Riot Games artist brings Spirit Blossom Irelia to life—but it won’t be coming to League anytime soon

Riot Games has released many Spirit Blossom skins in League of Legends, but the developers have yet to make one for Irelia despite the skin line’s lore being deeply tied to her story.

Nevertheless, one of the devs has created a splash art of what the skin might look like if it were to come to the game. Bo Chen, a senior illustrator at Riot, shared his work on ArtStation, where players can take a deep look into the details of the concept art.

Like most skins from the Spirit Blossom collection, the Irelia concept features light colors. White, pink, and red dominate both the champion’s outfit and the background of the splash art, with a few touches of purple and gold here and there. Two other champions from the Spirit Blossom line are also featured in the background: Yone and Yasuo.

The lore of Spirit Blossom is based on an ancient festival celebrated in Ionia, Irelia’s homeland. It’s about celebrating the return of the dead to their loved ones. Spirit Blossom champions are either from the Kanmei or Akana groups, who have vastly different approaches to the festival.

Kanmei protect the tradition and uphold it, often being the ghosts who wander the Spirit world in peace. The Akana, on the other hand, features champions who are unable to let go of the past, are obsessed with darkness, or simply haunt the spiritual afterlife. Since Irelia is seen working with both Yasuo and Yone in the fan art, who are from the first group, it’s safe to say she’s also from the Kanmei.