Zoe’s design and personality is a breath of fresh air in League

Zoe quickly became one of my favorite champions in the game the second I saw her. Her design is lighthearted and more fun than the edgier champions we’ve gotten in the past several years, really opening the doors to what Riot can bring to League.

For reference, the four other champions released in 2017 were Xayah, Rakan, Kayn and Ornn. While these aren’t the edgiest champions in the game (sans Kayn), they all have extremely dark color palettes and are far from the friendliest champions we’ve seen. Before them, in 2016 we had Camille, Ivern, Kled, Taliyah, Aurelion Sol and Jhin — also darker champions will less than friendly personalities, with Ivern as the exception.

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In champion updates, we’ve had Evelynn, Urgot, Galio, Warwick, Yorick and Ryze (and this is going back to July 2016). All but two of those champions involve a “we like to murder people” theme.

Zoe’s level of friendly whimsy is reminiscent of Lulu, who released in March 2012 and this positivity is something we’ve only seen in Lulu and Lux.

I’m certainly not blaming Riot for making a game about fighting and having it star a cast of characters who are mostly based on assassinating each other, but dang. It feels good as hell to see another fun character in this game.

Zoe’s level of zany fun might seem annoying to most. She has voice lines with Ezreal and Lux that push the limits on her personality from fun to a little bit creepy. (Zoe is a tiny bit yandere.) Many would compare her to a “xD so random” teenager on the internet. This is all OK. Why? Because it sets her apart from every other League champ whose personality and background are based on murder and war.

Zoe’s eccentric personality matches her colorful and wild visuals. It’s been a long time since we’ve had so much personality shoved into a small package. Her release genuinely makes me excited for what types of characters are going to come to League next.