second on the list of most badass game characters of the generation, saying "Ezio has become synonymous with the image of the video game assassin",^[8] and declared him the "Mister 2009" in their article on the sexiest new characters of the decade of 2000.^[9] Further, GamesRadar placed him at number 4 in a list of the 50 best game characters of the generation.^[10] Complex listed Ezio among the "most badass" video game character of all time in 2013, ranking him at 37th place.^[11] Complex ranked him as having the tenth best fighting game cameo for his guest appearance in Soulcalibur V in 2012.^[12] PlayStation Official Magazine ranked Ezio fifth on their list of "finest facial hair gaming has to offer".^[13] He also featured on UGO Networks's list of most memorable Italians in video games at 15th place.^[14]

References

External links

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