Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has introduced a diverse array of heroes, each with rich lore and backstories that allow the MLBB community to forge a deeper connection with their favorite heroes. Suyou, the 126th hero and the latest addition to the game, is one such character. We at GamingonPhone had the opportunity to interview Erice Zhou, the Character Designer of Suyou, the immortal hero of MLBB. In our discussion, he explored the design journey behind Suyou, his approach to the character’s design, cultural and artistic references, and various other topics.
The original inspiration for creating Suyou, the Mask of the Immortal
With the incredible collaborations of talented creators, Suyou evolved from an inspiration from the Nuo culture into a vibrant hero with a compelling story. While discussing Suyou, Mr. Erice shares, “We drew inspiration from the ancient Nuo culture of ceremonial rituals.“
If you are a fan of Suyou and plan to main him, it’s worth knowing that he was brought to life by a talented team: Mr. Erice as Character Designer, Mr. Tree as Sound Designer, Mr. Jimmy as CG Producer, Miss Vancy as Narrative Designer, Mr. Arsenio as PV Director, Mr. Questlee as Concept Artist, Mr. Steven as Music Producer and Mr. Xiang as Animator.
The approach to designing Suyou’s personality and lore
Regarding content design, the team had a clear vision of where to put Suyou within the Land of Dawn. Erice mentioned, “We wanted to place Suyou in the Cadia Riverlands, an area with Eastern cultural attributes in the Land of Dawn.” This landscape in MLBB seamlessly blends with nature and is filled with a rich history and legends of Gods and Monsters. “There are many extraordinary individuals, and Suyou is one of them. His power lineage can be traced back to the war-torn history of the Cadia Riverlands, belonging to an ancient school,“ Erice explains.
Erice delved further into the lore of Suyou, stating, “He (Suyou) was once saved by the power of the Immortal Nuo, and later truly understood the truth about the Nuo God, inheriting the responsibilities of Nuo.” Suyou as a character faced numerous hardships while growing up to finally become the beloved hero he is right now in the MLBB community. “Just like his name, Suyou, which means to purge impure thoughts and wander in the mortal world,“ Erice elaborated on the meaning behind the character’s name.
Cultural references that shaped Suyou’s design and the challenges the team faced during the creation process
While discussing the cultural or artistic references used, Erice said, “Suyou’s design was inspired by “Nuo” from Chinese culture, which is a ritual dance originally performed to drive off evil spirits during ancient times.“ They encountered two major challenges that made the animation design particularly difficult. “The first is that we’re not professional dancers. The second, the historically accurate Nuo dance might lack aesthetic appeal and recognition from players if fully replicated in-game,” Erice recalled while reflecting on the creation process.
Erice expressed his enthusiasm about the project’s success saying, “Fortunately, our animators are exceptionally talented, and we’re very satisfied with the result. But more importantly, our player community is too!”
I am thrilled things work out, as I personally love Suyou’s lore, and he is somewhat broken right now with his high mobility and burst damage potential.
The team’s goal in introducing Suyou to the MLBB roster
Their goal with Suyou was to offer a different gameplay experience to fans. Erice elaborated, “With Suyou, we wanted to create a hero with a core gameplay and operational experience that is completely different from traditional MOBA heroes.“And they designed the hero to be user-friendly and easier to learn compared to characters like Benedetta.
“We aimed to make this hero as simple as possible while maintaining its unique gameplay, allowing most players to pick it up easily. Therefore, in designing each skill, we tried to simplify them as much as possible,“ Erice shared regarding Suyou’s gameplay mechanics.
I have put in a lot of time playing with Suyou since his release in the game on September 21, 2024. He’s such a fun and powerful hero for winning ranked matches, and you can carry your team if they make moderate mistakes and the enemy team doesn’t get to snowball your team.
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