This is a little different from my other blog posts, but I receive this question a lot. How does a League of Legends character hold a special place in my heart?

As TBSkyen puts it perfectly, Kayn is League of Legends Sasuke—he has an edgy, broody, angst vibe, demonic attributes, and he (literally) struggles with his inner demon, Rhaast. Oh, and also he has a cool, edgy weapon. He’s League’s embodiment of the hot, brooding and emo anime boy.

“But he’s just an archetype!”

Well, if you read his lore and the Marvel x League comic, Zed, Kayn’s character has layers.

Even though he physically embodies the brooding emo boy with angst, he’s actually a little shit-brat to the people he interacts with. He’s confident and competent as a member of the Shadow Order, to the point that he’s overconfident. He’s loyal to Zed and his Shadow Order, but he also wants to surpass them through Rhaast. Ultimately, Kayn is a subversion.

Despite all these layers and character traits, I like his gameplay and mechanics. I love how risky his gameplay is and how it allows for insane early-game plays and late-game potential.

For example, his passive lets you choose one of two forms once you meet its prerequisites. If you collect enough red orbs by hitting enemy physical and melee champions, you can choose Rhaast, a bruiser with tons of healing and regeneration. If you collect enough blue orbs by hitting enemy ranged and magic champions, you can choose the shadow assassin, an assassin with increased movement speed and serious damage. As you can notice, his passive accurately portrays Kayn’s lore and its open-endedness. It also means that if you equip a skin on him, you get three different skins—one for each form (Original Kayn, Rhaast, and Shadow Assassin).

Also, the yaoi potential for Kayn and Rhaast is insane. Their banter is well-written, comedic, and really shows off their dynamic. Their dynamic is open to interpretation, but personally, it reminds me of Eddie and Venom from Marvel Comics and their titular movies. It screams, “They want each other so bad!” and enemies-to-lovers at the same time.

Kayn is ultimately the antithesis of what he’s supposed to be, which makes him compelling in League’s lore and gameplay.