Dota 2 reveals Monkey King a new — and completely original — hero

Valve revealed another new Dota 2 hero, Monkey King, last night after the end of play in The International 2016. He is the first original Dota 2 character, meaning the first who isn't ported from the original Dota (Defense of the Ancients) mod.

Monkey King joins Dota 2's lineup in the fall with the game's The New Journey update. His abilities, stats and role have yet to be divulged, but the trailer above gives a good idea of what to expect from him when he appears. Monkey King is based on Sun Wukong, the hero of China's 16th century epic novel Journey to the West.

Valve had indicated it would push in this direction once the Dota 2 roster of heroes matched the size of the first Dota's. Further, according to the Dota 2 wikia, developers considered bringing the character in the first Dota, leaving hints to his existence in an Easter egg and a beta version.

The International 2016 is back in session today with Wings Gaming berthed in the grand final, leaving Evil Geniuses and Digital Chaos to battle it out in the lower bracket for the right to join them. This year's prize pool is more than $20 million, an esports record, with the winner's share being more than $9 million, also a record.

For more, see our viewing guide here.