Whoa, whoa, okay, I cant say I’m surprised that Ez showed up on this blog, and it’s time to defend one of my favorite champions, and partial main.
"Looking too much like an anime character instead of the usual badass champions"
Er, okay, first off, there is no set “anime character” appearance. Anime and manga have such a wide range of varied art styles (from the more realistic to the more stylized) that this is just inaccurate.
Second of all, yeah, he doesn’t fit the traditional “masculine” look, and why does this make him a target of hate? It’s called “variety in character designs.” If every single male champion in league fit the gruff, no-nonsense bearded archetype (like Graves does, for example), then things would get repetitive and boring fast.
"Hates Noxians for no explained reasons"
Er, so characters aren’t allowed to have opinions regarding things in their universe anymore? Last time I checked, the shopkeeper on the left side of the Howling Abyss hates Yordles for no explained reasons, and yet, no one hates him for it.
Besides, Noxians have a reputation of being bloodthirsty, cutthroat, Social Darwinistic-type people (NOT saying that all Noxians are bad or that Noxus itself is bad), and Ezreal being from Piltover would mean, naturally, that he would be closer to Demacia in ideals and sympathies.
"Is in a Relationship with Lux"
I know I’m beating a dead horse by this point but: SHIPPING IS NOT A VALID REASON TO HATE A CHARACTER.
Second of all, this was NEVER confirmed! The only thing we have that might (keyword: MIGHT) hint at them being in a relationship is a picture of them together. And even that isn’t much evidence; two people of the opposite sex can hang out together as friends, you know… (Note: I’m not saying that they aren’t in a relationship; just that there is no clear evidence either way.)
Besides, you can pair Lux up with whomever you want! Hating Ezreal over this is pointless.
"No Character Flaws"
Okay, i will concede partly on this. Ezreal is a bit lacking in the character flaws department, but remember, he was one of the first champions released, before Riot had really gotten the details of Runeterra and such defined. And to be quite honest, the vast majority of champions in the game are rather one-note and lacking in character development (ex: Jinx is an anarchist who likes blowing stuff up, Lulu is eccentric and silly, Morgana is vengeful, etc). Again, not bashing these champions or the Riot lore team in general; a MOBA, where everything resets at the beginning of each match, doesn’t have much time for character development.
"Overpowered Lore Wise"
Er, what? Do you know what “overpowered” means? How is Ezreal’s magic in any way “overpowered”? It has never been said that his magic is any greater than any other spellcaster in the League! And sure, Ezreal is a great explorer - so good as to stand out from the rest of the crowd….a Legend, if you will. Every single champion in the game stands out from the crowd in at least one particular aspect - it’s not called League of LEGENDS for nothing! And sure, he can go toe-to-toe with other champions in the League. Why is that a problem? If he was much weaker than the others, then not only would he be unbalanced in the game, but it wouldn’t make sense Lore-wise why he was in the League at all if he couldn’t contend with other champions.
"Is Called A Marty-Stu/Named After Riot Staff Ezreal"
I’ve already refuted the whole “overpowered” thing as well as the “no character flaws” bit at the top. That’s what compromises the whole “Marty-Stu” thing, right? And as for being named after the Riot Staff member, it’s not as though creators never create characters based on themselves in media, or give characters names similar to their own. In fact I say, if you’ve gone through all the work creating something, why can’t you put something of yourself in it? After all, it’s your character and your universe to do whatever you please with.
"Annoying to Fight"
And so are dozens of other champions. Seriously, why is this a reason to hate Ezreal in particular? What about Teemo’s blind and mushrooms, Yasuo’s wind wall, Shaco/Evelynn/Kha’zix invisibility, silences from Talon, Fiddlesticks and Soraka, Blitzcrank and Thresh pulls, etc. Again, I am not bashing these champions, just pointing out that to some extent, nearly every champion has something in their kit that can be considered annoying to fight against. It’s learning how to counter and play against these abilities that makes the game fun and interesting.
In fact, Ezreal is fairly easy to counter; all of his abilities are skillshots, so if you’re good at anticipating and dodging his attacks or staying behind minions, then you shouldn’t have very many problems.
And there you have it! A defense for Ezreal. Hope you enjoyed!