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Valorant recently received a new robotic initiator, KAY/O, in Episode 3 Act 1, who aims to neutralize radiants.
Valorant Protocol mostly includes Radiants, who represent different nations and cultures from all over the globe. However, KAY/O is the Valorant’s first robotic agent added to the game with a motto to neutralize radiants. The machine of war can suppress enemies' abilities and make them completely rely on gunplay.
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Valorant's KAY/O is portrayed by a talented American voice actor, Gabe Kunda. Gabe has worked in many popular anime shows like My Hero Academia One Piece, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection and more. He has also been credited for voicing Owethu "Jackal" Mabuza in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Gabe Kunda on his experience in portraying KAY/O in Valorant
In an exclusive conversation with Pratiti Dhang of Sportskeeda Esports, Gabe Kunda shared his experience of working with Riot Games and his journey as a voice actor.
Q: Gabe, many know you as the voice behind several popular anime and video game characters like Rock Lock in My Hero Academia (2016) to Owethu "Jackal" Mabuza in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Can you tell our readers more about yourself? How is life outside of being a voice actor?
Gabe: I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. My parents are first-generation immigrants from the Democratic-Republic of Congo. I studied music for many years and received my bachelor's degree in Music Education.
Q: What made you pursue a career in voice acting? Did you have any inspiration? Can you tell us more about your journey?
Gabe: I have been interested in it since high school. I was told that I have a great voice and that I should voice the announcements for school. I researched 'announcing' in preparation for the audition. I stumbled across this video that changed my life. It was called “Million Dollar Voices,” featuring Don Lafontaine, Ceadering Fox, Ben Patrick Johnson and George Del La Hoya. These were people who were already working in the field that I was working in, which got me super excited and got me ready to chase after voice over.
Q: You have been working as a voice actor for a long time and have experience in portraying video game characters as well, can you put some light on the future of voice acting in video games?
Gabe: I think the future of video games is becoming more and more like feature films. I'm currently working on games where they are using my likeness in order to create the appearance of a character. I’ll have on this special gear that tracks my facial expressions, physical movements and the shape of my body. It is really amazing. I think it’s going to continue down that path and have more crazy capabilities.
Q: You recently portrayed KAY/O, Valorant’s first robotic agent. How was your experience working with Riot Games to bring life to the latest Valorant initiator Agent?
Gabe: Working with Riot has been a blast. The directors and writers really allowed me to bring KAY/O to life.
Q: While recording KAY/O’s voice lines, was there any process that you had to go through? Did you follow any drills or practice before recording?
Gabe: At the beginning of every session, the team plays references from the last session, and I have to match the tone so that I can get back into the zone of KAY/O. Sometimes if you don’t know that then you lose some of the essence of the character.
Q: KAY/O has an interesting backstory in Valorant, who is on a mission to neutralize the radiants in Valorant. Can you share your thoughts on the latest robotic agent? Who is KAY/O in your eyes?
Gabe: KAY/O in my opinion is a protector and also someone who has lost something. We see this push and desire to exterminate all radiants. As the acts and episodes go on we will definitely know his motivation.
Q: Valorant lore is very much intriguing, and there is an interesting story behind every agent. Other than KAY/O, which agents' backstory interests you the most in Valorant?
Gabe: The agent backstory that I’m most interested in is Skye. It seems like she has more to offer than just saying “HAWK OUT!” Given some of the interactions with Omen, I’m very interested in how she will grow!
Q: You've voiced some of the video game characters, are you a gamer yourself? If so, what are some of the games you enjoy playing?
Gabe: Yes! I am a gamer. I play Call Of Duty, Final Fantasy, Assassins Creed, NBA, Grand Theft Auto (GTA), Valorant and many others.
Q: Apart from KAY/O in Valorant, you have portrayed another video game character, Owethu "Jackal" Mabuza in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War before. How was your experience there?
Gabe: Call of Duty was amazing! It was truly a dream come true. I had a great time working with the directors, and also getting to yell “Enemy Napalm Strike Inbound!” was also pretty good.
Q: You have also lent your voice to several anime characters like Rock Lock in My Hero Academia (2016), Gueldre Poizot in Black Clover (2017), Qujappat in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection (2019), and more. How does voice-acting in anime set itself apart from video games?
Gabe: Anime is different in that; we’re trying to match the lip flaps of a specific character all while reading our scripts and acting. It is pretty tough. For video games, I can take my time on a line, and really sell them. There are no lip flaps I have to match up or anything. It is just me and the director.
Q: Now that you have voiced Owethu "Jackal" Mabuza in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and KAY/O in Valorant, is there any other video game franchise you wish to work with, in future?
Gabe: I would love to work on Overwatch, Apex Legends or any of the other battle royals. That would be so great!
Q: Riot Games has always evolved their games like Valorant and League of Legends, and has brought new agents and champions, respectively over the years. If you get an opportunity to work with them again, would you be up for it?
Gabe: A hundred percent! I would love to work with Riot Games again. It was such an amazing time.
