When I played Assassin's Creed III a while ago, I was struck by how familiar Haytham Kenway's look and posture was to me, although back then I could not decipher any of his look's details that could lead me to the solution of this unexpected yet so interesting riddle. And how could it be possible, since the character he seems to nod to as far as his iconic outfit is concerned is no other than Ramón Salazar from the original - and now cult classic - Resident Evil 4, who is Haytham's exact opposite in terms of appearance, although they do share common elements when it comes to cunning and evilness. Released in 2012, Assassin's Creed III is a gloomy, deeply pessimistic tale with one of the saddest twists ever; and its protagonist-turned-antagonist Haytham Kenway is undoubtedly the most fascinating and complex villain of the Assassin's Creed Saga. As for Ramón Salazar, the villainous diminutive aristocrat whom we first met in Resident Evil 4 in 2005, he has left his own mark in the Resident Evil series, and the gaming world in general.

Haytham Kenway and Ramón Salazar do not have anything in common as far as their of physical appearance and temperament are concerned; Haytham is tall, good-looking and attractive, with a sharp, cunning mind and an even sharper arsenal, and equally uses his disarming charm, his mental gifts and his literal blades as lethal weapons in any given case. Gifted with high intelligence, intuition, insane physical strength, and all kinds of charisma, he is an unstoppable force of evil who is able to trap everyone around him in his seductive yet lethal web. What makes him so frightening as a villain is the fact that he is a debonair, stunningly handsome man who is always calm and collected and speaks like a nobleman; it is almost impossible to tell, by just looking at him, how merciless he can get and what extents his cruelty can reach.

 

 

Ramón on the other hand, hit by an incurable sickness and later affected by a devastating mutation, is trapped in a sick, diminutive body, doomed to look like an evil child for as long as he is destined to live; and his cleverness, albeit considerable, is consumed in spitting out smartass insults and setting up lethal traps to capture or even eliminate his enemies. His evilness is instantly obvious, but truth is he is incapable of reaching Haytham's level of cruetly because he lacks the self-confidence and physical strength to do so on his own.

 

Regardless, you cannot ignore the paranoia that shines in the eyes of both of them, although for each one it stems from different roots.

But it is their choice of outfits that is strikingly akin. Haytham and Ramón are dressed in a similar style, even wearing hats of the same type. Their preferred colors are also matching, with variations on their accessories and the details. They can be seen sporting blueish purple outfits with several layers and white shirts underneath. Ramón 's outfit is more simple, with rows of embroidered golden roses decorating its edges and part of the back and a yellow vest with what looks like vine motifs over his shirt, while Haytham's is more elaborate, with golden studs, buttons and threads, and he additionally has a red tie-ribbon and a red vest, as well as an impressive dark blue / grey cape which is red on the inside and has a fancy design on the back. They also both love to walk around with their arms behind their backs.

Haytham is always armed and ready to fight, with his Assassin blades, his pistol and sword, and wearing fancy leather brown boots with gaiters of the same color. Ramón does not carry any weapons and he prefers to show off his tiny calves covered with white stockings and wearing his favorite dress slippers.

They both have long hair, tied in queues with red ribbons. A style that was common in Haytham's era (mid-18th century) but not in Salazar's contemporary years. But we know how Ramón likes to dress like a nobleman of the old times.

Haytham Kenway's historical time is placed two centuries before Salazar's (Assassin's Creed III takes place in the mid-18th century, while the story of Resident Evil 4 unfolds in 2004), but his creation as a character follows that of Salazar by a nearly a quindecennium. Ramón may have influenced Haytham with his dressing style, but Haytham made that style grand and left the original bearer miles behind. Noticeably, the outfit that little Haytham is wearing in the epilogue of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag (2013) where Edward is holding him in his arms at the theater loge, looks even more like Salazar's costume (minus the hat).

It is also worth-noting that there is a striking similarity between Ramón's outfit in the Resident Evil 4 Remake (2023) and the one that Edward Kenway can be seen wearing in the very same epilogue of Black Flag, with all details matching as well: the deep purple colour (it may not be evident from the screenshot, but Edward's jacket is the exact same color as that of the revamped Salazar's), the decorative motifs made of golden thread and the voluminous white cravat. Edward has his golden hair tied back in his classic, trademark style, and Ramón has what looks like a wig set in a similar hairdo.

Just like his son, Edward as well leaves Ramón miles and miles behind with his unmatched style. Then again the Kenways are such a gorgeous bunch, that even if you dress them in rags they will still look dashing. Poor Ramón can never win. 

William Johnson Is A Fashion Icon

I played Assassin's Creed: Rogue before Assassin's Creed III, so that is where I first saw William Johnson, and I could not help but notice his vibrant and extravagant (given the time period in which the story of the game takes place) clothing style. In  Rogue he has a limited role, appearing as just one of Haytham's closest associates within the Colonial Rite of the Templars, but still his noticeable choice of outfit cannot be ignored. In Assassin's Creed III, he is an important antagonist and low-rank villain who is the first that Connor kills in his quest for vengeance and justice. 

Having an obvious preference for the red color and similar tones, he sports the same iconic and vibrant style throughout more than two decades. In Rogue, he appears wearing a brown striped poncho, probably made of wool by the looks of it, over a bright red and brown overcoat decorated with what seems to be a strap that consists of numerous studs in the same color palette as his overall outfit (brown, red and the creamy white of his frilled shirt). The pattern of the strap appears also on some kind of wristbands that can be seen round the lowest part of his sleeves.

Below the waist, his outfit is equally fashionable. He can be seen wearing grey / green trousers and over-the-knee brown boots, decorated with leather gaiters in a slightly lighter shade of brown which are kept in place with bright red silk ribbons around the knees.

In Assassin's Creed III, his outfit looks like a variation of the one in Rogue. The pieces are the same, but the patterns and color tones are a bit different. His poncho is of a warmer brown and there are cross-like patterns on it, alongside his favorite stripes which however appear in a slightly different layout, while the studded strap has a now a new motif, albeit still playing with colors similar to those of the old one.

 

 

There is also a wide red stripe running along the back of his poncho, and the gaiters over his boots, although the same or similar to the ones he was wearing in Rogue, now are kept in place with dark brown cloth knee pads. Another interesting feature is his ponytail, which he steadily keeps throughout the years; in Rogue, it is tied with a dark piece of ribbon that is barely visible, replaced by a bigger and white one in Assassin's Creed III.

The real William Johnson was an important historical figure who played a major role in the Colonies. Although in the Assassin's Creed universe he is depicted as a rather relentless Templar, in reality he was in very good terms with the Mohawk communities and even offered his services as a mediator between the Colonists and the Native Americans. Still, just how he is shown in the games, he was mainly a merchant and he considered trade to be the most essential means of communication and social evolution. By looking at his portraits, we can see how he indeed liked to wear bright red clothes, although his actual style was quite common for that time, and rather toned down compared to the one he has in the games. It could be that the developers wanted to make a tribute to the real man's connection with the land's original residents, which is maybe why they gave him such a unique clothing style that has elements honoring the traditional and folk Native American culture.