Riot’s genius in art direction
Gameplay aside, champions with well-designed visual in League of Legends also play an integral part in mesmerizing players into buying Riot Points. Whether you like it or not, Riot has done an excellent job as a great game publisher in keeping the popularity of League of Legends over the past decade. This MOBA game has an undeniably collosal impact on the gaming world, always appears on the front page of any E-sport news outlets. The addictive gameplay is not the only thing that reels players into the game; however, as each League’s champion also has a great fanbase surrounding them as if they were Hollywood celebrities, thanks to Riot’s effort put into the design of every character in the game.
Without further ado, let’s get into the list:
Jayce and Viktor
Two Piltovian revered inventors with genius level intellect whose rivalry sparked over their differences in their ideologies, Jayce and Viktor shine with their excellent Yin and Yang designs, highlighting the constrast between their personalities and fighting styles.
Donning an extensively ornated cloak with a fluffy fur collar inspired by the fashion of European aristocrats, Jayce enters the fray boasting his massive macho aura to complement his equally massive hammer, fitting his theme as a gentleman and a scientist. Viktor, on the other hand, is significantly less of a man who loves showing off – but his appearance still conforms to his science fiction tropes with his metallic design, along with his sophisticated weaponry.
The iconic trait of Viktor is the synthetic laser arm mounted on his back – the dread of any foe crossing his path. Along with his robotic arms, metallic cape and his nearly all-steel appearance, Viktor’s design goes well with his backstory of a scientist who is too engrossed in mechanizing humans, in a sharp contrast with Jayce – a scientist who is out for the adoration of the public.
Zed and Talon
Despite having a few similarities lorewise, along with their methods to meet their ends via violence and murder, Zed and Talon are the two assassins whose designs vastly contradict each other. The most notable difference is the classical color antithesis trope – Blue and Red
His flashy playstyle and famed association with Faker aside, Zed captures the heart of his playerbase via his cool look inspired by Shredder from TMNT. Zed is coated with a blood red cloak over his shiny metal armor from head to toes, demonstrating his tendency to ruthlessly take down anyone who stands on the path of his Order of Shadow. The ornate pattern on his retractable arm blades are very carefully made, showing his fanatical belief in his forbidden art of assassination. Bonus point for his razor sharp twin shurikens mounted on both sides of his back, highlighting the “edginess” that may have inspired his student, Kayn.
Renowned for being an Assassin Creed protagonist’s EXPY, Talon is known to be a silent and deadly assassin of Noxus. Unlike Zed, his design isn’t really flashy – save for his signature blade cape, and wears mostly blue, opposed to Zed’s red color scheme. While Zed has most of his weapons shown to his enemies, Talon has his arms blade and Rake’s blades (his W ability in-game) concealed, emphasizing on his mysterious nature. Those facts do not make Talon appear less deadly; however, as his design is more faithful to the traditional killer-for-hire trope than the shiny flipping ninja one that is Zed.
Ezreal
One of Riot’s poster childs with numerous skins in his disposal, Ezreal is one of the most, if not the most popular champions of all time in League of Legends. Possessing neither charismatic outlook nor mysterious aura, Ezreal is compensated with a golden ratio face and the typical handsome shonen protagonist look.
Not only that, Ezreal also wears a leather jacket and jean – which is a homage to Indianna Jones from the franchise of the same name. Arming himself with the gauntlet of Ne’Zuk, a pair of goggles and some adventure accessories that may not include a map, Ezreal always ready to Arcane Shifts himself into the midst of a fray. He has his own downside though. His clean and androgynous appearance may cause suspicion among fans when it comes to his sexuality. The infamous Taric and Ezreal ship seems to be the proof of the “consequence” of overly brushing and polishing the boy. While Ezreal has a sizable fanbase, his haters seem numerous as well.