League of Legends will receive a new champion named Akshan in July. This was officially shown for the first time in a screenshot. However, the model is not well received by many players as the last male characters looked almost identical.
Who is the new champion? So far, not much is known about Akshan. We only know his name from a leak about Wild Rift (via YouTube), and his model comes from a screenshot regarding the upcoming event “Sentinels of Light”.
However, Riot Games has already revealed that the new champion will be a marksman specifically for the mid lane. He will focus on dealing attack damage and will be able to attack from a distance. Riot stated specifically:
While champions like Lucian, Corki, and Tristana have been played in the mid lane, none of them feel like they are specifically made for this position, with the characteristics often seen from champions in this lane – such as intended roaming and duel focus.
In another screenshot from the data mining (via reddit), a “Grappling Hook” can be seen, allowing players to pull themselves towards enemies or parts of the map. This would particularly fit with the mentioned roaming potential. We will likely learn more details about the champion and his abilities within the next one to two weeks.
When will Akshan be released? The new champion could possibly debut on July 8th. That is when the “Sentinels of Light” event starts, which featured the artwork of Akshan. The event ends on August 10th.
What is the issue with Akshan? While little is known about the gameplay content of the new champion, many players are already criticizing Akshan’s model.
He is portrayed as a man with a bare torso and six-pack abs. And this very model has been used for 8 out of the last 9 male champions.
Players want crazy models and monsters, not six-pack men
What is the criticism? User LongRangedShot created a thread about it (via reddit) and highlighted that especially among female characters a diverse and less sexual approach has been taken, including Rell’s armor or Lillia, who is a mix of human and quadruped.
With Akshan, Viego, Yone, Sett, Sylas, Pyke, Kayn, and Rakan, 8 new male characters have been introduced in recent years, all having abs and not wearing shirts. Only Aphelios, who appeared in November 2019, wears a top. However, even underneath it, a six-pack is suspected.
Moreover, all characters have been shown with fabric armor. Even plate armor has become rare among male champions.
What LoL hasn’t offered in recent years are extravagant models like Gragas, Blitzcrank, or Jax, as well as monsters like Skarner, Malphite, or Kog’Maw. This design decision is not appreciated by LongRangedShot.
Here are how 4 of the mentioned champions look:
Viego 
Sett 
Sylas 
Akshan
Is he alone in his opinion? By no means. The thread received over 10,700 upvotes on reddit and is therefore ranked 2nd on the front page. In the comments, he receives a lot of support:
- Vayatir agrees with the thread starter: “That’s pretty much what I think. Nothing against shirtless champions as such, but it gets boring to have so many in a row. I miss unique armor designs. I guess men in Runeterra just can’t afford shirts anymore nowadays.”
- Harlequin writes: “I wish they would at least bring different types of ‘shirtless boys’ into the mix. Not all have to have a six-pack, give me a guy with a bodybuilder physique. And why do they all have no body hair?”
- Hawly can hardly distinguish the new champions: “Absolutely. Take out Akshan’s weapon from the new artwork and it’s basically a Sylas skin. They look so similar.”
What do you think about the design of the male characters? Are they really too sexy and too similar? Let us know in the comments!
This is not the first time a champion has been criticized before release. Seraphine, in particular, received criticism multiple times.
On the one hand, she was considered too brutal for making magical earbuds from champions. On the other hand, much has been said about the character’s design.
The ex-girlfriend of a Riot employee claimed that Seraphine was completely based on her. This was related to her appearance, behavior, her love for the band K/DA, and general character traits:
Ex-girlfriend of Riot employee says: She is the template for the new LoL champion
