Lapulapu

Lapulapu is a Support/Tank hero in Honor of Kings.

Background[]

The people of Nectam revered the power of the sea beast Bakunawa without exception, a creature as ruthless, fierce, and changeable as the tide. It was known to all that those who sought its aid paid a price. As the Datu of Nectam, Lapulapu found himself under invasion from a nearby isle, aided by Western adventurers. Refusing to let his rule be threatened, he put everything on the line to rally his forces and strike back.

Ultimately, both islands suffered heavy casualties, while the Western adventurers arrived at the last minute, ready to reap the spoils. Lapulapu finally realized that in clinging to power, he had become a pawn in someone else's game. Without hesitation, he entered the island's holy place, knowing the price he would pay—that one day, he would turn to stone in exchange for the sea beast's power to summon the waves. The islanders stood together against the invaders, and the island was returned to them once more. Lapulapu's heart had now become stone. He had no way of knowing when he would be fully transformed into part of the reef, forever standing guard in the shallows. But before that day came, he had work to do. He would rebuild his homeland and strengthen the islands. The fight was far from over...

Lore[]

Reefheart Datu[]

1. The Southern Edge

To the south of [Primaera] lies a string of pearl-like isles, known as Azuria.

In Azuria, the lakes are not cradled by the land. Rather, there are "lakes" of land surrounded by endless ocean. The sons and daughters of the ocean share the same blue sky and open waters with the mysterious beasts born in this land. Even Azuria's oldest inhabitants cannot say whence the leviathans came, only that they hold a strange power to calm the fury of nature. For countless years, they have roamed these far-off seas, sometimes as silent watchers, sometimes as steadfast guardians of humanity.

Nectam is home to one such beast, the great sea serpent Bakunawa. With a temperament shaped by ocean gales, jagged reefs, and briny shores, it kept its distance from humankind, claiming Nectam's nutgall tree forest as its domain. The people of Nectam both feared and revered it, and legend told of a human who once earned its blessing, only to be petrified and become part of the reefs. Sometimes, when the moon is full, it would leap out of ocean, as though it would swallow the moon itself. Children would make up songs about the "moon-eater" that rode upon the sea breeze and dwelled in the nutgall forest.

All in all, Nectam is one of the string of pearly isles that make Azuria.

Lapulapu, the datu, or chief, of Nectam, often gazed off at the horizon where azure sky and cerulean water met, lost in the tranquility of the island. The sea breeze carried the chants of fishermen, their faith anchored in a future where they could earn with their own hands. Decisive and forceful—that is Lapulapu. Yet in his youth, he was spirited, open-hearted, and quick to trust, joining the children's songs about the great sea serpent and watching eagerly for the rock turtles' return. Such innocence, however, cannot win a chieftain's seat. His new standing rests on his might, his stratagems, and his ability to inspire. The darker turns of politics aside, he is still a datu his people could depend on, the defender of the isles and their nutgall tree forest.

But one fateful day, that all changed.

It was the day the rock turtles were supposed to return.

Only this time, as the islanders looked out to sea, they saw not rock turtles but a fleet of invaders. The fleet was led by a datu from a neighboring island, seeking to gain control of Nectam's nutgall trees and surrounding sea. They never had the blessing of any mighty beasts, nor had they ever made waves. But now, they were flying bright flags and bore new, razor-sharp weapons and shields emblazoned with a helix pattern. Lapulapu did not have the time to ponder why this petty faction had suddenly decided to invade. He saw that war was inevitable, and the one thought that dominated his mind was that Nectam could not be taken. Assessing the situation, he noted that although the enemy did not look like the strongest fighters, they have the advantage of well-crafted weaponry. Nectam might have a fighting chance, if they are willing to make some sacrifices.

Yet Lapulapu realized that deep down, something already shifted within him. What he came to value now was no longer responsibility, but rather the lust for power over the islands.

Lapulapu surveyed the island, calculating the strength Nectam could bring to bear. They have young men and women and plenty of sand dolphins. Yes, even if some were sacrificed, there will still be enough youth that the island could continue to develop... The connection he had with the islanders, a tight net woven among the ocean waves, had now become a commander's emotionless call to arms. But... as long as they could win, as long as he remained the datu of Nectam, none of that mattered.

"Form up! Lure them in... Show no mercy!" The islanders followed the datu's commands to the letter. Lapulapu's deputy died a heroic death securing a tactical advantage for the Nectams. Even as life slipped from him, the young man's eyes were still full of trust in his datu. The sky darkened and the shallows near the coral reef were dyed red with the blood of warriors from both sides. Nectam had seized the upper hand, but at a dear price.

In the end, Lapulapu thrust his sword into the chest of the invading datu—first through armor, then through flesh. The deeper the blade sunk, the harder it was to push in. Lapulapu's hands trembled on the sword's grip. A wave swept over them, the salt water assaulting his eyes. As he hesitated for a moment, he saw great terror pass over the dying warrior's face.

Lapulapu froze. He furrowed his brow and saw the other warrior's hand pointing out toward the horizon. A group of ships bearing foreign flags was floating off in the distance. Lapulapu turned his gaze back to the beach, where he saw their forces locked in a struggle to the death. They would never be able to withstand an all-out assault... In that instant, the spark of the conflict and the subtle, unnatural details that had followed came into focus. Someone had been pulling the strings, setting the perfect trap to make them tear each other apart. Unfortunately, Lapulapu and the islanders had fallen right into their trap.

Lapulapu's heart sank to the ocean floor—this island feud should never have cost so much blood.

He had... They all had realized it far too late.

2. Bakunawa and the Nutgall Tree Forest

"Lapulapu... They promised us riches... They said if we were victorious, I would be the new datu of Nectam." The other datu could only exhale, each word a bloody rasp from his chest. "I shouldn't have... Lapu... Lapu! The islands... can only belong to the islanders! You must..."

Lapulapu closed the other man's lifeless eyes.

"We were both blinded by our desire for power."

He had to atone for his sins.

He looked toward the nutgall tree forest, then let his gaze drift to the shallows and their reefs. Bakunawa's favor was never free—he had known that on the day he took the mantle of datu. The toll, to become part of the reef, had not prevented people from making wishes before. Strangers from afar would not think twice about sacrificing their worthless lives to have their wishes granted—but to the people of the islands, becoming stone meant a soul bound forever, never to know release.

Bakunawa was known to be both innocent and cruel, and the islanders would never trade their souls for worldly gain.

But what if it was for Nectam? What if... it was for atonement?

The island had lost its one chance to stand against the Western invaders because of his lust for power. The bloodstained beach filled Lapulapu's mind.

He weighed his soul on the scales. On one side, the full life he could lead; on the other, the lives of everyone else on the island.

A dense, salt-tinged fog hung over the forest. Lapulapu fell to his knees, almost as if he were being dragged beneath the surf. When he opened his eyes, the forest had taken on an ominous red glow. He felt something connect with his spirit, almost like every thought in his mind was being pulled by a million strings. Here, his every intention was laid bare. There was no escape.

"Bakunawa! I need the power to protect. I need the strength of the sea's creatures, the storms, of the broiling sea!"

A strange sea monster emerged from the water. Its two dark eyes locked with his.

"I will give my soul, become one with the reef—anything! I need the power to protect the islands!"

A tempest whipped up around the nutgall forest. Lapulapu stepped forward with the waves at his back.

3. Monster

The Western explorers wanted to uncover Azuria's secrets, and they were willing to use extreme means to do so. They couldn't imagine how the islanders meant to deal with their fluorescent stone-powered warships—nor did they know that behind the tempestuous waves was a datu with a heart of stone, dead set on protecting the islands. One explorer activated his engines, cutting through the waves. His ship had taken a bit of damage, yes—but he was confident he would easily get what he was after.

Once they'd landed on the shore, his steel-clad mercenaries jumped off the ship, weapons glinting menacingly in the sun.

In the shallows, Lapulapu stood waiting for them, sword in one hand, shield in the other. Beneath his feet, a whorl began to form. He threw his sword, which embedded itself in the sea at the explorer's feet. A massive sea snake sprung from the water. It had a shark skull for a head, the body of a serpent, and the venom of a toad. Bakunawa the sea serpent—a gift from the island.

As Bakunawa swallowed the mercenaries whole, Lapulapu charged in at inhuman speeds, sweeping the army before him with a storm at his back. Slowly, the shallows were covered in surf, waves, and storm. Some Western invaders were carried off by the tempest, while others were weighed down beneath the sea by their heavy metal armor. Onlookers couldn't see what was happening clearly. All they could see amid the wild storm and rain was a figure standing as solid as the reef itself.

The story of the tempestuous battle was spread, telling of how the datu, clothed in divine power, wreaked havoc on the invaders like a sea monster of legend. When all was said and done, all that remained was half a wrecked ship and its tattered flag.

It took days for the bloodstained water to turn clear again. Lapulapu laid the island warriors to rest, regardless of which island they'd come from. In the time that followed, the people noticed the datu would often make his way to the nutgall forest or stand amidst the reef rocks.

Lapulapu knew some exploration vessels had managed to escape. Perhaps they carried with them stories about the nutgall forest, or tales of the monstrous danger that awaited at Nectam. Lapulapu didn't care. He was willing to become a monster, if that meant that the islands could survive and flourish under his protection.

4. Protection

The threat had passed for the moment, but Lapulapu didn't rest.

He knew the price he must pay—that he would slowly but surely become one with the reef. Even now, he could no longer feel his heart beating. He knew a day would come when his time would be spent. He had to use what little time he had left to ensure Nectam could protect itself once he was gone.

After all, the marvel of Azuria's beasts was no longer a secret, and in the distant West, there were bound to be people set on taking advantage of them. Lapulapu set to work preparing for enemy invasions. He set up a military school on Nectam, turning the island into a stronghold of Azuria. He set up fisheries to stockpile resources. He even built a harbor, and invited scholars from Primaera in the north to visit...

One day, a scholar visited from the north, and Lapulapu guided him for a stroll around the island. The scholar walked slowly, so Lapulapu adjusted his pace to match the other man's. As he walked, he realized it'd been some time since he'd taken a moment to admire the all-new Nectam he'd built. Next to the azure ocean, children held their beloved sand dolphins. As the scholar studied the markings on a rock turtle, the fishermen's wives carried in their clam harvest...

The scholar stood, the gray hairs of his beard fluttering slightly in the wind. "Datu," he said, "you have a truly precious heart of stone." "You should be grateful for it."

Lapulapu took a deep breath and allowed himself to sink into the sapphire-tinted tranquility before him.

Every time he had a moment like this, he would ask himself the same question: "Have I done enough?"

The answer always was, "No, there's still more, more to be done." It was the weight his soul carried, his atonement.

Lapulapu wouldn't stop, not until his time was done. Not until the day fate finally came for him.

If the Rock Turtles Disappeared[]

If the rock turtles were to disappear from the world, it wouldn't change the islands much. It's just that the shoreward season would no longer be lively—oh no, the shoreward season wouldn't exist at all. If children wished to learn about the holiday in the future, some grown-ups would probably need to tell them stories about it.

If the rock turtles were to disappear from the world, it wouldn't change the islands much. It's just that the children of the islands would no longer have animal companions to grow up with. Oh no, when they come of age, who will celebrate their birthdays?

If the rock turtles were to disappear from the world... Oh, no! That'd be really bad news for the rock turtles.

So perhaps it would be best if the rock turtles didn't disappear.

I was in a warm liquid. Sustenance. A strength filled me. Darkness... I had to break through the darkness.

I tried to get out. I was almost out of energy when something touched my egg's shell. I heard, "crack."

Light surrounded me. More warm liquid. There were some pebbles around me.

"Dad! I helped my rock turtle out of its shell!" I heard a human say.

Something warm enveloped my body. I left the ground and my shell behind.

Fine sand rubbed against me. It was pleasant.

"It's moving! Dad, what do we call it? What do we call it?"

"Lapulapu, you're the son of a datu. You must name your rock turtle yourself." A deeper voice appeared.

I gazed into the soul of my human friend.

I could tell that I would see the growth, life, and death of the human holding me in front of his face.

"Baco! I'll call him Baco. It's from a legend about the lava turtle that Rajah from the other island told me."

So I learned my name to be Baco. I would grow up with my human friend, Lapu.

Light and heat. The rock on my back grew warm. It was nice.

My human friend's soul was just as nice and calm as mine. It was sailing towards the blue water far away.

"Baco, what lies beyond the sea? When you grow up, will you go exploring far, far away with me?"

My human friend calls the big blue water "sea".

When the sea gets warmer, I'll go into it, like the other rock turtles.

I'll go see faraway oceans. I'll keep the memories of my experiences in the strong rock on my back.

I'll follow the warm tides. When the moon is once again like it had been that night, I will return to this beach and the forest of red trees to find my human friend.

"I will." I imparted to my human friend's soul.

It seemed that my human friend couldn't hear me.

It was the thirteenth time I returned to the island. My human friend had become the new datu.

I picked a spot on the beach near the nutgall forest and laid my eggs, They carried all my hopes. I went to my human friend and led him to the beach.

I was excited, flippers slapping against the sand and water. My human friend looked out over the ocean. "Baco, look. This ocean, all of it, is ours."

Chest full of power, he looked out over the islands. All the ocean we saw was under his control.

He didn't make it in time to see my children. There were many other things waiting for his attention. After all, he was the datu.

I carried the rock on my back and returned to the ocean.

The nineteenth time when I returned to the island, the water was acrid. It reminded me of the smell when I first left my shell. Much human blood flowed and mixed with the sea.

...A group of strange ships were floating off where sea and sky met.

A smell I dislike spread from them.

I gathered my rock turtle companions. The island was no longer suited to be home. We had to go somewhere else to lay our eggs.

It's all the same no matter we make our home Nectam or another island. Having the sea serpent's shelter or not doesn't matter.

My instincts told me to turn away and leave, but something in my heart urged me to see my human friend.

I looked to the battlefield, and saw Lapu driving a blade into Datu Rajah's chest. But suddenly, he froze.

He held his head high like a victorious seahorse, but at the same time he seemed like a sturgeon frozen in ice.

I watched from afar. My human friend looked a bit sad.

Before, out at sea, I saw one of my companions getting eaten by a shark. I remembered the dim light wavering in the patch of red.

As I swam for my life, I saw another shark rushing in. I hoped beyond hope that the rock on my back would delay my demise at the shark's razor-sharp teeth. But, just as I was thinking of that, I saw another shark going for the one that'd just eaten my friend. It tore the first shark to pieces. To that second shark, we were prey that belonged to it, and it alone. It didn't view the other shark as another member of its species, but rather a competitor after its meal.

While it attacked its own kind, my bale hid in the safety of the coral.

The sudden disappearance of its prey seemed to bring the shark back to its senses. It circled the body of its companion, lingering for a long time.

That was, until an orca approached, drawn by the scent of blood in the water. The shark attacked it fearlessly, in the end managing to rip off its tail.

Victorious, it swam off, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

Lapulapu, soaked in blood, dragged himself before the nutgall trees.

I've heard from other sea turtles that the sea serpent grants humans power but turns them into stone, like the rocks we carry on our backs. Would Lapulapu also turn to stone?

My bale was already far away. They were waiting for me to join them. I should go.

In the end, I decide to not join my bale.

I was there since when the island had been tranquil. I wanted to see how its story would end.

I followed Lapulapu into the forest. The trees were red, their leaves shared the same aura as the rock on my back.

"I'll pay whatever price—please, just allow me to protect my tribe and atone for my transgressions," Lapulapu said. It seemed like a wish.

The waves rose as an overwhelming power burst forth from the wetland, resonating with the rock on my back. If I stayed, I might turn to stone, or be changed in some strange way. I wouldn't just be a normal rock turtle anymore. But if the energy consumed Lapulapu... I didn't know what would happen to him. Would he die? Become superhuman? Slowly turn into stone?

A burst of energy pierced the water. It was joyous, powerful, incandescent...

The energy flowed into Lapulapu.

An energy of another kind followed. It was like a curse, thick and malevolent. I instinctively feared it.

I thought back, far back to the very beginning, to that young human who held me in the palm of his hand.

I thought of Nectam and of nature.

In spite of every instinct I had resisting me, I plunged into the water and set myself in front of Lapulapu.

The energy flowed into me.

The strange energy invaded me. I felt like I was being torn apart, then froze.

I heard Lapulapu calling for me.

The rock turtles haven't returned to nest on Nectam for some time. The shoreward seasons have turned quiet.

Nectam has changed. I used to linger in the shallows, and each time the moon was full, Bakunawa sinks deep into the sea before bursting upward.

It looks at me, then looks away.

Daytime.

I hear Lapulapu talking to himself above the water.

"I once had a friend named Baco. He was a rock turtle."

"But I caused great bloodshed on the island, and since then, the rock turtles have disappeared."

"I wonder if I'll see the rock turtles return. Maybe by the time they do, I'll have turned to stone."

I am Baco, and I've never left your side. You won't turn to stone. You'll live a long life.

But reefs do not speak.

Far off, on the horizon, little stones float on the waves.

The rock turtles have returned.

A baby rock turtle breaks through its shell and is held aloft excitedly by a child.

It's just like things were before I left the island.

Skills[]

Sea Beast's Favor

Enhance

Type: Passive

Increases the Physical and Magical Defense of himself and the teammate with the lowest Health nearby.

Torrential Blade

Damage Imperil

Type: Skill 1

Damages and slows enemies within range.

Island's Blessing

Crowd Control Damage Movement

Type: Skill 2

Dashes in the target direction, dealing damage to enemies in his path and launching them.

Raging Sea

Crowd Control Damage Slow

Type: Ultimate

Splits the earth, damaging enemies within range and launching them. The fractured earth damages and slows enemies.

Skins[]

Strategies[]

Lapulapu's most common skill combo is 2-Ult-1.
Use Skill 2 to quickly close the gap and launch the enemy, then initiate by laying down further group crowd controls with his Ultimate
Aim Ultimate Backwards then follow up with Flash which can caught the enemies off guard by surprise

Trivia[]

Lapulapu's skillset take inspiration from Niumo's skillset of Honor of Kings CN version.
He is inspired from the Philippine National hero of the same name, Lapu-Lapu.
He is the first and currently the only filipino character in the game, though the mention of Bakunawa, a mythical filipino creature in Philippine mythology tells he also exists in the lore.