Which historical ruler is the main playable character in Assassin's Creed Origins?

Bayek of Siwa is the main playable character in Assassin's Creed Origins.

Bayek is a Medjay, an Egyptian protector and law-enforcement figure, who lives during the first century BCE. After a personal tragedy, he and Aya investigate a hidden organization whose activities threaten Egypt. Their actions lead to the formation of the Hidden Ones, the organization that later becomes the Assassin Brotherhood.

The game is set in Ptolemaic Egypt during the reign of Cleopatra VII and the political rise of Julius Caesar. It explores conflicts among Egyptian, Greek, and Roman powers while using locations such as Alexandria, Memphis, and Siwa as major settings.

Bayek is sometimes confused with Aya because she is a major protagonist and co-founder of the Hidden Ones. Kassandra belongs to Assassin's Creed Odyssey, while Eivor is the central character of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Origins is specifically the series’ story about the beginnings of the Assassin tradition.