Edward Kenway is a pirate before joining the Assassins in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. He is a Welsh privateer-turned-pirate whose ambition leads him into the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy.
Edward acquires the outfit and identity of an Assassin early in the story, but he initially pursues wealth rather than the Brotherhood's ideals. His actions draw him into conflicts involving notable pirates, the British and Spanish empires, and the Templars' search for a powerful observatory.
Black Flag is set primarily in the West Indies around the early eighteenth century. Its open-world sailing and naval combat became defining features, and the game includes historical pirates such as Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, and Charles Vane. Edward is the father of Haytham Kenway and grandfather of Ratonhnhaké:ton, connecting the game to Assassin's Creed III.