Riot Games reveals the inspiration behind K'Sante's design

Nicholas James Published 19/10/2022

K’Sante, the Pride of Nazumah is the flashy new tank set to be the latest champion to join League of Legends, and Riot Games has revealed how it came up with K’Sante’s unique design.

This latest League of Legends champion brings a brand new region to the game alongside spectacular new weapons and abilities the likes of which Summoner’s Rift has never seen. Thanks to Riot Games’ behind-the-scenes glimpses in the Champion Insights series, we know how Riot Games came up with the design for K’Sante.

How Riot came up with a design K’Sante

K’Sante is the first original tank that Riot Games has published in years. The last fully tank-focused solo laner champion that Riot Games released, not including Visual Gameplay Updates, was Ornn in 2017. That leaves five whole years without the damage-absorbing frontline class getting a new member of the roster for League of Legends’ longest and most lonesome lane.

The core concept behind K’Sante’s design is a tank that is somewhat more capable of taking the fight to bruisers and brawlers who usually shred them apart. K’Sante’s form-swapping fantasy focuses on him being an immovable object while he wields his blunt Ntofo and a dangerous skirmisher once he shatters them to reveal the blades beneath. Displacement, damage, and durability are K’Sante’s key three tools, and his mind-blowing ultimate doubles down on that.

K’Sante’s ultimate, All Out, was inspired by a moment from Naruto. The classic moment of Rock Lee dropping his weights in the Chunin Exams against Naruto was cited by Riot’s designers as a key reference for K’Sante’s spotlight moments. A character who swaps classes with an ultimate, especially from tank to juggernaut, is an exciting new option for League of Legends players. K’Sante seems to be a new effort, with less damage than normal juggernauts until he decides to unleash the blades within his Ntofo and take the fight to enemies.

Nicholas James

About Nicholas James

Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.

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