Pride Month: Every LGBTQIA+ Character in Runeterra

With a roster of almost 170 playable Champions, League of Legends is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) released in 2009 and went through several changes to its Lore and universe until shaping into the immense artistic and literary work that we have today, be it through cinematics, League Universe stories, champion bios, music and even through the acclaimed Arcane series, with a second season confirmed for November this year.

All this expansion of the universe and history was due to several factors that happened with the old narrative: in addition to all the inconsistencies, “lazy” or very cliché narratives, most of the characters ended up having their personalities centered on what they did in game, until then, often called “fields of Justice”. Riot writers took advantage of the total Revamp and delved deeply into the regions, arts and cultures, but also into their representation with characters, old and new, within the LGBTQIA+ community.

We have to be honest and admit that, unfortunately, today there is still a lot of intolerance and toxicity in gaming communities. LoL is one of the most played games in the world for several years with absolute success, even with all the stereotypes regarding its toxic community running around the internet in the form of memes, it is a game that has been doing positive work in recent years to increase queer representation towards its players.

To celebrate Pride Month, UmGamer brings a list of characters and champions confirmed to be LGBTQIA+ in the Runeterra universe, and not just from LoL. Other games from Riot Games have also taken the same positive attitude and deserve to be equally mentioned and loved.

Caitlyn and Vi

Two very important pieces in Arcane's cast of protagonists, the love story of Vi and Caitlyn had already been worked subtly into the narrative long before, only being 100% confirmed with the launch of the series in 2021. The lesbian romance between the sheriff of Piltover and her partner/right-hand woman made many fans and viewers happy and brought even more depth and emotion to the construction of both personalities.

Diana and Leona

The troubled story between the Targonian Aspects of the Sun and Moon, Leona and Diana respectively, moved many fans when it was released and confirmed. Currently forced to fight each other in the name of their respective Faiths and Cultures, during their youth the two grew up as a couple and never overcame the inevitable separation that their destinies caused.

Graves and Twisted Fate

After the release of the short story “The Boys and Bombolini”, League Universe went on hiatus without any new stories until the announcement of Hwei. However, this story was greatly loved and appreciated by the LGBTQIA+ community for confirming that Malcolm Graves and Tobias Felix, better known just as Graves and TF, are a couple. And they are not just any couple, but they have a strong, good-humored, very trusting relationship, which completely negates the negative stereotype that “a gay man needs to look effeminate”. Providing this representation while distancing yourself from stereotypes and derogatory clichés is the best way to work with this inclusion, exactly as was done with the pair. While Graves is homosexual, TF considers himself Bi/Pansexual.

K’Sante

Since the release of his trailer and presentation, his story has always been centered on the relationship between the Hunter and the Archer, how they loved each other and were always there for each other. K’Sante not only brought gay representation, but was the first black homosexual man to join the League squad. The character - despite being arguably OP in the Rift - is a design success and makes us want to see Riot bringing us more and more champions from more and more minorities who, for a long time, have been excluded from games and gaming communities.

Nami

One of the oldest races in the entire world of Runeterra, the Marai have had submerged civilizations since long before the concepts of sexuality, orientation and gender identity even existed. Their culture, which has remained strong for millennia, still treats these themes and their issues in the same way: as if they didn't exist or didn't matter. In this way, Nami and several other Marai are openly bi/pansexual, and Nami herself is in a non-monogamous relationship with Loto and Tama, characters from Legends of Runeterra.

Neeko and Nidalee

Despite not being a confirmed couple, Neeko and Nidalee have a very cozy and interesting relationship. While Neeko admires and has a great crush on Nidalee, the latter has a personality less focused on these matters and sees the Oovi’Kat as someone who needs her “mentorship”. Despite this, it was said that this relationship has been “flourishing” little by little, which we could see happening soon in an upcoming update about Ixtal and its champions.

Rell

Despite having nothing revealed or confirmed anything about her identity or orientation under the rainbow, Rell is present in Riot's most recent official poster celebrating LGBTQIA+ Pride Month with all the other characters mentioned above, increasing by one more person the number of queer and black people in League of Legends.

Varus

Despite not being a character whose sexuality is defined (after all, he is a being possessed by a Darkin weapon), Varus's story tells the drama of Valmar and Kai, a couple of talented hunters who remained united until the end, even during and after the possession of their bodies. Becoming a single one, altered and corrupted by the Darkin, Valmar and Kai remain, somehow, together inside Varus.

Taliyah

Shortly after her release, there was a lot of talk and speculation on the internet about the possibility of Taliyah being a trans woman. This rumor was never confirmed by Riot, but in the last Star Guardians event, we could see a sticker with the colors of the trans flag on her notebook. It's possible it was just a positive message to the trans community, but many take it as canon that, at least in the Star Guardians universe, Taliyah is transsexual.

Tyari

Initially introduced as Tyari, the Traveler, they are a non-binary person who embarks, along with their companions, on a journey to climb to the top of Mount Targon. Only they manage to reach the top and is guided by Taric until they transcend into the Aspect of the Traveler, at which point she begins to use female pronouns when assuming her new identity. Both non-binary and transsexual representation in general is addressed in a delicate and exciting way, and it is worth checking out the arts and descriptions of all the cards related to this character perfectly created for Legends of Runeterra.

Tauulo

Known by his card Buhru Leader, Tauulo is the name of this character featured in Legends of Runeterra. His lore, his texts, his wiki page and the writer's publications explicitly reveal that, in addition to being a great card and an incredible character, Tauulo is a trans man.

Chaska

Like Tauulo, Chaska is the name of a character introduced in Legends of Runeterra through the card Wandering Shepherd. Chaska is a non-binary person who uses neutral pronouns (They/Them) in all their quotes and descriptions.

Sett

Protagonist and narrator of the Arena mode, popular and powerful within the rifts and to top it off, having an egocentric charisma that enchants his fans, Sett is implicitly bisexual, with such implications released directly by quotes, texts or stories in Universe.

After the great hiatus of stories in League Universe and the announcement that the canon universe will be unified, we will have so many releases of retcons, information and details about characters that it is possible that more names will join this list in the future. With Arcane 2 getting so close, it makes you would like to know more about so many characters and everything they represent.

Every year, with every release and every announcement, the LGBTQIA+ gaming community is always eager to continue to be represented, included and deservedly praised after so many generations being excluded and forgotten from the media, especially in the world of games.

It may seem like a relatively short list, but each of these steps is a small victory that should be celebrated and encouraged, so that one day everyone can play their favorite games knowing that they are not only being represented, but also seen, having their voices heard, and their feelings included in the creation of each new character, story, cinematic and etcetera.