Of all the fighting games I am excited about, Riot’s 2XKO is undoubtedly one of the major upcoming releases. Based on the popular MOBA League of Legends by Riot Games, this game pits various fan-favorite characters like Illaoi against other LOL characters in a tag team scenario. The best part here is that out of the 168 champion roster, almost anyone can fit into the game, making the potential 2XKO roster very exciting.
With the game slated for a 2025 launch, excitement is even higher because of EVO Japan happening this weekend. Besides the tournaments, I am waiting with bated breath to hear any news regarding 2XKO at this fighting game festival. So, with that in mind, I decided to create my wishlist of the best League of Legends characters I want to see in 2XKO.
1. Vi
We already know that Jinx will be coming to 2XKO. As such, I felt it only fitting for her older sister, Vi, to be there. The Piltover’s enforcer strongly deserves an entry as one of the playable characters. After all, nothing defines a fighting game better than using giant gauntlets to beat your opponent.
Her League of Legends kit screams power. The Vault Breaker and Relentless Force can be two vital abilities for players to extend their combos. The Blast Shield passive and Relentless force can become her S1 and S2 specials, where players either gain a temporary invincibility shield or a power surge. I think Vi can be one of the easy-to-pick, hard-to-master characters in the game.
2. Tahm Kench
Runeterra’s water demon is known as a menace for many on the battlefield against the bottom lane players, and I feel he is needed in 2XKO. His toolset can make him a successful zoner. Furthermore, his ultimate will look impressive translated into the 2XKO engine.
We’ve already seen a hard-hitting character like Illaoi in action. The core is improving his Tongue Lash and Devour skill into a grappler archetype. Since he devours his opponents from a distance, his S1 and S2 supers can rely on that. Maybe we can get a literal lash passive, where using the attack in normals will build a meter, ultimately allowing players to use S1 and S2 specials.
3. Leona
The Solari Warrior Leona is possibly one of the aggressive supports in the game, using her stopping capabilities to incapacitate enemies. I believe Riot can customize her kit to be like Wagner from Under Night or any shield-based characters in 2XKO.
Her shield can be a meter-based temporary boost where she can stop specific attacks. The game can turn something like Zenith Blade into an S1 or S2 super, allowing Leona to close up on the opponent. The Solar Flare can be another special, with chip damage, and even promote pressure play against opponents.
While Leona will require a lot of tuning due to her support role, she can have her moment if handled correctly.
4. Viego
The King of Ruination has been a popular character throughout the LOL universe and has even made some indirect cameos in other games like Valorant. As such, Viego might make his fighting game debut as one of the 2XKO characters.
The smartest move here is to give Viego the Sovereign’s Domination passive. If Viego can take out one of the opponents, he can temporarily switch into the character and mimic their moves. His Blade of the Ruined King special can become one of the S1 or S2, allowing players to deal double damage using mid-screen attacks.
Furthermore, a Harrowed Path or Heartbreaker can be good additions. These abilities enable Viego to attack and teleport toward foes to deal damage.
5. Samira
The one-eyed warrior from Noxus certainly caught me off-guard when I first played League of Legends. Because her kit comprises a combo system akin to games like DMC, she can play like Dante and Vergil from Marvel vs Capcom 3, where the games club together multiple fighting styles into one.
The blade whirl can also become one of her special inputs, where she can take out any projectile hurled towards her. Finally, the Wild Rush can be another special, allowing her to cross up the opponents on hit-confirm and initiate a combo starter.
6. Warwick
Warwick is one of the most popular jungle characters in LOL. Warwick is a close-ranged champion who can tank most attacks while dishing out massive damage. They would be the perfect surprise reveal as one of the launch characters in 2KXO’s roster. After all, he is confirmed to be in Arcane Season 2.
I hope he plays like Saberwulf from Killer Instinct, which will fit his kit well. But, with the addition of Illaoi, I think I have a rough idea of his role. His passive can become one of his quirks in-game, where if the HP goes below 50%, he gets a damage boost. To counter that, Warwick can take higher damage, increasing the risk and reward factor.
Outside of that, Primal Howl can become one of the two specials. When a player hit-confirms, the howl will freeze the opponent out of fear. This can act like a combo extender, ultimately favoring the player. Warwick is another character that greatly fits into the roster of 2XKO characters, and I hope the team adds him.
7. Riven
I meant it when I said at the beginning how nearly every character in League of Legends can fit the 2XKO roster. However, some fit better than others. Take Riven, a heavy-sword wielder who can perform magic damage.
Riven’s three-hit Broken Wing special can become her special Rekka move, allowing her to chain three attacks effortlessly. The third final move in Riven’s Broken Wing can become another input, allowing players to pull off some sickening combos.
Over at the Ki Burst, Riot Games can try some quirks where the player bounces back upon touching the Ki burst. Furthermore, her Valor can become another special where she can dash forward towards an opponent, covered in an invincible shield. Players can still damage her shield by taking chances and hitting her. This opens up a 50:50 match-up where players think twice before trying anything.
8. Katarina
We’ve seen some character concept art of Katarina when 2XKO was called Project L and was first revealed through Riot Forge. Since then, we haven’t seen her in action.
Katarina is an agile assassin who can teleport by throwing her blades towards the opponent upon hit. This can play into a quirk where one of her normals becomes a teleportation attack. She can throw her dagger and dash towards her opponent.
Similarly, her Preparation ability can become a combo-extender, where she tosses a dagger in the air. This can give her a short damage boost, letting her continue hitting her opponents. Furthermore, the Death Lotus can become her second super. It can act as a combo-ender, where a momentary volley of attacks ends the string by dealing heavy damage.
9. Udyr
One of the Spirit Walkers in-game, Udyr, is generally a fighter in League of Legends. This means he can hold the main lanes in-game. However, because of his abilities and ultimate, I believe Udyr can find a place in 2XKO. Given his size, Riot can experiment and make him a grappler.
Udyr can possibly be a stance-based character like Zafina from Tekken. Players could input certain prompts to change into a stance, gaining access to various styles of attacks. One such stance can be the bear stance, which allows him to use the Wilding Claw skill as a special skill.
Similarly, a Ram stance can allow him to use the skill Blazing Stampede from LOL. It can let Udyr perform a mid-screen charge toward the opponent while having an invincible shield. Ultimately, if this idea gets followed, players can switch between stances at multiple moments to get an optimal combo and defeat their opponent.
10. Akali
My final wish is for the LOL character Akali to make it to 2XKO. Akali is a ninja who can take players by surprise and even shred them to pieces. We’ve seen many rush-down characters in fighting games over the years, and I feel she will fit here perfectly.
Since Ahri is already in 2XKO, Akali can be another fast-paced rush-down character. For starters, she can play like like Chipp Zanuff from Guilty Gear. Like a ninja, she can stick to the walls of a stage and stay there for some time to hide. The Assassin’s Mark ability can become one of her regular toolkits, where the rope dagger acts as a ranged attack.
Similarly, the smoke bomb can become an S1 special, allowing players to launch foes. This is the second-best choice since there’s no point in allowing Akali to be invisible in a fighting game. The Perfect Execution ultimate can become an S2 special, allowing Akali to perform cross-up and deal damage. For these reasons and more, I sure hope Akali makes an appearance.
These are the characters I want to see in 2XKO. With LOL packing so many champions, the sky is the limit for 2XKO. Who do you want to see in the upcoming fighting game? Do let us know in the comments below.
