Champion backstory

Karma

the Enlightened One

Read the backstory Abilities and gameplay guide

3Story chapters

1Story connections

1Named place connections

The person behind the champion

A story to start with

No mortal exemplifies the spiritual traditions of Ionia more than Karma. She is the living embodiment of an ancient soul reincarnated countless times, carrying all her accumulated memories into each new life, and blessed with power that few can comprehend. She has done her best to guide her people in recent times of crisis, though she knows that peace and harmony may come only at a considerable cost—both to her, and to the land she holds most dear.

Short biography by Riot Games · Data Dragon 16.20.1

What shapes their story?

Inherited spiritual memory does not remove the need to choose within a changed world. Karma's relationship with Ionia's past makes the invasion a test of how continuity and action can coexist when familiar restraint no longer protects everyone.

Reading note by VRC.LOL

Read Riot's full biography ↗

At a glance

Identity, age and story connections.

Nature / form: Human with a reincarnated spiritual legacy
Gender: Female
Pronouns: She / her; Pronouns in the official story
Age: Current age not confirmed; Confirmed age at a story event; 12 years old; Darha's age when Karma's memories began to manifest; not a confirmed current age.; Read the age source
Name in the story: Darha; The person who becomes the most recent incarnation described in the biography.; Read the name source

About these details

Gender is recorded separately from the pronouns used in the official story, and only where the reviewed source explicitly describes the character. Unconfirmed does not mean genderless. Numeric ages refer to the published portrayal or the named story event, never a calculation from release dates or fan timelines. Forms, transformations and separate adaptations can change the context.

Read the gender source Official story ↗

Explore their connections

Ionia

Find another story →

Follow the story

Story timeline

Follow the main developments in order, then explore their consequences. Use each chapter's links to explore the people, regions and places involved. Artwork shows the character or wider world, not an exact reconstruction of each event; calendar dates are not assigned here.

Riot Games · Regional world artwork
An ancient soul in successive lives
Karma carries an ancient Ionian soul through successive mortal lives. Memory and spiritual authority arrive together, making her identity both an individual life and part of a much longer inheritance.
Ionia
Riot Games · Regional world artwork
Invasion tests the meaning of restraint
Invasion and crisis challenge the possibility of preserving balance through restraint alone. Guiding others can require choices that bring suffering even when the aim is peace.
Ionia
Riot Games · World artwork
An inherited voice makes a present choice
Carrying earlier lives does not remove the need for Karma's living incarnation to decide how to answer violence. The Noxian invasion makes spiritual restraint a contested responsibility. Guidance must address people suffering now, while preserving a relationship with the wisdom that came before them.
First Lands Ionia

Story guide by VRC.LOL, based on the linked Riot stories. Older biographies and newer stories can differ; no exact date or current whereabouts is implied unless stated.

Picture the setting

A world behind the story

Official Riot setting artwork, not illustrations of these exact events. Open an image to see the complete composition.

**Cliffside Temples**Riot Games · World artwork

**Living with the Land**Riot Games · World artwork

Explore the wider region

People who shape the story

Relationships and allegiances

Discover the companions, communities and powers that matter to this champion. Each card explains the connection, rather than treating every nearby character as a friend.

Not everyone important to this story is a playable champion. The reading suggestions below are labelled separately from these story connections.

Follow the story

Known places and connections

Origins, journeys and documented events. A connection here does not mean this champion lives there now.

Regional connection

Ionia

Explore the regional timeline

More about the region

The First Lands form an archipelago where the material and spirit realms meet closely. Invasion has divided its people over whether to restore old traditions or turn their magic toward resistance.

Archipelago

First Lands

Another name for Ionia's many provinces and islands. Forests, monasteries and communities share a landscape shaped by living magic and the consequences of the Noxian invasion.

Explore this place

Another perspective

Stories to read next

Continue with related characters, regional stories and other perspectives on the same themes.

Irelia

the Blade Dancer

Read backstory

Shen

the Eye of Twilight

Read backstory

The character, in detail

Champion artwork

Explore the wider settingIonia

The story beneath the scenery

What makes this place matter?

Ionia's spiritual balance is not a single shared answer. The Noxian invasion forces champions to disagree about tradition, resistance and revenge. The Placidium offers a starting point for Irelia's resistance; the Kinkou opens a different path through Shen and Akali's stories.

Look closer

A window into this world

Official Riot artwork. The gallery includes the regional setting; not every image depicts this exact landmark. Open an image to see the full composition.

**The Placidium**Riot Games · Runeterra world map

**The Kinkou**Riot Games · Runeterra world map

**Life as One**Riot Games · Runeterra world map

Sources and story contextOfficial stories, artwork credits and reading notes

Where the stories come from

VRC.LOL writes the introductions, reading notes and connections using linked Riot Universe biographies and regional guides. Short champion summaries use Data Dragon version 16.20.1. Longer histories link to the official story used; some champions currently have a shorter official overview.

What the pictures show

Artwork belongs to Riot Games. Scenery comes from Riot's Runeterra world map; champion art depicts the character. A regional illustration sets the scene when a landmark has no dedicated image. It does not show a confirmed event at that exact place.

A world still being written

Older biographies and newer adaptations can differ. These guides introduce connections rather than declaring a final chronology or a character's current whereabouts. Translations help you explore and may keep original proper names. Follow the official sources for full context.

Karma

A story to start with

What shapes their story?

Story timeline

An ancient soul in successive lives

Invasion tests the meaning of restraint

An inherited voice makes a present choice

Relationships and allegiances

Known places and connections

Ionia

First Lands

Stories to read next

Irelia

Shen

Champion artwork

What makes this place matter?

A window into this world

Where the stories come from

What the pictures show

A world still being written