As season 2 culminates in the 2016 Smite World Championship, HiRez Studios is already pushing out new content for the following season. One particular section of this content is something that the community has been requesting for quite some time. The Japanese pantheon has long been the most requested set of deities, and it’s finally being delivered with the release of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. Due to Japan’s status as the Land of the Rising Sun, it’s only fitting that the Sun Goddess serve as the Japanese pantheon’s introduction to Smite.

Amaterasu is part of a thematic series of releases from HiRez that will focus on the traditional values and art styles of Japan. Her art style not only conveys images of the samurai that most foreigners are familiar with, but also provides a regal atmosphere due to Amaterasu’s long-standing role as the source of imperial power. Jerry Gardiner, an Art Director at HiRez Studios, described the Sun Goddess as “dignified, noble, virtuous, and strong.” Even the colors of her garb are purposely intended to show warmth via the various reddish hues associated with sunlight.

The art team at HiRez also painted the most honest picture of Amaterasu possible by heavily researching her lore and the descriptions of her appearance. She is frequently depicted as carrying a sword, necklace, and mirror on her person, so these three items have been included on her in-game model in excruciating detail. Additionally, the traditional sword style of the samurai has been incorporated into Amaterasu’s design as well. Her cutting techniques and the way she sheathes her sword are intended to be as accurate as possible, and after getting some hands-on time playing against her, I can definitely say that it felt like doing battle against a samurai of old.

The debut of the Japanese pantheon will be celebrated with an in-game event similar to the Summer of Smite, or a mini-Odyssey of sorts. There will be several Japanese-themed items brought into the game, with a Neith and Sobek skin being confirmed as of today. You can probably expect additional cosmetic items such as player icons, ward skins, and additional god skins. This is purely speculation, but a Japanese bundle with several new items included together would most likely be a safe assumption to make. This event may also include the release of a second Japanese god named Raijin. While the exact nature of this god’s art and abilities are unknown at this time, I got my hands on an experimental Smite build where a placeholder portrait for Raijin was included. Expect the Japanese pantheon to be fleshed out with more gods in the near future. Just below is a video from HiRez describing the design process behind Amaterasu, where you can hear many of the things mentioned in this article direct from HiRez team members. For coverage of the rest of the announcements coming out of SWC, keep your eye on our Web site!

Update: here is an imgur album with pictures of her abilities in English. Sorry for the blurry quality on some of them!

Update 2: here is a Dev Talk video showing all the new skins and the new Goddess.