5 Things To Know About New Champion Taliyah

Taliyah’s a Person. But, Like, Actually.

Taliyah is arguably the most relatable female champion released since Jinx in October of 2013. Heck, she might be the most relatable champion released in that time frame full stop. Not that we don’t love sating our immortal thirst for spear vengeance or bringing untold violence from beneath the sands, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen a straight-up human female that isn’t on a quest to bash the souls of the unworthy with tentacles.

Taliyah is just a teenage girl from Shurima with crazy rock-weaving powers who wants to get back home to her family and also save them from being enslaved by a mysteriously resurrected god king. In her lore and preview materials, we’ve seen Taliyah be scared and insecure, but also unflaggingly determined. Like a real, admirable person!

Taliyah has some distinctive facial features (like some people do, in life), which give her a unique look that stands out from other warriors on the Rift. A small subset of fans have taken umbrage with her design, taking to the internet to decry Taliyah as being “ugly” or calling for “more hot girls.” This is a pretty shameful display, but Taliyah’s designer Daniel Z. Klein had this level-headed response for detractors on Twitter: “…not your cup of tea? Cool! We already have 33 sexualized women in the game (I went and counted). I’m certain we will make a sexy lady again in the future. She will own it, and it will make sense for her.”

We’re grateful to have a character we can identify with who adds to the diversity of the champion roster, and we’re glad to have a designer like Klein working on the game who can eloquently explain his design choices.

Speaking of Klein…

Next: Taliyah Was Designed By Daniel Z. Klein