Claire Zhang
Claire Zhang (Chinese: 克萊爾張; born c. 1989) is a Chinese businesswoman who serves as the current Director of the Zhawang Corporation. A member of the Zhang family, she is the older sister of Nathan Zhang, an Assassin and the leader of the criminal organization Doom Eagle.
In 2023, Claire and 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 set of three Pieces of Eden. Claire remotely supervised her brother's operations and, though she grew frustrated with his numerous "improvisations", Nathan eventually succeeded in saving Noa and securing one of the artifacts sought by the Templars.
Meanwhile, Claire reluctantly rekindled the old ties between her company and the Assassins, believing that the two organizations needed to work together once more to stop the Templars' plans. After meeting Noa, Claire lent her and the Zhawang Corporation's full support to his cause, helping Noa in his quest to prevent Abstergo from using the Pieces of Eden to achieve global domination.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Early life[edit | edit source]
Claire and her brother Nathan were born into the Zhawang Corporation, an organization that had worked alongside the Assassins to safeguard a number of Pieces of Eden from the Templars until the early 20th century, when their ties were indefinitely severed. Claire's father served as the Corporation's Director and raised her to follow in his footsteps, teaching her how to manage the large company and sending her to business school. Following her father's passing, Claire succeeded him as Director.[1]
Activities in Macau[edit | edit source]
- "If they're tracing Edward Kenway's footsteps... their next destination will likely be either Cebu or Manila. Either way, they'll be heading for the Philippines. Monitor their course and find out where they're heading without being detected."
- ―Claire instructing her agents to survey the Templars, c. 2023.[src]-[m]
In 2023, the Zhawang Corporation learned about Noa Kim, a Korean-American descendant of the British Assassin Edward Kenway, who had originally founded the company as the Zhang Wei Union. Regarding Noa as a member of their "family", Claire and Nathan sought to rescue him following his abduction by Abstergo Industries, who wished to use Noa's genetic memories to locate a Piece of Eden.[2]
Working together, Claire and Nathan organized an ambush during Noa's trip with the Japanese Templar Shimazu Sei to the A-Ma Cultural Village in Macau. While members of Doom Eagle attacked Sei and her guards as a distraction, two of Claire's operatives attempted to convince Noa to leave with them. However, the rescue operation failed as Noa refused to leave with the agents and defeated Nathan's thugs to protect Sei.[3]
Claire's operatives continued to keep watch on Noa and eventually found that he was being held aboard the Exitus research vessel. When the Exitus left Macau's harbor, an agent contacted Claire to update her on the situation. Claire suspected the Templars' destination to be either Manila or Cebu and tasked her men to monitor the ship's course without being detected.[2]
Just then, Nathan snatched away the operative's phone to talk to Claire. Claiming that his organization had a foothold in the Philippines, Nathan asked to take over the operation to rescue Noa. Claire reluctantly conceded and asked Nathan to avoid "blowing it out of proportion", only for the latter to remark that, since their failed attack in the A-Ma Cultural Village, Abstergo had likely increased their security. An annoyed Claire asked Nathan to still try and keep a low profile, to which he laughed and said that it was easier said than done.[2]
Supervising Nathan[edit | edit source]
- Claire: "I guess this whole thing turned out exactly how you wanted. A complete mess, I mean."
- Nathan: "Hey, we're dealing with Kenway's descendant here. Did you really thing he'd be that much of an easy catch?"
- —Claire and Nathan, following the latter's failed mission to rescue Noa in Cebu, c. 2023.[src]-[m]
To aid Nathan's rescue operation, Claire supplied Doom Eagle with several Zhawang Corporation trucks that were used in their ambush of the Abstergo convoy containing Noa.[4] In the end, however, Nathan's attempt to retrieve Noa failed, as the young man was insistent on following his own path, and Nathan was forced to escape from Abstergo's paramilitary task force Sigma Team, which arrived to secure Noa.[5]
After Nathan called Claire to update her on the situation, she 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 Corporation.[6]
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.[6]
Sometime later, Nathan again called Claire while he was on "vacation", informing her of his plan to ambush Abstergo when they 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 so they could negotiate a deal.[7]
After Nathan helped Noa, Sei, and her bodyguard Yuki escape from Abstergo with the amulet, he called Claire to update her on the situation. He informed her that Noa's mind had been corrupted by the amulet, making him unable to use the Animus, and that Sei had volunteered to relive her ancestor Shimazu Saito's memories and find another Piece of Eden that could cure Noa.[8]
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.[8]
After Nathan and his allies managed to locate a Piece of Eden in the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, he called Claire to inform her about their plan to retrieve the artifact, mentioning that it could get "messy". Claire stated that all that mattered was that they recover the Piece of Eden before Abstergo tracked them down, at which point Nathan revealed that he had called in a favor from some "old friends".[9]
Annoyed at Nathan's decision to involve the Assassins, Claire asked if it was really necessary, to which Nathan insisted that they needed all the assistance they could get to save Noa and that the Assassins would have found out about their operations sooner or later anyway. Realizing it was too late to back away now, Claire remarked that she never expected her generation to be the one to rekindle the old ties between the Zhawang Corporation and the Brotherhood.[9]
Personality and traits[edit | edit source]
As Director of the Zhawang Corporation, Claire took her position very seriously and was annoyed by having to supervise Nathan, who in many ways was her polar opposite. Claire found Nathan's unpredictable nature and antics infuriating, especially when he made sudden changes to their plans and only informed Claire after the fact.[8][9] Despite this, she still trusted his judgement on certain matters, as Nathan had proven himself capable in the past and skilled enough to survive his own recklessness.[2][6]
Another point of difference between Claire and Nathan was their approach towards the usage of the Pieces of Eden. While Nathan viewed them as dangerous artifacts that no human should wield, Claire saw no issue with employing the Pieces' power in the name of the greater good, and believed that the artifacts were the only things that would grant them a fighting chance against Abstergo.[8]
Unlike Nathan, Claire was reluctant to work with the Assassins, believing that her family had long since repaid their debt to the Brotherhood. However, with both her brother's and Noa Kim's lives on the line, she ultimately conceded and rekindled the old partnership between the Zhawang Corporation and the Brotherhood, both to guarantee Nathan and Noa's safety and to stand a better chance at stopping Abstergo's plans.[1]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
Claire Zhang is a character introduced in Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple.
Etymology[edit | edit source]
Claire is a name of French origin meaning "clear, bright".[10] Zhang (張) is a common Chinese surname which means "to draw a bow".[11]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 112
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 42
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 23
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 43
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 46
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 47
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 74
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 80
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 98
- ↑
Claire (given name) on Wikipedia
- ↑ Zhang (surname) on Wikipedia