Development
- Main article: Riven (Development)
- Riven was a redesign of a concept for the champion .
- Riven's abilities were inspired by Marth (her production name) from Fire Emblem ( references Dancing Blade from Super Smash Bros. Melee)
- Riven featured in PC Gamer soon after she was announced (her title was changed to 'the Shattered Exile' when her 'Champion Sneak Peek' was released, later reverted to the current one when her 'A New Champion Approaches' preview was released).
- Her 'A New Champion Approaches' preview was accidentally leaked and quickly replaced with the Golden Joystick Awards 2011 nomination announcement.
- Riven is voiced by Cristina Valenzuela in League of Legends and Legends of Runeterra.
- and are voiced by the same voice actress.
- Riven's Japanese voice actor is Junko Minagawa, who also voiced Japanese .[1]
Universe
- Main article: Riven (Character)
- The bandages she wears are there to hide the permanent scars she obtained from Zaunite chem-tech explosives during the Invasion of Ionia.
- Riven's
- However, this may be mostly due to the magic of her blade.
, is one of the fighting ways of a combat technique known as Ki. also uses one of the techniques, the . and also have similar effects to and wind technique.
- Riven was imprisoned and forced to fight in the Reckoners Arena, when she was extradited back to Noxus. She would eventually escape the arena with the help of the Sentinels of Light.
- Riven's theme is that of an exile who still believes in her homeland's ideals and wishes to fight for them while restoring the true Noxian way.
- Riven's initial backstory had her being a 'gooder than good' Demacian who was exiled for helping Noxian refugees escape persecution (her current one was inspired by Seta Sōjirō from Rurouni Kenshin and might be referencing Aragorn from Lord of the Rings and/or Meetra Surik from Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords).
League of Legends
Gameplay
- Main article: Riven (League of Legends)
- Riven is one of 21 champions without a single ability power ratio on any ability: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and .
- Riven's dance resembles the Water Dance of Braavos from Game of Thrones.
- Champion Spotlight) while used to be called 'Ki Shout'.[2] used to be called 'Art of War' (can be seen in Riven's
- During development she was simply called Marth or Exile.
- Riven is the past participle of English verb to rive "split or tear apart violently".[3]
Quotes
- Main article: Riven (League of Legends Audio)
- ▶️ "A broken blade is more than enough for the likes of you!" might be referencing Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach manga/anime ("A dull blade is more than enough for the likes of you!").
- Riven shares quotes with:
- Dawnbringer Riven and share (or have similar counterparts of) multiple quotes.
- Some of her interactions with Nightbringer Yasuo reference poems written by the British aristocrat and poet George Gordon Byron, also known as Lord Byron:
Skins
- Main article: Riven (Collection)
- The scene depicts her having used .
- Her artwork being before her release (five counting the one during her skin previews in her 'Champion Spotlight') caused her to not be featured in an 'Art Spotlight.'
- Her Wild Rift redesign is based on her appearance in Awaken, which was also used in Legends of Runeterra.
- This skin shares the Otherroads theme with:
- ...and others
- Her sword can be seen during the game's Mac Version trailer.
- The in-game blade features a turquoise-colored light outlining the area where it was shattered.
- She might be referencing her initial backstory where she was a Demacian exile.
- Her clothes featured up to three different colors (red in concept art, blue in initial artwork, teal in-game).
- She resembles War from Darksiders series.
- This skin shares the Crimson Elite theme with:
- She is a member of the Noxian counterpart to the Demacian Commandos.
- She was the second skin to celebrate the end of a Season without requiring players to achieve Gold+ rank to unlock (the first being ).
- This skin shares the Day Job theme with:
- ...and others
- She was released in celebration of Easter 2012.
- She references a Playboy Bunny.
- She was conceived as 'Bunny Girl Riven' by the playerbase and later hinted at during April Fools' Day 2012 (her in-client profile briefly featured her as 'unavailable' before being patched out soon after).
- (before his release), , pre-rework , , and (before his release) can be seen in the background.
- This skin shares the World Championship theme with:
- ...and others
- As a promotional or event limited skin, she was given away at gaming conventions and events and will never be available for purchase in the store after Worlds 2012.[4]
- She holds the unique distinction of being the only Limited Edition Championship skin, as the others are Legacy skins.
- She was released in celebration of the Season 2 World Championship.[5]
- She was only obtainable through purchase in the store during then as well as for free via achieving a perfect pick in Worlds Pick'em 2015.[6]
- She started out as a regular skin that had to be redesigned for the Season Two Finals.
- During the Season 6 World Championship, she received visual tweaks, namely eafturing a crown on her head and added extra particle effects on her sword for those who unlocked her in Season 2.[7]
- This was done to differentiate her with another version of this skin, that was also released for Worlds 2016. Additional details are listed below at her own skin trivia.
- She references the Roman II, which is featured on her chest and back while is active, and her sword being broken in two pieces.
- Her sword was inspired by the blue fire crater from Ijen and resembles the Roman I during .
- Other Limited Edition skins that were re-released in another form include:
- (through )
- (through )
- (through )
- This skin shares the Lunar Revel: Warring Kingdoms theme with:
- Representing the path of freedom, she was released in celebration of Lunar Revel 2014 (Year of the Horse) along with:
-
- She represented the path of truth.
-
- He represented the path of power.
-
- This skin shares the Arcade: Heroes theme with:
- ...and others
- Her right glove resembles 's right glove.
- She references a fighting game (her artwork references a character select screen while 'KO!' aka 'knock out!' appears when she dies in-game).
- Her weapon resembles the Ultra Sword from Kirby's Return to Dream Land video game.
- She scrolls through all versions of her sword ( and are missing) while .
- This skin shares the World Championship theme with:
- ...and others
- She was released in celebration of the Season 6 World Championship.[8]
- She became a Legacy skin like all the other Championship skins following the event while the original remained a Limited Edition skin.
- With her release, she along with a special loading screen border for was automatically given to all owners of .[9]
- She is the 'original incarnation' model of , therefore she lacks the crown and the added extra particle effects on her sword.
- Other re-released versions of Limited Edition skins include:
- (of )
- (of )
- (of )
- This skin shares the Nightbringer and Dawnbringer theme with:
- ...and others
- During the development period, the skin was called "Angelblade Riven."
- She resembles Patroklos from Soulcalibur V video game.
- Mythological inspirations are possibly the Indo-European Dawn Maiden Hausos & the Semitic angels.
- Her splash art is part of a larger picture in which she is fighting .
- is the original Being of Order.
- / was born from the aftermath of the battle between her and , and considers Riven as her mother.
- summons a blade similar to hers when using .
- She is also an ancestor to .
- / was born from the aftermath of the battle between her and , and considers Riven as her mother.
- Her empowered form appears after using .
- This skin shares the Pulsefire theme with:
- ...and others
- She is chasing , as seen in the background of his splash art.
- She and can be seen in the background of splash art, teleporting towards him.
- This skin shares the Immortal Journey theme with:
- ...and others
- The skin was released alongside:
- This skin shares the Immortal Journey theme with:
- ...and others
- The skin was released alongside:
- The skin depicts a possible future when defeats and becomes an empress herself.
- This skin shares the Spirit Blossom theme with:
- ...and others
- She represents the Spirit of Despair in the Spirit Blossom festival.
- This skin shares the Sentinels of Light theme with:
- The skin represents Riven's canon appearance during the events of Rise of the Sentinels.
- This skin shares the Anima Squad theme with:
- ...and others
- This skin is part of a thematic reboot of the earlier skin.
- She was the predecessor to before she mysteriously vanished, leaving Fortune to fill her role in the Anima Squad.
- This skin shares the Broken Covenant theme with:
- Her dance references both the Griddy dance and the Cat Breakdancing meme.
- This skin shares the Primal Ambush theme with:
References
- ↑ Almost all Japanese League of Legends voice actors
- ↑ Riven: Champion Spotlight | Gameplay - League of Legends
- ↑ G. Kroonen, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, p. 412
- ↑ Guide to Legacy and Limited Skins
- ↑ Celebrate Season Two with Championship Riven
- ↑ Worlds Pick'em | League of Legends World Championship 2015
- ↑ An update on Championship Riven
- ↑ WORLDS HITS THE RIFT
- ↑ An update on Championship Riven