Do we like them?

Do we like Ezio Auditore?

A character from Assassin's Creed II (and Brotherhood, Revelations) (2009–2011)

Our score: 8 out of 10. Yes, we'd back him. He's charming, loyal and fights for freedom. He kills a lot of people, but nearly all of them are corrupt power-brokers, and he grows wiser as he goes.

Ezio is born in 1459 into a rich Florentine banking family. He starts out as a carefree young nobleman who flirts, brawls and gets into scrapes. Then a tragedy hits his family and he finds out they have a secret history with the Assassin Brotherhood. He takes up the blade and hunts the conspirators responsible, with help from allies like Leonardo da Vinci. The games follow him across Italian cities such as Florence, Venice and Rome.

Fans and reviewers rate him highly as a protagonist. He is witty and personable, but he can also be stoic and driven. He is sharp, loyal and quick with a joke, and he treats his friends and family well. His big flaw in the early going is anger. A thirst for vengeance often clouds his judgment, and he's sometimes brutal to the people in his way.

Across the trilogy he matures from a hot-headed avenger into a patient leader. He rises to Mentor of the Italian Brotherhood and trains new recruits. Later, as an older man, he questions the black-and-white thinking of his youth. That growth is why he scores well. He is a killer, but he ends up a thoughtful one with a conscience.