William Lloyd

William Lloyd (died 1868) was an agent for the British Rite of the Templar Order who served as the right-hand man to Harry Parkes, the British Consul to the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu era of the late Edo period in Japan.

Biography

Mission to Japan

In 1855, Lloyd was sent to Edo by the British Templars with the mission of restoring the power of their Japanese counterparts, who had fallen into obscurity since the end of the Sengoku period and the Assassin-backed reunification of Japan by their most important ally, Tokugawa Ieyasu. As a testimony to his skills as a swordsman, Lloyd was one of the few foreigners who were granted the right to carry a custom-made Japanese blade, with the locals believing that his talent was the result of a pact he had made with an oni.

Harry Parkes' assistant

At some point before 1867, thanks to the influence of the Order, Lloyd was appointed as the assistant of Harry Parkes, the British Consul to Japan. As the main counselor of the Consul, Lloyd then used his influence to weaken the Tokugawa shogunate. Lloyd's mission was successful as the political landscape was so deteriorated that Emperor Meiji and his allies would instigate an uprising against current shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu and clans loyal to the shogunate.

One night, Lloyd was nearly killed by an Assassin and shinobi named Issa, who infiltrated the British consulate in Edo to assassinate Parkes. Lloyd protected the Consul and dueled Issa, who managed to poison him. Despite his weakened state, the Templar's superior swordsmanship skills allowed him to overpower the shinobi and sever one of his hands, before finishing him off with a shot from his gun.

Boshin War

As part of his mission to restore the Imperial power, Lloyd also wanted to obtain the Musashi Masamune, a powerful sword that once belonged to the legendary Japanese rōnin Miyamoto Musashi, to bolster the prestige of Emperor Meiji. Lloyd and his strike team of elite mercenaries assaulted the Tokugawa camp, planning to seize the Masamune from Saigo Kayano, the obese lord who owned it.

After killing a begging Kayano and his retenue in his tent, Lloyd was about to leave with his prize when he stumbled again upon Shiba Ibuka. Disgusted by the cowardice that hehad previously showed under Kayano's tent, Lloyd tried to execute the terrified samurai. But, to the Templar's surprise, the young man parried all his attacks, acting on instinct only. As he prepared to leave, Atsuko, the disguised sister of Ibuka, jumped on Lloyd's back, but he threw her back to the ground and fled on a horse. However, as he reached for the blade once safely outside the camp, the furious Templar discovered that Atsuko had stolen it without him noticing. Back in Edo, Lloyd reported his failure and was given a new mission by his masters, to win the war at all costs.

Battle of Aizu and death

During the Battle of Aizu in October 1868, Lloyd fought and killed Matsudaira Katamori, recovering the Musashi Masamune, which had fallen into Katamori's hands after the death of Saigo Kayano. Confronted by Atsuko, he quickly dispatched the girl, leaving her unconscious and bleeding to death.

However, the Templar was then confronted by Ibuka, who came to save his sister, leading to a final duel between the two adversaries. Picking up the Masamune, Ibuka fought Lloyd and overcame his mental block when the latter dealt him a fatal blow, which freed the young prodigy from his fear of death. In the end, Ibuka prevailed and killed Lloyd, though his wounds proved too severe, and he died while carrying Atsuko away from the battlefield.

Despite Lloyd's death and failure to secure the Masamune, the Templars ultimately accomplished their plans for Japan, as the young Mutsuhito emerged victorious from the Boshin War, taking a new name and establishing the Empire of Japan.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu