Overview
Those who have been paying attention to the Arena of Valor’s activity around the world may have noticed the introduction of a new hero to the Indonesian server: Wiro, the 212 Warrior. What people might not be aware of, though, is just who this hero is and his origins in Indonesian culture. Rather than being one of the many original heroes in Arena of Valor, Wiro is a tie in hero similar to the DC heroes Superman and Batman. To better introduce the world to this hero, we have done some research into Wiro Sableng.
Indonesia and the Cersil
Rather than coming from comic books like the DC heroes of America, Wiro found his start in pulp novels called cerita silat, or “martial arts stories”, shortened to cersil. His first novel debuted in 1967, titled “Empat Berewok Dari Goa Sanggreng,” or the “Four Bearded Warriors from Sanggreng Cave.” The novels found success among the Indonesian people, the character going on to star in more novels, the series containing 185 books when all was said and done. Beyond this, Wiro Sableng has additionally been the focus of a television series that ran from 1994 to 2002 and a recent movie titled “Wiro Sableng Pendekar Kapak Maut Naga Geni 212”, or “The Adventures of Wiro Sableng, the 212 Warrior. The film encompasses the first four of the warrior’s books and released to both critical and fan acclaim in Indonesia on August 30th.
Wiro’s Story
In-Game Lore
“Who is the craziest one?!”
Wiro is a famous “mad hero.” Some like his bold character, while some hate his madness. None of this matters to Wiro anyway. He simply enjoys life and adventures in his own way. Too many new things to be discovered and too many evil enemies to be challenged on Athanor. While Wiro’s style often makes himself an obstacle, few see Wiro as a real enemy, especially the warlords with armies. Those with power all understand that there is no real conflict between Wiro and them, because he is a lone wolf that demands no power or wealth, unlike themselves.
Wiro had been through many legendary adventures and his heroic deeds became popular stories. People love his wisdom, courage, and humor, but they are puzzled by his recklessness. Why does he love danger so much?
Some think it’s Wiro’s bold personality, but that’s far from the truth; Wiro’s body contains two different souls. When the dimensional rift expanded, the Wiro in a different world sensed the changes in Athanor, so he followed clues and met his other self in Athanor.
Both of them have been practicing “212” and their souls resonated from the moment they met. The Wiro in Athanor was trying to find a way to fix the dimensional rift, while the Wiro from another world also wanted to save his homeland from this crisis. They needed greater power!
With the spiritual guidance of “212,” they fused and two souls become one.
Of course, in other people’s eyes, there is only one Wiro. One body cannot handle the power of two souls, so the overflowing power resides in Wiro’s ax, which is the only dragon ax that could withstand the true power of “212.” The power is awakened when Wiro’s life is in danger.
After all, Wiro is not joking when he says, “If you kill me, there is always another!”
Original Lore
Wiro Sableng, or the crazed Wiro, is the son of Suci and Raden Ranaweleng. His parents were killed when he was very young by the villainous Mahesa Birawa. Wiro himself was rescued by Sinto Gendeng, or Mad Sinto, who had taught Mahesa before Mahesa had become corrupt. Sinto then trained Wiro, giving him the name Wiro Sableng to match his own Sinto Gendeng. Sinto additionally gifted Wiro his double-bladed ax, the Kapak Naga Geni 212.
The ax is a rather special one, holding a number of secrets of its own. The handle is a seruling, a type of Sudanese flute. This flute lets out a high pitched note when blown, enemies who hear it losing their hearing. The base of the ax’s handle is a dragon’s head, Wiro able to shoot poisonous needles from its mouth.
Wiro uses a number of deadly moves, much like other warriors in the novel series. One that can be seen adapted in Arena of Valor is his famous Pukulan Sinar Matahari, or Sun Ray Punch. While in the novels, he shoots an energy blast from his fist, while in the game he causes a large quake by striking the ground.
212
A number that appears frequently when discussing Wiro is 212, but it can be hard to decipher just what this number means. The author of Wiro’s novels, Bastian Tito, loved the James Bond novels and wanted to make a moniker similar in nature to the famous 007. This number holds more significance than the more arbitrary 007, however. The first 2 signifies the belief that “God creates everything in pairs,” while additionally signifying the yin and the yang that resides in each person. The 1 represents the “oneness of God.” The last two brings the sum of the three numbers up to five, representing the five pillars of Islam. According to his son, Bastion Tito was a rather devout Muslim.
Final Thoughts
It is encouraging to see more areas of Arena of Valor represented in the heroes. Perhaps in the future, we will see heroes from other regions who enjoy the game such as Thailand, Brazil, Vietnam, Korea, or The Philippines. Such icons can add a lot to the game’s character while additionally broadening its appeal to its various markets. I personally look forward to the day that I can use Goku to smash in Valhein’s face.
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Arena of Valor (AoV) Recommended Article List
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Beginner's Guide | Hero Tier List | Hero Class Guide | Armory (Item List) |
As an Indonesian, I’m very proud that one of our superhero is being adapted by AoV!