Spirit Blossom is one of League of Legends’ most stylized and story-driven events. It first appeared in July 2020 and has since been revived in 2022 and again in 2025, where it expanded into a full seasonal format.
It draws on Japanese spiritual folklore and animist tradition for its core visual and narrative themes. It combines the aesthetics of Shinto celebrations and spring festivals with fictional Ionian folk tales.
Within Runeterra’s setting, the Spirit Blossom Festival takes place in different parts of Ionia, celebrating the thinning of the veil between the world of the living and the spirit realm. During the festival, spirits cross into the mortal world and take various forms, some benign, others vengeful.
It is a time of remembrance, forgiveness, and transition marked by the blossoming of the Spirit Blossoms. It is neither entirely celebratory nor solemn, its tone is intentionally ambiguous. It may be because of the dual nature of spirits in Ionia, or because it's actually a mish-mash of the different myths in parts of Ionia.
Mechanically, Spirit Blossom was notable for introducing Spirit Bonds, a visual novel-inspired minigame that allowed players to build relationships with champions featured in the event. It was a big hit with players in 2020, so much so that it's made Spirit Blossom one of the more "canon" skinlines in the shop.
The 2025 revival of Spirit Blossom adopts a seasonal structure with a two-act format, expanding its narrative and gameplay features across nearly two months. Officially titled Spirit Blossom: Beyond, the event runs from April 30 through June 23 or 24, depending on the region. Act 1 covers the initial launch period, with Act 2 unlocking additional content partway through the season.
Spirit Blossom Beyond introduced even more skins, but in the new battle pass format we've come to expect rewards from.
Rather than being just about wayward spirits, Spirit Blossom Beyond also contains a longer storyline about the rivalry between Irelia and Morgana within the skinline universe.
The Spirit Blossom skin line has grown significantly since its introduction, encompassing a wide range of champions across different roles and classes. Each year’s additions expand on the visual theme of ethereal garments, spirit masks, and supernatural auras while introducing new narrative archetypes into the Spirit Bonds system.
The original 2020 release featured two opposing spiritual forces: the Kanmei (representing order, peace and remembrance) and the Akana (representing chaos, unrest or obsession). This sets apart spirits that are based in positive emotions and negative emotions.
Champions aligned with Kanmei tend to wear white or pastel robes and maintain soft, calming aesthetics. Akana-aligned champions often wear darker purple tones with sharp or fiery visual effects.
In 2022, the event returned with a smaller group of skins and more emphasis on unique takes on champions. Sett, Syndra, and Aphelios received updated interpretations of the spirit theme, alongside a Prestige Edition for Master Yi.
The 2025 expansion, Spirit Blossom: Beyond, includes a larger wave of additions to the skinline. Notable releases include Irelia and Morgana, who form a rivalry that will be explored in Act 2.
Spirit Blossom exists within a semi-canonical layer of League of Legends. It is not part of the primary timeline followed by champions like Lucian, Senna, or Sylas, but it does borrow heavily from established Ionian myth and culture, which is canon. The event presents an Ionia where the boundary between the physical world and the spirit realm weakens, and spirits temporarily walk among the living. These spirits are not drawn from specific Ionian champions’ histories but from archetypes from Ionian folklore. Champions are not present in the Ionian lore as much as they are "playing" as them, much like an actor in theatre.
Within the lore of the event, spirits are grouped into two broad categories: Kanmei and Akana. Kanmei spirits embody peace, tradition, and guidance. They are often represented by champions who, in their main lore, value order or protect others, such as Ahri, Lillia, or Yasuo. Akana spirits are more chaotic, associated with vengeance, deceit, or emotional volatility. Champions such as Thresh, Evelynn, and Cassiopeia appear as Akana-aligned spirits.
In-universe, the festival exists as a recurring event in Ionia that champions may participate in or be remembered through. Some champion interactions and Spirit Bonds dialogue refer to canonical events obliquely, suggesting that Spirit Blossom is not a dream world or alternate universe but rather a stylized lens through which characters are viewed during the festival season.
Given the rules of the spirit world in Runeterra, it wouldn't be unheard of for the actions of champions in the canon to reverberate in the astral plane, giving shape to Kanmei, Akana and other spirits.
The Spirit Blossom ARAM map debuts during Act 2 of the 2025 Beyond event. It is a full visual overhaul of the traditional Howling Abyss map, reimagined as a bridge suspended over a river in Ionia.
The map will be renamed to Koeshin's Crossing for the duration of the event, and its lore implications are still unclear.
The map is divided on two sides, one representing Irelia and the other representing Morgana, much like the Summoner's Rift in Act 1.
The map is exclusive to the 2025 event window and will likely be disabled after the event ends. Riot has used similar approaches in past events, such as Gangplank's "death".
What is the Spirit Blossom event in League of Legends?
Spirit Blossom is a seasonal event themed around Ionian spirit folklore. It features narrative content, cosmetic skins, special missions, and time-limited game updates. The event originally launched in 2020 and returned in 2022 and 2025.
Which champions are featured in Spirit Blossom 2025?
The 2025 roster so far includes new skins for Zed, Nidalee, Morgana, Kayle, Karma, Hwei and Akali during Act 1.
Is Spirit Blossom Canon?
Within Ionia, Spirit Blossom is portrayed as a festival honoring the crossing of spirits into the mortal world. Champions appear as spirit avatars aligned with either Kanmei (order) or Akana (chaos). The event is considered semi-canonical.
What new game modes are part of Spirit Blossom Beyond?
The 2025 event changes the Rift the ARAM map.
How can players earn Spirit Blossom skins and cosmetics?
Players earn Spirit Tokens through missions and Battle Pass progression. These tokens can be exchanged in the event shop for skins, chromas, emotes, and other items.
What role does the Spirit Bonds narrative play?
Spirit Bonds is an interactive visual novel format that lets players engage with featured champions through dialogue. Choices unlock rewards and contribute to the event’s storytelling.
When does Spirit Blossom Beyond 2025 begin and end?
The event runs from April 30 to August 27th.
What is the Spirit Blossom ARAM map?
The Spirit Blossom ARAM map is a reskinned version of Howling Abyss with Ionian-themed visuals, sound effects, and minion models. It is available only during Act 2.
What are the Battle Pass rewards for Spirit Blossom?
The pass includes Spirit Tokens, cosmetic items, loot capsules, and prestige skins for Zed and Lux. Additional rewards include chromas, icons, and emotes.
How canonical is Spirit Blossom lore within Runeterra?
The event is considered semi-canonical. It exists as a cultural festival in Ionia and uses mythological archetypes to reimagine champions, but does not overwrite their main storyline.
The 2025 Spirit Blossom: Beyond expansion builds on the previous scope of the event with new champions, new lore, and new looks for the Summoner's Rift and Howling Abyss.
As Act 2 continues and new unlocks become available, players can expect further developments in story, cosmetics, and map updates. We've notably had very little direction on the actual story involved. We're still left on a cliffhanger from all the way back in the Dark Gambit cinematic.
