The when Assassin's Creed's Isu civilization was still living, and at the height of the rebellion a solar flare nearly wiped out both civilizations. The descendants of those who opposed the Isu gradually formed the Assassin Order, while those desiring their technology became the Templar order. With opposing ideologies of freedom and control, the two have been at war since time immemorial.
Since 2008, the Assassin's Creed series has been a mainstay in gaming culture. With 20 games (counting spinoffs) and more coming at a regular pace, the stories the series tells have become complex, sprawling narratives that cover most of recorded history - and even prehistory. Despite the overwhelming amount of content, a few things have stayed consistent within the series, including conflicts between the Assassin Order and the Templars. Yet even though many of the Assassins are the heroes of these stories, their methods are often dubious at best.
Though the Assassins have held the role (with a few exceptions) of protagonists and heroes throughout the Assassin's Creed series, their methods of carrying out their objectives could easily be construed as terrorism. When looked at with the Assassin's Creed doesn't let you kill civilians, the order conducts subversive operations to discredit, remove, or otherwise inconvenience political systems controlled by the Templars to establish systems that favor their own goals.
Assassin's Creed 3 Sees The Order Kill For Independence
Set during the American Revolution, Assassin's Creed 3 follows the story of Ratonhnhaké:ton, a member of the Mohawk tribe who later goes by Connor to blend better with colonial society. Connor spends most of the game assassinating key Templars within the British Army and attached groups for a rebuilding American Assassin's Bureau. Connor's personal quest to avenge his mother and his tribe also factor into it, but his targets undoubtedly serve to further the cause of the American Assassins and American Independence. Combined with the fact that Connor doesn't act as an official agent of the Colonial Militia, any British court would find Connor guilty of terrorism due to the highly violent and political nature of his crimes.
Assassin's Creed Unity's Protagonist Rides The Wave Of Revolution
Arno Dorian, the protagonist and one of the best characters of Assassin's Creed Unity, sees his life upended by a trifecta of the Assassin's Order, Templar Order, and the French Revolution. At one point, Arno serves each of these and commits the usual assassin acts of murder and mayhem in service of each. After the Revolution and the execution of King Louis XVI, Arno is drawn into the Reign of Terror. Arno spends time trying to discredit Maximilien de Robespierre, the architect of the Reign, and eventually confronts and severely wounds him. Doing so can be seen as a form of intimidation and the fact that it's against such a well-known political leader could lend itself to a charge of terrorism. Arno was using illegal means to shift public opinion toward Robespierre, and the physical assault cements the violent nature of the crimes.
The Assassin Order throughout the Assassin's Creed games was never a purely good organization. With some calling for the next Assassin's Creed game to end its story so far, the Assassins may have to adjust their playbook. Their methods of political intrigue, assassination, and other violent and non-violent crimes mean that their group would be designated as terrorists by law enforcement. Despite them (ostensibly) working for the side of "good" and championing freedom for all, the Assassin's methods mean that they will always have red in their ledger.
Source: FBI.gov
