A while back, a lot of skin art got replaced with China's art to make it so every region used the same splash art. Along with those skin splashes getting replaced, Karthus's classic skin was changed to the Chinese version which almost completely blacked out his face. Since then the system has allowed for differences between regions again (Graves cigar). Will we ever get to see Karthus's handsome facial features again?
Çhåryzård25 votesThe new one overall looks less detailed and a step down from his other one
CleverCactus12 votesI couldn't find two full-size images from both versions so the resolution on these might be off, but I do think the new one doesn't look as good.
Sand Clone3 votesThe new one overall looks less detailed and a step down from his other one
one word: China
Tails90162 votesThe fact that you didn't use an image of Trump saying it kills me
La Bello3 voteshttps://i.imgur.com/Da6DKWd.jpg
the Riot games special
Vartius20 votesOr, if they really want to keep the integrity, edit his splash more competently, because this black tint looks really bad and amateur. Blurry, barely shaded - looks like someone just took some basic brush and smeared some over his face... Which honestly is what actually happened.
TheThundersRoar1 votesHell, I wish they just smeared it over his face. They literally blurred the entire splash.
GreenLore12 votesIn general I am confused why this was done in the first place. I mean Karthus doesn't even have a skull for a face,so there is nothing there to censor in the first place.
So maybe Riot just thinks that the one with the face covered in darkness looks cooler?
SpecterVonBaren2 votesChina.
What Is Smite1 votesTencent, also refered to as %%%%%s according to Britian terminology for Chinese food.
Here's the wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%%%%%
Edit: Well looks like Tencent doesn't like the word either, can't blame them.
GreenLore2 votesThats the confusing thing though.
Skeletons and skulls are a taboo in china. But corpse faces?They are actually ok there(after all some games remodel their skeletons simply into zombies for the chinese audience).
So Karthus has no skeleton face,why would they censor this?
Like I said,the only reason I can think of is that they simply like the darker version more(possibly as a nod to his previous china-design)
SEKAI5 votesSkeletons and skulls are a taboo in china.
I feel the myths in these parts have run a bit too deep to make a difference now, but let me just clarify that this is completely false. Skeletons and skulls have never been taboo in China, in fact, most of the time it isn't even Chinese government censoring the game but the game company themselves who do it.
The reason for it is because China's legal wording regarding what they view is acceptable in games is ambiguous, so to save the trouble of any potential legal battles and whatnot, many game companies, especially "foreign" game companies, simply do themselves a favour and remove/self-censor the skeletons and whatever elements out of their own accord because they fear it might be considered "promoting superstitions", something that's legalised against.
However, there is never an explicit ban on skeletons, that's why many games and movies and whatnot continues to have it. There is a reason why the Pixar movie "Coco" is NOT banned in China, and is currently the blockbuster hit, where the vast majority of the movie's plot is spent in the underworld where dead people supposedly live as skeleton people.
This isn't to say that China has never censored, or that there is no problem with ambiguous and unclear wording in legal matters, but to say that "Skeletons and skulls are a taboo in china" is completely false, and just a conclusion drawn from several leaps of logic based on misunderstanding.
.........
As for why Karthus' splash was downgraded? Who the fuck knows. But I hope it can get restored some time soon.
GreenLore2 votesI'm well aware of pretty much everything you said.
From my understanding "X is taboo" doesn't mean that there is actively a law against X,just that there is a social norm that says "you shouldn't do X". Of course doing X could still be considered a crime,that depends on the kind of taboo.
So when I say "skeletons&skulls are a taboo in china"(or more precisely showing them is taboo),then I don't mean that china actively bans everything with skeletons in them,just that it is considered as something that you shouldn't generally do(I think it was because it is conisidered disrespectful to the dead,but I could be wrong about it)
Miku Append12 votesIt is unlikely. The problem is Tencent is a Chinese company, which has the financial say in what Riot Games is allowed to do. Now, I leave this video to you. It explains this better than I could ever dream of.
CleverCactus1 votesWe can have different splash arts for different regions now though.
Miku Append3 votesWe can have different splash arts for different regions now though.
Even so, Chinese company has the final say.
CleverCactus3 votesI don't think Tencent actually controls much of anything related to what Riot does.
Toppien6 votesyou call that a face?
[sg-lulu]
Colton1475 votes
can have a cigar, but 
can't have a face. 
CrazFight 4 votesI miss pre-vgu update on karthus. I know im in the minority, but I personally loved how karthus looked before !
EvilMerodach2 votes[{quoted}](name=CrazFight ,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=rzzwjNob,comment-id=0005,timestamp=2018-02-18T22:33:01.888+0000)
I miss pre-vgu update on karthus. I know im in the minority, but I personally loved how karthus looked before !
RIP skittles.
I miss Karthus VO lines not being 3000 years long too.
I mained Karthus pre-VU. I stopped playing him almost completely after. Partly because he just doesn't really do well with almost any team comp anymore, and his ulti has more and more counters. But also partly because I get pissed every time I click him and have to listen to AGONY, (plz) ECSTASY (nu), PEACE (shtaapp). ...
jama6553 votestencent says no
xelaker3 votescountries like china don't like to show dead peeps a lot, so it's prob easier to just give him a generic spooky face then details.
Velzard of Koz2 votesAnother example is Evelynn being more covered in another region, not sure If Korea, or some other.
Çhåryzård1 votes[{quoted}](name=Velzard of Koz,realm=EUNE,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=rzzwjNob,comment-id=0003,timestamp=2018-02-18T20:23:22.364+0000)
Another example is Evelynn being more covered in another region, not sure If Korea, or some other.
It's at least the same splash art, she just has a bit more "clothing" but overall the art is still detailed and good looking. It's not like they reduced the amount of detail overall
Velzard of Koz1 votesI wasn't specifically speaking about measure of difference, just to add to OP's list of region-different splash arts that were added since the unification.
GGLineaR2 votesI personally like the lower detail on karthus's face. Makes him look more spectral.
But I can see why people would want the old one.
Blaiz Fenix2 votesThis has to do with Eastern countries. Depictions of death are not as PC over there as they are here. So, in order to standardize and make them appropriate for all cultures, the Chinese versions were used.
Lord Phazanor 1 votesBring back the true Lord Mordekaiser splash art :'(
GarlicFries1 votesNo. It looks like a skull, and Tencent isn't okay with that.
