Too Many Ionian Champs?

Zombie Slayer·Feb 5, 2018·11 votes·1,732 views

Hey I was just wondering on other peoples opinions on how much Ionian champions we have currently. Ionia has 18 total champions and the highest regions have a total of 12 total champions. I personally would like to see more champions in different regions. Of course they don't decide on the region and story until the champion is more developed but I believe that they should at least think about it because all these other areas of the world have lots of potential for growth but due to everything with Irelia and Akali's we still have a lot more Ionian based lore to come.

35 Comments

GreenLoreFeb 5, 201817 votes

Honestly it is not surprising that we get so many ionian champs. I mean ionia is largely based around asian culture,mostly japanese culture and lets be honest here,japanese culture is one of the more popular cultures,especially when it comes to fantasy settings.So pretty much any champ that is based on something japanese,chinese or maybe even on something indian,is almost automatically going to be an ionian champ(the exception is Xin Zhao,who is likely from ionia,but lives now in demacia).

Sure riot could do a jaguar warrior based on aztec culture,but almost no one would recognize such a character as a jaguar warrior and instead see them as just a random dude wearing the fur of a jaguar. However pretty much everyone will recognize a ninja or samurai.

Meanwhile european culture is pretty much split up among the different factions,especially with the typical "medieval knights,kings,etc."-stuff being split up between demacia and noxus.

And in addition to that Ionia also is the faction based on mysticism and magic,so its not surprising that a lot of champs based on these aspects will also automatically go to ionia.

And in addition to THAT,we also get the fact that the ionian history of it nearly being conquered by Noxus also leads to a lot of different story elements,we get champs based on the idea that ionia is starting to pick up hextech tools,some based on revolution and most champion ideas for characters that were scarred by the war will also go to ionia.

That being said I agree that they should focus on other factions a bit as well,last year 3 out of 5 new champs were ionian. Just because it is easy to make champs for a faction doesn't mean that they should pump out too many champs one after the other. Especially since we are getting 2 ionian VGUs this year anyway.

undesirable teamFeb 5, 20185 votes

weaboos are destroying the game kappa

DarkSoul1994Feb 5, 20189 votes

To be fair, Ionia isn't a single place - it's an entire region of Runeterra and it's an incredibly diverse place in terms of races and factions. You've got Shen and Zed's Ninja Orders, you've got a plethora of Vastaya species, you have a few Darkin.

And that's before you even start to consider the general (human) population of Ionia. I'm pretty sure there are multiple Villages/Nations in Ionia (probably similar to how there are several nations in Naruto if we're comparing Ionia to Japanese culture here). Then you've got independent champions such as Yi and Syndra that don't necessarily represent a faction or race but are too powerful to be left out.

mkynerFeb 5, 20181 votes

^Pretty much this. Going forward, I could see Riot breaking off one or more of those subgroups into their own faction someday. Maybe the Vastayans, if we get a few more of them.

GreenLoreFeb 5, 20181 votes

Would be actually amazing if Rakan and Xayah would eventually manage to claim some of the land on ionia and establish it as a seperate nation.

SEKAIFeb 5, 20181 votes

{quoted}

Would be actually amazing if Rakan and Xayah would eventually manage to claim some of the land on ionia and establish it as a seperate nation.

And teach their people and children to be racists just like Xayah is lol?

Dis gotta be good.

GreenLoreFeb 5, 20181 votes

Hey I never said that said nation has to be a bunch of goody two shoes or that Xayah can't go through some character development until then :p

Grimm HowlFeb 5, 20187 votes

I do believe in terms of scale per region.. Shurima and Ionia are separate continents, just like Valoran (where Demacia/Noxus/Piltover/Zaun are located.) I'm not sure if Freljord is part of Valoran itself, or considered to be part of it's own continent as well, but I'll consider it anyways. Demacia, Noxus, Freljord and Piltover/Zaun are City-states within Valoran, just like how Ionia and Shurima have large cities of their own, but are all joined under their empires/orders that control a majority of it's land. Runeterra is huge, Ionia is a thriving continent with rich history and a plethora of Asian cultures to cherry pick champion concepts/stories from. Shurima is a fallen empire, resurrected from the sands with the ascension of it's long dead emperor, so more champions from this region is to be expected. Valoran as a whole is full of medieval European concepts and ideals, so even though the faction rosters seem small.. the whole of Valoran is actually quite abundant.

Ionia - Ahri Akali Irelia Jhin Karma Kayn Kennen LeeSin MasterYi Rakan Shen Syndra Varus MonkeyKing Xayah Yasuo Zed Shurima/Icathia/Void - Amumu Azir Nasus Rammus Renekton Sivir Skarner Taliyah Xerath Chogath Jax Kassadin Khazix KogMaw Malzahar RekSai Velkoz Zilean Valoran (Demacia/Noxus/Piltover/Zaun/Freljord/Bilgewater) - Anivia Annie Ashe Blitzcrank Braum Caitlyn Camille Cassiopeia Darius DrMundo Draven Ekko Ezreal Fiora Galio Gangplank Garen Graves Heimerdinger Illaoi Janna JarvanIV Jayce Jinx Katarina Kled Leblanc Lissandra Lucian Lux MissFortune Nautilus Nunu Olaf Orianna Ornn Poppy Quinn Riven Sejuani Shyvana Singed Sion Sona Swain Talon Trundle Tryndamere TwistedFate Twitch Udyr Urgot Vayne Viktor Vladimir Volibear Warwick XinZhao Zac Ziggs Mount Targon - AurelionSol Diana Leona Pantheon Taric Zoe Soraka Shadow Isles - Elise Hecarim Kalista Karthus Maokai Mordekaiser Thresh Yorick Bandle City - Corki Lulu Rumble Teemo Tristana Veigar Unaffiliated - Aatrox Alistar Bard Evelynn Fiddlesticks Fizz Gnar Gragas Ivern Kayle Kindred Malphite Morgana Nami Nidalee Nocturne Rengar Ryze Shaco TahmKench Zyra

HäxelFeb 5, 20182 votes

But... Shurima is no indepent Continent as far as i know. Also like Shurima, Freljord is an own larg area and not a Citystate. Just Demacia, Noxus, Piltover&Zhaun are Citystates. Ionia is an own Continent. Bilgewater and the Shawow Isles are own Islands. Valoran is the Continent frrom the North with Freljord over the Areaas of the Citystaes adn the large Barrier (wonder if that is still canon) to the Midsouth of Shurima and the eastsouth Jungle, where Bandle lies and Nidalee and Rengar hunt.

GreenLoreFeb 5, 20182 votes

Shurima is its own continent in the new lore. It even says on the description that shurima lies on the "southern continent". So far we don't have a name for the continent,but since shurima is the biggest part of it,people just call it "shurima" for now.

HäxelFeb 5, 20181 votes

Can you tell me where? I just found this: https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/region/shurima/. For me it looks similar to https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/region/freljord/ Valoran is one Big Landscape. Maybe it is now similar to Eurasien as how you could call Europe and Asien together, but it is conected and hard tot tell if you can divide it in 2 parts. Or maybe storytellers just wanted it to split up like the norhern hemisphere adn southern hemisphere divided by the equator. And even if it was an own Continent, it would be Stupid to call it the name of one empire (America/Northamerica....oh o_O).

GreenLoreFeb 5, 20182 votes

My mistake,the text on the universe page is slightly different. It said so on the shurima lore page https://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/featured/shurima/intro

Also this map shows that Valoran and Shurima are only connected by one tine bit of land. https://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/featured/piltover/medarda-heirloom

HäxelFeb 5, 20181 votes

yea, if you read jannas story you know why.

Eternal791Feb 5, 20181 votes

Not sure if Noxus counts as a city-state considering its constantly expanding its borders all over Valoran.

HäxelFeb 5, 20181 votes

Same goes for Demacia. Still it gets ruled from one capital which is known for this name. The Freljordkingdom no longer realy exists, freljord is divided into mulltiple tribes. Shurima the same, yea Azir came back and tries now to restore his empire but current state are multiple tribes aswell. But regardless of ruler you say that all snowy mountains in the north are the Freljordregion while the Desertregion is Shurima. But in the middle you have the Demacia adn Noxus clashing agaisnt each other while Piltover/Zhaun stays mostly independent on an area near a harbor at the eastside.

Eternal791Feb 6, 20181 votes

Yeah Zaun and Piltover are the only city-states we know of... and maybe Bilgewater.

Grimm HowlFeb 5, 20181 votes

I have Freljord listed with Demacia/Noxus/etc because I believe it's on the same continent, Valoran. I don't believe it's a city state. I believe it's like what Russia is to Asia.

I do believe you're referencing an old map that is no longer canon.

HäxelFeb 5, 20181 votes

Not only on the old map, but by reading jannas story you cans ee why the actual map looks like it is now. And Freljord should be looked seperate at least if not the cittystates too. Even if you compare it to russia, russia played a role in european AND asian history. You can't say russia just belongs to european history if it is clear that russia was part of chinas and many asian countrys history too. So why you select Freljord, Demaica, Noxus, Piltover, Zhaun and act like this is the contient europe and Shurima is Asia and finished is the division between 2 continents? Freljord and Shurima are both states divided by tribes. There are no big citys there. The Demacia and the Noxus empires, those have big citys. But Shurima and Freljord are seperated tribes (ofc for diffrent reasons). And why you included above Bilgewater? Thats an own island with own harbor, it would make more sense to include them with shadowislands causee they lay near to each other and Bilgewater gets regulary the Harboring:

We don't know much of the diffrent tribes in shurima There are no kingdomwars like in freljord, they just live their lives. Ofcourse Azir wants to rebuild his territory. In shurima the champions own history or what they are currently doing is the mainpoint while in freljord it show on most champions where they belong to.

So to divide the champions good it would be: Shurima with Icathia&Void Freljord with Avarosa/Winter's Claw/Frostguard with the watchers and the Demigods. Ionia&Darkin&Vastaya Bilgewater&Shadow Islands Mount Targon Yordles

Suggestion: 4 citystates together or seperate or: Neutral: Piltover&Zhaun Conflict: Demacia&Noxus

Grimm HowlFeb 6, 20181 votes

This map is the most recent and only currently canon map. https://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/featured/piltover/medarda-heirloom

Again, I left Freljord with the rest of the major faction cities not because I thought it was a city-state but because it's part of the continent of Valoran. Just as the Demacian Kingdom, Noxus Empire, Piltover/Zaun and even Mount Targon all exist within Valoran. The whole purpose of this thread is to talk about the roster of Ionia, and my response was comparing the size of it's roster to the rest of the factions based on continent.

Why would you choose to lump all the Darkin and Vastaya in with Ionia? They both exist elsewhere in the world of Runeterra. Speaking of the Darkin; Rhaast was found in Noxus, Varus was sealed in Ionia, and we can't tell exactly where Aatrox was located seeing how he's been active for centuries now. The Vastaya are also located in Ionia, Shurima, and off the coast of Mount Targon.

HäxelFeb 6, 20181 votes

I know that this is the curet map. But what sense makes it to compare rosters via continent?If you compare Ionia with the rest it is like if you compare Australia with the Rest? I mean you don't even need to compare Australia to Asia, if China alone has a higher populaion as Australia. Whole Asia even far, far more. But because Australia/Ionia are not only continents but also countries it makes more sense to compare it to other Countries, like China, Russia, Usa, Germany, etc. YOu can compare it to continents. But than make it right. Cause you listed Shurima as an own continent and let Mount targon, Bandle and indepent champions alone. No matter if someone is indepent, he lives somewhere (if you don't know where some one approximately lives, when you can call him to "not known"). First, Valoran is described as the Big Landscape while Ionia is the island next to each other. I also said how in Jannas UPDATED story it is told how they created a giant waterway so ships didn't need anymore to sail around the south of Valoran. You can call the whole big landscape valoran how you can call a certain landscape America (not usa). Yea, maybe you can divide it into North and South Valoran like ther exists Northamerica and Southamerica, but the "continents" in Runeterra are not called Ionia, Valoran and Shurima. It's Ionia and Valoran and THEN you can divide Valoran into North and South. But Shurima/Icathia/Void is not the whole continent alone. And like you compare populatiosn of continents in the real world and collect the southern pacific Islands as Ozeanien together with Australia or say Japan belongs to Asia, you have to conect Bilgewater AND Shawod Islands to an continent too. Cause these are just Islands, no continents.

All i wanted was consitency.

Grimm HowlFeb 6, 20181 votes

I believe you are mistaken when it comes to Janna's color story. Her story describes an "isthmus," which is a narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger areas of land. This link of land is where Piltover now sits. It's always been a narrow bit of land that connects the continent of Valoran to the continent of Shurima. What is created in Janna's story is a canal going through what is now Piltover/Zaun, similar to the Panama Canal that was created so that sailors didn't have to sail around South America to get to the either the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean. I have a feeling you believe the large bodies of water separating the two chunks of land was all created with the chembombs, but it was all concentrated on that isthmus. The earthquakes and flooding was what sunk a portion of the city into the ground, and parts of it fell off the cliffs into the sea. The city that sunk is Zaun, and Piltover was built on top of it as a shining utopia of intellect to try and hide that failure. It was an isthmus at the beginning of the story, as it is after the canal was created.

I'm telling you, Shurima is it's own continent. It was named after the empire that ruled over it's entirety, and it never stretched into Valoran. Even after the fall of the empire, it remained Shurima because of it's history.

The reason I left a whole slew of champions unassigned to any particular region is because we don't know exactly where they reside. The Universe site has them simply listed as "Runeterra" which means they can be anywhere in the world. Not every champion has a place that they actually belong to.

Also, no one knows where Bandle City is either, and it could exist on the Spiritual Plane because Yordles are described as fae creatures.

Again, I apologize for my inconsistency when I listed them earlier.

HäxelFeb 6, 20181 votes

Panama may be true. But it is always mentioned as the souther continent. The name shurima just belongs to the area. Similar as freljord is an area. If there is a southern continent, there is a norther continet. The fact that it never says Valoran and the southern continent or Valoran and shurima, but in general says Valoran or Valoran and Ionia means that Valoran is probably the orthern and southern continent together. Soutamerica is caleld Southamerica and not Brazil. Apparently on Southamerica there are other countris in Southamerica. Even if it says the Shurima empire once was the biggest empire that existed (similar probably to the empire of Alexander the Great, this new map doesn't show the whole worlds of runeterra and shurima 1. no longer exists as an Empire, just as a Region. Azir wants to rebuilds but all he has done at the moment is to rebuild the sundisc in the center. Second, there can be still other Regiosn left. Like there is the jungle for example with Rengar and Nidalee and most likly Bandle (myth). Even if the old map is outdated, the enw map just shows the area around Pltover, how that got changed and you can assume that outside of it the map will be rebuild similar to the old as even in the new map, beside where Piltover and Zhaun lies with the sea going deep between 2 continents instead of 1 big continent, most thigns didn't change, like freljord north, shurima south, Noxus east and Demacia west.

GreenLoreFeb 5, 20181 votes

I'm actually not sure if Bilgewater is really a part of Valoran,it could be an independent group of islands.

Also Rengar was born on the shuriman continent(and likely still lives there,as Kha'zix is also found there)

Grimm HowlFeb 5, 20181 votes

You're right, I should have left Bilgewater as it's own category as well. Rengar is listed on the Universe page as affiliated with "Runeterra." He may have been born in Shurima, but he travels all over hunting worthy trophies.

Ebonmaw DragonFeb 5, 20181 votes

Isnt Mt Targon part of Shurima? or Valoran?

Grimm HowlFeb 5, 20181 votes

I'm sure that Mount Targon is located somewhere in Valoran, but I since it's a mystical mountain being pulled higher and higher into space. I figured it's okay to specify the mountain on it's own.

TerozuFeb 5, 20181 votes

Ivern is an ionian actually, if you care to fix that.

Grimm HowlFeb 6, 20181 votes

He's set as affiliated with all Runeterra on his Universe page. Ivern the Terrible sailed from Freljord to Ionia, cut done the God Willow, merged with it, and became the Ivern Bramblefoot we know today. He travels all over Runeterra, protecting the forests and it's creatures.

AmazoXFeb 5, 20183 votes

Too many Ionian champions where they all are uniquely fucking different so I have no problem. Align all of them in a line, they are all good & different which is perfect.

Darkin HybridFeb 5, 20182 votes

But I love Ionia tho

SEKAIFeb 5, 20181 votes

That's because Riot made it so Ionia is a separate continent (not just an island, a continent) that is comparable to the size of Runeterra (or whatever the "main" continent is called) by itself, and that it's also supposed to be a bracket to include all eastern cultures, hence a larger roster than other factions is ofc expected.

DarkSoul1994Feb 5, 20181 votes

^This. Riot significantly increased the size of Ionia to allow for 1) the ever-growing cast of Ionian champions and b) exploration/plot development.

Eternal791Feb 5, 20181 votes

I would very much like for a break from Ionian champs after Akali's rework. Asian culture and fantasy never really interested me all that much. I'd rather learn more about the Void or the Shadow Isles or pretty much anywhere else (I'd say Piltover and Zaun but we have gotten a lot of lore for those regions in the past year or so).

Ahri BakaFeb 5, 20181 votes

True but , Ionia is large , they have a lot of races and types , ,Vastayan birds, a Fox , Ninjas , Assassins , Monkeys , 2 Gays in 1 body and a Syndra

NaalithFeb 6, 20181 votes

I don't see it as a problem. If there was one giant nation in Ionia that everyone was from, similar to Noxus and Demacia, it could be an issue. However, you have Xayah and Rakan with their Vastayan friends who don't even like humans, Shen and Zed's orders with all the ninjas who come with, as well as other small villages where characters like Karma, Yi, and other unaffiliated champs come from. The region of Ionia isn't the same as the country of Ionia, and lots of Ionian factions all hate each other. I honestly think Ionia could be split into smaller subgroups on the Universe site and it would be better, but I see no problem with adding more Ionians.

It's the same as the Frejlord, there are three warring tribes up there. It doesn't really matter if a ton of Frejlord champs were released and the number went up to 20 or so, because they are all in separate factions or independent of everybody like Ornn. If Riot sees an opportunity to make an interesting character, I don't think it's a problem no matter where they get placed into the world as long as other areas aren't ignored. I do think Riot is looking at getting characters from each region out right now though so they can update the lore, so I doubt we'll see many Ionians soon especially because Irelia and Akali are both from there and are releasing soonish.