Nathan Zhang

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. This template should be removed from the article 17 March 2025.

"[The Assassins] are no brothers of mine, and neither are the Templars. The only creed we follow is the one we swore to ourselves. 'We never abandon our family.'"

―Nathan Zhang, regarding his allegiances, c. 2023.

Nathan Zhang (Chinese: 內森張) is a Chinese criminal and Assassin who serves as the leader of Doom Eagle, an international criminal organization based in Southeast Asia. A descendant of a Zhawang Corporation member back when it was founded as the Zhang Wei Union, he is related to the company's current director Claire Zhang.

In 2023, Nathan led the Corporation's efforts to rescue Noa Kim, a descendant of the company's founder Edward Kenway, who had been abducted by Abstergo Industries in order to use his genetic memories to find a Piece of Eden. After a failed attempt to retrieve Noa in Cebu, Nathan struck an alliance with the Templar Shimazu Sei to ensure Noa's safety when Sei's superiors ordered his termination.

Following Noa's retrieval of a crescent amulet – a Piece of Eden – from the Strait of Malacca, Nathan helped him, Sei, and the latter's bodyguard Yuki escape from Abstergo and brought them to a safehouse in Singapore. There, Sei volunteered to relive her ancestor Shimazu Saito's memories to find another Piece of Eden that could cure Noa of the amulet's effects.

Biography

Early life

Not much is known about Nathan's early life other than the fact that he was born into the Zhang Wei Union and had Assassin ancestors, whose memories he relived in the Animus at some point in time, gaining their abilities through the Bleeding Effect.

Nathan eventually joined the Assassins himself, until a particularly traumatic incident, implied by Claire to have been caused by the Templars, which led him to lose some of his faith in the Creed and declare that his loyalty was to the Union first and foremost.

Activities in Macau

"If they're heading to the Philippines, then more power to them. They'll be sailing right into our territory."

―Nathan talking to Claire Zhang on the phone about Abstergo, c. 2023.

In 2023, the Zhawang Corporation learned about Noa Kim, a Korean-American and descendant of the Union's founder Edward Kenway. Regarding Noa as a member of their "family", Nathan and Claire sought to rescue him following his abduction by Abstergo Industries, who forced Noa to relive Edward's memories to locate a Piece of Eden found by his ancestor.

Nathan with members of Doom Eagle in Macau

Working together, the Corporation and Doom Eagle organized an ambush during Noa's trip with the Templar Shimazu Sei to the A-Ma Cultural Village in Macau. While two of Claire's operatives tried to convince Noa to leave with them, Nathan had several of his thugs attack Sei and her bodyguards as a distraction. However, the rescue operation ultimately failed as Noa refused to leave with the agents and defeated the thugs to protect Sei.

Sometime later, Nathan was present at the Macau harbor where he watched the Exitus, the Abstergo research vessel which Noa was held aboard, depart for Cebu in the Philippines. While a Corporation operative was on the phone with Claire informing her of the vessel's status, Nathan snatched away the phone to talk to Claire.

Claiming that Abstergo was "rude" for keeping their "family member" away from them, Nathan asked Claire to let him and his organization handle Noa's rescue. As Doom Eagle had a foothold in the Philippines, Claire agreed to Nathan's request but warned him to keep a low profile. However, Nathan pointed out that, because of their failed attack in the A-Ma Cultural Village, Abstergo had likely increased their security, so avoiding a fight was easier said than done.

Attempt to rescue Noa in Cebu

"You really are the descendant of the infamous Edward Kenway! The rest of you, stay out of this. I think I've finally found my match."

―Nathan, prior to his fight with Noa, c. 2023.

Upon arriving in Cebu, Nathan and his men tracked down the Abstergo convoy that Noa was in and manipulated the traffic to force the convoy to travel through another route, where Doom Eagle had laid an ambush. When the Abstergo convoy went down the alternate route, Nathan and his group opened fire on it, forcing the vehicle Noa, Sei and the latter's bodyguard Yuki were in to push its way out of the attack.

Nathan and his gang in Cebu

Nathan's men pursued the vehicle to a nearby shopping mall, where it crashed into a water fountain. Nathan arrived at the crash site, where his men exchanged fire with the Abstergo operatives. After Noa escaped into the mall with Sei, Nathan pursued them, disabling the security guards at the entrance. Not willing to risk a gunfight with so many civilians around, Nathan ordered his men to drop their guns and use only melee weapons to capture Noa, while also asking for Sei to be killed.

However, Noa, having gained Edward's skills thanks to the Bleeding Effect, was able to fight off all the Doom Eagle thugs pursuing him and Sei. Watching from a balcony, Nathan was impressed and decided to "kick things up a notch" by firing his pistol into the air. This caused the civilians to panic, believing there were terrorists inside the mall. Despite the resulting commotion, Noa and Sei were able to make their way to the top floor, where Abstergo reinforcements were set to arrive, only to find Nathan and his men waiting for them.

After praising Noa's skills, Nathan offered him a deal to spare Sei if Noa came with him willingly. However, Noa refused, claiming that he could not trust Nathan, to which the latter laughed and asked Noa how he expected to protect both himself and Sei from his gang. Agreeing with Nathan that Sei was just "dead weight" and would slow him down, Noa pushed her off the balcony and onto an inflatable castle below. He then prepared to battle Nathan's thugs, but the Assassin ordered his men to stand down, as he wished to fight Noa himself.

Nathan facing off against Noa

During their fight, Noa realized that Nathan was an Assassin upon seeing him use one of the Brotherhood's signature moves. Nathan then offered to tell Noa the truth about his father who had abandoned him, which angered Noa. However, upon being pinned to a wall, Noa was forced to listen to Nathan as he revealed that his father was an Assassin who had abandoned his family to protect them from the Templars. After Nathan implied that Sei had helped the Templars in their hunt of the Assassins, a furious Noa headbutted him and began viciously attacking him.

Recovering from Noa's surprise attack, Nathan pinned him to the ground and threatened to break his arm if he did not surrender. After Noa claimed that he would not give up without a fight, an impressed Nathan let him go and told him that the time was up, as Abstergo's Sigma Team had arrived at the mall. He then gave Noa the sea log of Edward's companion Rupiya, which contained information to aid him in his quest, and told him to stay true to the Creed and see where it led him.

When Noa questioned Nathan's sudden change of heart, the Assassin told him that it was not his place to prevent him from following his own path. However, he warned Noa that, if he continued following in Edward's footsteps for much longer, he might end up consumed by the "spirits of the past". Finally, after reminding Noa that the Zhang Wei Union was always at the service of their "family" and would come rescue him if he ever required help, Nathan took his leave, moments before Sigma Team showed up and secured Noa.

Nathan on the phone with Claire

Following his escape from Abstergo, Nathan called Claire, who reprimanded him for his recklessness and for almost running into Sigma Team, though Nathan was confident that they would have posed no challenge. When Claire expressed concern regarding Abstergo's search for the Piece of Eden, Nathan assured her that Noa would ultimately side with his "family" and deliver the artifact to the Union.

Claire stated that she hoped Nathan was right about Noa, as keeping the Piece of Eden out of Abstergo's hands was the only way to ensure no one else would have to suffer like Nathan had. Nathan then pondered if the Brotherhood thought the same, before claiming that the Assassins were no brothers of his and that the only creed he and Claire followed was the one they had sworn to themselves: to never abandon family.

Deal with Shimazu Sei

"Pretty soon, he'll suffer the same fate as all the other test subjects. But let me guess, you don't want that, do you? That's why I called you specifically, Supervisor Shimazu. We both want something from each other... So let's be rational and reasonable about this. I'm sure we can work out some sort of a deal..."

―Nathan proposing a deal to Sei to ensure Noa's safety, c. 2023.

Following the events in Cebu, Nathan decided to take a "vacation", going out at sea on a yacht. While relaxing, he called Claire to inform her that he had prepared an ambush for Abstergo when the company inevitably attempted to retrieve a crescent amulet – a Piece of Eden – from the Strait of Malacca. Claire believed the plan to be too reckless, but Nathan assured her that he was not acting alone and that he had enlisted the help of some "old friends" to put him in contact with Shimazu Sei.

Nathan on his "vacation"

Once Nathan's hacker allies breached the Exitus' security system, they put him on call with Sei. Aware that the Templar's superiors had ordered Noa's termination, Nathan claimed that he and Sei both wanted something from each other, as neither of them wished to see Noa meet the fate of Abstergo's other test subjects. As such, he proposed a mutually beneficial deal to ensure Noa's safety, which Sei reluctantly accepted. Nathan then ended the call while the hackers restored control of the Exitus back to Abstergo.

During Abstergo's attempt to retrieve the crescent amulet from the shipwreck of the SS Ourang Medan, Nathan had his men survey the Abstergo ship from afar. After Noa and Sei's bodyguard Yuki used a diving bell to descend to the shipwreck's location, Nathan told his men to prepare to commence their "family heist", intending to steal the amulet from the Templars.

Following Noa and Yuki's successful retrieval of the amulet and return to the Abstergo ship, Nathan, who had been surveying the ship with a drone, decided to initiate his plan to retrieve both the amulet and Noa. He boarded a speedboat and told his men, who were riding jetskis, to commence "Operation: Family Rescue", heading towards the Abstergo vessel.

Nathan helping Noa, Sei, and Yuki escape from Abstergo

While his men battled the ship's guards, Nathan expressed disappointment at Sigma Team's failure to put up a better fight, remarking that he had more fun facing Noa in Cebu. Just then, Sei and Yuki arrived carrying the amulet in a briefcase, as well as Noa, who had been severely weakened by the Piece of Eden's powers. Upon seeing Noa's condition, Nathan angrily confronted Sei and demanded to know what Abstergo had done to him, claiming that went against the terms of their deal.

Sei promised that she had thought of a solution to cure Noa, just as more Sigma Team operatives arrived and ordered the group to surrender. With no other options left, Nathan told Sei, Noa, and Yuki to jump onto his speedboat, whereupon they escaped from the Abstergo ship and traveled to Singapore to lay low.

Hiding out in Singapore

"You know, I had a feeling it was way too easy to sell you on our plan. It was almost like you were waiting to turn your back on Abstergo. It seems to me, Supervisor Shimazu, that you're just as unhinged as we are. Well, that's just how I like it, princess! You're about to find out how fun it really is to peek into your bloodline's past."

―Nathan to Sei, before she entered the Animus, c. 2023.

At a Zhawang Corporation safehouse in Singapore's Chinatown district, Noa was taken to receive immediate medical attention due to his worsening condition. Sei advised that Noa be tied to a bed due to his Bleeding Effect making him extremely unpredictable, and explained to Nathan that Noa was not showing the symptoms commonly associated with the Bleeding Effect, meaning he was fighting to retain his sense of self. She then offered to explain her plan to save Noa's life and led Nathan to another room, where Yuki had set up a prototype Animus HR-8.

After showing Nathan the footage gathered from Edward Kenway's memories, Sei explained that historical records indicated Edward had made a full recovery from the crescent amulet's effects. She then theorized that another Piece of Eden had played a role in Edward's recovery, meaning that their best chance to save Noa was to track down this second artifact. To do so, Sei volunteered to relive the memories of her ancestor, Shimazu Saito.

Nathan watching over Sei in the Animus

As Sei prepared to enter the Animus, Nathan taunted her about the dangers of her plan, claiming that she would soon discover how "fun" it was to peek into her bloodline's past. After telling Nathan to keep his guard up at all times, as Abstergo would surely attempt to track them down, Sei had Yuki boot up the Animus and began synchronizing with Saito's memories.

Later, Nathan called Claire to update her about all the recent events. When Claire expressed her frustration with the sudden change of plans, Nathan reminded her of their duty to keep the Pieces of Eden out of unworthy hands and stated that Sei's genetic memories were currently their best lead to track down another artifact. Claire then claimed that the only reason they needed the Pieces was to fight against Abstergo, to which Nathan responded that the artifacts' power tended to be unpredictable, as Sei herself had discovered, prompting her to turn to them for help, and now all they had to do was wait and watch.

When Sei began to suffer from the Bleeding Effect and had to be removed from the Animus, Nathan laughed at her predicament, claiming that the doctor was finally experiencing what she had put her past test subjects through. Noa then arrived and volunteered to take Sei's place in the Animus. After Sei protested and rebuked Nathan for allowing Noa, his so-called "family member", to endanger himself, the Assassin angrily told Sei that she did not understand the first thing about family and that Noa was risking his life for hers because he trusted her. He then threatened to kill her, should her plan to save Noa fail.

Personality and traits

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Stay true to the Creed and see where it leads you."

―Nathan to Noa Kim, c. 2023.

Nathan was a highly unpredictable individual who, according to Claire Zhang, had a tendency to "blow things out of proportion". Despite being an Assassin, he did not care much for the Creed and rarely adhered to its tenets. As such, he often got into very public confrontations with his gang, leaving only chaos and destruction in his wake, which he seemed to enjoy. However, he drew the line at civilian casualties, which he tried to avoid.

Nathan advising Noa to stay true to the Creed

Nathan possessed a dark sense of humor and could be quite sadistic, only caring about the well-being of those he regarded as members of his "family". Even then, he did not value Noa Kim's safety very much and was only concerned with rescuing him from Abstergo alive, being willing to "pacify" him if he refused to come voluntarily.

After watching Noa effortlessly defeat his men, Nathan was impressed and offered him a deal to spare Shimazu Sei, who was accompanying Noa, if he surrendered. After Noa refused and pushed Sei off a balcony to prevent her from slowing him down, Nathan was amused and, admiring Noa's boldness, decided to fight him, believing he had finally found his match.

During their fight, Nathan told Noa the truth about his father's Assassin affiliations in the hopes of convincing him to abandon the Templars, but this only angered Noa, who refused to believe him. Seeing that he could not change Noa's mind, Nathan decided to respect his wishes and let him go, claiming that it was not his place to prevent a member of his "family" from following his own path.

Nathan taking enjoyment in Sei's suffering

That being said, when another opportunity to rescue Noa emerged, Nathan wasted no time in making a deal with Shimazu Sei to achieve their mutual goal of seeing Noa safe. After helping Noa and Sei escape from Abstergo, Nathan quickly deduced that the latter had an ulterior motive for accepting the deal, and cheerfully remarked that Sei was just as "unhinged" as him.

However, he remained distrustful of the doctor due to her previous Templar affiliations, angrily telling her that she did not understand anything about family after she rebuked him for allowing Noa to endanger himself by using the Animus. He also took enjoyment in her suffering caused by the Bleeding Effect, and outright threatened to kill her should she fail to uphold her end of their deal to save Noa.

Skills and equipment

"You're not the only one with ancestors, dude."

―Nathan to Noa, c. 2023.

Nathan performing a leap attack against Noa

Nathan was a skilled hand-to-hand fighter, maintaining the upper hand for most of his fight with Noa, who had absorbed Edward Kenway's skills through the Bleeding Effect. He was able to anticipate most of Noa's attacks in real time and was only caught off-guard when the latter suddenly decided to headbutt him, though he quickly recovered afterwards. Nathan also appeared to toy with Noa for most of their fight, criticizing him for lacking a "killer instinct" and being just a "pale imitation of Kenway".

Part of Nathan's combat prowess owed to his own Assassin ancestors, whose abilities he gained after reliving their memories in the Animus. He also claimed to have studied all the knowledge passed down through generations of the Zhawang Corporation, which further refined his skills.

Likely because of his confidence in his own fighting skills, Nathan did not carry any weapons with him, not even a Hidden Blade. Although he did possess a pistol, he only rarely made use of it.

Behind the scenes

Nathan Zhang is a character introduced in Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple.

Etymology

The name Nathan is derived from the Hebrew verb נָתָן‎ meaning "gave". Zhang (張) is a common Chinese surname which means "to draw a bow".

Gallery

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  Close-up of Nathan's face
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  Nathan firing his pistol
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  Nathan and his men confronting Noa and Sei
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  Nathan boarding a speedboat

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple