Sona/Trivia

General

• Sona herself resembles and might have been heavily inspired by Hatsune Miku.
• A Power Chord consists of a double root and the fifth, usually heard in rock music.
• A Hymn (Greek: 'song of praises') is a type of song usually associated to religion and the Islamic equivalent of a Dhikr.
  • When Hymn of Valor's aura is active the game's theme can be heard.
• An Aria (from Greek ἀήρ "wind, loft" > Latin aer > English air) is a type of melody usually associated to operas.
• Crescendo (Italian: 'growing') refers to the amplification of volume in music.
  • In-game Crescendo triggers both a stun and the target(s)' dance emote simultaneously.
• Sona was deemed overpowered/obnoxious for Ultra Rapid Fire in April 2014, and was ultimately disabled in non-custom games.
• Sona was once the champion with the lowest base Armor at Level 1 (9)
• Sona's Deutsch/German title is near-identical to Jhin's title (Die Virtuosin)

Development

• Sona comes from Proto-Italic verbal root *swen- "to sound" plus feminine suffix -a
  • *Swen- historically yields Proto-Italic *swenos > Latin sonus > French son > English sound.
  • Her title Maven references her musical skill with her Etwahl. & comes from Yiddish:
    • From Hebrew מֵבִין meḇin & מבינה meḇinah, active participles of hebin < bān < Semitic root b-y-n "to separate, to discern";
  • Her instrument's name is based on & pronounced the same as French étoile [etʷal] < PIE root *h₂sters (> English star)
    • Etwahl's shape is based on the Chinese Guzheng;
• Sona was targeted by Deadeye (together with Zed, Garen, and Vi)

Lore

• Sona is mute, yet can talk to others and Summoners/players via telepathy.
• Sona was born and spent her childhood and adolescence in Ionia before moving to Demacia after Lestara Buvelle adopted her.
  • Her Etwhal may or may not be possessed by an entity of the spirit world seeing as in Ionia the veil separating both planes is at its thinnest there compared to the rest of Runeterra.

Quotes

• "From my mind, to yours" might be referencing the Vulcan mind meld from Star Trek.
• "Allegrissimo" is Italian for 'play the music faster in a very lively or cheerful way'.
• "Brioso, Brioso!" is Italian and Spanish for 'lively'/'merry'/'proud'/'high spirited'.
• "Adagio" is Italian for 'gently/'slowly'/'more graceful'/'leisurely'.
• The tune from Sona's taunt references Finish Him/Her! from Mortal Kombat.

Skins

Pentakill Sona

• She shares this theme with Pentakill Karthus, Pentakill Kayle, Pentakill Mordekaiser, Pentakill Olaf, and Pentakill Yorick.

Muse Sona

• She references the eponymous Greek mythical beings.

Silent Night Sona

• She references the eponymous Christmas carol and even its origins as a guitar tune.
• If her and Reindeer Kog'Maw are close to each other and both play their joke simultaneously they will respectively play and sing an excerpt from Deck the Halls.

Guqin Sona

• She references the eponymous Chinese instrument.
  • She celebrates Lunar Revel 2012.

Arcade Sona

• She references many '80s and early '90s video game effects.
  • Crescendo's visual references Dance Dance Revolution by displaying the sequence (↑→)(←)(↑→)(↑)(↑)(↑)
• Her basic attacks will change according to the song she played.
• If Sona activates Talisman of Ascension the visual effect displayed will be an old version of Classic's Song of Celerity's.
• She shares this theme with Arcade Ahri, Battle Boss Blitzcrank, Battle Boss Brand, Arcade Corki, Arcade Ezreal, Arcade Hecarim, Battle Boss Malzahar, Arcade Miss Fortune, Arcade Riven, Final Boss Veigar, and Battle Boss Ziggs.

DJ Sona

• She is the first to be fully music-based, the second being Bard.
  • She doesn't speak at all like in Classic.
• She has a combined over three hours of sound effects, music, and 'voiceover', making her the champion with the most sound files.
  • They call all be heard here.
• She has three toggleable ('/toggle' or Ctrl + 5 by default, second row from the bottom in Options > Hotkeys > Communication > Toggle to rebind) forms (Kinetic, Concussive, Ethereal)
  • Changing forms a 0.5 seconds cast time and a 2 seconds global cooldown (this also triggers while in combat)
    • Each one has a 'theme' that is played in layers as the game progresses.
      • The layers played will be added to all songs depending on what basic ability is used for the first time and also which level of ultimate has been used for the first time, the latter also affecting the theme structure.
• Sona's teammates can opt in to listen her soundtrack from the scoreboard (icon to the left of her portrait)
  • They cannot choose which 'theme' since that is dependent of the form Sona chooses.
• Using Crescendo for the first time as soon as an ultimate level is unlocked will upgrade the theme structure of all forms. Using the level 1 ultimate will permanently apply all basic layers, allowing the basic abilities to add new ones. Using the level 2 ultimate will allow the song reach its climax, becoming the regular version of the songs. Using the level 3 ultimate will trigger a more dynamic and intense version of the regular songs.
  • If Crescendo is used for the first time while in Kinetic form a fragment of the Metroid theme will play.
• DJ is the first skin in which Sona's legs can be actually seen.
  • Her helmet references Daft Punk.
    • Her dance references Caramelldansen.
      • Her joke might be referencing Flipping Tables / (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
        • Her cube from Concussive references the Button Beats Dubstep Cube.

Sweetheart Sona

• She celebrates Valentine's Day 2016.
• The background might be referencing the Palace of Versailles's interior.
• She shares this theme with Sweetheart Annie.

Relations

• Swain has described Sona's performances with the statement "Her melody moves the soul, her silence sunders the body."
• Mordekaiser embarked on a metal-fueled journey to recruit Karthus, Yorick, Sona, and Olaf in order to form Pentakill so they would Smite and Ignite the whole of Runeterra with their music.
  • Sona didn't leave the band to become a DJ, she is simply branching out.
• Jhin sees Sona as a rival performance-wise, stating that his form of art leaves longer, more lasting imprints.