TL;DR
- Ahri is a Vastayan nine-tailed fox champion in League of Legends.
- Her backstory revolves around her discovering her heritage and consuming mortal essences.
- Ahri’s guilt over the consumption of human essences led her to find the truth about her Vastayan roots.
- Although she no longer consumes humans, Ahri seeks to find any remnants she can of the Vesani Vastaya tribe, which she was a part of.
Ahri is one of the most iconic and well-known champions in League of Legends, surpassed only by the heroes who made an appearance in the Netflix series Arcane: League of Legends. Ahri is a nine-tailed fox, and her lore is rooted in the rich history surrounding this mythical creature, along with elements of the LoL world.
We’re going to be diving deeper into the Ahri from League of Legends and looking at exactly who she is, what she can do, and her abilities. We’re also going to be answering the question of “what is Ahri’s backstory is”, so let’s get started.
Who is Ahri in League of Legends?
Ahri’s mythical nature is inspired by the nine-tailed fox, which is part of different Asian folklore, such as the kumiho in Korean mythology. Image credit: Riot Games and League of Legends.
As mentioned, LoL’s Ahri is a mythical nine-tailed fox who is part of the Vastaya race. Vastaya are a magical race found in the fictional land of Runeterra in the League of Legends universe. The Vastaya have traits of animals and humans, and they have strong bonds with natural magic and the spirit world.
Ahri’s origins were not always known, with a significant portion of her early life remaining a mystery to her. She carries twin gemstones with her, which are a remnant of her lost Vesani tribe, though she did not always know this. In-game, Ahri’s abilities reflect her magical background, as she is a mage/assassin.
Some of Ahri’s skills include charming enemies, much like the nine-tailed fox does in various Asian mythologies. She can also steal essence to heal herself, which is significantly linked to her lore.
League of Legends Ahri lore, explained
The earliest memories that Ahri has revolve around her living with a pack of ice foxes in Shon-Xan, Ionia, within Runeterra. She was accepted despite not being one of them and became a predator to survive. Ahri was able to build a connection to the spirit realm due to her wild, natural life.
Eventually, Ahri’s Vastayan heritage came to the forefront, as she began to shift, becoming more human after absorbing the life essence of a dying man. It marked a change in Ahri as she began to embrace her nature as a cunning, nine-tailed fox, rather than simply a wild fox. She began absorbing the essence of mortals to feel their emotions and experiences.
Ahri felt the weight of her actions as she continued to absorb souls, feeling guilty and viewing herself as a monster. She eventually fell in love, but she couldn’t control the desire to absorb, and she eventually fed on him too, killing him in the process.
Her grief for her lost love and her wish to control her hunger for human essence led her to seek the truth of her origins. This is how Ahri discovered that she was Vastayan and from the powerful Vesani tribe. The tribe was known for being leaders in innovation, bringing magic to the Blessed Isles, but they were eventually wiped out during the Ruination event. After this discovery, Ahri decided to make it her goal to find any lost remnants of the Vesani tribe to continue their legacy and spread the good that her people once did.
Ahri’s journey is a captivating one. We see her as a wild creature who discovers her true nature, but that then leads to her descent into ravenous hunger as she consumes mortal essences. The death of her loved one at her own hands is a turning point for her, as she realises she must discover what she is.
Once she uncovers the truth of her heritage, she starts to make the necessary changes to control her hunger and spread the legacy of her lost tribe. It’s a compelling tale, and one that works well with Ahri’s magical nature.
Ahri’s in-game abilities
As mentioned, Ahri is a mage/ assassin LoL champion. She has a medium difficulty level and is well played in the mid lane. Her kit revolves around dealing damage with her magic, but she also has significant mobility and crowd control skills, as well as some self-healing. Let’s take a closer look at her abilities.
| Ability name | Key to use | In-game description |
|---|---|---|
| Charm | E | Ahri blows a kiss that damages and charms an enemy it encounters, instantly stopping movement abilities and causing them to walk harmlessly towards her. |
| Essence Theft | No key. Passive ability. | After killing 9 minions or monsters, Ahri heals. After taking down an enemy champion, Ahri heals for a greater amount. |
| Fox-Fire | W | Ahri gains a brief burst of Move Speed and releases three fox-fires that lock onto and attack nearby enemies. |
| Orb of Deception | Q | Ahri sends out and pulls back her orb, dealing magic damage on the way out and true damage on the way back. |
| Spirit Rush | R | Ahri dashes forward and fires essence bolts, damaging nearby enemies. Spirit Rush can be cast up to three times before going on cooldown, and gains additional recasts when taking down enemy champions. |
It’s no surprise that the Ahri character in League of Legends is so popular. She has a fascinating lore that connects her to the spirit world, but also shows growth, love, loss, and a path to redemption. Not only that, but Ahri is also a fun champion to play as in League of Legends in general. With Ahri, Riot Games truly succeeded at creating a character with depth and nuance who could also be adapted into a unique hero from a gameplay and design perspective.
Where to read Ahri’s full lore
Head over to the official League of Legends website and check out Ahri’s lore on her champion page, linked here.
FAQs
When it comes to League of Legends Ahri’s age, there isn’t a definitive answer, but she is certainly much older than regular humans. This is to be expected, as she is Vastayan and the race is known to have a longer life span. Estimates put Ahri at around 180 years old at the youngest, while others place her at over 1,000 years old. In terms of design, Ahri looks to be in her 20s, though this is far from her actual age.
Ahri is a fox Vastaya. She has nine tails and was inspired by fox-like creatures in Asian mythology, such as the huli jing in Chinese folklore, the kitsune in Japanese mythology, and the kumiho in Korean folklore.
Yes, Ahri is from the animal and human hybrid Vastaya race in LoL lore. She was part of the Vesani tribe of Vastaya, though she has no memories of this.
Although her general lore overview has not changed, Ahri’s actions have changed as time has passed. Fans on a Reddit thread discussing the matter note how Ahri no longer absorbs essences from humans, but she can influence the emotions of others. She still uses her charm skills to get information, but not to feed her hunger. The morality and motivations behind her actions have also changed, moving away from certain retconned concepts.
Yes, Ahri does have connections to some of her fellow champions, with the strongest connection being to Yasuo. This relationship was developed in the Ruined King: A League of Legends Story spin-off game. Yasuo and Ahri are playable characters in this spin-off, as are the following champions:
• Braum
• Illaoi
• Miss Fortune
• Pyke
Ahri also has connections to other Vastaya and half-Vastaya, such as:
• Aurora
• Nami
• Neeko
• Nidalee
• Rakan
• Rengar
• Sett
• Wukong
• Xayah
Other champions that Ahri is connected to include her fellow K/DA band members from the alternate universe where she and a group of other champions are part of a highly successful girl group. The other members of the band are:
• Akali
• Evelynn
• Kai’Sa
• Seraphine
References
- https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/champion/ahri/ (Universe League of Legends)
- https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/story/champion/ahri/ (Universe League of Legends)
- https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/champions/ahri/ (League of Legends)
- https://wiki.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/Universe:Ahri#Early_Life (Wiki League of Legends)
- https://www.reddit.com/comments/112ntcp (Reddit)
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