The dude allows for the sickest plays imaginable. And who doesn’t want to have their own little montage? But if you’re pulling out sick plays, you might as well also look sick while doing it. Lee Sin just has an amazing collection of skins to sift through. And we’ll be trying to figure out which are the best of the bunch, ranking all of his skins based on price, features, and overall appeal.
12. Acolyte Lee Sin
Released: April 1st, 2011 Price: 750 RP When a champion is as old and as flashy as Lee Sin, it’s only natural for his older skins to fall out of favor rather quickly. For 750 RP you only get a character model change – and even that doesn’t stand out too much. I do like the double hood things he has going on here, though. It makes him appear a bit more mysterious, kinda like a cult leader, but that’s the only thing I can commend about this design. I’m sure that someone somewhere loves this skin more than life itself. But I’ll have to give it a pass.
11. Playmaker Lee Sin
Released: June 14th, 2018 Price: 975 RP Although this’s a newer skin that does offer new effects and animations, I just don’t dig it that much. Playmaker Lee Sin is somewhat of a gag skin – and it just feel forced, since nothing ties Lee Sin as a character to football, or soccer, except his kick. If his Q animation was changed so that it looks like he was kicking the ball, then I would bump it up a few spaces. But throwing it with a single hand just seems impractical and like a possible penalty. The character model is okay but looks a bit goofy – and it definitely doesn’t live up to the hype that the splash art promises. I will say, however, that the backing animation is straight fire.
10. Dragon Fist Lee Sin
Released: January 10th, 2012 Price: 975 RP Dragon Fist Lee Sin is definitely a bit more on-brand than the previous two. But I do think it’s somewhat overpriced. The character model here is designed to look like your average blockbuster martial arts sensei, with some killer shades, a stylish shirt with dragons on the back, and some protocol violating enforced gloves. The skin surprisingly also offers chromas, and some of them make the skin come alive even more! All of this being said, the skin only really offers a new backing animation in terms of visual effects. And 975 RP seems a bit steep for just that. I’m also just salty that the character model doesn’t look as cool as the splash art.
9. Traditional Lee Sin
Released: April 1st, 2011 Price: 520 RP As the second skin to come out on release, we really can’t set our expectations too high with this one. And yet this skin does seem to have its own loyal little fanbase. Traditional Lee Sin is very minimalistic, sticking to the core Lee Sin design, and only changing a few things around. So you get some long flowing hair to cover your eyes, and some arm/shoulder tattoos. Sidenote on the tattoos: if you zoom in and really take a look at them, you’ll see the derpiest little chunky tigers that have ever graced anyone’s skin. If you love minimalistic League skins, low prices, and derpy tigers, this is the way to go.
8. FPX Lee Sin
Released: April 30th, 2020 Price: 1350 RP You know how in the first half of Dragon Ball Z, Gohan was this super badass kid who had one of the most epic fights in history? And then after the time-skip he just became a nerd? Well, that is this skin. The character model has some very strong Power Ranger/superhero vibes, and I just can’t say that they fit the champion at all. But the animations are honestly great. The Q being a literal fireball being a persona highlight. But there’s only so much you can do with a character model like this. The respawn animation is also pretty neat here, but unless you really like Power Rangers, I doubt that would be enough to convince you to get this skin.
7. SKT T1 Lee Sin
Released: May 4th, 2014 Price: 750 RP This skin goes in the opposite direction from FPX Lee Sin and just makes Lee Sin look chill as all hell. He has his matching track suit on with some fingerless gloves, a beanie, some Hermes sneakers, shades, a goatee, and his headset. He honestly looks like a dude any of us would like to hang with. Sure, the skin doesn’t offer any new particles or animations. And the skin doesn’t particularly fit Lee Sin’s original thematic. But at least you’re dripped out and vibing on the Rift.
6. Nightbringer Lee Sin
Released: December 12th, 2019 Price: 1350 RP Now we’re getting into the top-tier choices, and these are all skins I would recommend taking a good look at. They’re all pretty much top notch. First off we have Nightbringer, a skin that takes the occult vibe from Acolyte and the fiery animations from FPX to make a rather interesting design. It almost feels like Blood Moon Lite. The splash art is simply amazing, and the character model lives up to the hype rather well, with Lee Sin sporting golden head/neck wear, magma-like hands, and an eight pack you can grate cheese on. The ability animations are all reddish and thus fit with the theme rather well. And the backing animation feels like a full-on ritual. I think this is also probably the first time ever that I actually prefer the Prestige Edition to the base skin. In this case it looks slightly more godly and intimidating.
5. Pool Party Lee Sin
Released: September 9th, 2013 Price: 975 RP Pool Party Lee Sin just feels like a classic. It has that same type of “just chilling out” energy as SKT T1, but it’s even more noticeable now, since you’re literally on vacation. Plus this gives you an excellent bang for your buck. At only 975 RP, the skin nets you a killer character model, a new Q animation, and a new backing animation, with all of it fitting together seamlessly! Your character model showcases your coconut drink as you carry it around everywhere. Your Q throws out said coconut drink, thus explaining why it’s there, and your backing animation has you getting a new coconut drink – explaining where they come from. Am I looking into this too much? Perhaps. But the skin is still a banger.
4. God Fist Lee Sin
Released: April 5th, 2017 Price: 1820 RP I know this might be quite the hot take, as a lot of people consider God Fist Lee Sin to be a contender for first place, but hear me out. The skin is definitely really good. But it simply doesn’t offer as much as legendary skins should these days. Let’s focus on the positives first. The idea of a punching Super Saiyan Lee Sin is pretty much golden. And you get brand new auto-attack animations here too. Even your ult has you do a punch instead of a kick, so you can go full lethality and pretend to be Saitama. Your new E animations feel a lot more powerful too. It looks like your scream cripples your opponents, and all of your abilities have this very nice new sound effect of monks humming. The new joke emote is also rather funny, but the dance emote is slightly underwhelming. All of this culminates into a skin that’s definitely very hype and flashy – but worth just slightly under 1820 RP, in my opinion.
3. Knockout Lee Sin
Released: May 31st, 2015 Price: 1350 RP Yes, I do prefer Knockout Lee Sin when it comes to fisticuffs. First off, the actual attack animation feels slightly smoother than in God Fist, as the motion isn’t exaggerated as much. Secondly, this skin just has a certain feeling of swag that not a lot of other skins do. You literally uppercut people, your W has a bell ring go off for the start of a fight, and your backing animation has you resting for a bit in the corner. It all fits together so nicely that it elevates the entire skin. And I think 1350 RP is exactly how much this skin is worth – which is also why I slightly favor it to God Fist.
2. Muay Thai Lee Sin
Released: July 24th, 2012 Price: 975 RP Unless you’re a Lee Sin main or you’re close with a Lee Sin main, you never realize how beloved this skin is. But the second you think about it, you’ll probably realize that you see this skin among one trick ponies all the time. So what’s the big deal? Well, there are a few things. Thematically, the skin just takes everything you loved about the original idea and elevates it to a new level. Visually, the skin looks badass, with a rather fitting new backing animation and the base ability animations. And in practice, this skin is slightly pay-to-win, since it offers the smoothest and most satisfying attack and walking animations out of any Lee Sin skin. I was even considering putting it at #1 for this ranking, but my hype brain got the better of me. However, if you don’t feel like filing for bankruptcy, this is the perfect overall skin and it’s definitely worth getting.
1. Storm Dragon Lee Sin
Released: October 1st, 2020 Price: 1820 RP Storm Dragon Lee Sin was another huge factor of why God Fist was slightly nerfed in my eyes. This really showcases what 1820 RP should bring you. This skin has more particles and features than some champion’s entire skin line-ups – and boy does it feel good. I mean, the new auto-attack animations are smooth as all hell. Plus the abilities have a sense of impact and hype that very few others do, especially the ult. And we aren’t even half way through the features! The new joke emote makes for some great reactions, the taunt is just the biggest flex, the dance is the catchiest tune League of Legends has (coupled with some fierce TikTok moves), and the laugh is, well, just a laugh. You can’t revolutionize everything, I guess. But this skin also features brand new particles when you’re walking down the river – and yes I am serious about that. And on top of everything else, you’ll also find a brand new voice and a killer backing animation. Overall, this skin is the incarnation of hype. And if you like flashy well-polished skins, this is the perfect pick for Lee Sin. 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.
