Let’s be real for a second. If you’ve been playing these games since Altaïr was brooding on a wooden pole in Masyaf, you know the deal. For a long time, the conversation around Assassin's Creed female characters was... awkward. It was messy. It was basically a series of "almosts" and "well, technicallys" that left fans wondering why a series built on the idea of genetic memory was so hesitant to remember the women who actually built the Brotherhood.
It’s not like they weren't there. They were always in the lore. They were just usually stuck in the background, relegated to the "mentor who dies to motivate the guy" role or the "love interest who exists to be tragic" trope. But things changed. Slowly at first, then all at once.
The "Animation" Excuse and the Early Days
Remember 2014? That was a weird year for Ubisoft. When Assassin's Creed Unity launched, the absence of a playable female character in the co-op mode sparked a massive controversy. The official line was that it would require "double the animations" and "double the voices." People didn't buy it. Honestly, it felt like a weirdly dated excuse even back then.
But if we look back further, the seeds were already planted. Aveline de Grandpré from Assassin's Creed III: Liberation was the actual pioneer. She was the first woman to lead her own game, and she did it on the PlayStation Vita, of all things. Aveline wasn't just a female skin on a male skeleton. Her "Persona" system allowed her to swap between Slave, Lady, and Assassin outfits, which actually engaged with the social politics of 18th-century New Orleans. It was smart. It was nuanced. And for some reason, it stayed on a handheld for years while the "big" consoles stayed stuck in the mud.
Then came Shao Jun. If you've played Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, you know she’s a powerhouse. Trained by Ezio Auditore himself—yeah, that Ezio—she returned to China to rebuild the Brotherhood. She’s fast. She’s lethal. She uses a jian and a hidden blade in her boot. But again, she was sidelined to a 2.5D side-scroller. It felt like Ubisoft was dipping their toes in the water but was too afraid to jump in the deep end.
When the Tide Finally Turned
The shift happened with Syndicate. Evie Frye wasn't just a sidekick; she was one-half of the protagonists. And honestly? Most people liked playing as her more than Jacob. While Jacob was busy getting into bar fights and making a mess of London, Evie was the one actually doing the Assassin work. She was the tactical one. The one who cared about the Pieces of Eden.
She felt like a "real" Assassin.
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But even then, the game’s marketing leaned heavily on Jacob. It felt like a compromise. "Here's a woman, but don't worry, there's still a guy on the box." This internal tug-of-war within Ubisoft's leadership—which was later exposed in various investigative reports—directly impacted how Assassin's Creed female characters were handled for years.
The Kassandra Factor
Then came Odyssey.
Kassandra is, for many, the definitive protagonist of that game. Even though players could choose between her and Alexios, the developers later confirmed that Kassandra was the "canon" choice. You can feel it in the performance. Melissanthi Mahut brought a specific kind of weary, sarcastic strength to the role that just worked.
Kassandra wasn't just a "female character." She was a demigod. She was a mercenary who lived for centuries. She was the anchor for the entire series' lore moving forward.
But here’s the kicker: even with Kassandra being the canon lead, the marketing still put Alexios front and center on the physical covers. It’s a recurring theme in this franchise. The women do the heavy lifting in the story, while the marketing team worries about "tradition."
Breaking the Mold with Valhalla and Beyond
By the time we got to Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the "Let the player choose" mechanic was baked in. Eivor Varinsdottir—and yes, the last name literally means "Varin's daughter"—is the canon lead. If you choose the "Let the Animus decide" option, the game actually swaps you between male and female versions of Eivor at specific points to reflect the DNA glitch caused by [SPOILER] Odin’s consciousness.
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Eivor is fascinating because she’s not a "traditionally feminine" character. She’s a Viking. she’s loud, she’s occasionally crude, and she’s incredibly violent. She doesn't fit the "damsel" or "femme fatale" tropes that plagued earlier entries. She’s just a warrior.
And now, we’re looking at Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Naoe represents a return to the actual "Assassin" roots—stealth, shadows, hidden blades—while her co-protagonist, Yasuke, handles the heavy combat. This split is interesting because it places the traditional "identity" of the franchise squarely on the female lead. If you want to play Assassin's Creed the way it was originally intended (stealth-first), you’re playing as Naoe.
The Women You Might Have Missed
While we talk about the protagonists, the NPCs and supporting Assassin's Creed female characters are often where the best writing happens. Look at Aya (Amunet) from Origins.
There is a very strong argument that Aya should have been the main character of Origins. She was the one with the political connections. She was the one who founded the Hidden Ones in Rome. She’s the one who actually killed Julius Caesar. Bayek is a great character—don't get me wrong—but Aya’s journey from a grieving mother to the "Mother of Assassins" is arguably more central to the franchise's birth.
Then you have characters like:
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- Mary Read (James Kidd) in Black Flag: A brilliant portrayal of a historical pirate who lived as a man to survive the Golden Age of Piracy. Her relationship with Edward Kenway is the emotional core of that game.
- Elise de la Serre: Say what you want about Unity, but Elise was a Templar with more agency and drive than almost anyone else in that story. She wasn't looking to be saved; she was looking for revenge.
- Claudia Auditore: She went from a girl crying over a cheating boyfriend in AC2 to the Madam of a brothel and eventually a fully-fledged Assassin in Brotherhood. Her character arc is one of the most underrated in the series.
Why Representation Actually Matters for Gameplay
This isn't just about "diversity" for the sake of a checklist. In a series that prides itself on historical tourism, ignoring the roles women played in these eras is just bad history.
Women in the French Revolution, female pirates, Spartan misthios, Viking shield-maidens—these aren't inventions of "woke" writing. They are historical realities. When the games embrace Assassin's Creed female characters, the world feels more lived-in. It opens up different social stealth opportunities. It changes how the world reacts to the player.
Think about Aveline again. In her "Lady" persona, she couldn't jump or climb well, but she could charm guards and enter restricted areas without a fight. That’s a gameplay mechanic rooted in the character's gender and the era's social expectations. That’s smart game design.
What’s Next for the Brotherhood?
The future looks like it’s finally leaning into what fans have wanted for a decade. Assassin's Creed Hexe is rumored to have a solo female lead in a much darker, witch-trial-era setting. If true, it’ll be the first time a mainline, "big" AC game hasn't felt the need to include a male protagonist option just to stay "safe."
We’ve come a long way from "animations are too hard."
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the lore of these characters, you shouldn't just stick to the games. The novels and comics actually do a lot of the heavy lifting that the games missed.
Practical Steps for Lore Hunters:
- Read "Assassin's Creed: Desert Oath": It gives way more context to Aya’s background before the events of Origins.
- Play the "Legacy of the First Blade" DLC in Odyssey: It’s controversial for some, but it cements Kassandra’s place in the wider lineage of the Assassins.
- Check out "Assassin's Creed: Brahman": This graphic novel introduces Arbaaz Mir but also features Pyara Kaur, who is a powerhouse in her own right.
- Don't skip the Database entries: In the older games especially, the database (written by Shaun Hastings) often contains the most interesting details about the women who helped build the various Assassin bureaus around the world.
The evolution of Assassin's Creed female characters mirrors the evolution of the gaming industry itself. It’s been a road full of pivots, corporate hesitation, and eventually, a realization that a good story is a good story, regardless of who’s holding the hidden blade. Whether it's the stealth of Naoe or the brute force of Eivor, the series is finally letting its women stand in the light—or the shadows—where they belong.