Who is the central playable protagonist of Assassin's Creed II?

Ezio Auditore is the central playable protagonist of Assassin's Creed II.

Ezio is introduced as a young Florentine nobleman in late-fifteenth-century Italy. After his family is betrayed and executed, he becomes involved with the Assassins and pursues those responsible. His story takes him through Florence, Monteriggioni, Venice, and other Renaissance settings.

Unlike the first game's focused story about Altaïr, Assassin's Creed II follows Ezio across many years of his life. Players see him develop from an inexperienced young man into a skilled Assassin and important Brotherhood leader.

Ezio is also the main character of two direct follow-ups: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Because those games form a connected trilogy, some references describe Ezio as the protagonist of the “Ezio trilogy,” but Assassin's Creed II is where his character and origin story begin.