Riot Games has replaced the voice of the popular heroine Akali in League of Legends on the test server: Instead of the established voice actress Krizia Bajos, Ashly Burch has now been contracted for the English version. The actress voices characters such as Tiny Tina in Borderlands, Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn, and Chloe Price in “Life is Strange.” However, many fans were not happy with the voice change.
What kind of character is Akali?
- “The rebellious assassin” Akali is one of the most popular champions in LoL: She is a highly dangerous assassin, mainly played in the mid lane.
- Akali is considered an extremely cool heroine in LoL because she embodies a clear power fantasy: that of an assassin who dives into opponents with full risk and can take out her enemies in seconds. Akali was part of the ultra-successful LoL band “K/DA.”
- The voice of Akali also fit this fantasy: Bajos portrayed Akali in a rather restrained and cool manner, with a hint of arrogance in her voice. Fans described the “old voice” of Akali as: cruel, angry, and somewhat sadistic.
Akali will also receive a skin in the new “Star Guardian” event:
Riot replaces the voice of Akali with one of the most recognized female voices in gaming
This was the change: Riot Games has replaced Akali’s voice lines on the test server without much notice. The character was suddenly voiced by Ashly Burch. She is a well-known voice actress in gaming, recognized for roles such as:
- Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn
- Viper in Valorant
- Tiny Tina in Borderlands
- Chloe Price in Life is Strange
- Mel in The Last of Us
Burch is probably one of the best known, if not the most recognized, voice actresses in gaming.
Krizia Bajos, however, voices Akali: She is an American with roots in Cuba. The actress has only voiced a few “major roles” in video games.
Ashly Burch is extremely popular in gaming:
“Sounds just like Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn”
This was the fans’ reaction: The fans were not so disappointed with the new voice, but simply missed the old one too much to let it go. In comments, people said:
- “The new voice is just too …. “Hollywood action heroine” like.”
- “The voice is just like Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn. The same speech cadence and all. Probably the most colorless character in gaming, even though I like the game.”
- “I prefer the original Akali. Her voice just fits better: It’s serious and intense. The new one feels too sarcastic and snobby.”
Essentially, the people say: The “new Akali” sounds like a heroine, while the old Akali sounded like a monstrous killer.
Hardly anyone really criticizes Burch in the comments. It seems rather that Burch is so prevalent in video games that she now represents “the typical female voice” in gaming – and fans miss the uniqueness that the old Akali had.
This is how Riot responds: Riot has reverted the voice for the “base version” of Akali. If you really want to hear Ashley Burch: She will voice the “Star Guardian” skin for Akali.
For fans, this voice change was no small matter, as for many, Akali is not just any heroine, but a poster child of League of Legends. The thread on the topic quickly gained 3,000 upvotes and over 900 comments on reddit.
What an important role Akali plays in LoL is also evident in the band K/DA:
LoL: Music video was supposed to sell skins, becomes a viral hit
