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Freedom251 › Blog › Akali

What Is True Damage in League of Legends, and How Does It Differ From K/DA?

By Freedom251 Team · · 9 min read

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“True damage” has two separate meanings in League of Legends. In a match, true damage is a damage type that ordinarily bypasses armor, magic resistance, and most incoming damage reduction. True Damage is also Riot’s virtual hip-hop group and its associated skin theme, built around Akali, Ekko, Senna, Qiyana, and Yasuo. The group’s name is a reference to the game’s terminology, not a statement that its music changes combat rules.

The two meanings of “true damage”

Confusion starts because the same phrase appears in ability descriptions, combat discussions, music videos, and skin announcements. Lowercase true damage describes how damage is calculated. Capitalized True Damage identifies a fictional music act and a set of champion cosmetics.

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True damage as a combat damage type

League of Legends has three broad damage types: physical, magic, and true. Physical damage is normally reduced by armor, while magic damage is normally reduced by magic resistance. Ordinary true damage is calculated separately: armor and magic resistance do not reduce it, and most general incoming-damage reduction does not reduce it either.

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That makes true damage useful against targets that have stacked conventional defenses. A target can build a large amount of armor or magic resistance and still take the stated amount of an ordinary true-damage effect. The word “ordinary” matters, because the game contains special defensive states and exceptions that prevent a blanket rule such as “true damage ignores everything.”

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True Damage as a proper name

True Damage is Riot’s virtual hip-hop collaboration. Riot’s official “GIANTS” page presents it as a group formed by K/DA’s rapper Akali and built around five champions: Ekko, Akali, Senna, Qiyana, and Yasuo. The same concept appears in the True Damage skin line announced in Patch 9.22.

The music project and the combat mechanic are therefore related only by naming and League of Legends setting. Equipping a True Damage skin does not convert an ability into true damage, increase a champion’s damage, or alter the way armor and magic resistance work.

How true damage works in a match

What it bypasses

Damage type Normal defensive check Practical result
Physical damage Armor Armor normally reduces the damage that reaches the target.
Magic damage Magic resistance Magic resistance normally reduces the damage that reaches the target.
True damage Armor, magic resistance, and most incoming damage reduction Those defenses ordinarily do not reduce the stated true-damage amount.

This is a classification rule, not a promise that every number displayed by an ability will reach a champion’s health bar. The effect still has to be allowed to affect the target, and other game systems can intervene before or after damage is applied.

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Why “it ignores everything” is inaccurate

Shields and invulnerability are important exceptions to simplistic explanations. A shield can affect whether damage is removed from the shield rather than health, while an invulnerable target can prevent damage from being applied at all. The exact result depends on the effect, the target state, and the current game implementation.

There are also exceptional internal damage effects that should not be used to explain champion abilities. The Nexus Obelisk’s special internal-raw damage is a technical edge case, not evidence that every true-damage spell bypasses every defensive rule. For a current interaction, read the ability’s present tooltip and a maintained game reference for the patch you are playing.

How to check an apparent true-damage interaction

  1. Read the effect’s description. Confirm that the damage is explicitly labeled true damage rather than physical or magic damage. A skin name, rune name, or visual effect is not enough.
  2. Check the target’s state. Look for a shield, invulnerability, untargetability, or another temporary protection that can change whether damage is applied.
  3. Separate damage from secondary effects. An ability can deal true damage while its slow, mark, heal reduction, or other component follows different rules.
  4. Verify the current patch. Riot can change ability wording and interactions. A historical explanation may not describe the live version of the game.

What true damage does not tell you

The damage label answers one question: which resistance system normally modifies the number? It does not, by itself, identify the source, range, timing, target restrictions, or accompanying crowd control. An ability may have several components, and only one of them may be true damage. Read each component separately rather than treating the entire cast as one undifferentiated number.

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Likewise, true damage is not automatically stronger than physical or magic damage. Its value depends on the ability’s amount, cooldown, reliability, and whether the target can prevent the effect from being applied. Its main advantage is that conventional armor and magic resistance do not reduce the ordinary true-damage portion.

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What True Damage means as a music group

Riot introduced True Damage through the song “GIANTS,” described on its official page as the group’s debut single. The video was presented at Worlds 2019, connecting the virtual performance to League’s largest competitive event of that year. Riot’s page also directs listeners to music services, so “GIANTS” functions both as an in-universe introduction and as a digital release outside the game.

The project combines champion identities with real performers. Riot’s credits associate Akali with SOYEON of (G)I-DLE, Ekko with Thutmose and DUCKWRTH, Senna with Keke Palmer, and Qiyana with Becky G. Yasuo is represented through his signature production role in the group’s concept. These are fictional champion personas performed or voiced within a music collaboration; they are not new playable characters or separate in-game classes.

The credits describe a deliberately mixed vocal and production lineup rather than five identical singer roles. Akali is the rapper who links the project to K/DA, Ekko’s identity is represented by two credited performers, Senna and Qiyana have their own featured vocal associations, and Yasuo’s contribution is framed through production. That division helps explain why the group’s members can feel different from a conventional band roster.

The five champion members

Champion Role in the True Damage concept Associated performer or credit
Akali Rapper and member connecting True Damage to K/DA SOYEON of (G)I-DLE
Ekko Vocal identity in the group Thutmose and DUCKWRTH
Senna Vocal identity in the group Keke Palmer
Qiyana Vocal identity in the group Becky G
Yasuo Production identity associated with the group Yasuo’s signature production

The lineup is fixed to this collaboration’s concept. It does not mean that every performer is a League champion, or that every champion has an independently released solo catalog under the True Damage name. The champions are the fictional faces of the act, while the credited artists supply the real-world performance and production heard in the release.

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True Damage skins and the 2019 release

Riot’s Patch 9.22 notes announced True Damage skins for Ekko, Yasuo, Akali, Qiyana, and Senna. The original five skins became available beginning November 10, 2019. They are cosmetic representations of the music group, not gameplay items that alter damage calculations.

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A player using one of these skins still deals the same categories of damage as the champion’s current abilities specify. If an ability deals true damage, it does so because of the ability’s mechanics; if it deals physical or magic damage, the skin does not change that classification. Visual effects can make an ability look different, so the tooltip and combat information remain the reliable way to identify its damage type.

This distinction also applies when comparing skin splash art, music-video imagery, and in-game combat. A dramatic visual effect may suggest power, but cosmetic presentation is separate from numerical balance. The five original skins belong to the same launch theme even though the champions retain their ordinary kits, statistics, and damage rules.

How True Damage differs from K/DA

K/DA is an earlier Riot virtual music group. True Damage is a separate collaboration with its own lineup, sound, visual identity, song, and skins. The groups are not alternate names for one band and do not share a single roster.

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Akali is the connection

Akali is associated with both projects. Riot frames True Damage as a new hip-hop collaboration formed by K/DA’s rapper Akali. In practical terms, the same champion has two musical personas: one in K/DA and another in True Damage. Her participation in True Damage does not remove her from K/DA, and it does not create a new combat version of Akali.

That crossover is why searches for one group often lead to the other. The connection is a lore and entertainment detail, not evidence that the groups are one act or that their skins share a gameplay effect. When a page refers to Akali as K/DA’s rapper, it is identifying her established music persona while introducing her role in the newer collaboration.

Side-by-side distinction

Term What it refers to What makes it distinct
True damage A League of Legends gameplay damage type Ordinarily bypasses armor, magic resistance, and most incoming damage reduction.
True Damage Riot’s virtual hip-hop group and skin theme Centers on Ekko, Akali, Senna, Qiyana, and Yasuo, beginning with “GIANTS.”
K/DA An earlier Riot virtual music group Shares Akali as a musical association but remains a distinct collaboration.

A short timeline

Date or period Event
Worlds 2019 “GIANTS,” True Damage’s debut single, was presented with the group’s virtual performance.
Patch 9.22 Riot announced True Damage skins for Ekko, Yasuo, Akali, Qiyana, and Senna.
November 10, 2019 The original five True Damage skins began releasing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Common questions, answered precisely

Does true damage ignore armor?

Ordinary true damage is not reduced by armor. Armor can still matter to other parts of the same ability or to other attacks happening at the same time.

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Does true damage ignore magic resistance?

Yes, ordinary true damage is not reduced by magic resistance. That does not make the entire ability immune to every defensive or status interaction.

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Does true damage bypass shields?

Do not treat the phrase as a universal answer. Shields and other protective states can affect how or whether damage is applied, so check the specific effect and the target’s current state.

Is True Damage a band in League of Legends?

It is a virtual hip-hop group and a related cosmetic theme, not a playable unit or combat mechanic. “True damage” in lowercase is the gameplay term.

Which champions are in True Damage?

The group’s five champion identities are Akali, Ekko, Senna, Qiyana, and Yasuo.

Who performs the True Damage members?

Riot’s credits associate Akali with SOYEON of (G)I-DLE, Ekko with Thutmose and DUCKWRTH, Senna with Keke Palmer, and Qiyana with Becky G. Yasuo is represented through the project’s signature production concept.

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What is “GIANTS”?

“GIANTS” is True Damage’s debut single. Its virtual performance was presented at Worlds 2019, and Riot’s official page lists listening-service links for the release.

Is Akali in both K/DA and True Damage?

Yes. Riot describes True Damage as a collaboration formed by K/DA’s rapper Akali, so Akali is the direct link between the otherwise distinct groups.

When did the True Damage skins release?

Riot announced the five original skins in Patch 9.22, with release beginning November 10, 2019, for Ekko, Yasuo, Akali, Qiyana, and Senna.

Can a True Damage skin make an attack deal true damage?

No. Skins change presentation only. The champion’s current ability rules determine whether an attack deals physical, magic, or true damage.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does true damage ignore armor and magic resistance?

Ordinary true damage is not reduced by armor or magic resistance, although shields, invulnerability, and other special states can still affect whether damage is applied.

Is True Damage the same thing as the true-damage mechanic?

No. Lowercase true damage is a gameplay damage type. Capitalized True Damage is Riot’s virtual hip-hop group and its skin theme.

Which champions are members of True Damage?

Akali, Ekko, Senna, Qiyana, and Yasuo are the five champion identities in the collaboration.

How is True Damage connected to K/DA?

Akali is associated with both groups. Riot describes True Damage as a collaboration formed by K/DA’s rapper Akali, but the groups remain separate.

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When were the True Damage skins released?

Riot announced them in Patch 9.22, and the original five skins began releasing on November 10, 2019.

The Bottom Line

Bottom line: true damage is a League of Legends damage type that ordinarily bypasses armor, magic resistance, and most incoming damage reduction, while True Damage is Riot’s virtual hip-hop group and cosmetic theme. The group’s five champion identities are Akali, Ekko, Senna, Qiyana, and Yasuo; its debut single was “GIANTS” at Worlds 2019. K/DA is a separate earlier group, with Akali serving as the link between the two.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Akaligame mechanicsK/DALeague of LegendsRiot GamesTrue Damage

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