Ezio Auditore is the Assassin's Creed II protagonist who later leads the Brotherhood.
Ezio first appears as a young Florentine nobleman in Assassin's Creed II, released in 2009. After a political conspiracy destroys much of his family, he becomes involved with the Assassins and pursues those responsible across Renaissance Italy.
His story continues in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations. In Brotherhood, Ezio works primarily in Rome and rebuilds the Assassin Brotherhood there. Revelations follows his later life in Constantinople and his search for Altaïr's legacy.
Ezio's name is often shortened incorrectly to “Ezio Auditore da Firenze.” The longer form is used in the character's full name, but “Ezio Auditore” is the canonical short answer used for the protagonist. He is separate from Altaïr, the first game's central historical character, and from Desmond, the modern-day character who relives his memories.