League of Legends has such interesting lore and great characters and champions. Not all of them have a happy story, though. Who has the most tragic lore in League?
League of Legends is more than just a battle arena. Riot Games has done a good job of creating believable, interesting and unique lorebehind every champion since these champions need a reason to fight right? Well, here are some of the most tragic champions with the saddest champion lore.
We accumulated those that we felt are the most heart-wrenching and shared them with you. For anyone who wants a deeper understanding of their Champion, head over to the League of Legends Universe site, where each Champion story is explained in great detail!
So without further ado, let's get crying!
More LoL Lore Articles:
- LoL Lore: The Story of Annie the Dark Child
- LoL Lore: The Story of Braum, The Heart of the Freljord
- LoL Lore: The Story of Camille, the Steel Shadow
Which Champions Have The Most Tragic Lore?
5. Amumu - The Sad Mummy
Amumu’s story just makes you want to hold onto the green mummy. The feeling of loneliness which his lore depicts is very relatable, especially for anyone who might have just moved and is in desperate search of new friends in an unknown place.
Nobody knows who or what Amumu truly is. There are multiple stories and fables about the sad mummy boy. Some believe him to have been part of the first ruling family of Shurima who succumbed to a horrible disease. Amumu was quarantined only to befriend a small servant girl who would tell him stories through his door.
- Check out our Amumu champion guide, so you know how to play the sad mummy!
When his last brother died, Amumu became the ruler of Shurima. The young girl didn’t want him to be alone when he found out and opened his door. They hugged, only for the girl to wither away and die.
Another tale spoke of Amumu being a crown prince who sought power through the Eye of Angor. He stopped at nothing to get his hands on the relic. He forced slaves to help him through ancient tombs and catacombs until he found the relic. The slaves then sealed the young leader into the tomb, leaving him in darkness to slowly lose his sanity. Due to the Eye of Angor, his life was prolonged, though he would have to live in loneliness for the rest of eternity.
- Want to know more about Amumu, check out his complete lore right here!
A third story speaks of a Yordle king of Shurima who swore to live as a beggar until he made one true friend. Thousands walked by him, nobody stopped, and slowly the Yordle died of a broken heart. The spirit of the Yordle still walks the Shuriman deserts today, seeking a friend. These stories might not be the same, but all tell the tale of a lonesome boy, seeking a friend but cursed to be alone forever.
4. Renekton - The Butcher of the Sands
Renekton’s story pulls at the heartstrings. It's the tale of two brothers who cared deeply for one another and would sacrifice everything for each other, only for this love to be corrupted and turned into pure hatred.
Renekton grew up as a strong fighter and soldier. Under his older brother Nasus's command, he joined the Shuriman army and became known as the Gatekeeper of Shurima thanks to his fighting prowess. At one point, Nasus fell ill, but was given the right to ascend and become a mythical protector of Shurima.
Renekton raced back from the front lines to see his brother, but during the ascension ritual, Nasus was too weak. Renekton, ready to offer himself as a sacrifice, picked up his sickly brother and carried him the last steps towards the sun disk. In the end, both of them ascended. However, the ritual did cause Renekton to lose part of his humanity.
The brothers continued to fight alongside one another and had to chase after a sarcophagus that contained an evil fire being. During this time, Azir and his advisor Xerath tried to do the ascension ritual, only for it to fail and turn the whole capital to ashes. Xerath became a being filled with dark energy, and Azir died. Nasus and Renekton came back, realizing what had happened, and tried to force Xerath into the coffin, but he was too strong.
- A key player in Renektons lore is Azir, so check out his champion lore as well!
Renekton saw only one way out. He wrestled the being into a tomb and told his brother to seal it shut, knowing he'd be trapped too. Reluctantly, Nasus did. Centuries passed and Renekton was stuck in the darkness with Xerath, the evil creature whispering poison in his ears, corrupting his mind. Renekton slowly went insane, believing his brother had left him for dead, believing his brother had betrayed him.
3. Shen - The Eye of Twilight
Shen’s lore is a story of loss and acceptance. He's lost just about everything, but due to the honor of the Kinkou order and the burden of the Eye of Twilight, he never gets to fully mourn his past and has to stay neutral. He is constantly forced to push his feelings back – all for the Equilibrium.
Shen grew up with the Kinkou Monastery. His father, Kusho, was the head of the order and taught him everything. The key to the order was to keep the balance between the spirit realm and the mortal realm. Shen grew up with his adopted brother, Zed, both of them top students of the order.
- Akali is also part of his lore, so check out her story. Oh, and if you want we also have an Akali champion guide.
Shen and Zed often went on dangerous missions together until one day, they had to chase after the case of the Golden Demon. They followed the brutal serial killer for four years, only to find out that it was none other than Khada Jhin, who was then imprisoned by Kusho. However, the years of chasing Jhin changed them, and Zed became very angry and hungry for more power.
For using forbidden techniques, Zed was ultimately exiled from the order, only to create his own and come back years later. He would end up killing Shen’s father, throwing his severed head before him. Shen managed to escape the massacre, but had to establish a new Kinkou order with the few remaining survivors. Over the years, Shen lost everything – his home, his father, his best friend.
2. Skarner - The Crystal Vanguard
We all know something must have happened to Skarner with all the hate Seraphine has been receiving. But it isn’t just her who should be chastised. All of Piltover! The story of Skarner is truly heartbreaking, especially when thinking of real-world comparisons.
Skarner is part of the ancient Brackern race. Each Brackern holds a single magical crystal that retains the memories, hopes and dreams of all Brackern who held it beforehand, thus, making the Brackern basically immortal.
- One of the reason everyone hated Seraphine was because of her interaction with Skarner.
Once a Brackern dies, their crystal is buried in the sand for a younger Brackern to find. This created an eternal harmony of crystals calling to the Brackern. At first, mortals respected the Brackern, but as wars broke out, they became more power-hungry and violent. Fearing for their ways, the Brackern decided to hibernate until the dangers were over.
Skarner Won the VGU poll!Massive W!!!https://t.co/lvJ8T7Vknq pic.twitter.com/2LBbc5miEy
— League of Legends Updates (@LoLDailyUpdates) February 4, 2022
As Skarner was sleeping, he awoke to a loud screech that resonated within the harmony of the crystals, only to realize that their territory had turned into a wasteland and was now being dug up by humans who were forcefully hacking at the crystals and stealing them from the Brackern. And Brackern without their crystals were doomed.
Skarner managed to get away from the carnage, the dying song of the crystals haunting him, telling him to try and rescue those of his kin who had been stolen. Skarner went on that journey, only to hear slight inklings of the songs of the crystal. He ends up constantly torn between feelings of anguish and hope.
Ah, League of Legends, a fun game that occasionally slaps you in the face with a genocide story.
1. Zilean - The Chronokeeper
Who would have thought that Zilean would also have a tragic backstory, but he sure does. He might be an old man in League of Legends, but he's lived long enough to have seen horrifying things. Zilean has witnessed wars and destructions of civilizations... his own home even.
Zilean hails from Icathia, a long forgotten culture and society that fell at the hands of the Shuriman empire and their god-warriors of the Ascended Host. As Icathia fell, they became part of the Shuriman empire, as an autonomous region with their own council.
After centuries of colonized rule, Zilean, at the time being a young elemental mage, joined the council. His greatest feat was the mastering of time, though he hadn't accomplished it yet, still working on his discoveries. He was also a devout patriot of Icathia and by joining the political ranks he realized how unhappy Icathians were under the rule of Shurima.
He traveled to neighboring regions, asking for their help when standing up to Shurima, but all refused, stating that Icathia was on their own for such a revolt. Coming back from one of his travels, the councilors explained that they'd crowned their own new king and found a way to defeat the Shuriman empire and their suppression.
They would use the power of the Void to defeat their suppressors. What were once wise men of the council now seemed like madmen to Zilean who saw that no good would come of such power. There was no reasoning with the Icathian council though and set the abomination of the Void loose on the Shuriman continent.
The first to fall was Icathia itself, but Zilean used his incomplete time magic on his tower with hundreds of innocent people inside. Zilean did the unthinkable, stopping time within his tower, stopping the Void... but only in that small physical space. He is the only one who can freely move between the tower and the outside world, aware of the calamity and disaster that awaits Runeterra.