After several weeks of teasing, but above all of waiting, Riot Games has finally formalized the 162nd champion to join League of Legends: K’Santé, the pride of Nazumah. If we knew that it would be a strong character, a “difficult to play” tank intended for the top lane, the studio had well hidden information until now. For the first time, Riot Games has officially introduced a champion as LGBTQ+.
A first “official” time
If you’re a fan of lore, you’ve probably thought that this isn’t the first time a League of Legends character has been gay, and you’re absolutely right. One can in particular think of the idyll between Leona and Diana, whose relationship had been confirmed by a news on the site Universe: “Get up by my side”, news that had been censored and rewritten in China. In the Chinese version, if the two champions are always presented as close, their relationship remains purely platonic. They are portrayed as two close friends, nothing more. The short story is more like a small poem where there is no trace of the love story between the two characters. The omission of the last two sentences where the kiss between the two female characters is made explicit is particularly noteworthy.
We can also think of the case of Varus. Its lore was completely redesigned in 2017 and we discovered that the champion was in fact composed of three beings: Two hunters, Valmar and the light of his heart, Kai (as a couple) and the soul of the Darkin. Before this rewrite, the champion was not presented as gay. And no, for Taric we still don’t know (at least not officially)
The big news here is that Riot Games affirmed its new champion’s membership in the LGBTQ+ community even before its launch, something that had never been done before. But that’s no surprise either. In May 2021, the studio had communicated on Reddit its desires for the creation of future champions. The developers were planning to add an old woman (whom we are still waiting for) to Summoner’s Rift as well as an openly gay man.
A divided community?
Let’s be honest, apart from a few enlightened people, the news didn’t shock many people (and still happy), but many pointed to the fact that Riot Games felt “compelled” to be inclusive. Furthermore, that the studio reveals the sexual orientation of the champion even before having presented his gameplay, considering that this information was useless and brought nothing.
Certainly, the fact that K’Santé is homosexual will not change the way the community will play him, but Riot Games is committed to developing more and more elaborate stories around its characters. It’s not the thing that players are most interested in, but it’s an effort by the developer to please lore-loving fans. There have always been love stories in League of Legends, the oldest being that between Tryndamere and Ashe which established what would later become a vast and ever-expanding lore. If K’Sante had been heterosexual, there wouldn’t have been so many waves. We can even imagine that if Riot Games had hinted that he was in a relationship with a female character from the Rift, people would have had fun looking for his other half.
With over 160 champions now, it’s normal to have champions with diverse sexual orientations. Riot Games has taken the plunge with K’Santé, and will no doubt continue its efforts in terms of inclusion in the future, no offense to the haters.