Neeko

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Neeko (妮蔲)
Species/Race	Vastaya; member of the Wu Wei Clan, a shapeshifter lineage
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Wu Wei Clan; Hall of Tranquility / Placidium Sheriffs
Occupation/Role	Plant mage, Shuoma investigator, Placidium Sheriff
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Background / History

Neeko was born into the Wu Wei Clan, an eastern-island Vastaya tribe descended from shapeshifters. The clan called its souls Shuoma and could connect them with other beings, sharing memories, sensations, and feelings without secrets among one another. Her home was destroyed by fire roughly two years before she met Jia Ruo, leaving her a wanderer in Ixtal and apparently the clan's last survivor. 3 13 32

After sensing magical fluctuations from Yuumi's portal, Neeko investigated and found the wounded Jia Ruo under attack. She restrained the Rift Scuttler with magically grown vines, then read Jia Ruo's Shuoma to learn of Earth and his knowledge of Runeterra. The memories led her to fear that her people were gone. 3

Neeko brought Jia Ruo to Nidalee, persuading the huntress to heal him despite Nidalee's hostility toward humans. During the following month, she taught Jia Ruo Runeterra's common language and guided his earliest efforts to sense magic and influence plants. 3 5

Determined to find survivors or discover who destroyed the Wu Wei Clan, Neeko left Ixtal with Jia Ruo. Their journey took them by merchant ship to Ionia, where she used shapeshifting to pose as Jia Ruo's brother and helped identify trustworthy passage. 6 7

In Ionia, Master Yi could not identify Neeko's tribe but directed her to Wukong for information. Wukong's report of Xayah and Rakan investigating magical depletion led Neeko and Jia Ruo to the Western Sea Island, where its withered landscape closely resembled her recurring visions of her ruined homeland. 13 21 23 26

On the island, Neeko examined a Shadow Order ninja's fading Shuoma and learned that Zed's followers were involved in the siphoning of natural Magic Power. The incident gave her first substantial evidence linking the island's destruction to the fate of the Wu Wei Clan, though the memories were too incomplete to reveal the deeper conspiracy. 26 27

Neeko later settled with Jia Ruo in House Seventy-Nine behind Placidium's Hall of Tranquility. After demonstrating her Plant Magic during Percy's evaluation, she became an official Placidium Sheriff. 34 35

Appearance

Neeko is a young Vastaya girl with blue-purple hair, prominent green markings across her limbs, and a long tail. Her appearance can change completely through shapeshifting. 2 3

• Blue-purple hair and large green limb markings. 2
• Long, expressive tail; she often uses it to cling to Jia Ruo or reacts visibly through its movements. 5 21
• Can mimic Jia Ruo closely enough for the two to travel as “brothers.” 7
• Transformed into Jia Ruo's childhood friend Si Ying to comfort him. 6
• Has adopted a “Star Guardian” form with orange-pink hair, a sailor-style uniform, short skirt, and white thigh-high stockings. 43

Personality

Neeko is innocent, affectionate, and intensely curious about people, cultures, and emotions. Though her ability to read Shuoma gives her access to others' thoughts, she learns that using it without permission is disrespectful and consciously chooses to respect others' privacy. 23 32 35

The destruction of her home drives her to seek both the truth and a future community where humans, Vastaya, Yordles, and other willing beings can coexist. She wants to protect the Shuoma of those she befriends, even at the cost of her own life. 6

She is compassionate toward Jia Ruo from their first meeting, protective when he is threatened, and anxious at the prospect of being separated from him. Her closeness with him is frequently mistaken for romance, which she initially denies with embarrassment. 3 10 21 29

Abilities & Skills

Shuoma Connection

Neeko can connect her soul with those of living beings, allowing her to perceive and share memories, thoughts, feelings, and sensory experiences.

• Read Jia Ruo's memories, acquiring knowledge of Earth, Chinese, and the game League of Legends. 3
• Identified the traitor in Lady Lesthara's household by reading the servants' Shuoma. 38
• Examined a captured bandit's Shuoma to locate Lady Lesthara and uncover the camp's defenses. 39
• Communicated with and befriended a Wyrm Hound through its Shuoma. 49
• Neeko can access the Shuoma of the recently dead, but doing so is difficult because the soul rapidly disperses. 26
• Shuoma contact can reveal deeply personal information, making its uninvited use intrusive; Neeko increasingly avoids doing so without cause. 35

Shapeshifting

As a Wu Wei Clan Vastaya, Neeko can merge her Shuoma with surrounding creatures and imitate their forms.

• Mimics other people, including Jia Ruo and Si Ying. 6 7
• Used Jia Ruo's form to conceal her identity while traveling by sea. 7
• Can alter clothing and appearance as part of her transformations, including her Star Guardian form. 43
• Her clan's soul-based mimicry allows the sharing of experiences and the copying of corresponding forms. 3

Plant Magic

Neeko instinctively manipulates plants and magical vegetation.

• Threw a magical seed that grew into vines strong enough to bind a Rift Scuttler. 3
• Can rapidly grow and direct vegetation across an area roughly six to seven meters wide, creating dense, restraining plant growth. 34
• Demonstrated Plant Growth Spread for a Placidium Weaver seeking to study her magic. 36
• Her Plant Magic is innate; she can demonstrate it but cannot readily teach its underlying technique to others. 5 35

Relationships

• Jia Ruo — Closest traveling companion and fellow Placidium Sheriff. Neeko saved him upon his arrival in Runeterra, accompanies him in searching for her people, and shares House Seventy-Nine with him. 3 6 34 35
• Nidalee — Neeko's first friend in Ixtal. Neeko trusts her deeply and persuaded her to save Jia Ruo; Nidalee remains behind to protect her Lion Pride when Neeko leaves. 3 5 6
• Master Yi — A sympathetic mentor figure who attempts to help Neeko locate clues about her clan and introduces her to Wukong. 13 32
• Wukong — Yi's Vastaya disciple, whose knowledge of travelers in Ionia directs Neeko toward Xayah and Rakan. 21
• Xayah and Rakan — Vastaya allies who investigate the same magical depletion affecting Neeko's homeland. Xayah quickly befriends Neeko, and the pair travel together to the Western Sea Island. 23 26
• Karma — Answers Neeko's question about love, distinguishing between vast “great love” and personal “small love.” 32
• Lyle Enno — Fellow Sheriff who relies on Neeko's Shuoma-reading ability during the rescue of Lady Lesthara. 38 39
• Wyrm Hound — A tracking beast Neeko immediately befriends and communicates with during the pursuit of Fayton. 49

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rescue of Jia Ruo

Neeko investigates the portal disturbance, defeats the attacking Rift Scuttler, reads Jia Ruo's memories, and brings him to Nidalee for treatment. This encounter begins their partnership. 3 4

Search for the Wu Wei Clan

After learning that her clan may have been destroyed, Neeko resolves to leave Ixtal and seek survivors or the culprit responsible. Her search leads her from Ixtal to Ionia, Master Yi, Wukong, and eventually the Western Sea Island. 6 13 21 23

Western Sea Island Investigation

Neeko recognizes the island's drained, colorless environment as similar to her visions of home. Her investigation of a Shadow Order ninja's Shuoma identifies Zed's organization and connects the island's magical depletion to the Wu Wei Clan's destruction. 26 27

Placidium Sheriff

Neeko joins Jia Ruo at the Hall of Tranquility, passes Percy's assessment with Plant Magic, and becomes a Placidium Sheriff. Her Shuoma-reading becomes vital to exposing Lady Lesthara's traitorous servant and locating the bandits' camp. 34 38 39

Notable Quotes

“Neeko wants to go back to find them, Neeko wants to go back home.” 6

“Neeko will respect others, and Neeko will make others respect her.” 35

Trivia

• Neeko considers Placidium—where humans and Vastaya coexist—to resemble the beginning of her ideal community. 30
• She is initially intimidated by combat evaluations and does not consider herself naturally suited to fighting. 34
• Neeko's Plant Magic is described as secondary to her true specialty: soul magic. 10