Why is Ezio missing a finger?

Let‘s clear the air right off the bat – the iconic Italian stallion Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the ever-popular Assassin‘s Creed series has a full set of digits. Those gracefully lethal hands still bear every fingertip, knuckle, and nail that he was born with during the Renaissance era.

So why then does Ezio sport that symbolic brand on his left ring finger, rather than the flat stump of severed flesh and bone that so many of his Assassin predecessors bore before him? Read on for the bloody history behind the Brotherhood‘s act of finger sacrifice, how the ingenious Altaïr changed the course of things, and why Ezio‘s remaining ring finger still marks him as a master in the war between the Assassins and Templars…

The Grim History of Finger Removal

Amputating the left ring finger has long been an initiation ritual within the ancient Assassin Brotherhood. This macabre marker stems from their usage of the Hidden Blade – that iconic extendable weapon strapped below the forearm which has become the very symbol of the Assassin Order.

Originally, removing the ring finger on the blade hand served a practical purpose. It allowed the mechanism and blade housed in the leather bracer to function smoothly, minimizing bulk while also letting the blade reliably extend and retract from its sheath with the flex of a wrist. Lopping off a finger literally gave more maneuverability for the weapon and ensured seamless kills. Call it occupational hazard.

According to Assassin records, by the time legendary Grand Master Altaïr Ibn-La‘Ahad rose to reform the Brotherhood in 1191 AD, the practice of severing fingers had continued for almost a thousand years! By then it held deeper ritual significance as well – the amputation marked one‘s commitment to serve the Creed above all else. It was seen as a willing personal sacrifice to further the Assassin cause in their endless war against the Templar Order. Many wore the wound as a badge of pride.

Statistics on Assassin Finger Amputation Over the Years

So why break from such an enduring tradition? Enter the innovation of perhaps the most famous Assassin who ever lived…

Altaïr‘s Ingenius Hidden Blade Modification

After rising to become the leader of the Levantine Assassins, Altaïr spent decades studying the Apple of Eden and making improvements for the Brotherhood. His tireless work and clever innovations would transform generations of Assassins to come. One such improvement? A newly designed Hidden Blade that no longer necessitated slicing off one‘s own finger!

Through incorporating his acquired knowledge from the Apple as well as the study of past Hidden Blades, Altaïr crafted an upgraded device with an altered bracer and trigger mechanism. This new streamlined design enabled the extension and retraction of the iconic blade without the need to remove an Assassin‘s ring finger. One must admire that sort of surgical precision and mechanical creativity.

By tweaking the curved shape of the bracer, the positioning of the release lever, and allowing curved blades, he fashioned a Hidden Blade that could freely deploy despite the presence of an intact finger. It was still sleek, easily concealed, and above all lethal. His upgraded toolkit would give future Assassins greater flexibility and effectiveness than ever before.

Altaïr recorded all these innovative learnings alongside many great revelations in his fabled Codex – a priceless encyclopedia of wisdom that would educate Assassins for centuries to come. His writings taught Ezio‘s own mentor and scholar ally, Leonardo da Vinci, how to build an improved Hidden Blade for the young novice Ezio when he was just seventeen years old. This would kick off Ezio‘s long career donning Altaïr‘s improved weapons as he took Italy by storm.

Ezio‘s Symbolic Scar and Assassin Legacy

Rather than chop his ring finger off in barbaric tradition, Ezio Auditore instead bears a diagonal scar across the digit – serving both as initiation into the Brotherhood as well as a living tribute to all the knowledge gained by those who walked the path before him.

Where previous Assassins severed flesh and bone entirely, newcomers in Ezio‘s era would brand their ring finger to symbolize its "removal” without actually losing the finger. This signature mark then allowed freedom of movement for operating the Hidden Blade bracer which extends below it. Best of both worlds – all the symbolic weight and solidarity as an Assassin, sans the gore and serious loss of manual dexterity!

thanks to such technology being a seamless fit for his intact left hand, Ezio was able to execute his missions and legendary kills with added precision and efficiency. Equipped with Altaïr’s ingenious mechanisms underneath both wrists, and the burn-scar “amputation” branding his skin, Ezio embodied the peak of Assassin prowess.

He put all ten fingers to perfect use mastering weapons, scaling buildings, pickpocketing unsuspecting marks, lock picking complex mechanisms – not to mention romancing all manner of paramours he encountered on his adventures! Losing one certainly would have cramped the man’s style.

Ezio would build upon the work of his forebears to reach greater heights than his predecessors, rebuilding the Italian Brotherhood from scratch to take on the Templar threat posed by the Borgia family. He set in motion events that echo down through the ages, with his legacy influencing Assassins generations after. All while keeping his full set of digits!

In honor of iconic figures like Altaïr and Ezio, by the mid 1500s the practice of cutting off ring fingers had fully fallen out of practice as improved Hidden Blades became standardized for the Order. More inclusive initiation rights replaced the gory ritual removal. Today, Assassins remember the missing finger most famously as a nod to their long history, reflected in the very Assassin’s Creed emblem itself. Ezio stands proudly within that lineage – scarred but whole.

So while you may notice a raw scar marring Ezio’s left ring finger across various games, take heart his flesh remains hale and whole despite his many epic escapades. Like Altaïr, he earned the right to keep all ten fingers through embodying the Creed to its fullest.

How the Hidden Blade has Evolved Over Time

Ranking Legendary Assassins by Skills

Conclusion

So while later fans might scratch their heads wondering "why is Ezio missing a finger" when playing their way through the Assassin‘s Creed franchise, the truth again comes down to symbolism rather than lost appendages. His namesake branding and smooth Hidden Blade maneuvers carry on the fighting legacy of those who truly did sacrifice flesh and bone. Lucky for piloting that phantom blade, Ezio‘s manual dexterity and climbing prowess remained second to none!

Between the likes of Altaïr’s ingenious inventions and Leonardo Da Vinci’s mechanical mastery, future generations of Assassins no longer need to shed blood in initiation. The only red they need draw is that of their sworn Templar enemies. Ezio stands as the peak representation of this transitional period – marked forever by his scarred Order while retaining all assets nature gave him to ply his deadly trade. Which works out nicely for both Ezio‘s love life AND his stealth kill tally!

So while you traverse through the stunning vista of Florence or take to tuning up your timing parrying kill streaks in the Animus, remember Ezio bears that ritual reminder so one need not go short a digit just for joining a secret society of hooded heroes. It lets our favorite Renaissance Assassin keep all his claws nice and sharp!