In Assassin's Creed II, which Assassin does the player control in Renaissance Italy?

In Assassin's Creed II, the player controls Ezio Auditore da Firenze in Renaissance Italy.

Ezio is introduced as a young Florentine nobleman whose family is destroyed by a political conspiracy. His pursuit of justice leads him into the Assassin Brotherhood and across several Italian cities, including Florence, Monteriggioni, Venice, and Forlì. The game follows his development from an inexperienced fighter into a skilled Assassin.

Ezio is not the protagonist of the original Assassin's Creed, whose main playable character is Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. He also differs from later protagonists such as Edward Kenway and Bayek of Siwa. The full name is useful because the series contains several characters named Ezio in related media, while this historical-fiction hero is specifically Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

Assassin's Creed II was released in 2009 and became the first game in a trilogy centered on Ezio. His story continues in Brotherhood and Revelations.