7. Edward Kenway (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag)
Assassin's Creed IV marks a tremendous
return to form for the series after two sequential lacklustre offerings in the form of Revelations and Assassin's Creed III. Part of the reason Black Flag starts with a bang is that character Edward Kenway is something entirely different for the series; a man not bound by the Creed, instead pursuing riches and wealth through any means necessary. His opening kill of an Assassin leads into stealing their clothes and entering the Order in disguise, a brilliant plot-device that is mirrored off flashbacks to Edwards time with his wife, although they only further his all-consuming desire for gold. Upon obtaining his own ship, it is named in suitable underdog fashion as 'The Jackdaw', Kenway then sets about pillaging fellow cargo ships and reinforced escorts on the open seas, corralling his new mates to chant along as they pick up everything from sunken treasures to animal hides. There's also the fact that he starts the game fully proficient in the use of dual-cutlasses, ensuring any rope-swinging invasion of a nearby ship ends with the crew drawn and quartered in the most stylish way possible.