Updated on October 17, 8:40 a.m. (GMT+8): Added the patch in which he’ll be released.
After Zeri, Renata Glasc, Bel’Veth, and Nilah comes K’Sante, League of Legends’ first ever LGBTQ black champion, voice actor DeObia Oparei confirms on Twitter. He is also the first that’s openly queer upon launch.
Existing LGBTQ champion couples such as Graves and Twisted Fate, and Leona and Diana, were only revealed to be gay in 2021, years after they were released.
Known as the Pride of Nazumah, K’Sante will be coming out this month, coinciding with the ongoing 2022 World Championship. He will join the roster of top lane champions as a tank with an expectedly high skill cap.
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Celebrate pride with K’Sante, League of Legends’ newest top lane tank champion
K’Sante, a desert warrior, hails from an oasis city located on the southern outskirts of the desert in Shurima. From the trailer, fans were given more hints about these lands, inspired by the Middle East and Africa.
Riot Games previously revealed in their LoL Pls dev vlog that he and his people, unlike the rest of the region, do not worship Azir. “My ancestors built Nazumah, away from the Ascended and other would-be rulers,” he says in the champion teaser, referencing this fact.
A close-up shot of the items on his desk reveals a large, lion-like monster that he fights in the arid lands, the same pages that we saw in LoL Pls, with additional sheets showing more mobs taped to the wall.
The two hints about his sexuality are found in his title — Pride of Nazumah — and in the title of the teaser, “The Hunter’s Pride.” The word “pride” has been used to signify the LGBTQ community’s solidarity, identity, and visibility worldwide.
It was his voice actor, DeObia Oparei, who confirmed the champion’s orientation on social media.
“I’m excited to give life and voice to K’Sante and make history portraying the first LGBTQ black Champion Warrior,” he wrote.
Oparei is a British actor who has appeared in Sex Education, Game of Thrones, Dredd, and Doom. Most recently, he portrayed Boastful Loki in Marvel’s Loki series.
K’Sante will be released in League of Legends patch 12.21, which will likely be in November. Read more about the new champion’s background, and his ability rundown here.
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