Yone, The Unforgotten, was added toLeague of Legendsas a Champion in August of 2020. He dropped onto the roster as the 150th character released, helping to pad out an already extensive list of heroes and villains. Yone wasn’t a “spur of the moment” addition, and his “lore” was already being well-established before Riot tossed him into the fray. Prior to receiving his own set of abilities and strengths, he was nothing more than a background character that tied loosely into Yasuo’s storyline.
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The two brothers are both very capable swordsmen but Yasuo had been trouncing his foes in Summoner’s Rift since 2013, a full 7 years before his sibling would get the chance. Although Yone started out as nothing more than supplementary lore for his more popular brother, he would soon become his own Champion, one built from a tragic history and sporting some seriously strong attacks.
Yone hasn’t had much time in the spotlight so there are likely a lot of things that players may not know about this fallen brother.
10He Appeared In A Riot Game Before League Of Legends
Although Riot always intended Yone to be Yasuo’s brother, it’s not clear how “planned” his inclusion was inLeague of Legends. The Windchaser would make his debut in Legends of Runeterra, Riot’s strategy trading card game that takes place in the same universe. So far,Legends of Runeterrahas seen its fair share of success and is building a bit of a cult following despite only being officially available since April 2020.
What makes Yasuo’s inclusion inLeague of Legendsso intriguing is that he was the first “follower card” (non-Champion) to make the jump fromLegends of Runeterrato the MOBA stage forLeague of Legends.
9Yone Helped Continue Riot’s Theme Of Siblings
There is adizzying amount of Championsavailable inLeague of Legendsat the time of writing. The roster used to look fairly contained back in 2009 but thanks to the MOBA’s heightened and consistent popularity over the years, Riot has been hard at work adding as much variety as possible to the title. This variety doesn’t just come in the form of playstyles either, as developers are constantly adding new twists and turns to the fantasy world’s already expansive lore.
Some of the Champions inLeagueknow one another through story interactions but some are actually related by blood. Yone belongs to this “exclusive club,” with his brother Yasuo. There are currently six other sibling pairs, including Garen & Lux, Kayle & Morgana, Renekton & Nassus, Cassiopeia & Katarina, and Darius & Draven. League even features a triplet in Ornn, Volibear, and Anivia.
8Yone Allowed League To Explore Some Of Yasuo’s Scrapped Concepts
It’s no shock that a lot ofLeague of Legend’s heroes go through many concepts before developers settle on a particular look and style. Although it hasn’t been directly commented on by Riot themselves, players have noticed some similarities between Yone and Yasuo from a conceptual standpoint.
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Originally, Yasuo was slotted to wield dual swords, an idea that was ultimately scrapped in favor of one exceedingly long blade. Yone would end up adapting the dual-wield style, although both swordsmen have a similar reach in-game.
7He Was Broken When He Was First Released
It’s hard to blame Riot for missteps, especially when you consider how impressiveLeague of Legend’s current roster is. Sometimes,Champions release in a fairly unbalanced state. Yone himself was a bit broken when he first stepped foot onto Summoner’s Rift. Not only were his abilities pretty overwhelming (with some directly asking that he be nerfed) but he actually featured an exploit that turned him into a temporarily unstoppable force of pain.
Yone’s E-key ability was capable of turning him invincible for a short time during a return animation from his “spirit to human form.” During this transition, he was untargetable andcould break stuns caused by a mass variety of abilities, including some character’s Ultimate Abilities (even those like Mordekaiser’s).
6He Shares A “Dance” With His Brother
ManyLeague of Legendsplayers were excited when Xayah and Rakan released, as the pair featured some pretty elaborate “dual player” animations, giving gamers a chance to connect with one another in an entirely new way. The duo isn’t the first to accomplish this type of player synergy, though.
Yone and Yasuo actually complement one another with their Classic Dance, whereboth pull out instruments and play a soothing melody. If done side-by-side, players will hear an upgraded, elegant version of their tune.
5He Can Play The Morin Khuur
When “dancing,” Yasuo will pull out a Bamboo Flute to comprise a tune but Yone prefers strings when making his melodies. After moving into a “sitting position,” Yone will begin to strum on a Morin Khuur, also known as a “Horse Fiddle” or “Horsehead Fiddle.” It produces a beautiful and haunting sound, even though most of the instruments only feature two strings.
The Morin Khuur is regarded as one of the most important musical advancements for the Mongolian people and is actually considered an important symbol for the country.
4His Voice Actor Has Appeared In Some Big Games
The English version of Yone is voiced by Noshir Dalal, a prominent actor that has lent his voice to some pretty stellar projects over the years. If Yone sounds familiar to you, it’s because he shares his vocal chops withRed Dead Redemption 2fan-favorite Charles Smith, as well asSekirohimself. Dalal has done a great job breathing life into The Unforgotten and also provides his voice lines inLegends of Runeterra.
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To the East, Yone’s Japanese counterpart is Atsushi Miyauchi, an actor with credits in theDynasty Warriorseries, as well as dubbing work for Bruce Banner inThe Avengers.
3One Of His Scrapped Abilities Could Have Been A Nightmare
Riot is always trying to push the envelope a bit when it comes todeveloping new Champions with innovative playstyles and abilities. When you have a game that features over 150 Champions, it’s easy to see why the company may be so intent on “keeping things fresh.” It’s important to players that each character has its own unique identity that helps separate it from the sea of other heroes and villains available.
When Yone was in development, Riot considered giving him a large Flame Wall that would have completely blocked the vision of enemy players.
2Tragedy And Loss Stain Yone’s Storyline
Those that don’t deep-dive intoLeague of Legend’s lore might be a bit confused on why Yone is the way that he is. According to his story, both Yone and Yasuo studied under one of the last remaining Masters of a powerful Wind Technique. Through some difficult events (which we won’t go into detail about here, but can beread in full within Yasuo’s lore) Yasuo finds himself “framed” for the murder of his once-beloved Master.
Yone, unfortunately, believed his brother is to blame for his Master’s death, too, and set out on a mission to bring him to justice.
1Despite Dying, Yone Isn’t Necessarily “Undead”
When we think about the Undead, we see visions of zombies, re-animated or mummified-like remains shambling around. Yone, while technically “brought back from the otherworld,” doesn’t follow this traditional tope at all.
Yone falls during his confrontation with Yasuo and is sent to the Spirit World as a result. There, he is attacked by a demon known as an azakana. The creature is drawn to the swordsman thanks to his overwhelming negative emotions. Yone manages to overcome his foe and is brought back from the edge and into the world of the living. The azakana “reforms” as both a mask and a blade, giving Yone his signature “demonic” look.
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