After a ton of discussion within the League of Legends fanbase, it looks like the Riot Games development team has decided to keep the original voice lines for Runeterra’s resident Rogue Assassin, Akali, and reverted the update.
On the League PBE server, players noticed Akali had a surprise new voice actress saying all of her lines on Summoner’s Rift—and not everyone was overly happy.
The new voice was from Ashly Burch, well-known in the gaming industry for her roles in multiple popular titles, including Viper from VALORANT, Chloe Price from Life is Strange, Tiny Tina from the Borderlands series, and Nebula from Guardians of the Galaxy: A Telltale Series.
It was a surprising change for many League enthusiasts, and took many people off-guard when the loaded into a game with the champion. Even though Burch is a well-respected voice actress, many fans immediately thought that her voice did not match the personality and character of Akali.
In a thread on the League subreddit with over three thousand upvotes, fans agreed Burch’s portrayal of the champion departed from her serious nature as one of League’s iconic ninjas. Instead, she sounded a lot more like a typical action hero from a Hollywood movie and even felt a lot louder as a result.
Krizia Bajos, the original voice actress, brought a quiet intensity the new voice lines failed to deliver, with a unique rasp to the voice as well. This theme also matched Akali’s character as a skilled ninja of the Kinkou Order.
If you were a fan of Burch’s work as Akali, don’t worry too much.
Though she’s gone from the base skin, new lines were kept on for her Star Guardian cosmetic, giving players a chance to experience the Akali voice update for a small price.
