Boards›Story, Art, & Sound

Let's talk about Kennen's aesthetic

DrOinkleBerry·10/17/2014, 6:18:55 PM·1 votes·1,078 views

Kennen is a little hyperactive Yordle ninja with with lightning magic that we have adored for quite a while at this point. He is certainly an older champion, but not among the oldest. But, how about taking a moment to talk about him, shall we?

When examining the aesthetic of a champion, it's important to ask 'what fantasy archetype does this character fulfill?'

Well, let's break down what Kennen embodies as he currently is:

A Yordle (tend to be comical, but not usually to the detriment of the game; even Teemo and Veigar add some depth) A Ninja (usually associated with Eastern mythologies; tend to use either stealth, melee finesse, or magic tricks to defeat opponents, presumably) A... Lightning Mage? (tend to be associated with hardcore wizard themes, or shamanistic themes; not at all closely tied in with ninjas)

So with those aspects of Kennen broken down, I leave you with my topic. When you play Kennen, what aesthetic do you see most prominently about him? Do you play him because he's a lightning mage, or because he's a ninja? If Kennen were to be ONLY one of the two aesthetics, which would you see as more appropriate for him (mage, or ninja)?

This isn't to say Kennen should be aesthetically stripped down necessarily, but this is to simply start conversation in regards to the obvious observation that being a Lightning Mage and a Ninja at the same time doesn't really... blend. At least, not as much as Akali (the stealthy melee assassin), or Shen (the intrusive dexterous distraction).

So, Summoners, what do you think about Kennen, aesthetically? Do you think he'd be healthier, aesthetically, if he was more closely tied with the mystic Ninja archetype, or if he was more closely tied with the lightning mage archetype? Do you think he is fine with having both, even if it seems objectively odd?

8 Comments

LordHippoman10/17/2014, 6:44:05 PM3 votes

I like him the way he is because, like you mentioned, the rest are "archetypes". League has a lot of interesting characters, but almost all of them are pretty much copy/pasted popular concepts.

Blitzcrank : Robot who develops human qualities, gains independence

Shaco : Killer Clown

Singed : Mad Scientist

Gnar : Funny little guy who "Hulks Out"

Now, that's not a bad thing, and these certainly aren't bad characters, because in thousands of years of writing just about every possible character archetype has been done (some more than others).

Lightning Ninja is, while certainly not something that hasn't been used before, at least a little more original, and I like that.

HigeR10/17/2014, 8:11:29 PM2 votes

I think lightning mage ninja CAN be an archetype of its own, you see the expression: "lightning fast" fits perfectly to a Ninja, it'd be awesome if his lighting rush was super fast like 5 times more fast than it currently is or at least if it would have different visuals or mechanics like: he dashes 5 times in 1 second or so.

As for the rest of his kit, I think it works, his ult is a little too RNG but it blends quite well what a lightning mage and a ninja is about, quick zaps and shurikens? yes please! of course being flashy goes against being stealthy but being quick can be perceived as being fast enough to be almost invisible, right?

All in all I love Kennen but the little friend needs some love taps and bug fixing! His particles need work and he needs to stop looking like furry Rantaro ._. to be THE ninja yordle.

GreenLore10/18/2014, 12:55:41 AM1 votes

Overall I'd say what defines him is being THE lightning champ of the game. Just like Janna is THE wind champ,Lux is THE light champ,Brand is THE fire champ I mean we have Ryze and blitzcrank too,but ryze uses pure magic and bc is a robot/golem.

Obviously they should keep the ninja-part of him(although that gives us the question what the archetype of Shen and akali should be?),but I'd say the lightning-part is the most unique aspect about him

Kled Man Walking10/18/2014, 5:02:24 AM1 votes

I feel like the magic trick thing works well for him, actually.

His asethetic could be literal lighting- it's fast, hits hard, and is hard to track down. You could even have him based around the sort of "lightning never strikes in the same place twice" thing. Of course, you'd have to change his kit in that case.

Solideus10/18/2014, 6:58:28 PM1 votes

I think one of the things that was harder to do when he was released that should be done differently now is his animations. If you look at Ziggs, for example, his animations sells his personality very well. As currently reflected in his VFX and sound Kennen is supposed to be hyperactive, and that should be shown in his animations as well.

The Red Warden10/18/2014, 7:01:20 PM1 votes

I see him as a talking ninja pikachu

junglerboy1610/18/2014, 8:35:11 PM1 votes

He is a lightning ninja, they should focus more on his aspects of speed and agility rather than his "mage" side. To me, the phrase "lightning ninja" makes me think of a ninja that relies heavily on speed and evasion, not melee strength or damage per-se. They would be a stealthy assassin type that sneaks up on you in plain sight but is gone before his target or their allies realize what happened. Lightning damage and electricity are ok, but they should rebalance the emphasis towards his ninjaness, not his random magical electro spells. He can still use lightning and stuff like that, but it shouldn't be the main focus.