KAY/O stands out as the only robotic Agent in Valorant’s roster. With the ability to temporarily suppress the enemy team’s abilities, KAY/O doesn’t seem to be too fond of the superpowered Radiants. And unlike his fellow teammates, he lacks a clear background, prompting many in the Valorant community to wonder who created this cybernetic Agent with a surprisingly good sense of humor. So, without any further delay, let’s dive into KAY/O’s tragic past and uncover his origin.
Who Built KAY/O In Valorant?
KAY/O was created by humans in an alternate timeline set in the future. The identity of these creators remains a mystery, but the presence of a Wolf logo on KAY/O suggests a possible connection to the even more mysterious NPC, Thurston Wolf.
Despite being part of a project that was initially rejected, KAY/O, also known as “Kingdom Anti Yield Operative”, was still brought to life. The material used to build him is an unidentified metal, likely discovered in the future timeline. Furthermore, he is infused with polarized Radianite, a version of Radianite that empowers him to neutralize Radiant abilities.
By now it’s clear that KAY/O was not designed to be a friendly companion robot. Instead, he is a killing machine with the sole purpose of exterminating Radiants. But what led the humans of the future to want to eliminate Radiants? Let’s find out!
Why Was KAY/O Created?
KAY/O was designed to serve as humanity’s defense against Radiants during the Radiant War, a conflict set approximately 200 years in the future. This war, believed to have been instigated by the Radiant-supremacist Reyna, caused widespread devastation across the globe.
While it’s not explicitly stated, fan speculation suggests that the Radiant War led to the demise of several familiar characters, including Jett, Skye, Astra, and Brimstone. In fact, as a touching reminder of his fallen comrades, KAY/O carries a piece of Brimstone’s blood-stained shirt tied to his arm.
Pretty much like the Sentinels were created to locate and kill mutants in the X-Men comics, KAY/O follows a similar path until he finally eliminates Reyna, bringing the war to a close. However, the scale of destruction and the loss of his friends led him to make a drastic decision.
With the potential assistance of the mysterious Thurston Wolf, KAY/O journeyed to the current timeline via a teleporter located on Breeze. His aim is to prevent the war from ever occurring and making sure that his future timeline never occurs.
While the creators of KAY/O remains a mystery, a popular theory within the Valorant community attributes the creation of this loyal protector of humanity not to an anonymous group of creators, but to a single, familiar figure: Killjoy.
Was KAY/O Created By Killjoy?
The theory that Killjoy, the tech-savvy Agent from Germany, is the creator of KAY/O has gained popularity among Valorant fans. This speculation is fueled by several factors.
Firstly, Killjoy’s technological mastery is unparalleled in the Valorant universe and her knack for creating various devices (ones that usually shoot at enemies) make her a plausible candidate for constructing a complex and emotion-driven robot like KAY/O. After all, in the Episode 4 cinematic, Killjoy was shown to seamlessly turn a cleaning robot into Max Bot, a robot powerful enough to best even Phoenix and Jett, let alone KAY/O himself.
Secondly, KAY/O and Killjoy’s devices have similar color schemes, suggesting a potential connection. This visual similarity could indicate that the same person, in this case, Killjoy, designed both KAY/O and her devices.
Lastly, some of KAY/O’s voice lines hint at a familiarity with Killjoy. These voice lines could suggest that Killjoy modeled his artificial intelligence after her own persona. Additionally, Killjoy and KAY/O share a tendency to incorporate humor into their conversations, albeit awkwardly.
However, it’s important to note that this theory is purely speculative and has not been officially confirmed by Riot Games. Until more information is revealed, the mystery of who created KAY/O continues to add to the ever expanding intrigue of Valorant’s lore.
Final Thoughts
Whether the identity of KAY/O’s creators are intentionally obscured or they are simply not crucial to the Valorant lore, what we know for sure is that we can anticipate Riot Games’ gradual reveal of the stories of all our beloved Agents. Do you have any theories about who might’ve created KAY/O? We’d love to hear thoughts in the comments below!