SMITE expands their pantheon of characters to include Japanese mythology.
As part of their SMITE World Championship festivities, Hi-Rez finally pulled back the curtain on their inclusion of the Japanese pantheon to their third-person moba SMITE. It’s been teased, hinted, and speculated about for months now, but the first Japanese god will be Amaterasu and she’ll be coming to the game, along with special event to celebrate the new pantheon, January 12th.
Amaterasu will be the 72nd character added to the game, and that sees the Japanese pantheon added to the current list of Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, Mayan, Norse, and Roman. Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun from the Shinto religion, though many gamers will perhaps be more familiar with Amaterasu from much beloved the Clover Studio game Okami, where Amaterasu appeared as a white wolf. For SMITE Amaterasu takes on a more traditional look, it was especially important for the developers to incorporate and highlight several of the key items from her lore – her sword, necklace, and mirror.
In-game, drawing on the themes of Amaterasu being a leader of the other gods, she brings a lot of supportive elements to her kit. She’s perfectly capable of slashing up opponents herself, but there’s rewards for bringing friends along to the melee.
The Japanese pantheon has been a strong favorite for inclusion as SMITE looked to expand, and much like other pantheons Hi-Rez plans to look beyond simply deities. You shouldn’t be surprised to see oni, kitsune, or even heroic figures in the future. I’m holding out for a proper red nosed Tengu.
