You either love them or hate them. Regardless of whether or not you enjoy his unique playstyle, you’ve surely had the time to experience one or two Kennens decimate you on the rift. Yet it’s highly unlikely you’ve ever seen all of his skins, even if you’re a seasoned veteran. There’s definitely a disparity in the quality of his skins – but the real issue is that there are so few Kennen players to begin with. Here’s hoping that with this ranking, maybe I can inspire a few of you to pick him up and give him a try. He did win a World Championship, after all.
9. Deadly Kennen
Released: April 8th, 2010 Price: 520 RP Do you prefer Deadpool or Star Wars? Regardless of your preference, Kennen’s two worst skins are going to leave you disappointed – as they’re little more than recolors of his base skin. Deadly is the biggest loser, though. Simply because there are straight-up better red skins for Kennen.
8. Swamp Master Kennen
Released: April 8th, 2010 Price: 520 RP At least Swamp Master has a unique color palette. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to save the poor yordle from his old school model. And the way it’s rendered, his face to look like Yoda. On the plus side, owners of this skin might one day live to see it revitalized if Kennen ever gets his much deserved visual update. If so, I could see both of these glorified chromas making a triumphant return.
7. Karate Kennen
Released: April 8th, 2010 Price: 520 RP Our first real great skin for Kennen has him in a karate gi. Now, I absolutely adore Kennen in this skin and M.D. simply because you get to see him outside of his ninja hood, which also affects his E animation. He’s just so much more endearing when you see beyond the lightning and death to his cute interior. With that said, Karate Kennen is a little uninspired – but it does its job as a skin well. It certainly adds some personality, and it’s a very affordable entry for customization.
6. DWG Kennen
Released: April 29th, 2021 Price: 1350 RP From here on out, every one of these skins could be interchangeable depending on your preferences. But I like to think I have some pretty solid reasons for this ranking, so stay tuned! DWG is the newest skin as of this writing, owed in no small part to Nuguri of DAMWON Gaming who won the 2020 World Championship. And it has some of the most defined visuals of all the Kennen skins. Unfortunately, the bar isn’t that high, so that just boils down to some really clean looking abilities with a couple added details, a modern model that’s almost disturbingly yordle-fied compared to his older ones, and a seriously cute recall. Still, good choice Nuguri.
5. Infernal Kennen
Released: July 16th, 2020 Price: 1350 RP On the other hand, Infernal tries something different – by lighting Kennen on fire. It’s an impressive skin, and is very cohesive, adding some great fiery sound effects to match the new visuals. It even adds something new to the mix (which Kennen’s skins are sorely lacking) by turning the stun counters into little evil fire sprite faces. The recall on this skin is also my favorite. It’s just awesome watching him display his full prowess, tossing shurikens and breathing fire before returning to base. The only reason I can’t rank this any higher is because it’s just not “Kennen” enough to outrank all the other entries. I feel it’s worth saying, however, that if this is any indication of the quality of model we could expect from a visual update, I feel even better about my earlier statements on the worst 2 skins.
4. Arctic Ops Kennen
Released: December 29th, 2011 Price: 975 RP Kennen had around a 5-year dry streak where he had no new skins. And without Arctic Ops, the world would’ve been a darker place back then. Thankfully, we did get it. And nearly everyone who favored him in the top lane got to experience how smooth and wonderful this skin was. Thematically, it’s a great alternative to his ninja attire. And the kunai makes sense in both scenarios. The camouflage looks great on him, as do the new colors, and he even gets some new kunai to strap onto his back. And I don’t know, but there’s something about the way the kunai fly through the air instead of the shurikens that makes me content to int on AD Kennen all day.
3. Kennen M.D.
Released: March 29, 2011 Price: 975 RP I have it on good authority that Kennen M.D. is the best feeling skin by far. They’d changed this skin back in 2020 alongside Surgeon Shen and Nurse Akali. And ever since, it has taken the reins for smoothest skin from Arctic Ops. If you’d see the difference between now and then, you’d understand how much of a difference it made – because the visuals look drastically more modern now. And as I mentioned before, I have a soft spot for seeing Kennen without his mask. So naturally this would rank at the top with everything else considered. Speaking of everything else, I normally disregard chromas… but Kennen M.D. has some of the best looking chromas in all of League. They’re not currently available (as of this writing), as they were only sold as part of a COVID relief bundle. But here’s hoping they’ll come back soon so we can cultivate more Kennen mains.
2. Super Kennen
Released: March 29th, 2017 Price: 750 RP As far as thematically correct Kennen skins go, this is the current pinnacle. I’m not even sure there’s a better theme than “superhero” to match the aesthetic of his abilities. His little lightning bolts are the perfect substitute to his shurikens. And just look at how well they translate to his new Q animation. His Superman pose while he jets around in his E ability is subtle, but has amazing attention to detail. And those little touches are what make a skin worth doting over. I have to also mention how far a simple design can go. Goggles, super hair, and a couple superhero accessories are all this skin needs to have a unique recognizable profile. Best of all, we get all this bundled up for just 750 RP. So it’s a very easy purchase to make if you’re wanting to buy a single skin on a budget. It’s almost hard to believe this came out as a simple April Fools Skin.
1. Blood Moon Kennen
Released: February 25th, 2016 Price: 975 RP Okay, this is my guilty pleasure pick of the lot. Perhaps the most controversial on the list, Blood Moon Kennen is so incredibly cool. Hear me out: thematically, Blood Moon makes perfect sense for a ninja character. And beyond that, the Blood Moon line always has masks – and so does Kennen! It was always a match that was meant to be, and Riot did not disappoint. Between Infernal, Deadly, and Blood Moon, this one does red the best. Because it doesn’t settle for just red. The white accents of his mask and armor do a great job of counterbalancing the palette. And it doesn’t go overboard with superheating his shurikens like Infernal does. His abilities are also darker shades of red, which I think gives them an extra bit of visual oomph. Plus his E in particular is at its most menacing here, covering him in a deep crimson hue. But by far my favorite visual effect is the blue tinges on the outside of his ultimate ring, and how amazing the whole package looks as he zips around a teamfight with everything blasting at the same time. His haunting recall is also one of the best of not only Kennen’s skins, but also among the Blood Moon skins at large. And that’s saying something. Also a big special thanks to my good friend himynameisjon for his expert advice on all things Kennen. I hope you forgive me for indulging in Blood Moon! Note: this content was created under Riot Games’ “Legal Jibber Jabber” policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.
