Edward Kenway is the main protagonist of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.
Edward is a Welsh privateer-turned-pirate active during the Golden Age of Piracy in the early eighteenth-century Caribbean. He becomes involved with the Assassin–Templar conflict after taking the identity of a dead Assassin, and his pursuit of wealth gradually develops into a deeper understanding of the consequences of his choices.
The game’s open world includes islands and colonial cities such as Havana, Nassau, and Kingston. Edward commands the ship Jackdaw, making naval exploration, ship combat, boarding, and treasure hunting central parts of the experience. Historical pirates including Blackbeard appear alongside the fictional protagonist.
Edward is part of the Kenway family line. His son, Haytham Kenway, is a major character in Assassin’s Creed III, while his grandson, Connor, is that game’s protagonist. Edward Thatch, better known as Blackbeard, is a separate historical pirate rather than Edward Kenway.