The 
Noxian occupation of 
Ionia produced many heroes, none more unlikely than young 
Irelia of Navori. Trained in the ancient dances of her province, she adapted her art for war, using the graceful and carefully practised movements to levitate a host of deadly blades. After proving herself as a fighter, she was thrust into the role of resistance leader and figurehead, and to this day remains dedicated to the preservation of her homeland.
 | "There was a time when I danced only for myself. Now, I dance for the First Lands." — Irelia |
 |
Background[]
Early life[]
When she was young, she was fascinated by the grace and beauty of human movement. Under her grandmother’s tutelage, she learned the traditional silk dances of her province—though she was dubious of their supposedly mystical connection to the Spirit of Ionia, Irelia’s love for the dances was real. Seeking to master the art, she eventually left home to study with some of Ionia’s most respected performers at the Placidium of Navori.
Irelia’s people were peaceful and sought harmony with their neighbors, but rumors of foreign invaders sighted off the coast unsettled many at the Placidium. Irelia returned to her village to find it already occupied, with steel-helmed soldiers from distant Noxus shoving unarmed civilians through the streets with the butts of their spears. The Noxian Admiral Duqal had seized the Xan home to quarter his fleet officers.
Irelia’s brothers and her father Lito had evidently protested; her entire family now lay in unmarked graves, in the gardens.
Ravaged by grief, the young girl saw Duqal’s men hauling valuables from the house. Among the loot was a large metal crest, depicting the Xan family emblem. Irelia raced to it, wrenching it from Noxian hands. The admiral himself hurled her to the ground, and had his warriors shatter the crest with a heavy iron maul, before ordering them to dig a fresh grave for this upstart child.
As they surrounded her, Irelia averted her eyes, looking to the pieces of the Xan crest scattered on the ground. From deep within her soul, she felt a strange rhythm begin to beat. The shards of metal began to twitch, to twist, moving seemingly on their own, and Irelia felt the serene joy of the ancient dances once more...
With a sweep of her arm, she sent the pieces flying like ragged blades, cutting clean through two of the Noxians. As Duqal and his officers reeled in shock, Irelia snatched up the shards of her crest, and fled the village.
In the quiet forests beyond, Irelia mourned her family, and thought back to her grandmother’s teachings. She realized that the techniques she had learned were more than mere dances—they were a powerful expression of something far greater.
The Noxian occupation soon began to test the fragile peace of the First Lands. It was said that even the religious leader Karma had been forced to strike back at the invaders with deadly magic, though her followers had now withdrawn to the Lasting Altar and would not condone any further violence. Across Navori, dissenting voices began to band together. A resistance was forming, one that would not rest until Ionia was free once more. Irelia joined their ranks, performing her cherished dances for them in the woodland camps, to preserve some vestige of their vanishing culture.
She was barely fourteen years old when she found herself back at the Placidium. Her band of resistance fighters joined the militia who had sworn to guard the monasteries and wild, sacred gardens.
But Noxus knew only too well what this place represented. A particularly cunning general named Jericho Swain captured the Placidium and took its defenders hostage, hoping to lure the inevitable reinforcements into a trap.
It was in this moment that Irelia rose to meet her destiny. Freed from her bonds, she unleashed the full potential of her ancient blade dance, lashing out with graceful zeal. A dozen of Swain’s veterans fell, sowing chaos in their ranks as the other captives joined her, before she struck down the general himself—the sight of this rebellious girl hefting his severed arm over her head would be the turning point of the war.
This victory, the Great Stand at Navori, ensured that everyone in Ionia knew the name of Xan Irelia, and looked to her for leadership. Reluctantly, she led the growing resistance for almost three years of grueling battle before her triumph at Dalu Bay. There, she finally cornered the defeated Admiral Duqal, and exacted the vengeance she had sought for so long.
Though the war has long since ended, Ionia has been permanently changed by it. The First Lands are now divided, with rival factions fighting each other almost as bitterly as they did the Noxians. Many continue to look to Irelia for answers but, while others might welcome such power, Irelia remains uneasy with it.
At heart, she still yearns only to dance alone.
Rise of the Sentinels[]
When the sentinels arrived in Ionia they found Irelia, she was reluctant with the strangers and appeared willing to face them, especially after seeing Riven among them.
Appearance[]
Irelia is a slender, pale-skinned woman with long dark hair up to the hips and sea green eyes . Her robes are a mix of elegant robes and battle attire with a distinctive palette of red, pink, black and silver. The most characteristic ornaments of her attire are the silver diadem on her head. She also has several 
1 silver blades that float around it.
Personality[]
Irelia is a passionate, protective and very fond of dance individual who dedicates herself to the protection of Ionia. She believes that brute force is needed to properly defend Ionia from the likes of Noxus, hence why she considers alliances with Zed and his shadow assassins due to their similar beliefs. She also demonstrates a kind and caring persona to those close to her, such as the Blossoming Blade, whom she has a soft spot for.
Despite her uptight and serious demeanour, however, Irelia also displays a level of sarcasm at her opponents, evidenced by her comments on Garen's fighting technique and his habit of yelling his country's name in battle.
Abilities[]
- Spiritualist: Irelia has a deep connection to the Spirit Realm, created through meditation and spiritual pratices, allowing her to sense the influences of the Spirit Realm, and use it's magic for several purposes. Irelia has nurtured that connection with the pratice of the dancing arts of her people.
- Blade Silk Dance: Irelia has been trained in the tradicional dances of her people. More than simple exercises of artistic expression, these dances connect the dancer to the Spirit Realm, allowing it's power to flow through them.
- Telekinesis: By dancing, Irelia can levitate her Crests Blades through dancing to use them in combat. It's unknown if she levitate objects without dancing, or levitate other objects besides her Blades.
- Blade Silk Dance: Irelia has been trained in the tradicional dances of her people. More than simple exercises of artistic expression, these dances connect the dancer to the Spirit Realm, allowing it's power to flow through them.
Relations[]
Swain[]
Irelia cut off 
Swain's arm which resulted in him contacting and taming a demon of secrets named Raum and then become the Grand General of Noxus, for such reason he is somewhat grateful for her action.
Riven[]
Irelia was heavily antagonistic towards 
Riven, due to her past actions during the Noxian Invasion, but grew to respect her during their time together as Sentinels of Light.
Sona[]
Sona's in-game voice lines suggest she and Irelia met at some point when she returned to Ionia.
Ionians[]
The Ionian resistance led by Irelia in the war was later sprung into different groups with different ideologies, including the Navori Brotherhood and the Navovi Militia. The Brotherhood in particular became more aggressive when she wasn't the hardcore leader they needed and has tried to kill her multiple times.[1]
Irelia dislikes those with more pacifist attitude like 
Karma and 
Ivern or those who do not protect their homeland like the Kinkou Order since in her belief it would only lead to the fall of Ionia. She may also be willing to side with Ionian extremists like 
Zed, his order and even the Navori Brotherhood if necessary despite not approving their method.[2]
Liana[]
As told in 
Legends of Runeterra, her resistance force include peasants of Ionia, musicians and dancers. Among those, Irelia appears to have the most intimate relationship with 5 Liana.
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Biography
Starring Champion
Mentioned Champion
Alternate Universes
Trivia[]
- Irelia is the feminine version of obscure Latin name Irelius , possibly diminutive of ira "wrath".
- Irelia, the Blade Dancer
- Irelia mentions and names her entire family, whom were slaughtered during the Noxian invasion. This being her mother, father Lito, O-ma (Grandmother) and her siblings Zelos, Kye, Ohn and Ruu.
- The blades that she wield come from a prized emblem of her household that was smashed by Noxian soldiers. Now, after all the events of the war and everything she's done, it is also the symbol for an Ionia that will not bow. It's become her medal/Mantle of Decorum, but is also her weapon.[4]
- Irelia is 24 years old.
- Young Irelia was just 14 years old when a Noxian Warhost lead by none other than General Swain, successfully attacked and captured the Placidium of Navori. Swain intended to use the captive villagers to lure Ionian reinforcements into his laid-out ambush, yet Irelia broke free & counter-attacked, killing Swain's veterans & dignitaries as well as severing his left arm, scoring, against overwhelming odds, a strategic victory that'd ultimately turn the tide against Noxian invaders.
- Young Irelia was just 14 years old when a Noxian Warhost lead by none other than
- Irelia's favourite soup is pickled lotus.
- Irelia, the Will of the Blades
- When Noxus invaded Ionia it was Soraka who saved Irelia from the brink of death.
- As a result, Irelia awakened her ability to control her father Master Lito's blade.
- Rick 'ricklessabandon' Maher once described Irelia as a Lich and her blade as her Phylactery.
- According to this, Soraka bound Irelia's soul to her blade, meaning Irelia would die for good if her blades were destroyed.
- According to this,
- The Art of Hiten was a blade style developed by the famed swordsman Master Lito. His art was a highly guarded secret, but it was said that swords would breathe in his grasp. When Master Lito died, his daughter inherited the Hiten style. Irelia has since taken the art form to new heights as she is capable of telekinetically commanding multiple blades.
- Irelia wore a "Mantle of Decorum" on her back, which is the highest decoration an Ionian can receive ( Karma has one).
Change log[]
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