Fans are currently raving about The Stranger (or ‘Darth Teeth’) in The Acolyte played by Manny Jacinto, and while a lot of fans have pointed out that he looks like a different version of Kylo Ren, showrunner Leslye Headland has confirmed his design is inspired by a local hero of the Elden Ring community.
Talking to Inverse, Headland confirms that Qimir’s exposed arms and lack of armor in the design is inspired by a longstanding tradition among Soulsborne players. She talks about the design process:
“As soon as I said he didn’t have armor, everyone lost their mind. ‘How can you not have armor?’ I was like, ‘Why would you wear armor if you’re not going to get hit?’ It’s like the Elden Ring costume. The Elden Bling. When you summon people, you always summon the people that aren’t wearing anything, and it’s like, ‘These people are fucking crazy.’”
Funnily enough, the most infamous person in the Elden Ring community who doesn’t wear armor is a player by the name of Let Me Solo Her (or LMSH). Around the time of Elden Ring’s release, LMSH gained notoriety for allowing players to summon him before a fight with Malenia, Blade of Miquella—known to be one of the hardest bosses in the game.
The idea is that players would let LMSH take on Malenia alone, and in return, they will get the reward for beating her without doing anything. The craziest part is that LMSH doesn’t wear any armor—just an old pot on his head.
Talking to IGN, LMSH shared his player philosophy: “It is a running tradition of Soulsborne games that the naked players are the most powerful beings in the game… Why wear armor if you don’t plan on getting hit at all? And the pot is a good luck charm from the character Iron Fist Alexander whom I admire.”
For now, the naked arms on Qimir have become a hotly discussed fan topic, and Manny Jacinto has officially been dubbed as the next to enter the ‘Hot Sith Club’. He’ll likely get a new look by the end of the show, but I am hoping that he keeps the ‘Darth Teeth’ helmet because it’s a very unique look for a Star Wars villain.
Catch new episodes of The Acolyte Wednesdays on Disney+.
