Jump to content

Ekko (League of Legends)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ekko
'League of Legends' character
First appearanceMay 29, 2015 update
Created byAugust Browning
Designed byAugust Browning
Voiced by
Various
  • Antony Del Rio (League of Legends)
    Reed Shannon (Arcane, Convergence: A League of Legends Story)
In-universe information
FamilyWyeth (father)
Inna (mother)
Significant otherJinx (love interest)
HomeZaun

Ekko, the Boy Who Shattered Time, is a fictional character in Riot Games' League of Legends media franchise. He was introduced as a playable character, or "Champion" within the game's lore, in a May 2015 update for the 2009 multiplayer video game of the same name. In the game's fictional universe, Ekko is presented as a young inventor from Zaun, who uses a self-made device, the Zero Drive, to rewind time and twist any situation to his advantage.

Ekko has appeared in various derivative works of the franchise. He was the sole playable character in the 2023 video game Convergence: A League of Legends Story, as well as one of the characters of the Netflix animated series Arcane, where he was voiced by Reed Shannon. His portrayal in the show's second season has garnered critical acclaim.

Appearances

[edit]

League of Legends

[edit]
Main article: League of Legends

Ekko was added to the roster of playable Champions for League of Legends on May 29, 2015. Ekko's primary weapon is the Zero Drive (Z-Drive), his own invention, which manipulates time by allowing him to return back in time up to four seconds.

Arcane

[edit]
Main article: Arcane (TV series)

In his youth, Ekko worked at a pawn shop owned by a character named Benzo, and often eavesdropped on several of his more private conversations. This made him privy to certain transactions and secrets that he would sometimes share with his friends: Vi, Mylo, Claggor, and Powder. Growing up, Ekko looked up to Vi, who taught him fighting moves, and he and played with her younger sister, Powder.

While working at Benzo's one day, a man from Piltover came into the shop and bought items from him. Ekko was easily able to charge him twice the items' normal price and then followed him. Thinking his friends could make quick cash off the man, Ekko told Vi about the workshop. The plan backfired when Powder accidentally caused an explosion in the man's home, initiating an investigation that led Enforcers to Benzo's to confront Vander. Despite being kicked out by Benzo prior so he and Vander could speak privately, Ekko listened in through a contraption he'd built above the room and found out that Vander had a deal with the Sheriff, which he later told Vi with some hesitation. Ekko later witnessed Benzo's murder in the hands of a Shimmer-affected Deckard under Silco's orders. He saw Silco and his men take Vander away and later tearfully told Vi where to find them — Silco's Shimmer factory. Shortly after, multiple explosions at the factory resulted in multiple deaths and Vi's disappearance, leading him to assume that she had also perished. Meanwhile, Powder was taken in by Silco, causing the two to be estranged.

Forced to find a means to survive, Ekko eventually came to live in hiding with a group of other children, building their base in a rare space that housed one of the very few trees—if not the only tree—to survive in Zaun. The group called themselves the Firelights, after the glowing insects found in Zaun, and began sabotaging Silco's shipments of Shimmer in hopes of hindering its damage to their city.

While the Firelights fend for themselves, Ekko discovers that Vi came back to the Undercity with an enforcer named Caitlyn Caitlyn. At this point in time, he didn't know if he could trust Vi since her sister was working for Silco and she could be doing the same—and the fact that she was associating with an enforcer concerned him. Ekko had his Firelights spy on Vi and her companion Caitlyn until Vi had a reunion with Jinx. After witnessing that Vi, Caitlyn, and Jinx had tension; Ekko orders his Firelights to engage the three women in battle. The Firelights knock out Vi and Caitlyn and kidnap them—they also injure Jinx, steal the hextech gemstone from her, and escape her wrath. Having eluded Jinx, the Firelights take Caitlyn and Vi to their home base to be interrogated. They are intercepted by Sheriff Marcus and a group of Enforcers, who try to kill both Ekko and Caitlyn. Jinx intervened and tries to kill everyone with bombs. Ekko stays behind to hold off Jinx while Caitlyn and Vi escape to Piltover, with the hope that they can set the record straight. Ekko and Jinx fight a one-on-one duel which paralleled their childhood fighting games that they used to play. Although Ekko usually lost those games when they were children, he defeated Jinx in a real battle and was ready to land the final blow before seeing Jinx's face, which reminded him of the Powder he used to know. That sentimentality distracted him, and she ended up detonating a bomb, injuring Ekko and gravely injuring herself.

Ekko escaped the blast of Jinx's bomb but injured his leg and damaged his hoverboard. He managed to bring himself to the Zaun side of the Bridge of Progress, where he is eventually discovered by Heimerdinger Heimerdinger. With the boy's leg injured, Heimerdinger helps Ekko travel back to the Firelights' base where the two began discussing their thoughts on Ekko's inventions, particularly his hoverboard.

Other appearances

[edit]

Ekko has also featured in several League of Legends spin-off games, including Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra and League of Legends: Wild Rift.[1][2][3]

In 2019, Riot created a virtual hip hop group called True Damage,[4] featuring Ekko and fellow Champions Akali, Yasuo, Qiyana and Senna.[5] Rappers Duckwrth and Thutmose recorded Ekko's vocals.[6]

Reception

[edit]
A cosplay of Ekko.

The game Convergence: A League of Legends Story, which focuses entirely on Ekko's character, has been praised as "a compelling side-story for Ekko".[7]

The character's portrayal in Arcane garnered widespread acclaim. In particular, the romance between Ekko and Powder (Jinx's original name) in the alternate timeline depicted in "Pretend Like It's the First Time" received praise and analysis from critics, with Isaiah Colbert from Gizmodo favorably comparing Ekko and Powder's dynamic to the romance between Max and Chloe from Life is Strange.[8] Elijah Gonzalez from Paste found the relationship between Ekko and Powder "crushing" and "bittersweet," [9] while Motamayor for IGN praised the relationship for conveying themes of "regret, choices, new beginnings, and what could have been."[10]

The dance sequence between Powder and Ekko has been thoroughly evaluated, with many praising the music and animation.[11] Fans have speculated that the four-frames-per-second rendering for the dance scene is a reference to Ekko's ability to travel four seconds into the past.[12][13] The song that plays during the sequence, "Ma meilleure ennemie" by Stromae and Pomme, became the most-streamed French-language track in 24 hours on Spotify.[14][15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Hextech Heroes - Chibi Champion Showcase - Teamfight Tactics". League of Legends YouTube Channel. November 9, 2021. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  2. ^ "EKKO - Wild Rift - League of Legends". League of Legends. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  3. ^ "Ekko Reveal". June 29, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2025. {{cite web}}: Text "New Champion - Legends of Runeterra" ignored (help)
  4. ^ Chan, Tim (November 16, 2019). "The True Story of True Damage: The Virtual Hip-Hop Group That's Taking Over the Internet IRL". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  5. ^ Lee, Julia (November 11, 2019). "True Damage, League of Legends's hip-hop group, explained". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  6. ^ Chan, Tim (November 16, 2019). "The True Story of True Damage: The Virtual Hip-Hop Group That's Taking Over the Internet IRL". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  7. ^ Sinha, Ravi (2023-06-02). "Convergence: A League of Legends Story Review – The Storm of Time". GamingBolt. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Gonzalez, Elijah (November 25, 2024). "With Act 3, Arcane Came to An Emotional, Fittingly Imperfect End". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-01. The doomed relationship he [Ekko] forms with Powder is an absolutely crushing...
  10. ^ Motamayor, Rafael (2024-11-23). "Arcane Season 2 Act III Review". IGN. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  11. ^ Govert, Anna (2024-11-27). "In the wake of that stunning, devastating finale, Arcane still feels like a television miracle". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-12-01. What follows is a beautiful dance between Ekko and Powder, as they flirt and bicker within the confines of their working relationship...
  12. ^ Amy West (2024-11-26). "The "choppy" animation on Powder and Ekko's dance scene in Arcane season 2 is actually a heart-wrenching Easter egg". gamesradar. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  13. ^ Colbert, Justin Carter and Isaiah (2024-11-25). "4 Things We Liked, and 4 We Didn't, About Arcane Season 2". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2024-12-01. Even less bombastic moments, like Ekko and Powder dancing in a four-frame-per-second sequence to accentuate his time powers, are as moving as the boy savior's big hero moment in its finale.
  14. ^ Dredge, Stuart (2024-11-28). "Spotify hails success of Stromae and Pomme's 'Ma Meilleure Ennemie'". Music Ally. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  15. ^ O.M. (28 November 2024). "Stromae et Pomme battent un record sur Spotify avec « Ma Meilleure Ennemie », tirée de la série « Arcane » !". 20 minutes (in French). Retrieved 1 December 2024.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ekko_(League_of_Legends)&oldid=1273077760"