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Lore Question 2: What is Zyra's Purpose on Valoran?

Support Boyyy·4/25/2017, 12:19:01 AM·8 votes·997 views

So we have the last flower of a basically extinct species who then eats a sorceress and creates a new "human" body for herself and gains that sorceress's memories and magic, then nothing. I mean, that's basically Zyra completely summed up. I understand that she isn't one of the most popular champions in League, but I mean, come on, Amumu has an entire music video. So what exactly is Zyra's purpose on Valoran?

Pretty much every champion has a purpose, Janna's purpose is to watch over the people of Zaun, Galio's is to protect Demacia from magic, Jhin's while not well defined is to spread his "art" across Valoran and work as an assassin for Ionia. Then there is Zyra who's just kinda there, doing nothing. A lot of people in the community have basically self interpreted her purpose as spreading her flowers and essentially turning her into a Poison Ivy copy, and as much as I do like Poison Ivy, I hate copy characters. However the last sentence in Zyra's short lore does imply she might be up to something...

"When Zyra opened her eyes, she was overwhelmed by the raw power ready at her fingertips. It wasn't until she noticed the shriveled remains of the plant she once was that she realized how vulnerable she had become. If this body died, there would be no network of vines to retreat through, no roots to regrow her... but she felt truly alive. She beheld the world for the first time as animals did, and a dark smile crept across her lips. She was reborn, and there was so much now within her grasp." Taken from Zyra's game info page on the official League of Legends website.

So what does it mean by "and there was so much now within her grasp."? It could of course mean what everybody interprets her as, a Poison Ivy copy character, but I think Riot could really open her up and create a very unique character. She went from a carnivorous plant, with only base instincts, to an almost human being, with the memories of the sorceress in her head. Obviously she would be overwhelmed by all this. They should work with that. Zyra would now have an evolved sense of the world around her and explore it, she would have to understand a world she never knew existed. Let her come to understand human morality but choose to create her own, given her backstory giving her a "survival of the fittest" point of view would be the best choice. But, let the sorceress memories affect her morality on occasion, let her still be present in Zyra's psyche, and try and control Zyra's actions. As for Zyra's purpose, her purpose is to find a purpose in her new life. So now we have Zyra, a person who struggles to have any real sense of morality and is trying to survive, while she searches for a purpose in her new life with her only help being the memories of the women she killed.

Please comment and tell me your opinion on my view of Zyra, and please post what you think her purpose should be.

"She enveloped the woman in thorns with ease, but as she savored this final meal, foreign memories invaded her thoughts. She saw great jungles of metal and stone where humans and animals thrived." This is just evidence for those of you who either didn't know or didn't think the sorceress's memories are in Zyra.

15 Comments

SociopathFriend4/25/2017, 4:52:05 AM4 votes

So what exactly is Zyra's purpose on Valoran?

Her lore could be given a good overhaul to be more fleshed out, it's true, but as it stands her purpose is just to live. Her lore spells out that her 'family' died out because they overate and destroyed their food source. Zyra would've ended up that way too had a sorceress not wandered close- Zyra mentions it was basically her last hope.

So what does it mean by "and there was so much now within her grasp."?

The ability to experience the world through a 'human' body. The ability to spread around and resurrect her race- which fits with her kit and the lore others ascribed to her. Just because that happens to coincide with Poison Ivy doesn't make it any less valid of an interpretation of the character. Any number of other characters can make parallels to comic characters.

Obviously she would be overwhelmed by all this.

There's not exactly precedent for magical plants consuming magical people to make magical bodies. While the experience is new to her, that doesn't by itself mean it has to overwhelm her.

But, let the sorceress memories affect her morality on occasion, let her still be present in Zyra's psyche, and try and control Zyra's actions.

Or, Riot doesn't want Zyra struggling with these memories, they wanted a clean absorption and a new persona to be born; more depth isn't always a good thing.

Personally, your idea has credit, but I don't think it's what Riot wanted for her. Her lines come across as fairly villain-y and her lore seems to back this a bit. I think the spreading and resurrecting her race holds more potential, not struggling to understand morality, she's a plant- plants don't do morality. I happen to think this survival-only mindset marks her as distinct from everyone else who has some ulterior plan or motive.

Ebonmaw Dragon4/25/2017, 12:26:30 AM2 votes

Do all the champions must have a purpose?

... I mean, Rammus doesnt have one and he is ok (no pun intended). She wants to survive and that is all, Unlike Ivern and Maokai, she is an actual plant... that is what plants do.

Melledoneus4/25/2017, 6:59:22 AM2 votes

Just watch Bee Movie. All your answers are there.

Props if you watch an edited version on Youtube.

GenoXx4/25/2017, 3:42:11 AM1 votes

She's a plant Vastaya: half human, half plant.

You have to call her a vastaya cuz they wont know how to give a different background

PokladnicaZla4/25/2017, 2:38:12 PM1 votes

Her lore might be will revisited when we get a Kumungu jungle event.I love her as a characters,she the reason why I started this game in the first place. First of all,even tho she's partially humna,she's still a predator.She views human as nothing more animals and source of food. She would fit an antagonistic characters overall (myb neutral evil? She leaves you alone if trespass,but if she catches you you're dead? I could see her evil good,teaming up with someone to take out another character to save the forest so other plants won't share the fate of her kind,but only if she cares for other plants,which is kinda empty. From her quotes,she doesn't really feel like someone who would be kind of merciful,nut RITO could always change that later on.

TRIVIA:RELATIONS Zyra wants to explore the world she glimpsed when consuming the sorceress, as well as to adapt to her new form, the fragility of which makes basic survival all the more important. Zyra (the predatory plant who relishes her new form) looks down on Maokai (the guardian nature spirit who laments his own) and yet they might be the only ones able to show each other the merits of their newfound bodies.[ Zyra might show some interest in Ahri considering the commonality in their acquisition of a humanoid form, but otherwise the Fox is merely a many-tailed snack.

Ivern residence was previously in Kumungu,they could do a short story in their encounter cause they're kinda opposite of each others. Zyra 's a plant turned human, while Ivern was human turned by God-Willow which would be a fun interaction and could give us more insight into both of them.

Tseison4/26/2017, 1:42:24 AM1 votes

I hope they revamp her entire kit and lore SOON.