Akodo was the first Lion. He was a general, a warrior, and above all, a hero. Standing at the right hand of the Emperor, his Lion's enforced his will and protected his honor. The Lion were proud, strong, and brave, the mightiest fighting force the Empire had ever known.

It was the Lion's blood that flooded the Kuni Wastelands during the final battle against Akuma. Over seventy percent of the Lion Army was slain that day, reducing their once large and proud family to a confused and weakened few, broken and desperate for direction.

The Lion have never been known for their skill with technology. Their strength is legendary. Their courage is unquestionable. Their major contriubutions to science, however, are few and far between. But shortly after the Shadow Wars, a Lion shugenja named Kitsu Shinya made a contribution to technology that changed Rokugan forever.

He invented the motion picture.

The depressed and war-torn people of Rokugan were eager for entertainment, something to help them forget their worries and give them hope. The motion picture happened to be in the right place at the right time, historically speaking. The Ikoma historians soon found themselves in the roles of directors and writers, producing films glorifying the great battles of the past. It did, indeed, give people hope to go on. And the Lions were heroes once again.

Still, the Lion are a confused clan. In their hearts, they are warriors. They are generals, tacticians, and bards. Now they find themselves in a time where hand to hand combat is becoming quickly outdated, and where their knowledge of warfare and tactics, unused in generations, have become obselete. The future looms on the horizon, and the Lion Clan has begun to realize they must change to meet it, or disappear forever.

Families of the Lion

The Ikoma Family are now the largest of the Lion families, and are the leaders of the Clan. Some are still historians, the possessing rare knowledge of the past. Most, however, concern themselves with the present. They are reporters and newsmen, controlling Rokugan's newspapers and television. 'If the Ikoma did not report it, it is not happening' is commonly used to describe the people's trust in their reporting. Their current daimyo is Ikoma Eizo, the recently retired anchorman of KTSU news.

The Matsu Family are a small and rather confused group. They are soldiers without an army, warriors without a war. They easily find employment in the studios of the Ikoma and the Kitsu, but resent their subordinate state. Their daimyo is Matsu Gohei, named after the Lion Clan Butcher of the Clan Wars himself. He weeps for the loss of the old ways, and wishes the his family could find a way to rise again.

The Kitsu Family practice what little magic the Lion still utilize. Most of this is put toward the study of their ancestors, or augmenting the special affects in their films and television shows. The Kitsu see it as their honor to present fiction where the Ikoma present fact. The Kitsu of the past were merely able to create oratories to honor their ancestors, the Kitsu of the present can create entire realities. The current daimyo of the Kitsu is Ayano, High Priestess of the Temple of Ancestors and director of the Akodo War Machines television series.

The Akodo "Family" the true Akodo family, descendants of the first Lion, are no more. History is sketchy on what exactly befell them, when they disappeared and why. Now, the Ikoma and Kitsu give honor to Akodo One-Eye as they never have before, they have created a new Lion family in his name (with the Emperor's permission, of course). Only the finest actors, athletes, and stuntmen are allowed to attend the famed Akodo Acting School, and only the cream of this crop are allowed to graduate and take the Akodo name. Critics of the Lion see this practice as silly, a misbegotten attempt of the once great clan to revive it's militant past. The truth is much more simple. It is not misbegotten at all; the Akodo are among the most skilled fighters in Rokugan. They are fierce, popular, and extremely loyal to their adopted Clan and family. They are the new Lion. They are heroes.