General
- According to Kuo-Yen 'Xypherous' Lo, Irelia is based on Himura Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin.[1]
Development
- Previous edit iterations on the wiki reveal an uncited trivia that
Irelia's 
Transcendent Blades was based on an artifact of flying blades "Sica Shishikushiro" used by Setsuna Sakurazaki, from the manga series Negima. The relaunch accentuates the use of multiple flying blades, peddling back to the Setsuna reference.
- Irelia is voiced by Cherami Leigh, who also voices her in
Legends of Runeterra.[2][3]
- Irelia's Japanese voice actor is Hana Takeda.[4]
- A prototype of Defiant Dance was a full counter capable of reflecting Unleashed Power.[5]
- A prototype ultimate allowed her to fire a wave of blades for circa 3 seconds (didn't follow her, just in the direction and spot she originally cast it in). This 'blade stream' knocked enemies back, which was cool thematically but it ended up being a support spell.[6]
- It may have been reused to later become Yuumi's Final Chapter and Qiyana's Supreme Display of Talent.
- It may have been reused to later become
- On an early concept she had 6 arms with each one holding a sword.[7]
- Her motions are from Wushu and Tai Chi martial arts with a light hint of western Jazz (dancing style). A mix of western and eastern influences but weighing heavily towards eastern.
- The Seppuku death animation she used to have was scrapped because it didn't fit with her relaunch.[8]
- Vanguard's Edge's wall used to have 2 different colors per skin depending on whether Irelia's passive is fully stacked or not when she uses the ability. Its VFX when her passive is not fully stacked was later removed in V9.2.
- Irelia, the Will of the Blades
- Her placeholder model was Red Card Katarina.[9]
- Her death references Seppuku.
- Ryan 'Morello' Scott nerfed Irelia the day before her release for 'being too annoying to play against' and the subsequent nerfs she received whenever another champion was deemed overpowered led to the birth of the "Better Nerf Irelia" meme.
- Updated splash artwork was used in rare instances, but was not suited for release.[10]
Lore
- Irelia is the feminine version of obscure Latin name Irelius , possibly diminutive of ira "wrath".
- 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.
- 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
- 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).
Quotes
- ▶️ "Cut them down." is the only quote kept after the rework.
- Her French localization jokes reference Brice de Nice.
- ▶️ <span class="skin-play-button skinloading-icon" data-champion=""My blade is not only precise, but totally gnarly."" data-skin="Original" data-variant="" style="position:relative; height:20px; width:20px; display:inline">[[File:"My blade is not only precise, but totally gnarly." OriginalCircle.png|20px|link=]] goes hand-in-hand with Irelia riding her blade like a surfboard during her joke ('gnarly' is surfer slang for 'cool').
- Irelia shares quotes with:
- <span class="skin-play-button skinloading-icon" data-champion=""The cold? Eh, it never bothered me."" data-skin="Original" data-variant="" style="position:relative; height:20px; width:20px; display:inline">[[File:"The cold? Eh, it never bothered me." OriginalCircle.png|20px|link=]] references quotes Let It Go (Disney song).
Skins
- This skin shares the Day Job theme with:
- The skin is a reference to Amelia Earhart.
- The splash art is a reference to old travel postcards, which were popular during her time.
- The stamp is Xan family's crest before it was shattered to become Irelia's blades.
- This skin shares the Legacy theme with:
- Her old splash had a few references:
- Her pose refers to Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed II.
- She resembles Black Widow from Marvel Comics.
- This skin shares the Silver Age theme with:
- Frostblade Irelia Chromas: Golden
Chromas:- This skin shares the Winter Wonder theme with:
- During the development of her Champion Relaunch, Rioters internally referred to this skin as "Frostbutt" or "Frost Booty". These were fan names for the skin due to her old artwork emphasizing her behind.[11]
- Just one patch after her release, patch V1.0.0.142, her original splash art required some tweeks. Her butt size was increased and it was emphasized more.
- This skin references Killer Frost.
- This skin shares the Order of the Lotus theme with:
- The skin set refers to the Avatar series' Order of the White Lotus.
- Divine Sword Irelia Chromas: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Emerald, Meteorite, Obsidian, Rose Quartz, Ruby, Unflinching Zeal
- This skin shares the Immortal Journey theme with:
- She was released along with:
- In China, Irelia was Talon's mentor in his training.
- The Struggle beween demigoddess and dragon king references the dragon-slaying myth, though in this instance, the dragon king, though subdued, survives.
- This skin shares the World Champions: 2018 theme with:
- She was released in celebration of Invictus Gaming winning the Season 2018 World Championship along with:
- She represents Duke.
- The idea for the Recall animation was thought up by Duke himself and displays his signature.
- The idea for the
- This skin shares the PROJECT theme with:
- PROJECT: Akali's shurikens are featured in the background.
- This skin shares the PROJECT theme with:
- The skin depicts PROJECT: Irelia before she was cast out by PROJECT.
- High Noon Irelia Chromas: Emerald, Obsidian, Pearl, Rose Quartz, Ruby, Sapphire, Tanzanite
- This skin shares the High Noon theme with:
- She reveals her angelic form at max stacks of Ionian Fervor and during recall animations.
Relations
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.[13]
- 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.[14]
- In the second Noxian invasion of Ionia, Irelia's call for help to defend a seaside village from the Noxian army including Sion was met by Akali, Karma, Kennen and Yasuo whose arrival turned the tide of the battle.
- 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.
References
- ↑ Xypherous, Irelia, and Kenshin
- ↑ Irelia's Voice Actress
- ↑ Irelia's Voice Actress in Legends of Runeterra
- ↑ Official Japanese VA list
- ↑ Irelia early W
- ↑ Irelia's scrapped ultimate
- ↑ Irelia 6 arms concept
- ↑ Irelia death animation change
- ↑ @Ezreal
- ↑ Scrapped splash update
- ↑ Frostbutt Irelia
- ↑ Kai as an Ionian name
- ↑ The Ionian resistance led by Irelia and new military groups
- ↑ Irelia's view on different groups