Web Animation / League Of Newbies

League of Newbies is the unofficial translation of the web animation series 王者？别闹！(King? (Then) Don't Make Troubles!)^note A pun on the game's Chinese name 王者荣耀 (King Honor) , a series of comedic shorts based on the game Honor of Kings. It revolves around the antics of the heroes of the Valley of Kings (based on various Chinese figures) as they try to take down their opposing Arc Cores, sometimes in a comedic manner that can be found as you play Honor of Kings.

Unlike most web animations, the series itself shows that the antics happening in the shorts are based on what could have happened in the actual game and an actual fair game, not when a teammate decides to throw the game, go AFK or other things like that (therefore, a serious casual match). So, during the Credit Rolls sequence, it will also show actual gameplay footage to replicate what happened in the shorts.

Tencent approved this unofficial animation that it's sometimes put in the news page of the game's site. Naturally, these are all voiced in the Chinese language, but thankfully, someone on Youtube has given most of them (hard) English sub, hence where the League of Newbies title come from.

Has nothing to do with League of Legends.

Tropes that can be found in these web animations

• Art Shift: Often times, the character art style shifts into various other styles found in Japanese manga. From Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball) to Buronson (Fist of the North Star) to Hirohiko Araki (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) to even bkub (Pop Team Epic).
• Badass Pacifist: Taken to extreme Wolf in Sheep's Clothing levels with Jin Chan. On the outside, he's the typical pacifist monk. But then, when he has to kick ass, he reveals himself to be a supremely muscular monk way more than Dharma and launches a deadly punch... and stops right in front of the face as a warning. His victim (Han Xin) immediately takes the cue and sees himself out.
• Based on a True Story: At the end of each short (and before The Stinger), during the credit roll, it shows actual gameplay footage of Honor of Kings to replicate the events of the short, without the humor parts, to show that this can happen in a real game, and it happened first before being adopted to an episode.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing:
  • In her only appearance, Xi Shi appears sweet, friendly, and encouraging to Lu Ban no. 7. But she's the first to yell at him for 'feeding' AKA getting killed by Gao Jianli after Jianli got manipulated to move to Lu Ban no.7's bush by her own skill no less. While the game ends in their favor, Xi Shi seems to favor Sun Bin more, and Lu Ban no. 7 sighs that in the winning fight, he's not being ripped off for once.
  • Hai Yue is introduced as a serene, supportive mage who acts like a carry for her team. However, after being killed one too many by Zhong Wuyan, she shamelessly berates her teammates with Cross-Popping Veins on, showing that she actually thinks that she's Surrounded by Idiots. Then she quickly shifts back to her serene, supportive mage visage once she's done.
• Butt-Monkey: Several characters are more than likely to become the butt end of the jokes.
  • Guan Yu is usually the guy whose perception of reality is way off than the others. If he thinks he's helping or doing something cool and helpful, you can be assured that he's actually not. This is usually Played for Laughs at his expense.
  • Marco Polo usually has his plans to get the glory to backfire in a spectacular manner because he doesn't think very hard and he's just unlucky that others tend to be more prepared than he is.
• Combat Commentator: In one of the episodes, Gao Jianli decided not to do anything but to comment on what goes on the battlefield, including the typical "If X happens, then I'll eat my guitar."^note Especially when Di Renjie is about to die by Baili Shouyue, but instead buys an Attack Reflector in the last moment, killing Shouyue instead. Jianli was betting on Renjie to die. Cai Wenji eventually smacks him on the head for costing the game for doing this antic.
• Combat Sadomasochist: This animation also contributes to the meme of "Masochistic Cheng Yaojin." Every time he appears, he's blushing and orgasming at being hit. He often gets himself tied up and whipped by Lao Fu Zi on purpose.
• Distracted by the Sexy: Lü Bu and Diao Chan's Official Couple status takes form in this: Lu Bu is on the opposing team, Diao Chan flashes and blows a kiss, Lu Bu gets distracted... and feeds Diao Chan's team as a result.
• Gratuitous Japanese: Sometimes, Japanese phrases gets given, usually like "YAMEROOO!!" or "NIGERUNDAYOOO!!". Miyamoto Musashi is usually the one saying that, because he's the token historical Japanese guy.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: In Bai Qi's debut, he introduced himself as Ying Zheng's underling, but then shows to carry off the whole middling team.
• Mistaken for Pedophile: No one bats an eye on Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao, normally. But during a Chinese New Year special, after a sweet fireworks watching scene, Zhou Yu suddenly gets arrested by Zhong Kui for 'harming minors'.
• The Millstone: Guan Yu's role, because a lot of his skills have a bunch of displacement effects that could ruin his teammates' day instead. Therefore, every time he does his things to help, he ends up helping his enemies instead.
• New Year Has Come: There are annual Chinese New Year episodes, where the heroes instead hang around and celebrate the coming of Chinese New Year.
• One-Man Army: Naturally, cases of Magikarp Power will show:
  • Bai Qi, despite being more like a tank than a carry, ended up carrying the whole team and being generally the only one who had a game sense.
  • Nakoruru, after being pampered so much (because she's cute) that her teammates are undernourished, proceeds to decimate the whole enemy team single-handedly.
    Nakoruru: "Exactly. You're surrounded by me."
• Out-of-Genre Experience: Since the genre this animation is doing is about Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, it would've counted when Nakoruru encounters Ukyo and suddenly it's animated like an actual Samurai Shodown fighting game... up until Nakoruru calls for backup (beyond just Mamahaha), which is not something you find in the fighting game.
• Product Placement: During one of the Chinese New Year Specials, Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi played the Nintendo Switch version of Arena of Valor.
• Shout-Out: Clearly the animators know their way about even international memes beyond China, so they make a lot of Shout-Out to other things:
  • Zhuge Liang once referred to his ultimate and calls it as "HADOUKEN!"
  • During an episode when Li Bai outwitted Ying Zheng and about to deliver the killing blow, "True Love Ways" by Buddy Holly plays... but it's the "Just you know why..." part, to give a Shout-Out to Never Say No to Panda.
  • There are a lot of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure references thrown into the mix.
    • A lot of times, the heroes would strike a ridiculous pose taken straight from JoJo and part of why it's so famous.
    • Angela suddenly is able to deliver Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs after somehow Hulking Out due to buying physical items, and ends the fisticuffs with "Yare yare da ze."
    • After successfully cornering Marco Polo into a position where he's going to die anyway, Zhang Liang, Mozi and Dong Huang Taiyi stops a bit just to deliver the Torture Dance, complete with "Vocal percussion on a whole 'nother level, coming from my mind..."
  • In Guan Yu's episode, he tries to pull a victory-inducing Big Damn Heroes strike and preludes with "On your left" (in English). As usual, he fails.
  • Jiang Ziya steals his teammates' experience points while doing the Emo Dance.
  • Everytime Cheng Yaojin is about to go masochistic, his face suddenly turns into the face of Abe Takakazu from Kuso Miso Technique.
  • Lanling Wang's recurring sidestepping technique is borrowed from Sakamoto.