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Why does Kayle have boob armor?

swan2swan·10/14/2014, 4:09:24 PM·193 votes·49,464 views

When I first played League, I remember being surprised to find that Kayle was a woman. It was very much like the legendary Samus reveal of old--looking at an armored figure and foolishly assuming that it must be a man underneath, but then finding that "Kayle" (a name that gives nothing away) was the name of a woman and that it was actually a super-awesome lady angel in practical armor. It was such a refreshing change, and it helped to establish her as one of my faves.

The whole "fooling people into thinking she's a boy" element is not a necessary element of her character, but I really hate the fact that her new splash art is so...typical female art. Look at how she folds her leg so you can see her butt, look at how her breast is actually covering her head as she thrusts it upward...it's also so blocky and bulky, and doesn't have any of the grace or majesty that Kayle is supposed to exude. It looks ridiculous, and I am very glad that I already have several skins for her so that I never have to look at such a ridiculous appearance. She's not looking down upon us, preparing to smite the world with her justice--she's showing off her butt and boobs and gesturing for us to join her in the private shell she's forming.

Compare the splash to every other Kayle skin there is if you want to see what I mean. Every other splash art conveys Kayle perfectly...except for the default. And that is a huge problem.

327 Comments

CupcakeTrap10/14/2014, 4:53:33 PM70 votes

The artist is clearly very skilled, but I think a reroll on this one might make sense.

The weird golden egg is a peculiar way to represent her ult, which I pictured as a holy aura of celestial magic, rather than … a giant bronze egg she's hiding inside.

The boobplate is weird for all the usual reasons. And it's extra-weird because this is Kayle — whatever nonsense they do with her new lore, her archetype is going to remain "warrior angel".

OP made a good point explaining what I found strange about her posture: her hips and legs are very oddly positioned so that she can show off her butt. Kayle descending toward the viewer is compelling, but if you're going that route she should be charging headlong with her sword raised to strike, with her torso and shoulders forward, and her wings dominating the space behind her. If they want a less aggro image, then I think her previous splash had it basically right: have her serene, aloft, and balanced.

Remlap122310/14/2014, 4:44:38 PM38 votes

Aw, really rito? You're giving the holy and majestic angel that's supposed to be THE only unsexualized woman in the game that isn't a Yordle, an animal, or a little girl boobplates in her splash art? Ugh. I understand keeping things consistent, but one, boobplates aren't pratical irl, and two, this is Kayle! Despite being very beautiful once her helmet is off, she isn't meant to be pandering sexually in any way, because she's supposed to be a stereotypical angel. Boobplates are always sexually pandering. I'm fine with that, just not on Kayle.

Der Lindwurm10/14/2014, 5:00:33 PM17 votes

I had just gotten done commenting to some friends on how Kayle's boob plate isn't nearly so ridiculously exaggerated as everyone else's when up pops this new splash art as though I'd tempted fate.

Futanarilover10/14/2014, 10:16:41 PM15 votes

The inner history buff in me, is annoyed at this change. I know armor and how it was used/made it didn't discriminate between genders. I could point to a number of female warriors in history., that had regular armor. Joan of Arc being the most obvious

John Berserk10/14/2014, 7:49:29 PM15 votes

Do people really think this splash art is "sexualizing" Kayle? Really?? Guys, she's looking down at her enemy. She's not thrusting her boobs out, she's not sticking her butt out, she doesn't look "sexy" at all. She looks like a female in armor meant for a female.

Yes the "boob armor" may seem silly to some, but it's not like they designed it to be completely impractical. It doesn't look too different from her current splash art. It's just the angle the shot is from that makes them look larger, because it's from beneath them, not directly in front. And again, that shouldn't be a problem. She can be a female and look like a female too.

Think of it this way: Why would someone like Kayle need "practical" armor, like armor you or I would wear? We can't fly, we can't swing a blade and burn up a large area in front of us, we can't shoot magic balls of.. idk, raw justice at people to slow them down, but she can. All she can do, because she's an angel, is more than enough imo to compensate for the fact that her boobs on her armor may not be the best for actual swordfighting, which, lets be honest, Kayle almost never does.

gay skarner 10/14/2014, 10:19:52 PM14 votes

There are so many splash arts that contort the spines of the pictured female champion. Boobs out front, ass out back. It's really kind of annoying, as if while busy destroying their enemies they're saying, "Don't forget to check me out! T&A are my most important attributes!"

Armor that hides these aspects is to be avoided lest someone is unable to pop a boner during lane phase.

Destínum10/14/2014, 8:51:37 PM14 votes

I find it so sad that Riot can't let a female character just be their character and not have their gender be a big part of their character. Seriously, almost every single champion that is only defined by their archetype is defaulted to male.

Tsaalyo10/15/2014, 12:22:23 AM12 votes

Alright, let me explain something to you about breasts.

Breasts are not flush with the rest of the body.

They protrude forward. So, you have two options. You can either have a cylinder of armor that leaves a couple inches of empty air above and below her breasts, or you can have it pressing her breasts into her, which would be very goddamn uncomfortable after a while. Armor needs to conform to the contours of the body to be comfortable. This is how normal clothes work, this is how wetsuits work, why not armor?

In b4 BUT HISTORICALLY THERE HAS NOT BEEN BOOB ARMOR.

Historically, women were barefoot and pregnant when men were marching around in full plate. Today, the modern military's kevlar DOES conform with the breasts. Comfort matters. Deal with it.

Tsaalyo10/15/2014, 1:12:07 PM9 votes

Tryndamere runs around topless int he arctic. (Though, ironically, the SJWs bitched about Sejuani. Oh, the hypocrisy.) Pantheon runs around in spandex, just like all Spartans did, apparently. Ryze the battlemage runs around topless, because I guess he feels that his tattoos will stop a blade. Even Garen, despite being mostly armored, won't wear a helmet, because it's vitally important that we all see his smooth skin, rugged charm, and carefree brown locks. But Kayle's solid, hair to toe suit of armor has some feminine curvature? OMG THIS IS UNTHINKABLE.

Smh.

Maxilimus10/14/2014, 4:29:27 PM8 votes

Boob armor because breast binding is uncomfortable