Board Thread:Series general discussion/@comment-18014300-20170112113427/@comment-18014300-20170118201821

I think it is fine to have a historical character who was known to be a decent human being be a Templar in Assassin's Creed, and the scenario that you described is certainly possible, but I just think that they didn't have to go that route with Sun Yat-Sen. It's just a bit forced. Choosing someone who was known to be a relatively good person, who was capable, diligent, and wise as a leader to be a Templar is one thing. Do that with Li Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang) or something (okay well he did murder his brothers to take the throne, but he's known as one of the best rulers in Chinese history who didn't really abuse his power). Maybe even Cyrus the Great.

But my objection isn't just that Sun Yat-sen is considered a hero in real-life. My objection is that his political and ideological views were extremely in favor of freedom and democracy, probably more-so than even your average Assassin. He would've far more likely been an Assassin extremist.

Yes, it's possible to wing a story around how he wasn't truly like that, how he lied about his ideology, or maybe that he somehow believed Templar ideology was more democratic than Assassin ideology; it's entirely possible to wing a story like that, but why force it that way? Sun Yat-Sen is the closest person to our Mohandas Gandhi, our José Rizal, our Martin Luther King, Jr. of that era (even if he wasn't a pacifist), why choose him out of everyone else from that time period to be a Grand Master Templar when there he was opposing an authoritarian like Yuan Shikai?