Which protagonist is the central playable character in Assassin's Creed Origins?

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

Bayek is a Medjay, a protector and lawkeeper from the Siwa Oasis in ancient Egypt. The game follows his investigation into the deaths of people close to him and his conflict with the Order of the Ancients. Those events help establish the origins of the Hidden Ones, the organization that later becomes the Assassin Brotherhood.

Aya of Alexandria, Bayek's wife, is also playable in selected sequences and is a major figure in the story. She works with influential Roman leaders and contributes to the creation of the Hidden Ones. However, Bayek remains the game's primary playable protagonist and the main viewpoint for exploration across Egypt.

Origins is set during the first century BCE, under the rule of Cleopatra VII and amid Roman intervention in Egypt. It is not the earliest historical period shown in the franchise, but it presents the fictional beginnings of the Assassin tradition.