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[LORE DISCUSSION] Who killed Yasuo's Master?

ModCaptainMårvelous·9/20/2014, 1:50:52 AM·14 votes·23,809 views

#NOTE! IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT IT WAS NOT YASUO'S MASTER BUT AN IONIAN POLITICIAN HE WAS MEANT TO GUARD. I APOLOGIZE FOR THIS OVERSIGHT AND MISLEADING TITLE.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS Who built the Mercury Hammer? Are the Watchers Void-Beings? What happened in Shurima? Shurima Part 2

Wow, a day late much? Nope, I'm actually going to be moving this to Friday as I don't have enough time on Thursday to warrent doing it then. So welcome back to Lore Discussion, the weekly investigation on some of LoL's biggest mysteries, ideas and all around topics. So one of the hotly contested topics that was always going around is the subject for this week. Which is:

#Who killed Yasuo's master?

So, much like before, this topic generally has two sides. Both of which we'll be discussing in length, along with the possibility of another suspect, but let's focus on the two main perpetrators of this conflict: Riven and Yasuo.

http://i.imgur.com/hyim6fk.jpg #Riven: "My Spirit is not lost!"

So the obvious theory is that Riven indeed killed Yasuo's master. The main points are that...

  • Riven was in Ionia at the time of the murder (During the Ionia-Noxus war)
  • Yasuo shares dialogue related to taunting Riven while also listing her as a rival
  • Riven's wind slash is implied as the tool of Yasuo's master's death.

The implied story with Riven as the culprit says that Yasuo left his post to join the fight, cutting down enemies to and fro while leaving his master undefended. Riven, at this time, attacked and murdered Yasuo's master with her wind slash technique, as she had yet to break her sword and thus could freely destroy/cause harm. The only flaw I really see in this is that Yasuo's master is implied as defenseless and weak. To me, there's a bit of a problem as he IS a master. To think that Riven could kill with ONLY her wind technique surprises me. But we'll discuss more later.

http://i.imgur.com/xVeO6Zd.jpg #Yasuo: "For a long time, I chose to run."

Yasuo, told in this tale as the 100% murder, is not entirely above suspicion himself. For this theory, we must note that:

  • Yasuo left his post to fight against Noxus, yet there doesn't seem to be any evidence of that.
  • It implies Yasuo was the only one guarding, convinently giving him an alibi.
  • His master was killed by a wind technique, which Yasuo is known for.

If Yasuo was indeed the killer, my thinking is that the master's death was not intended. Rather, if Yasuo did kill him, it was likely an accident brought on in the heat of battle. Yasuo dashes and swings, reckless with his sword and his technique. One wrong movement, however, and suddenly a wave of air cuts his master down. Mortified, Yasuo turns himself in for "leaving" his master...but when they figure out it's him, he runs so that he may give himself time to think and find out who he could possibly use as a scapegoat. And then he hears rumors of a Noxian soldier with a "distinct" blade technique.

http://i.imgur.com/zZjZlWI.jpg #A third party?: Giving new light to an old story.

What if I told you there might be a third party to this? What if I told you that there might be more to this story? To understand what I'm getting at, let's look at the current lore for these champions and figure out the possibilities that could be linked to this:

Foremost, we have the wind technique not being strictly Ionian. Noxus knows this technique, meaning that it's likely others in Noxus know how to use a blade with a wind element attached to it. This in and of itself brings question to how MANY people know it and who it could have possibly been, as Noxus was fully invading Ionia at the time with the majority of their forces.

Secondly, the person who killed Yasuo's master got in, killed him, and got out. I find it hard to believe that there was NOBODY alive that could have dropped the blame or seen this coming. In fact, it could have very well been one of the master's students and nobody would be the wiser. THAT opens the door for other people at the temple along with Yasuo.

Finally, the person who did this knew that the wind technique was essentially a smoking gun. Riven had, to that point, never met Yasuo. Doesn't it seem odd that out of all of Riven's power, she uses her main one for the killing blow? How about the fact that if Yasuo hadn't been the only one there, the suspects would have been endless? To me, this fact makes me believe that there was another party there who knew very well about the wind technique and was interested in killing a problematic target while shifting blame.

So that leaves the question: Who could it have been?

  • A superior who taught Riven the technique. (And my personal idea for likeliest theory)
  • A disgruntled student that saw his or her time to shine.
  • A furious rival who hoped to blame Yasuo/Riven for the murder and escape.

All of these could have potential for championhood, but it should be noted that this is just one theory of many. In this fantasy idea...

  • Yasuo is guarding his master. Leaves to battle. Encounters Riven for the first time.
  • Riven's objective is to distract the majority of the forces so her superior can kill the master.
  • The two fight and spawn the rivalry that they have today.
  • Mid-fight, Riven escapes and leads Yasuo upwards, the fight being taken towards the Master's chamber.
  • Superior kills Yasuo's master with said wind technique he/she taught Riven.
  • Riven arrives first, Yasuo in tow. Yasuo realizes he messed up.
  • Riven and Superior escape while Yasuo grieves over his master and mistake.
  • The misunderstanding leads to yasuo's imprisonment, his fury at Riven and the hunt for the true culprit.

With all that said and done, what's your take on it? Do you think it's clear as day that Riven did it? Maybe Yasuo is a lying snake? Or maybe both are just victims of an assassin who has yet to enter the lore fully?

Also don't forget to vote for next week's discussion! Happy trails!

23 Comments

Destínum9/20/2014, 1:59:50 PM7 votes

You like many other are making a huge mistake: No body killed Yasuo's master. Yasuo studied at a school and it is not even mentioned if he had a master. The person he was supposed to defend was an elder, a.k.a. a politician and thus the need of being defended. Therefore, I think Riven is the pretty obvious answer.

Also, Yasuo was the only one who could even use the wind technique properly in his school, so another student is out of the question (which is why everyone is so set on Yasuo being guilty). Yasuo is very determined to find the guilty and it is pretty obvious that he is no way in hell considering the thought of it actually being himself.

Tapu Fini9/20/2014, 4:20:47 AM3 votes

It also needs to be considered that there are other wind users outside of Noxus and Ionia as well, most notably, Janna (Zaun).

"She mastered her studies of air magic in a matter of months, almost as if she was born of it. Janna went from a street vagrant to an avatar of the air virtually overnight, stunning and surpassing those who taught her"

While I find it unlikely Janna murdered Yasuo's charge, it's very possible she imparted her wind technique onto others, much as she did to the Karma of old. Her teachers are also mentioned, more than likely others capable of wind magic. From what I can find, nothing specifically mentions a blade technique, only wind. This opens up many, many more possibilities.

Zaun is a crazy place. If they wanted to frame Noxus, there would be so many ways to do it, and knowing Riven was there with her wind technique could lend them that edge.

Kinjishi9/21/2014, 2:04:35 AM2 votes

I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoy your LORE DISCUSSION posts, Captain Marvelous. Thank you for taking the time to do these.

AkaiNeko49/20/2014, 3:19:10 PM2 votes

OK, is there some piece of Lore I've been missing for months? I keep seeing people saying it was Yasuo's "master", but his bio just says it was an Ionian Elder, nothing more specific. There's also no indication that the battle would have been right where the Elder was located; Yasuo may be a slow learner, but I doubt he's that stupid. Finally, his bio says it was after years that he learned of the killer's wind usage; presumably, if he'd fought Riven at the battle, he would've thought to check her out sooner, especially since her signature Broken Wings sequence is enough to spark recognition in-game.

So my thoughts: Riven performed the assassination of a random Ionian elder while a battle raged nearby. She busted through the temple door, killed all the bodyguards, finished the old man (or woman) with her Wind Slash, and left, possibly bringing some scrolls or something with her (where did she learn that style?).

Yasuo returned from the nearby battlefield like a teenager who trusted the kids he was babysitting to not burn the house down while he ditched them for a booze run.

....

Can I just take the time to say that (perfectly in keeping with Riot's current Lore quality) Yasuo is a fucking moron?

So he's humbled earlier on. OK. The available info doesn't make it clear whether this was a few days or a few years after the next part, but the implication is that it's a bit of a Shawn Michaels, born-again sort-of moment. Then, tragically, by abandoning the Elder he was assigned to protect in an effort to change the course of a battle, he once again makes the same mistake of letting his pride and impatience get away with him, this time leading to the rest of his story.

OK. So far, so good. Great hero brought down by fatal flaw. Proper Greek tragedy and all that.

Then, after learning that he's not just being punished for his rather epic failure as a bodyguard, but actually being accused of the murder, he....commits a bunch of murders (and probably some maimings and man-slaughters, too) to get out and find the real killer.

OK....ok, that's actually not too bad; his bio makes it clear he knew what the consequences would be, and seems to regard this as the only acceptable way of honoring his oath to protect the elder - death before dishonor and all that. He is essentially a fantasy-samurai, after all.

So then he spend years wandering, looking for whoever really did it, killing his friends and loved ones as they find him in (presumably) self-defense. Then his brother finds him, and he kills him, too.

Then.

THEN.

As his BROTHER lies DYING IN HIS ARMS. After YEARS of searching for clues as to to who the real killer is.

ONLY THEN DOES YASUO THINK TO ASK WHY EVERYONE THINKS THAT HE KILLED THE ELDER.

The last part, I think, is: What in blazes does Yasuo do when he finds (presumably) Riven?! She just did her job; their countries were at war, it's not like this makes her any worse than the other soldiers. He's the idiot that wandered off and let her kill his charge. Best case scenario, he gets her to come to his old home and tell them she did it (which she might be perfectly willing to do, if he asks nicely and explains the situation), and then he has to let them execute him for all the other shit he's done. Or, you know, cut his way out again.

I hate the current Lore, is what I'm saying.

ButtersBBG9/20/2014, 9:49:55 PM2 votes

We all know the killer is clearly Teemo.

Leona is Waifu9/20/2014, 2:48:24 PM2 votes

Playing a wild card, Talon. He uses wind techniques for throwing his blades around willy nilly. Riven distracts Yasuo and Talon pops in and does what he does best: murdering people in .5 seconds.

Rozzeta9/20/2014, 10:55:23 PM2 votes

What exactly would be a "wind technique"?. We have several champions who can cause damage by shouting. So if the high velocity of the air released is the actual damaging factor rather than the scream itself, wouldn't that also mean that they use air to kill their oponents, just as Yasuo? considering that, I can see the following suspects from LoL's current pool:

Chogath with his W.

Galio With his E

Janna With pretty much everything she has (she might actually have tried to heal the elder with R, but backfired and shent him flying to the wall where the sharp weapons were being exhibited.

Rengar With W (maybe the elder was a good target)

Riven With R

Sona With Q, passive or autos (Sona damages with air vibrations, plus anyone who has played her knows by know that her Etwahl claims the blood of the innocents, which is why you always feel the need to press Q and steal the kill)

Volibear With E

and, of course, Yasuo

Season 9 Amumu10/18/2014, 10:09:11 AM1 votes

ao shin

NineballCirno9/20/2014, 5:50:57 PM1 votes

My thought regarding Yasuo and the Elder was that someone of a previous generation was involved. The lore state that "Yasuo was the only student in a generation to master the legendary wind technique." This opens the possibility of a former student of the same school being involved the murder. The elder could be the reason this former student was exiled from Ionia, possibly leading him to Noxus as part of revenge, with framing Yasuo and/or Riven as a bonus.

Neer Invictae9/20/2014, 10:35:56 PM1 votes

It was janna

2nd Fiddle9/22/2014, 9:12:00 PM1 votes

Other: The gray order and the voodoo lands.

WickedKing9/25/2014, 7:02:37 PM1 votes

I think the real killer is "Draythe Darkwill".

He's known as Boram Darkwill eldest son, that was mentioned in JoJ "once and only one" when Swain and Fake Jarvan clash to each other. Keiran Darkwill, youngest son of Boram was later defeated and killed by Darius, which later Swain took the position as the Grand General.

Why wasn't Draythe chosen, since he's the last of the Darkwill line?

It might be clearly that he's still in Ionia during these Noxian Event along with Riven.

Itzon9/20/2014, 2:55:01 AM1 votes

Could be a new champion we don't know about yet, when rengar's lore was first announced everyone assumed that his prey was chogath til khazix came out.