Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad is the protagonist of the first Assassin’s Creed game and serves as a Levantine Assassin in 1191.
The game follows Altaïr during the Third Crusade, when he operates across cities including Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus. After a failed mission causes him to lose his rank and equipment, his mentor Al Mualim assigns him a series of assassinations to regain his status.
Altaïr’s name means “The Flying One, Son of No One” in Arabic. He is portrayed as exceptionally skilled but initially arrogant, and the story focuses on how his missions reshape his understanding of the Assassin Brotherhood. Players also learn that the historical sequences are being experienced through the Animus by Desmond Miles in the modern day.
Altaïr later appears in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, which explores his life at several later stages. He is sometimes confused with Ezio Auditore, the lead character of the next major game, but the two belong to different historical periods and story arcs.