Ankoan



The ankoan (sometimes pluralized as ankoans) are an ancient species of deep sea warriors that traverse the deepest and most dangerous parts of the ocean. Over the generations, they have been nearly hunted to extinction by the naga. So few of them remain that they know they can never rebuild their tribe's population, and those who remain have dedicated their lives to slaying naga.

Background
The ankoan are an offshoot of the jinyu who left Pandaria a long time ago. Now their clans hunt in the depths of the ocean. They have been nearly hunted to extinction by the naga. The Waveblade clan has been fighting back against the naga for generations. However, they have recently taken the fight directly to the naga's doorstep in Nazjatar after their former leader was slain by Queen Azshara, and the Waveblade swore an oath to avenge them. The Waveblade clan was the only ankoan clan to take the fight directly to Azshara in Nazjatar. When Alliance forces arrived in Nazjatar, they befriended the Waveblade while the Horde allied with the Unshackled. The Unshackled leader Neri Sharpfin views the ankoan as impressive fighters but a bit standoffish. Since arriving in Nazjatar, the ankoan have taken up residence in Mezzamere.

Clans

 * Waveblade clan
 * Akana's clan

Culture
The ankoan are a nomadic race of fierce hunters. They have a natural affinity for the sea, so training local wildlife like waverays was a natural strategy in their battles against the naga. Ankoan believe the spirits of their ancestors continue to watch over them after death. To honor their dead, the ankoan place wooden burial shrines over their graves. However, the names of those who have died a dishonorable or cowardly death are purposefully forgotten. The ankoan worship Neptulon.

Long ago, ankoan children would fill empty spider crab shells with sand and then hang them on the corals as decoration. Large swarms of deep sea frenzies are apparently one of the most horrific dangers in the deep sea that ankoan and naga alike fear, their numbers blotting out all light and devouring all unhidden flesh.

Notable

 * Blademaster Okani
 * Bladesman Inowari
 * Farseer Ori
 * Hunter Akana

Notes and trivia

 * The ankoan resemble a cross between jinyu and deep sea murlocs.
 * Ankoan use the jinyu animation skeleton, which itself is a modified male night elf skeleton.
 * Their sound files are named "deep_jinyu".
 * The original Rise of Azshara announcement at BlizzCon 2018 implied that the ankoan were a single tribe, but the in-game content in Nazjatar clarifies that they're a race consisting of multiple clans.
 * Like arakkoa, ankoan appear to be non-sexually dimorphic, as several ankoan have distinctively female voices, but look no different to males.
 * Anko (鮟鱇, ankō) is Japanese for "anglerfish."

Speculation
The ankoan may be descended or related to the Razorfin tribe of jinyu who left Pandaria a long time ago.