Boards›Story, Art, & Sound

Kai'Sa makes the Void seem boring

CleverCactus·2/22/2018, 2:40:53 PM·168 votes·7,404 views

I don't dislike the character, but the idea of someone being stuck in the void had so much potential it feels like it was wasted.

The Void is supposed to be a horrifying purple hell, it turns even the most passive scuttle into a mutated beast that demolishes buildings. The creatures from the void are savage and hungry, they will destroy the world to sate their hunger. Malzahar and Kassadin are going insane just from looking at it.

Kai'Sa could have been so much more! A human surviving for years in the void. She could be half mutated, fluctuating between wanting to stop the invasion or wanting to devour living creatures. The void is nightmarish, if it doesn't kill you it takes you for it's own.

Instead Kai'Sa feels like a cop out. A simple humanoid figure that will have mass appeal and can easily have skins made for it. Yes the design looks fine, and the voice acting is nice, but it's such wasted potential for something that could be so much more interesting.

132 Comments

Rebonack2/22/2018, 4:40:25 PM71 votes

This is the same feeling I've been expressing, well put OP.

Kai'Sa's state erodes the threat the Void is supposed to represent. The Void itself is supposed to be a dangerous, reality warping influence if all the lore we've been given thus far is to be believed. Kai'Sa being able to survive there untouched for any amount of time before she gets her suit is stretching credibility. It shifts the threat of the Void to simply the threat the voidlings represent, and if Kai'Sa can come out of her experience as the top predator just by skinning a voidling then how much of a threat are they, really?

It Hertz When IP2/22/2018, 5:31:58 PM58 votes

What she needs is PTSD-esque symptoms: jumping at noises, hyperaggression/abnormal fear levels, paranoia, restlessness, reluctance to work with others... Basically Omega Squad Teemo but Void-themed.

Vhan87652/22/2018, 3:57:52 PM42 votes

While I'm not setting my judgement in stone until the lore comes out I guess, as of now I generally agree with you wholeheartedly.

Even ignoring the champion's back drive device of simply "Out to stop void monsters!", she just doesn't look very void-y herself. Watching the special interactions video, the ones where she has some when attacking Kassadin, I was just looking at the two and Kass looks 5 times more like a Void monstrosity than Kai'sa does.

Long story short, Riot is afraid of monster girls to be honest. It's why all of Evelynn's skins turn her human now; she isn't blue in a single one of her skins since the rework. Riot is striving more and more away from non-humanoid designs and it's so boring and so bland that it makes the game overall start to feel boring.

Stop giving me two legged, standing, humanoid characters and go back to making champions with designs more like Cho'Gath or Rek'Sai or something. I'm so sick and tired of League just pumping out more generic characters with cliche lore's that literally took about an hour at most of thought. Some of the old lore may have been bad, but at least it was unique; I liked Nasus being a Space Librarian, thank you very much!

Ifneth2/22/2018, 4:17:43 PM19 votes

Riot needs to hear and respond to this. They dropped the ball. This champion needs more love.

Nyloaf2/22/2018, 2:52:01 PM16 votes

I do agree she should be more affected by the void than she was, but perhaps she's simply learned to deal with the afflictions it has given her and she has evolved to grow from them and eventually use them to her own advantage?

i mean, if you were just a child and you were forced to watch a friend die, of course you're going to be fucked up for a long time, but if you eventually come to see it happen several more times as you grow older, you'll become more and more desensitized to it. In a way, it makes you more powerful, while still keeping a tight hold on your mind and reminding you of your past all the while.

i prefer to play her with her helmet toggled because it makes her seem more influenced by the void.

Naymliss2/22/2018, 5:16:22 PM14 votes

This. Look at what happened to kassadin when he tried to go into the void with a suit.

Guardman2/22/2018, 5:50:02 PM13 votes

The voice acting is good, but the lines themselves feel very very generic. There is nothing that stands out as void or someone raised in the void from her VO other than some blatant exposition lines (cue the Robot Devil). And really no hook I could feel or hear. In fact you could probably place her VO in a lot of anime and have a perfectly acceptable Generic Damaged Heroine A™.

rtbf2256182412/22/2018, 9:55:32 PM11 votes

And considering the Void is implied to be the single most dangerous threat to Runeterra, essentially the endgame, Kai'Sa makes it look like a child can survive in it..because she could and at little cost.

Jaspers2/22/2018, 4:31:13 PM9 votes

I agree, if the Void is meant to be so terrible and horrific, just getting an exoskeleton/suit from a void creature and being seemingly fine after returning seems a little odd.

Her mental state isn't that of someone who was in isolation, basically in hell made real, from the rest of humanity for years.

There's so much potential, we might just have to wait until the stories.

Votable Jester2/22/2018, 5:45:27 PM8 votes

It could have been cool if Kai'Sa had developed a hunger for void creatures, turning her into some vicious monster in the void that terrifies even the creatures of the void.

AmazoX2/22/2018, 4:55:02 PM7 votes

{quoted}

The Void is supposed to be a horrifying purple hell, it turns even the most passive scuttle into a mutated beast that demolishes buildings. The creatures from the void are savage and hungry, they will destroy the world to site their hunger. Malzahar and Kassadin are going insane just from looking at it.

Thank you.

revliledpembroke2/22/2018, 7:18:08 PM7 votes

Kassadin is still sane. The Void changed him, yes, but not in the same way it touched Malzahar.

ChuShoe2/22/2018, 6:52:29 PM7 votes

you really think her design looks okay? I think her two stupid wings look absolutely ridiculous.

*edited because of garbage PC bickering

Jobless Jones2/23/2018, 3:17:30 AM6 votes

She's a generic waifu champ made to extract money from horny teens and weebs, but they couldn't Akali justify Ahri making Karma another Irelia Ionian Soraka oneSyndra again Xayah so they're decided this one will have void sprinkles on it.

Eeyore2/23/2018, 8:33:21 AM6 votes

During Jhin's development, I remember a lot of dialogue about capturing his psychosis in his character - i.e. they really thoroughly implemented the champion's character into their lore, appearance, animation and behavior. And it shows. His character is beautifully delivered. Kai is just... bland. I don't understand how she's so peppy and how she has no scars (emotional or physical). The absolute mildest her character could have been is Old Amy from Doctor Who's The Girl Who Waited, but (and inspired by the Symbiotic Armor) - she could have been Venom!

... but instead we got Taliyah from the Void. The personality clash with her lore is worse than Aatrox's release. She sounds like an intern who hasn't even met a Void creature yet.

Also - why does she have cleavage? If the symbiote controls her suits appearance: why would it leave her vital organs exposed? If she is controlling its outward appearance: for whose benefit is she making herself appealing to? Kog'Maw's dad? And it's not as if it's styalized to look unzipped - like she's finally able to feel the air on her skin, and showing off some sort of horrible scar or disfigurement. It's literally just boobs.

P.S. The teaser and shortlore seem to be trying to make it vague as to whose side she's on. It's pretty conclusive the moment you hear her talk, to be honest.

Bârd2/22/2018, 6:17:21 PM5 votes

A few of her lines are great. The ones about her skin crawling, the needles, those are great.

She needs more of those.

I don't care that she misses peaches, I want to hear the pain.

Tomoe Gozen2/22/2018, 8:10:45 PM5 votes

#You are forgetting the fact that she's in a symbiotic relationship with its Voidspawn inhabitant, which is her suit that's like her second skin.

If anything, it is the reason why she was protected from becoming a monstrosity like the rest of the Voidspawn. But sure, let's ignore this fact and call it a "cop out" because you feel like Void is all about a free-for-all survival of the fittest.

Let's also ignore the fact that Vel'Koz and Rek'Sai are way different than the typical Voidspawn we've accustomed to (like Cho'Gath, Kha'Zix and Kog'Maw), who are only concerned about sating their hunger.

roko30002/22/2018, 9:41:06 PM4 votes

I see some people upset that she isn't absolutely screaming in agony and saying edgy lines (someone here said they rather hear if her pain rather than the simple things she missed like peaches) I think that's stupid but meh, I Know at least half of you will main her for a while regardless.

Ahri Baka2/22/2018, 2:45:01 PM3 votes

[deleted]

ninjaroxas2/22/2018, 5:14:37 PM3 votes

I wouldn't call kass or malz insane Nor are all the void creatures just bloodthirsty monsters, vel'koz is an example of that.we don't even really know anything about the void. I'm not saying your opinion is wrong but It feels like every one is assuming we know everything about the void.

Raiyza2/22/2018, 5:33:36 PM3 votes

I agree with this. Should have been similar to Dr. Doom from Fantastic 4. he was stuck for a year on that unknown planet full of radiation and his body was fused with it. He wasan't human at all anymore.

But it's cool. I'm sure she will be fun to play (She seems broken so far, but should be fun).

pidgeot722/22/2018, 9:24:17 PM3 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK_jhdXINFk Recently released, good video, brings up a lot of good points.

420 Soraka2/22/2018, 10:32:33 PM3 votes

I think it's a nice change. When we think of the void, we think of exactly that, a "half mutated, fluctuating between wanting to stop the invasion or wanting to devour living creatures." Every champion that has a void related story is somewhat evil, corrupted, and seeks destruction. This is a change, a pretty cool change. A character who has been trapped in this dimension of evil creatures with different abilities, not knowing if she will ever escape, or when her last day will be. It's exhilarating to say the least. I get the complaints, truly, it discredits what the void should be capable of, but to assume that the void will inevitably corrupt anyone that gets trapped will get dull later, if not sooner. Truthfully, there's so much they can play off of this, like another void champion that joins the league seeking revenge on Ka'sai. I hope this post changes a few minds who are upset or disappointed with what we know of the lore.

I Main Swain2/23/2018, 2:53:02 AM3 votes

i actually specifically like her BECAUSE they didnt do any of those things. it would have felt like nothing different than malzahar and kassadin had they made her super twisted by the void physically and/or psychologically, but this is the first time we've had someone who was in contact with the void and actually beat it. i feel like we arent appreciating that enough, she essentially spent years of her life in the equivalent of hell and she not only survived but she survived intact. having an unconquerable force thats just always unconquerable flat out is boring af, every writer knows that. they eventually were going to have to do this with a champion and im glad they did, weve had plenty of void monstrosities, its time we had a void survivor

fƒ152/23/2018, 3:40:10 AM3 votes

Actually the voice acting is kind of boring too, definitely agree that this is wasted potential.

Wild Geese2/23/2018, 10:47:24 PM2 votes

Maybe the void is like that neighborhood everybody tells you to avoid that isn't so bad. All the Void creatures seem pretty cheerful. Especially that Vel'Koz, really a gentleman isn't he?

2Behold2/23/2018, 6:05:53 PM2 votes

I feel like also she seems really well adjusted for living with void creatures for like 10-20 years. Like girl should be feral in some regard.

Kubox2/22/2018, 7:51:26 PM2 votes

With the examples you've given, you could argue that a character who's been through worst situations and struggling a lot less than them is interesting. To quote all those women cosmetic commercials : "What's her secret?".

Maybe it's because I'm not as attached to lore than a lot of guys here, but it seems to me that when all void-related champions are corrupted to the point of making them absolute monsters and/or insane, having a champion not sharing the same fate is, at the very least, interesting.

Leaf on Bush2/22/2018, 6:09:19 PM1 votes

Kai'Sa makes the Void seem sexy.