Who is New VALORANT Angeleno Agent?
Gekko, Riot Games’ first Angeleno agent, has officially entered VALORANT as fans are now finally able to play as the 22nd playable agent. Gifted with the ability to summon a crew of creatures, Gekko has a number of abilities and talents that are sure to make him one of the most popular VALORANT agents.
Here is what you need to know about VALORANT’s first Angeleno agent and how he was designed with wanting to create an agent with a unique identity.
Who is Gekko?
Gekko is an Angeleno, somebody who is a native of Los Angeles, California, from East LA that has the ability to summon creatures that can hunt down enemy foes. The Angeleno agent dons a skater/punk aesthetic with a skateboard and graffiti-like aesthetic that reflects East LA. This was something that narrative writer Joe Killeen wanted to specifically wanted to achieve when developing Gekko’s story.
“We set out to realize a first-generation character, someone whose upbringing has been shaped by the blending of two different worlds: the cultural heritage of their parents, and the influences of their hometown. The experience is one felt globally.”
Gekko, whose real name is Mateo, can be seen in his agent trailer in his family’s household. There, you can hear his family’s voices in the background, where you can hear the blend of Mexican-American culture.
Who is Gekko’s Voice Actor?
Hey, y’all. Wassup?!
— Alejandro Antonio Ruiz (@AlejandroRuizVO) March 7, 2023
My name is Alejandro Antonio Ruiz and @riotgames just gave me permission to officially announce that I’m the English & Spanish voice of Agent 22 in @PlayVALORANT:
Gekko!!🦎💜✨#VALORANT #gekko#gekkovalorant pic.twitter.com/ZOHlInWWE6
VALORANT’s Angeleno Agent is voiced by Alejandro Antonio Ruiz, a voice actor from East LA. An Angeleno himself, Ruiz does the voice acting for both of Gekko’s English and Spanish lines. Ruiz has worked as a voice actor for multiple years, and his body of work includes roles in the upcoming Street Fighter 6, The Callisto Protocol, as well as other various roles in animation and audiobooks.
Gekko has officially been released in line with the start of VALORANT Season 6 Act 2 Mar 7, 2023 where footage of the Angeleno Agent was first shown during the VCT 2023: LOCK//IN show match. Now that VCT 2023: LOCK//IN is over, VALORANT fans will have no excuses to avoid playing as the newest agent in VALORANT as they await the start of the VCT regional leagues starting on Apr 1, 2023.
Teams will be competing through the regional leagues for a spot at VCT Masters Tokyo and eventually, VCT Champions 2023 in Los Angeles, Gekko’s hometown.
How to watch VALORANT in 2023
You can watch the action unfold on VCT's Twitch and YouTube channels.
Sage got his start in esports as a volunteer writer in 2016 for esports organization, Dignitas. Since then, he has continued to work on his craft as a journalist and reporter for a number of established esports publications, such as esports.gg, Unikrn, Akshon Esports, Howla, The Player’s Lobby, Nerd Street Gamers, and most recently Dot Esports. Now, as a member of Esports Illustrated’s content team, Sage’s primary duties are centered around creating groundbreaking written and video content about the esports industry that impacts the community in a meaningful way. Sage graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and Informatics. There, he was a member of the Rutgers Esports Executive Board, both as the head of the fighting game community and a videographer/photographer for the Content team.