Decisive in judgment and lethal in combat, 
Katarina is a 
Noxian assassin of the highest caliber. Eldest daughter to the legendary 
General Du Couteau, she made her talents known with swift kills against unsuspecting enemies. Her fiery ambition has driven her to pursue heavily guarded targets, even at the risk of endangering her allies—but no matter the mission, Katarina will not hesitate to execute her duty amid a whirlwind of serrated daggers.
 | "Never question my loyalty. You will never know what I endure for it." — Katarina |
 |
Background[]
Early life[]
Katarina Du Couteau was born to one of the most respected families in Noxus. While her younger sister 
Cassiopeia took after their politically brilliant 
mother, Katarina studied the way of the blade under her father's legacy as the empire's greatest assassin. But the wily General Marcus was a harsh teacher with many pupils, and kinship held no bearing on his high expectations. Katarina spent her childhood in intense training: climbing the tallest towers after dark, handling dual blades with equal precision, and even building tolerance against various poisons used by assassins. This was her contribution to the empire, and she yearned for the opportunity to demonstrate her talents and win her honor.
Talon attempts to kill Katarina.
One day on the western front, Katarina was tasked with assassinating an enemy line officer known as Demetrius. Seeing the mark as a waste of her talents, Katarina would instead ensure a swift victory by eliminating the enemy commander. This proved to be a terrible judgment, as Demetrius took charge of the enemy forces and killed dozens of Noxian soldiers, nearly costing the general his life. Furious with his daughter's disobedience, Marcus sent out his adoptive son and protégé, the assassin known as 
Talon. Their battle was brief but left in a draw, with a scar over her left eye that would forever remind them both of failure. Six hours later, Katarina presented Demetrius's severed head as recognition of her failure. Humbled by the consequences, Katarina knew she had lost her father's favor, but hoped to someday redeem herself in both his eyes and the empire.
Working for Swain[]
- Main article: Katarina: Issue 1
Four years after the coup against Emperor 
Boram Darkwill, Marcus mysteriously went missing, and the family assumed he had been killed. Still, as a supporter of the new regime, Katarina made certain to make her skills known to 
Swain, and rose to status as one of his most esteemed assassins. She eliminated Swain's political rivals over the years, cutting down rogue warbands and silencing those who continued to fight for Darkwill. Katarina believed that the old order needed to make way for a brighter future, without tyrants or prejudice robbing the Noxian people of the chance to thrive.
Katarina fighting Garen.
One day, Katarina is abruptly stolen away to somewhere private. The assailant reveals himself to be her father Marcus, who had in fact faked his own death on Swain's order. He tells of his undercover work in 
Demacia, and that Swain changed the plan to give Katarina her biggest assignment yet: a covert assassination of 
King Jarvan III, as well as the noble 
Luxanna Crownguard, during the chaos of 
Sylas' Mage Rebellion. Mistrustful of Swain, Marcus advised Katarina that the Grand General had betrayed them both and sent her on a suicide mission to ruin the standing of house Du Couteau. Still, Katarina decided to follow through, as her success would be undeniable merit against any potential persecution.
Upon finding Lux, Katarina decided against killing her, as she sympathized with the lady's rejection against her family and the current Demacian regime. Nonetheless, she judged Jarvan III to be both a tyrant and a traitor to his people, as he oppressed mages just because they had the strength to overthrow him. She killed the king and escaped undetected by the surviving Demacian guards, who then pinned the assassination on Sylas. However, her escape from the city was interrupted by 
Garen, who received a tip that she was a mage helping Sylas. The two engaged in a short but fierce fight that abruptly ended after they witnessed an explosion that signalled the start of riots. Seeing that they could not stay longer, the two parted ways and Katarina re-focused on trying to escape Demacia.
With the guards distracted by the uprising, Katarina hijacked a raptor rider to cross the city walls. But a rogue arrow struck and killed the rider, sending her plummeting into the forest. It is revealed that Captain Jaredan was responsible for the shot; he was part of the undercover assassination, but had secret orders to sabotage Katarina.
Confronting Family[]
Katarina miraculously survived the fall, but one of her daggers had shattered. She quickly retreated back to the hideout in Noxus to be nursed back to health by her friend 
Drann. She also noticed Jaredan waiting outside, and realized that circumstances may not be what she thought. Whoever wanted to kill Katarina had to be well informed of her family's secrets. With her father still out and about, she returned home to confront the only suspect.
Swain saves Katarina.
Stirring her brother out of bed, Katarina's trust grew awry when she caught the faint scent of her father's perfume, and she immediately attempted to subdue him. Talon reveals that he helped fake Marcus' death in an elaborate plan to replace Katarina and topple Swain. Before he could deal the fatal blow with Katarina's dagger, she took her broken dagger and cut his eye. After this, Katarina decides to spare Talon. As she turns to leave, she assured she never held a grudge against him for scarring her face and wished that he would break off from father's legacy towards his own path. She left the house vowing that she to kill Talon if he chose not to heed her advice.
The next morning, Katarina and Drann performed a blood-bonding ritual to link her to her new blades, enabling her to teleport to the weapons and vice versa. Intent on protecting Swain from her father, she headed towards the Immortal Bastion. When they meet, Marcus reveals that he orchestrated to sabotage Katarina's mission in Demacia, and that the true target of Swain's orders was not Lux, but himself.
A final battle ensues, shrouded in smoke and lasting for an arduous duration. In a desperate attempt to finish the job, Marcus decided to sacrifice himself by priming a devastating Wolf's Maw explosive. Katarina swiftly flew her dagger to knock the charge from his hand, and threw her blade as far as she could into the air, intending to teleport to it with the device before it could detonate. However, Swain unexpectedly intervened, seizing the explosive and redirecting the impending blast toward Marcus, instantly incinerating him. In the aftermath of the battle, Swain congratulated Katarina on her assignment, revealing it was a test to find his failsafe; the only person who could kill him if his demon would take control of him one day. Fully embracing her role as Swain's assassin, she eliminated Jaredan two months later in Northern 
Freljord.
Appearance[]
Katarina is portrayed as a beautiful slender woman with an athletic and voluptuous physique, she has peach skin and full red lips, with her most prominent features being her long dark cherry-colored hair and her piercing emerald green eyes, with a scar on her left eye.
She usually wears a rather revealing assassin uniform made of black and gray leather which reveals her abdomen with several dark blue Noxian tattoos, she wears leather heeled boots and a small leather jacket.
Personality[]
As heir to a house of assassins, Katarina had pursued her father's approval for many years, but always remained short of his standards. Having lost the respect of her parents, Katarina developed her own ideals as a noxian. Rather than chase legacies, she would use her skills to make a Noxus that she believes in. She is a firm believer in individual merit, and recognizes the benefit of having allies, especially those of different skillsets. Therefore, she finds mutual appreciation under the Trifarix.
As an assassin, Katarina is an agile fighter, can quickly plan her strategies, and has a keen eye for the subtlest of clues. Behind these instincts, her personal code of conduct dictates how she would kill targets based on how honorable she regards them, also shows a somewhat flirtatious personality with Garen.
Abilities[]
- Agile Combat Mastery: Katarina is both agile and quick, capable of performing acrobatic maneuvers in the midst of battle and proving difficult to seize when the fight seems over.
- Stealth Mastery: As an assassin, Katarina is trained to infiltrate heavy security in order to approach her target. Her stealth is comprised of part silence and part elusiveness.
- Knife Mastery: Katarina's ambidexterity makes excellent use of twin daggers.
Blood Bound Blades: Katarina's blood bond with her blades allows her to retrieve them telekinetically or reappear next to them at the blink of an eye. Katarina possesses twin daggers infused with her blood by a hemomancy ritual. Drann gifted these blades to replace the Daggers of Du Couteau.Daggers of Du Couteau: Katarina inherited twin daggers for her assassin profession. One shattered during her assignment in Demacia, and she left the other with Talon.
Relations[]
Talon Du Couteau[]
In contrast to Cassiopeia, Talon is the adopted son of Marcus Du Couteau. In youth, Talon was tasked with a mission by Katarina's father: to eliminate her. However, Katarina miraculously survived Talon's attempt, emerging from the encounter with a distinct scar across her left eye. This encounter created an unexpected bond between them, as both had failed in their respective missions.
After their encounter, he adopted a nonchalant demeanor towards Katarina, assuming the role of her composed younger brother. Behind this facade, however, he secretly conspired with his adopted father to overthrow Jericho Swain, who had recently ascended to power. Talon nursed a deep-seated jealousy towards Katarina, who had been entrusted with the symbolic daggers of House Du Couteau, a clear indication of the rightful heir.
Upon revealing his intentions, Katarina responded with unexpected empathy. She understood that Talon was merely a puppet, obediently carrying out her father's orders without question. The failed assassination attempt, rather than fostering animosity, prompted Katarina to reflect on her family dynamics. As she departed from Talon, she wished for him to break free from her father's control and forge his own destiny. However, with a resolute warning, she made it clear that if Talon remained shackled by her father's influence, she would be compelled to bring an end to him herself.
Cassiopeia Du Couteau[]
Katarina interacts very little with her younger sister, Cassiopeia, since both live in different worlds. While Katarina was taught by her father, pushing her to learn the way of the blade, Cassiopeia took after their politically brilliant mother.
Marcus Du Couteau[]
Katarina and her father, Marcus Du Couteau, had a very strained relationship. According to Marcus, her daughter always seemed to fail him as an assassin. To him, she was to brash and killed with a sense of passion and not with a cold, mercilessness he believed was necessary for an assassin. Because of this he ordered a young Talon to kill his firstborn daughter. After multiple attempts on her life failed, she confronted her father. She told the general she had considered taking his head instead, but eventually decided—as much as she hated to admit it—that he had done the right thing in ordering her death. She had failed. Not just as an assassin, or as a daughter, but as a Noxian. She knew she had lost her father’s favor, and could never regain it. He would raise others in her place, simply to spite her. Still, she vowed to redeem herself, no matter the cost—to rededicate her talents to the empire, and to become the sinister weapon she always intended to be.
After her father mysteriously disappeared in 993 AN, she starts taking orders from Swain. Three years later, he reveals himself to her, saying that Swain is going to send her on a mission to Demacia to die. After not only completing her mission successfully but coming out of it alive, she returns to Noxus. Realising that her father is trying to kill Swain, she immediatly moved to stop him.
During their final confrontation, she says to her father that he always wanted her to fail, because he was afraid she would grow to be better then him. As their battle came to a climax, Marcus tried to take both Katarina and Swain with him by using an explosive known as the "Wolf's Maw". Before it could detonate, Swain arrived to redirect the explosion to Marcus, instantly incinerating him.
Soreana Du Couteau[]
Katarina interacts very little with her mother, Soreana Du Couteau, since both live in different worlds. While Katarina was taught by her father, pushing her to learn the way of the blade, her mother focused her attention on to her younger sister, Cassiopeia.
Garen Crownguard[]
Katarina remembering her encounter with Garen
Encountering each other in the midst of the chaos during Sylas' Mage Rebellion in Demacia, Garen, acting on misinformation, confronts Katarina under the belief that she is aiding Sylas. After mentioning she saved his sister from capture, she suggested Garen should do the same. After some fierce clashes of steel, an explosion stops their battle. Both combantants agree that they don't have time for their scuffle. Garen and Katarina have a small moment, bonding over their shared grievances with their younger siblings. Before she leaves, Katarina says to Garen she sees a great future for Garen and his sister.
While it is unclear that Garen has any intrest in Katarina, Katarina has some intrest in him. During her bonding ritual with her weapons, she focused on a moment when she was not trying to figure out every angle, where she just felt something and connected. The moment she chose was her first encounter with Garen, smiling faintly.
Luxana Crownguard[]
Assigned the mission to assassinate Lux and King Jarvan III in Demacia, Katarina deviates from her orders after recognizing Lux's dissent from the corrupt Demacian hierarchy. Sympathizing with Lux's plight, seeing as both women had been rejected by their families. Katarina spares her life. Katarina also notes that she thinks Lux is a threat to the Demacian hierarchy and would actually make a good Noxian.
Jericho Swain[]
Initially aligning herself with Swain after the coup that toppled Grand General Boram Darkwill, Katarina becomes one of Swain's most devoted assassins, eliminating political rivals and enforcing the new order. Despite a moment of mistrust when she learns of her father's faked death and Swain's alleged betrayal, Katarina chooses to continue working for Swain to secure her family's safety. During Katarina's battle against her father, Marcus Du Couteau, Swain, recognizing Katarina as his failsafe, intervenes to prevent her sacrifice, cementing her role as his trusted assassin.
Drann[]
The proprietor of a teahouse where Katarina seeks refuge and counsel, Drann, is a close friend and ally of Katarina's. She bound Katarina to her weapons with blood magic. This bond allows Katarina to teleport to her weapons. Drann is a stabilizing force in Katarina's otherwise painful and complicated life. She offers Katarina guidance, a sense of understanding and provides her with a source of solace.
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Biography
Starring Champion
Mentioned Champion
Alternate Universes
Trivia[]
- Katarina is at least in her mid- to late 20s, having been present during the Ionian war.
- There's nothing to suggest Katarina is a mage, or has any innate magical power. However, the nature of her blades is unclear.[1]
- The Katarina comic revealed they do have a magical nature, they have been infused with blood in a hemomancy ritual.
- As suggested by Swain and Urgot, Katarina knows the truth about the disappearance of her father, who was killed by Swain after his attempted assassination.
- It was confirmed in the Katarina comic that Katarina's father actually faked his death with the help of Talon. However, after the final fight between him and Katarina, he was killed off for real by Swain.
Change log[]
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