Boards›Story, Art, & Sound

One of the most underrated character depths

An Undead brat·1/26/2017, 3:15:52 PM·3 votes·1,283 views

Hi, I'm Sexy Bisex Plant. I play since the end of Season 4 and I main Zyra mid practically since I started. While I love her gameplay, her theme was what made me start maining her. Let me explain:

Me: "Is there a plant champion in League?" Friend: "Yes, she's called Zyra." Me: "Ok I main it now."

But I must confess: It is the conversation here on Boards which happened few days ago that made me actually realize that, although her lore is pretty simple, her character is very deep.

It started with a conversation about their potential relationship with Ahri (I don't remember the name of the player it was with, sorry). We were discussing their view of the morality and if Ahri would kill Zyra for being a remorseless killer, while she honors the morality because she desperately wanted to be a human and the praised their existention, or if she'd let her go (if Zyra did not decide to kill and eat her) because of their similar origin, as Riot stated she would respect her for it.

And here comes the depth and the moral conflict of Zyra's character. She technically is a remorseless killer without a doubt, but should we be allowed to call her that? Before she stole the sorceress's body to survive, she was a plant without any nervous system and without any brain. When she got her new body, she was overwhelmed by tons of new sensations as sight, hearing, smell, taste... Even those were things behind her comprehendion for her whole life! How could it even be her fault not to even come close to the ideas of some sorts of higher principles as morality? It was the first time she left the place she was living in for decades, maybe centuries, it only is natural for her to explore the world the only way she knows how: to consume it!

So what is your oppinion? Is it that easy for you to condemn her as a simple murderer, or do you think it would be worth to try to catch her unharmed and educate her about society, empathy and even friendship or love eventually?

PS: Zyra is a predator, she kills and eats stuff and wants to see the world, stop thinking about her as "I must green the whole world for my babies to live in" Poison Ivy, they're completely different characters with completely different goals. Thank you.

8 Comments

Fasmodey1/26/2017, 3:21:44 PM3 votes

I think Zyra should stay as she is, but with deeper story. We already have enough morally grey character. Even while she is also grey (since as you said, we can't judge her morality because she doesn't understand that), she is in the brutal side. I would want her to say in that way, so she doesn't become Plant Ahri.

Escheton1/26/2017, 6:15:09 PM2 votes

First period of discovery: can't blame her. It's like children doing bad things because they lack perspective and experience. After that period: Nope, should know beter now. Gets treated like a grown ass adult.

Not sure at which point she gets played tho.

x R U K A x2/18/2017, 8:46:03 PM2 votes

With Zyra, she isn't evil, she just doesn't know what she's doing because she's been a plant for almost her entire life. You can't really expect a flower to have a sense of morality. But now she's a human, or at least part human, and I would very much like to see her character develop a sense of morality. Personally, I think she should stay mostly the same both personality and morality wise, but at least be self aware that now her actions have consequences, and with them come emotions she has to deal with. It's not the she's just going out and trying to kill everybody, she's trying to survive in a new world she knows nothing about and is doing it the only way she knows how, being a predator. Her standpoint on killing is probably something along the lines of "Mercy is for the weak". Lore wise, it would make sense that Noxus would try to add her to their army seeing as how they choose people with skills and abilities that help in any kind of way. And I mean, where else would a carnivorous plant turned into deadly mage with no moral compass be welcomed?

Placentas1/26/2017, 5:03:39 PM1 votes

Nice write up, interesting ideas.

I'm curious, how much of Zyra is the plant? All of her direct consciousness right? I'm curious how much, if any, consciousness of that witch survived Zyra's take over. Like she has a human body now, which means a human brain, so does that now make her...human? Or is her human physiology and plant consciousness fight with one another? She is pretty interesting.