Valorant Fans Are Over The Moon For This New Relationship

It appears that love is in the air for two beloved "Valorant" characters. 

While the main draw for many "Valorant" players may be its fast-paced, tactical multiplayer, there's a lot for fans to appreciate about Riot Games' popular hero shooter beyond its core gameplay loop. By way of cutscenes and other forms of additional media, the game has managed to engage in quite a bit of world-building, contextualizing various elements into a cohesive narrative. That's especially true when it comes to the playable agents, each of which has received a solid amount of characterization through promotional materials.

But while the lore of "Valorant" is extensive enough to rival other Riot Games projects like "League of Legends," one element that the shooter has notably shied away from is romance. There have certainly been hints that certain characters might be more than friends, but it's all mostly been left up to player interpretation — at least, until now. The team behind "Valorant" has finally made one pairing of agents into official canon, and the reveal has the internet buzzing.

On December 11, the "Valorant" Twitter account posted an official piece of art in which playable agents Raze and Killjoy share a kiss. While the game had previously hinted at the two being romantically involved through certain voice lines, this post marked the first time that their relationship status had been explicitly confirmed by the devs. Several hours later, the "Valorant" account followed up with a single-word tweet referencing the couple's official ship name: "Nanobomb."

The canonization of Raze and Killjoy's relationship immediately garnered a lot of attention, and many "Valorant" fans were enthusiastic about the news. "I didn't even know this was a thing, but that's cool as heck!" one fan tweeted. Even those outside of the "Valorant" fanbase were stoked by the lore reveal for featuring characters who are openly gay, citing it as a win for representation in the gaming industry. "I do not care for 'Valorant' but I do care for gay people so neat," one person tweeted.

Raze and Killjoy being together in an official capacity marks a swath of major firsts for "Valorant," including the first confirmed romance between two playable characters, confirmation of the game's very first openly gay characters, and its first depiction of a gay couple in-universe. Now that the floodgates have been opened in terms of romance, some fans are hoping that similar developments are in store for other characters. "Let's goo always shipped Nanobomb," u/GamerA_S commented on the r/VALORANT subreddit. They remarked that they were hoping Riot would confirm that Phoenix and Jett are together next.