Champion Bio: Jhin the Virtuoso

Sharjo··13 votes·14,865 views
Champion Bio: Jhin, the Virtuoso

Here it is folks! The long awaited Jhin lore!

Here's the transcription for those who can't get to the site:

KHADA JHIN, THE VIRTUOSO “Art requires a certain…cruelty.” I Jhin is a meticulous criminal psychopath who believes murder is art. Once an Ionian prisoner, but freed by shadowy elements within Ionia’s ruling council, the serial killer now works as their cabal's assassin. Using his gun as his paintbrush, Jhin creates works of artistic brutality, horrifying victims and onlookers. He gains a cruel pleasure from putting on his gruesome theater, making him the best choice to send the most powerful of messages: terror.

For years, Ionia’s southern mountains were plagued by the infamous “Golden Demon.” Throughout the province of Zhyun, a monster slaughtered scores of travelers and sometimes whole farmsteads, leaving behind twisted displays of corpses. Armed militias searched the forests, towns hired demon hunters, Wuju masters patrolled the roads - but nothing slowed the beast’s grisly work.

In desperation, the Council of Zhyun sent an envoy to beg Great Master Kusho for help. Upon hearing of the region’s plight, Kusho feigned an excuse for why he couldn’t help. But a week later, the master, his son Shen, and star apprentice Zed, disguised themselves as merchants and moved to the province. In secret, they visited the countless families emotionally shattered by the killings, dissected the horrific crime scenes, and looked for possible connections or patterns to the murders.

Their investigation took four long years, and left the three men changed. The famous red mane of Kusho turned white; Shen, known for his wit and humor, became somber; and Zed, the brightest star of Kusho’s temple, began to struggle with his studies. Upon finally finding a pattern to the killings, the Great Master is quoted as saying: “Good and evil are not truths. They are born from men and each sees the shades differently.”

Depicted in a variety of plays and epic poems, the capture of the “Golden Demon” would be the seventh and final great feat in the illustrious career of Lord Kusho. On the eve of the Blossom Festival in Jyom Pass, Kusho disguised himself as a renowned calligrapher to blend in with the other guest artists. Then he waited. Everyone had assumed only an evil spirit could commit these horrifying crimes, but Kusho had realized the killer was an ordinary man. The famed “Golden Demon” was actually a mere stagehand in Zhyun’s traveling theaters and opera houses working under the name Khada Jhin.

When they caught Jhin, young Zed marched forward to kill the cowering man, but Kusho held him back. Despite the horrors of Jhin’s actions, the legendary master decided the killer should be taken alive and left at Tuula Prison. Shen disagreed, but accepted the emotionless logic of his father’s judgment. Zed, disturbed and haunted by the murder scenes he had witnessed, was unable to understand or accept this mercy, and it is said a resentment began to bloom in his heart.

Though imprisoned in Tuula for many years, the polite and shy Khada Jhin revealed little of himself - even his real name remained a mystery. But while a prisoner, the monks noted he was a bright student who excelled in many subjects, including smithing, poetry, and dance. Regardless, the guards and monks could find nothing to cure him of his morbid fascinations.

Outside the prison, Ionia fell into turmoil as the Noxian empire’s invasion led to political instability. War awoke the tranquil nation’s appetite for bloodshed. The peace and balance Kusho had famously fought to protect was shattered from within as dark hearts rose in power and secret alliances competed for influence. Desperate to counter the power of the ninja and Wuju swordsmen, a cabal within the ruling council conspired to secretly free Jhin and turn him into a weapon of terror.

Now with access to the Kashuri armories’ new weapons, and nearly unlimited funds, the scale of Khada Jhin’s “performances” has grown. His work has brought fear to many foreign dignitaries and to Ionia’s secret political underground, but how long will a serial killer, craving attention, be satisfied working in the shadows?

64 Comments

ModCaptainMårvelous11 votes

"That's it Jhin. We finally caught you, you're getting locked up for good."

Jhin then spent the rest of his life fingerpainting, interpretive dancing and making horrific wooden carvings. He was also an excellent flute player.

LJMcLean2 votes

Must have creeped out the guards and warden out real bad.

RiotWAAARGHbobo7 votes

Worth noting this is "the Bio."
The color text (i.e. Story with Jhin in it ) will be going into localization soon.
Sooo more Jhin lore incoming...

Sharjo1 votes

Yeah I assumed as much, considering the current trend of things. I also imagine we'll be seeing Shen's full lore with a fully fledged bio and colour text around the same time. I'm excited!

Also just wanna say; you really killed it with Jhin. Keep up the great work!

Malicious Metal2 votes

{quoted}

Also just wanna say; you really killed it with Jhin. Keep up the great work!

Hope that was intentional.

Sharjo1 votes

Not at all. I wish it was now, then I'd feel very smug right now.

MrBuffington6 votes

This is off-topic, but every time I see you around Boards, I have to shout your name out loud. It's so satisfying

RiotWAAARGHbobo5 votes

Ha Thanks! Working as intended then.

Rabid Husky2 votes

on his lore page (the one with his splash in the background) i noticed it had a roman numeral 1 will his lore be 3 acts?

Malicious Metal8 votes

Probably four.

RiotWAAARGHbobo5 votes

Well observed.

GreenLore1 votes

Well every champ nowadays gets a 2 part lore(part 1 being the bio,part 2 being a short story),so I'd say that is more likely and probably what WAAARGHbobo was referring to

JudasLover3 votes

WE WANT THE ACTUAL CHAMPION

Etc1 votes

Is this still happening? Did it get published and I just missed it?

Ralanr6 votes

Hearing about how Shen and Zed worked together just feels sad. I can only imagine them being the best of friends, joking around and laughing on their travels.

Then all of it happens. And I thought Diana and Leona's tragedy was my favorite.

Celio Hogane HD1 votes

Well they were literally brothers.

Ralanr1 votes

Thought Zed was adopted?

Sharjo1 votes

He is, but how one views their adoptive sibling varies, and I'd say that back in the day, while Shen and Zed might've been born of different parents, they were as close as you'd expect brothers to be, if not more so.

RiotWAAARGHbobo5 votes

Yep. They started training at the almost exactly same age-- much younger than most. They were fellow students, best friends, and they became closer than most brothers.

what you deserve1 votes

item 3070 item 3070

ModAcademy Kayn1 votes

Oh man, you're just waiting to break our hearts. Be gentle D:

Celio Hogane HD1 votes

What has to do being adopted with being literally brothers? Are you the kind of guy who say "Not blood related so not trully brothers"? because i disagree.

Ralanr1 votes

I can see them being so close that they are practically brothers.

what you deserve1 votes

Blood of the Covenant is thicker than water of the womb

Splision5 votes

Does anyone else find it a little heartbreaking that this ordinary man, Jhin, had such a scarring impact on the lives of those three ninja.

Sharjo4 votes

It's exacerbated by the culture of Ionia itself; they thought this was a spirit, a demon of some kind. The murders themselves were bad enough but to then realise these happened by human hands was the tipping point. We as people are generally so exposed to more violent and gory material daily that I'm kinda taken aback now, considering how much these murders must have affected Kusho, Shen and Zed.

Splision1 votes

Do you think he was using melee weapons while he was the "Golden Demon" considering people might've found the wounds left by hextech weaponry to be obvious, or do you think that's how Master Kusho was able to distinguish that he was an ordinary human to begin with?

Sharjo3 votes

Potentially the way in which Jhin...or Khada, if that's his assumed first name, utilised melee weapons to carve people up in a way reminiscent to a demonic entity or foul spirit. Off the top of my head I can imagine theories about the murders being possession causing a person to inflict wounds upon themselves, or something to that effect. Keep in mind that it's implied here he didn't have a hextech piece to his name back then; he got them from the Kashuri after his release from incarceration.

Given the fact that Jhin's effectively sociopathic and has other problems, it stands to reason no one would've recognised how deranged he was outwardly. It's like a situation where a person has someone imprisoned in their home for years, but lives an ordinary life in such a manner that no one would've ever suspected it. People would've been shocked and surprised finding out Khada Jhin was in fact the murderer, considering he's quite polite and well spoken as an individual. He's charismatic, and that was a valuable weapon for him.

How Kusho discerned that the Golden Demon was in fact human isn't all that clear to me, but I guess four years of searching allowed him to gather enough evidence to at least assume that was the case. Potentially Jhin actually coerced people in to willing cooperation, and that was what eventually led Kusho to his conclusion in that where a demon or spirit would be forceful (potentially), where as Jhin just said "I'll make you perfect, step inside" and people just did because they trusted in Jhin's calm and sophisticated demeanor.

Just some thoughts.

Dreamspitter1 votes

{quoted}

It's exacerbated by the culture of Ionia itself; they thought this was a spirit, a demon of some kind. The murders themselves were bad enough but to then realise these happened by human hands was the tipping point. We as people are generally so exposed to more violent and gory material daily that I'm kinda taken aback now, considering how much these murders must have affected Kusho, Shen and Zed.

So how many more demons are wandering around other than Tahm Kench anyway? Do most people know they really exist?

Sharjo1 votes

Demons probably exist as fairy tales, in folklore and as legends, but the likelihood is that evidence of their existence is limited. My personal assumption would be that demons of Tahm Kench's caliber are exceedingly rare and tend not to come near each other as they'd compete for prey, but lesser demons would be abundant, hiding in plain sight.

Tesla Effect5 votes

New stuff:

  • Khada Jhin (full Artistic name, not his actual name)
  • Master Kusho (Shens father has a name)
  • Kusho, Shen, and Zed track, captured, and imprisoned Jhin.
  • Zed wanted to kill Jhin for all the murders he has done, Kusho instead imprisoned him. Zeds resentment towards his master began to bloom from here on out.
  • More insight into Kusho, Shen, and Zeds backstory and personalities.
  • New Locations: Zhyun, Jyom Pass, Tuula, Tuula Prison, and Kashuri armories.
  • Ionia has a secret corrupt political faction which want to disregard the "balance in all things" which Ionia was known for and start doing something seriously dangerous.
  • Ionia is holding on some serious technological firepower from all across Runeterra.
  • Blossom Festival (some festival revolving around artists).

And Twits say there is nothing to be extracted from these new lores.

kitcat3002 votes

My take away points.

So Shen's Father was named Kusho. And if his description is to be taken literally, he used to have had red hair?

Shen used to be the jokester of the group? That I would have never expected. And it seems the hunt for the killer helped to contribute to his current emotional state. (Or people are just going to make jokes because he is a soulless red-head)

Here we see Zeds first signs of resentment toward Shen's father, when Kusho decided to spare Jhin. Not only that, him falling behind in his studies led him to never be able to beat Shen, which as we all know lead to even more resentment, and his desire to be acknowledged resulted in him seeking out the shadow art technique.

Sharjo7 votes

So Shen's Father was named Kusho. And if his description is to be taken literally, he used to have had red hair?

I hope this means Shen has red hair too. I feel like that'd be cool. Dunno why.

Shen used to be the jokester of the group? That I would have never expected. And it seems the hunt for the killer helped to contribute to his current emotional state.

It humbled him at the very least. It's probably been a sticking point for Shen throughout his growth as a man and likely didn't help when he became the Eye of Twilight.

Here we see Zeds first signs of resentment toward Shen's father, when Kusho decided to spare Jhin. Not only that, him falling behind in his studies led him to never be able to beat Shen, which as we all know lead to even more resentment, and his desire to be acknowledged resulted in him seeking out the shadow art technique.

I like this for the reason that it adds more to the whole Zed/Shen rivalry beyond Zed just wanting to beat out Shen. In this case Zed's the guy failing because he can't keep it together after having seen Jhin's murders, and it leads him down a dark path as he tries to compensate for his own failings.

turkeyBACON2 votes

Anyone else feel like they were reading a news article rather than a story? I wonder if that was the intended tone.

Jeddy0171 votes

Now we wait for Shen's lore.

Sharjo7 votes

My browser has four different versions of Shen's champion page up, ready to be refreshed at a moment's notice.

I AM PREPARED.

Malicious Metal10 votes

It's already been released

We just haven't caught up yet.

Sharjo6 votes

If it was I WOULD NOTICE. I AM SODDING SPEEDY GONZALES. I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY SUCH PALTRY TECHNIQUES.

Xulsigae1 votes

It seems wrong for the master's decision to not kill Jhin to be called emotionless. If they were using pure cold logic, then killing Jhin would probably be the correct choice. Saving him seems to be a 'compassionate' act, which is not emotionless. It's even called 'mercy' in the text itself.

And the answer to the question of how long Jhin will act in the shadows is: Until Riot decides the lore needs to progress.

And the usual question- What would bring him to the League? He would seem to have a really good reason to go to the League. Think of the different ways he can practice his art again and again and in front of the entire world.

Sharjo1 votes

It seems wrong for the master's decision to not kill Jhin to be called emotionless. If they were using pure cold logic, then killing Jhin would probably be the correct choice. Saving him seems to be a 'compassionate' act, which is not emotionless. It's even called 'mercy' in the text itself.

It is its own mercy, but it's emotionless because Kusho was mentally changed by the experience, but still went through with incarcerating Jhin instead of killing him out of hatred or disgust. Kusho recognised that no matter how he may personally feel about Jhin's crimes, he should be sentenced just as any other criminal would.

And the usual question- What would bring him to the League? He would seem to have a really good reason to go to the League. Think of the different ways he can practice his art again and again and in front of the entire world.

Except he doesn't; the League isn't canon anymore.

Xulsigae1 votes

Mercy is an emotional act. Feeling someone should be tried is to value a system of fairness, which is emotional.

Ah but it will live on on the hearts of those who miss it. Also it shows that he's yet another champion who can fit in with the League.

Sharjo1 votes

Also it shows that he's yet another champion who can fit in with the League.

Cept he's dead.

Xulsigae1 votes

Never stopped Karthus.

And where does it say he's dead?

Sharjo1 votes

Pretty sure Ionians aren't gonna be letting him come back as an undead any time soon if they can help it.

He was killed by Zed, and it was revealed that such was the case upon Zed's release, which was over three years ago.

Xulsigae1 votes

Where is this revealed?

Dreamspitter1 votes

{quoted}

Where is this revealed?

Literally in Zed's own lore.

Xulsigae1 votes

Yes, I thought Sharjo was talking about Jhin, when he thought I was talking about the master. I know the master is dead.

Jeddy0171 votes

I think there's a little confusion here.I believe Xulsigae was talking about Jhin,not Kusho.

Xulsigae1 votes

I am indeed.

Dreamspitter2 votes

{quoted}

It seems wrong for the master's decision to not kill Jhin to be called emotionless. If they were using pure cold logic, then killing Jhin would probably be the correct choice. Saving him seems to be a 'compassionate' act, which is not emotionless. It's even called 'mercy' in the text itself.

And the answer to the question of how long Jhin will act in the shadows is: Until Riot decides the lore needs to progress.

And the usual question- What would bring him to the League? He would seem to have a really good reason to go to the League. Think of the different ways he can practice his art again and again and in front of the entire world.

Never forget.

http://i.imgur.com/rY6nj4B.jpg

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