Darius/Trivia

General

• Darius is 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 meters) tall and weighs 266 lbs (121 kilograms)
• Darius was the first champion to have an autonomous Recall / Teleport animation.
  • He and his brother Draven are the first related champions to be released back to back.
• Darius is one of Thirteen champions without a single Ability Power ratio on any ability, the others being Draven, Garen, Kalista, Kindred, Kled Illaoi, Olaf, Riven, Talon, Xayah, Vayne, and Zed.
• Tahm Kench says Darius' strength is 'waning' and that he could 'help him slow time's regress'.
  • This and the strands of gray hair on his head suggest Darius is of advanced age.
• Darius is Latin transliteration, through Greek Δαρεῖος, of Old Persian Dārayauš (Upholder of Good)
  • He also references Darius I
• Darius' abilities had different names while in development.
  • Hemorrhage used to have a movement speed buff called Aggression.
    • It read: "The carnage of war enlivens Darius, increasing his movement speed."
  • Crippling Strike used to be called Hamstring / Noxian Tactics
  • Noxian Guillotine used be called Sudden Death
  • Noxian Might used to be called Blood Rage but was renamed by player request.

Lore

• Darius doesn't care for titles or privileges, only to serve his empire through his Noxian Might.
  • • Darius isn't a crazed, bloodthirsty maniac but more of a cold-blooded killer moving through the battlefield with powerful, precise movements and striking with deadly force where it matters most.
      • He takes pride in combat, but there's no primal bloodlust needing to be sated.
        • Unpredictable sadists don't always make for the best commanders.

Quotes

Original Darius

• His jokes reference Garen and his 'spin-to-win' tactics.
• He and Quinn share the quote "Stay alert".

Dunkmaster Darius

• True to his title, he uses the work 'dunk' a lot.
• He and Vi share the quote "Get dunked!"
  • He, Draven, and Katarina share the quote "Too easy".
• He sarcastically calls both Fiddlesticks and Nocturne 'spooky'.
• When purchasing certain items, he'll speak of them as if he was starring in a commercial.
• "I don't play the game, I am the game" might be referencing WWE wrestler Triple H (also known as 'The Game')
• "From the fountain, off your face, nothing but dunk." references the 'Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan' McDonald's commercial.
• His shoes being 'Noxus Air' brand references Nike, Inc.'s Air Jordan shoes.
• "Dat fail" references players using her name to in turn reference 'Dat Ass.
• "I'm in the business of dunking, and business is good" references Killing is my Business. . . And Business is Good by Megadeth.

Skins

Lord Darius

• Him being Swain's right-hand man implies this is Darius after Tyrant Swain became Grand General of Noxus.
  • His armor has many a raven motif referencing Beatrice, the raven always perched atop Swain's shoulder.
    • His eyes glowing implies either empowerment or mind control (which one is uncertain)

Bioforge Darius

• His abilities glow green.
  • This and his production name being 'Zaun Knight Darius' implies he was augmented with techmaturgy in a fashion similar to Urgot's resurrection.

Woad King Darius

• His abilities emit frost-like effects.
  • He is fighting Lokfarian Frost Serpents, the same ones Olaf fought in his quest for glorious death.
• He resembles Mel Gibson's incarnation of William Wallace in Braveheart.
• His production name was 'Norse King Darius'
• He shares this theme with Woad Ashe and Woad Scout Quinn.

Dunkmaster Darius

• He came about after fan suggestions and memes depicting Noxian Guillotine as a Basketball slam dunk.
  • The back of his shirt features the Noxian crest, implying he represents/fights for Noxus on the court/battlefield.
  • He performs Michael Jordan's slam dunk when using Noxian Guillotine and/or recalling.
  • In the Taiwanese server he is called 'Slam Dunk Darius' referencing the eponymous manga.
  • He might be referencing the US NBA.
    • If Darius was from Earth, this would be his job.
      • The same applies to Primetime Draven and Forecast Janna.

Academy Darius

• He references delinquents in South Korean high schools.
  • He also resembles Ira Gamagōri from Kill la Kill.
  • He also shares a strong resemblance with JP, one of the main protagonists of the anime film Redline, down to the shoulder-spikes, band-aid on the left cheek, and blue hair.
• He shares this theme with Academy Ahri, Academy Ekko, and Academy Vladimir.

Dreadnova Darius

• He might be referencing Arcturus Mengsk from StarCraft.
• He shares this theme with Galactic Azir, Dreadnova Gangplank, Galactic Nasus, and Galactic Renekton.
• His chain axe and armor may reference a Chaos Space Marine Berzerker from the Warhammer 40,000 board game.

Relations

• Darius has allied with Swain because he sees in the Master Tactician someone who can make Noxus rise.
  • Their relationship is strictly professional, more chain-of-command than father-son.
    • Darius understands the Black Rose have used deception and trickery to help in Swain's rise but he's concerned about not knowing how deep the rabbit hole goes.
• In Darius' eyes Necromancy is cheating death to justify one's undeserved continued survival.
  • Yet for him Sion's legacy is an example. But when he gazes upon the Undead Juggernaut, he sees what might become of himself should he no longer be useful (or rather too useful should death come knocking)
• Darius holds Garen no grudge, he just thinks he's a fool chasing after a meaningless code of 'honor'.
  • Yet he would relish killing Garen simply to prove Noxian Might crushes all, even Demacian Perseverance, Courage, Justice, and especially their paragon.
• Darius and his younger brother Draven are renowned as the 'Blood Brothers'.
  • Family ties are strong and can serve as the basis for one's strength, yet Darius sees self-serving aristocrats using theirs as a crutch for their weakness and as a result the perpetuation of stagnant leadership that needs to be removed and replaced.
    • With this in mind one cannot tell Darius providing and caring for Draven back in their childhood came out of love or even mere pragmatism.