What started as a joke among WoW players is now part of the story. After all, the Loa Bwonsamdi has officially named a troll “Zappy Boy”.
Since yesterday, the latest book about World of Warcraft is available, at least in English. The plot of “Shadows Rising” tells the backstory to the upcoming expansion Shadowlands. But aside from all the story of the book itself, there is one detail that particularly pleases the readers: Blizzard has made a meme a permanent part of the lore of the world. We are talking about “Zappy Boy”.
Who is Zappy Boy? Zappy Boy is probably better known to most players as Zekhan. Although he played a minor role in the cinematics surrounding Battle for Azeroth, he was quickly embraced by fans. In the videos, he represents the young parts of the Horde that have already lost a lot and are now seeking a place in the world. He got his name because, in the cinematic – like a shaman – he throws lightning bolts. That made him “Zappy Boy”.
Where does he appear? Quite late in the book “Shadows Rising”, there is a scene where the Loa of Death Bwonsamdi talks to Zekhan. He praises the young troll and says to him: “Well, would you look at that! We make quite the team, little Zappy Boy.”
Zekhan is clearly disturbed by this designation and has to think about it. However, he concludes that he should not question a Loa, essentially a god, and takes it in stride.
This designation is pure fan service and makes the community’s meme a permanent part of the game story. Whether anyone aside from Bwonsamdi, who has a rather peculiar sense of humor, will ever call Zekhan that remains to be seen.
Zappy Boy is extremely popular: WoW players have really fallen for Zappy Boy – so much so that Blizzard has even introduced the NPC into the game and there are numerous memes about him. The popularity of characters with “Zap” in their names has exploded, as shown by this old tweet from Blizzard.
Zekhan “Zappy Boy” is probably one of the most popular characters from Battle for Azeroth, loved by both Horde and Alliance players alike. It’s nice to see that Blizzard is now reciprocating this fan love with a little nod in the book.
Do you think it’s cool that Blizzard includes such little jokes in the books and story? Or should one clearly separate meme culture from the story of a game?
