Whether it be game development or the production of an animated series, Riot Games is undoubtedly versatile when it comes to promoting its love child, League of Legends.

And now, on the cusp of the League of Legends 2023 World Championship, the influential gaming company has released yet another sensational form of media in celebration: an official music video, “PARANOIA,” performed by Heartsteel, an original band made up of and sung by official League of Legends characters. 

The band consists of six League of Legends champions, which are Ezreal, Kayn, K’Sante, Sett, Aphellios, and Yone. All members of the band can be seen in the music video; however, they do not all sing.

Officially, Ezreal and K’Sante are the only vocalists, with Kayn and Sett being the group’s rappers—those four are the only champions we hear singing in the entire song—and Aphellios was given the position of composer/lyricist within the band. Lastly, Yone is classified as the group’s producer/DJ. 

Although we only hear four out of six of the members sing, the human voices behind the League champions are nothing short of promising. 

Ezreal is voiced by BAEKHYUN, a South Korean singer/songwriter most known for being a member of the popular Korean-Chinese boy band EXO, and in 2019, becoming the leader of another South Korean boyband, SuperM. 

K’Sante is voiced by Tobi Lou, an American-Nigerian singer/rapper hailing from Chicago. He is most known for his 2015 single, “Game Ova.” 

Kayn is voiced by Cal Scruby, an American rapper who first emerged on the music scene after his 2016 debut mixtape titled “The Calling.” He is recognized as one of the most promising up-and-coming rappers in the US, especially after he released his latest album, Beware of the Dog in 2020.

Sett is voiced by ØZI, a Taiwanese-American rapper famous for his integration of urban hip-hop, R&B, and Mandopop. He was nominated for six awards at the 30 Golden Melody Awards and won Best New Artist for his 2018 debut album, ØZI: The Album. 

While the musical talent Riot poured into PARANOIA is nothing short of phenomenal, the video not only succeeds but thrives in its use of animation and movement; it not only tells a story but highlights the characters and personalities in a way unique to the League of Legends style of intense colors and exaggeration.

The best way to explain this would probably be dissecting the most intense scenes individually for each member of the band, as they tend to all have scenes dedicated to their personalities. 

Kayn, for example, has a scene at the beginning of the video where they highlight the chaotic nature between him and his alter ego, Rhaast. Kayn is breaking into a vault, being very nonchalant and confident, smoothly phasing through the door even though he is getting chased.  However, as the music ramps up, we begin to see his chaotic alter ego, Rhaast, take over as he begins to breakdance around security measures and mess around with K’Sante, reflecting the parallels of their relationship in the game.

Another example would be Sett’s solo, where he begins to rap in a boxing ring, possibly alluding to his background in the game’s lore. We see constant action throughout this scene with cars in the background, flashing lights, and Sett’s movements that the camera follows. However, this close-up allows us to gauge League’s use of facial expressions as we see Sett’s smirking and smiling throughout the song, allowing him to be seen as confident and boyish like his character in the game.

These exaggerated expressions and movements allow the audience to engage with the champion’s performance, making the characters come to life while also exploring the hyperactive personality of Heartsteel.

But without a doubt, “PARANOIA” does a tremulously good job at one thing: being entertaining. Whether you’ve been playing the game for years or only heard of it recently, the vibrant and loud pursuits of Heartsteel truly make you feel eager to learn more about the individual characters as a whole.

You can feel the massive amount of love and dedication Riot and their animators poured into the song, animation, and overall condition of the video. It feels like something created simply to celebrate League of Legends and its growth not only as a video game but as a franchise.