Kim Kitsuragi is a character in the 2019 detective video gameDisco Elysium. As a non-playable companion to the player character, he is defined by his Asian-inspired culture, private queerness, and calm, stoic personality. Kitsuragi is noted by journalists and academics for his reactions to the player's choices, ranging from deadpan quips to moments of approval and vulnerability.
Created by the Estonian studio ZA/UM, Kitsuragi was created from lead designer Robert Kurvitz's experience with tabletop role-playing games. The designers tried to innovate on typical dialog trees seen in role-playing video games, revealing Kitsuragi's character only in specific situations. The studio wanted the character to have a "vaguely French" accent, leading them to cast actor Jullian Champenois for his voice performance. Champenois worked closely with the team to capture the character's nuances, aligning with the game's themes and tone.
Kim Kitsuragi received acclaim as a standout character from Disco Elysium. Critics highlighted his subtle responses, moral integrity, and endearing presence, describing how his interactions contributed to the game's most memorable moments. Kitsuragi was also celebrated as one of the best video game characters of 2019, with journalists noting his exceptional writing, design, and voice performance. His portrayal is recognized for reflecting Disco Elysium's themes, and offering a nuanced representation of queer and cultural experiences.
Local law enforcement solving one little homicide decides nothing... Not solving it... can have real and calculable effects. Things can always get worse.[1]
— Kim Kitsuragi, in Disco Elysium, Day One
Kim Kitsuragi first appeared in the 2019 video game Disco Elysium as the non-playable partner to the player-protagonist, with both men working together as detectives on a murder case.[2] His character is defined by his calm stoic personality,[2][3] as well as his Asian-inspired "Seol" culture,[4] private queerness,[5][6][7] and signature orange bomber jacket.[8][9] In the 2021 remastered Final Cut, the role of Kitsuragi was expanded with additional voiced dialog.[10] As his popularity grew,[11] his orange bomber jacket was marketed as official merchandise in 2022.[8][9] In 2023, Kitsuragi was included in a "collage mode" where players can arrange game characters into custom scenes.[11]
The story of Disco Elysium focuses on an unsolved murder in Martinaise, a neglected region between two rival police departments.[12] When both districts send a detective to investigate, Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi teams up with Harry Du Bois, the player character.[12] As Du Bois struggles with a hangover and memory loss, Kitsuragi becomes a source of professionalism, competence, and advice.[13] In one of the game's endings, the player can earn the option to invite Kitsuragi to switch precincts and join Du Bois.[14]
Kitsuragi's remains aloof for much of the story, but is designed for greater reactivity to the player's choices, slowly revealing more of his personality.[2] For example, Kitsuragi reacts with approval when the player forms intelligent theories about the murder case.[13] Other times, Kitsuragi offers deadpan responses to the player's failures.[15] While he can become annoyed with the player's antics,[16] he sometimes cooperates with the player's more eccentric behaviors, and even show moments of vulnerability.[2] At one point, the player can ask Kitsuragi about his sexuality, who confirms that his is gay with a witty remark.[5] Another rare moment occurs where Kitsuragi makes a small error, and the player can decide how to react.[3] The game features many small interactions with Kitsuragi, such as sharing a stolen sandwich, having a dance-off, or simply nodding at each other.[17] When faced with racism directed at Kitsuragi, the player can decide whether to intervene, which leads to further complex reactions from Kitsuragi.[18][19] These fleeting interactions both define and reveal his character, while also contributing to the tone of the game.[20]
Kim Kitsuragi was created by the Estonian game studio ZA/UM for the 2019 video game Disco Elysium.[2] Most of the team had never made a video game. Lead designer and writer Robert Kurvitz leaned into his tabletop role-playing game experience,[24] where they had first explored the Elysium setting.[2] The team tried to avoid the role-playing video game convention of exploring every option in a dialogue tree, instead designing Kitsuragi to share personal details only in specific situations.[2] Kurvitz tried to expand the game's choices and consequences through small moments of reactivity, "where your coworkers remember every embarrassing thing you said last night when you were drunk".[25] The team decided that Kitsuragi should find the player character amusing, and occasionally indulge him against his better judgment. Kurvitz commented that Kitsuragi's willingness to occasionally go against his instincts "gives him a warmth that's so endearing."[2]
In comparison to the player character, the writers discussed what statistics and beliefs that Kitsuragi might have. While these were not implemented in game, Kurvitz assumed that Kitsuragi would score high in volition, making him resistant to personal questions.[2] Although Kitsuragi was written as attracted to the same gender,[5][6][7] the game did not provide an option for the player-character to kiss him, a decision that writer Justin Keenan felt would heighten the player's desire.[26] Kurvitz sees Kitsuragi as a "systemic metaphor" for the game, commenting that "what he does for the officer is what Disco Elysium tries its dardnest to do for the player. ... It's not fair, or easy, but it's not entirely impossible either ... And hey, it's not much, but you have me."[25]
When selecting an actor to voice the character, ZA/UM decided that a "vaguely French" accent would fit with the fictional city of Revachol.[2] After a four-year search,[2] they discovered actor Jullian Champenois by hiring a voiceover agency,[27] selecting Champenois for his French accent and emotional tone.[27] Lead writer Robert Kurvitz recalls how the actor embodied their intention for the character, especially "the cool, the deadpan, and the warmth".[2] ZA/UM gave Champenois early access to Disco Elysium's beta, with co-producer Kaur Kender advising him to maintain his natural speech, easing his performance.[27] During recording, artistic director Jim Ashilevi and sound engineer Mikee Goodman guided Champenois through the context and purpose of each scene.[27] Champenois recalls that the first day of recording was the longest, as they worked to perfect the nuances of the character's tone, vocabulary, and intonations.[27] The actor found parallels between himself and Kitsuragi, and ultimately called upon the "lonely, quiet and composed" aspects of his own personality.[27] In the expanded Final Cut, Champenois became one of the few original actors retained for voice performance.[28]
Analysis
Academics have studied the importance of Kitsuragi's reactions to the player. In Games and Narrative: Theory and Practice, Leanne Taylor-Giles highlights Kitsuragi's reactions during the autopsy sequence for reinforcing his character while giving useful feedback to the player.[29] In the Cyberpsychology Journal of Psychosocial Research, Piotr Klimczyk found many players who felt strongly about earning Kitsuragi's approval, noting feelings of personal growth and post-game melancholy.[25] At the 2023 Digital Games Research Association conference, Jon Stone suggested that Kitsuragi's approval serves as a moral anchor for the player, granting them agency to humorously test the game's boundaries with benign violations.[30] On the other hand, Lena Aeschbach describes how annoying Kitsuragi achieves a Brechtiandistancing effect between the player and the protagonist, offering an alternative to player characters designed for immersion.[31] Writing for the Northern Illinois University College of Law, Evan Bernick cites Kim's reactions as a moral compass in a failing legal system.[32]
Kitsuragi is often highlighted as an example of how Disco Elysium approaches its themes and ideological viewpoints.[4][14] Colin Spacetwinks of Waypoint links the guarded political hopes of the game's authors with the concealed emotions of the game's characters, making Kitsuragi feel unexpectedly genuine when he says, 'I'd rather not talk about it."[14]NME noted Kitsuragi as an example of the game's intelligent approach to social and cultural issues, particularly his fictional "Seol" heritage feels relevant to real life.[4] Fraser Brown of PC Gamer noted a moment where the player can attempt to challenge racism directed at Kitsuragi, describing how after "a seemingly throwaway conversation, I reconsidered the relationship between Kim and his forgetful partner, and it grounded me in the world".[18] Madeline Carpou of The Mary Sue also reacted to this sequence as part of "one of the best representations of an Asian immigrant story I’ve seen in a video game" and an element of the character's overall popularity.[19] Dmitry King had high praise for Kitsuragi's portrayal of the queer experience, including his subtle reactions to other queer characters in the game.[6] The Gamer has noted him as one of gaming's best gay characters,[5] with Gab Hernandez further praising Kim as "as one of the most iconic gay characters in video games" because of the "nonchalant" and "mundane" way in which his sexuality is a part of his identity.[7]
Reception
Kim Kitsuragi is frequently praised as an essential part of Disco Elysium and its critical acclaim. Lauren Morton of PC Gamer hailed Kitsuragi as the game's "breakout star", describing how "an empathetic enough detective can manage to uncover brief moments of vulnerability" in the otherwise unflappable character.[2]GamePro's David Molke called Kitsuragi one of his favorite game heroes, highlighting his subtle reactions against the player's antics, while still showing loyalty and patience.[33] Andy Kelly of PC Gamer praised the character's writing and voice performance as a "soothing presence", offering a "voice of reason" portrayed with "reassuring warmth and an endearing, deadpan cool."[10] Diego Arguello of Inverse also praised Kitsuragi for offering a compelling contrast with the protagonist, "building an unbreakable bond of kindness that persists throughout the story".[34] Cameron Kunzelman of Vice described Kitsuragi's dual role in the protagonist's professional and personal life, explaining that "Kim is written in such a way that I came to feel that I really knew him and why he cared about all of this in the end."[35] Overall, commentators frequently mention the character's popularity and appeal,[36][37][38] with Sam Chandler of Shacknews declaring that "you will either want to marry Kim Kitsuragi or drown your sorrows in tequila."[39]The Mary Sue has noted his popularity in making Disco Elysium one of the best games ever written.[40]
Kitsuragi is celebrated for his role in the game's most memorable moments, particularly his nuanced responses to the player's choices.[15] Joe DeVader from Nintendo World Report remembers purposely annoying Kitsuragi as one of the game's best moments.[16]PC Gamer's Jody MacGregor highlighted the autopsy sequence, explaining how "[Kitsuragi's] approval is delicious", likening it to an addictive drug.[13] Eric Van Allen of Destructoid praised the moments of "small kindness" shared between Kitsuragi and the protagonist, when the player can simply allow Kitsuragi to correct a minor error without embarrassment.[3]RPG writer George Foster felt that Kitsuragi was frequently part of his favorite moments from the game, feeling an emotional bond as they danced together, nodded at each other, and shared a stolen sandwich.[17]
A promotional booth at Eurogamer Expo 2022 featured a portrait of Kirsuragi, which received a flood of fan mail and fan art of the character.[41] The 2022 release of an official Kitsuragi-themed bomber jacket was praised by Renata Price of Kotaku and Noelle Warner of Destructoid.[8][9] Fans were more critical of the free "Collage Mode" released in 2023, with some suggesting that it contradicted Kitsuragi's character, and exploited his popularity to distract from ZA/UM's ongoing litigation against the game's creators.[42][43]
Accolades
Kitsuragi was nominated as one of the best video game characters of 2019 by Adventure Gamers,[44] as well as Fanbyte.[45] Lillian King of the Toledo Blade praised him their favorite game character of the year, who felt he was "[e]xceptionally well-written ... bolstered by a myriad of fleeting interactions that let players see into the detective’s inner life, rounding out his complexity with the little contradictions that make us all truly, chaotically, human."[20]TheGamer declared Kitsuragi as one of gaming's best voiced characters.[46] Kitsuragi has been further praised as "perhaps the finest companion character in a game" by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell of Eurogamer.[1] The character has similarly been called one of the best companions in video games by writers for Comic Book Resources,[47]Vooks,[48]Sirus Gaming,[49] and Shacknews.[50] Lead writer Robert Kurvitz and the rest of the team were surprised by how well-received Kim was, stating that they "felt [he was] a real person and our friend."[2] Champenois was similarly surprised as well as flattered by the positive reception, mentioning that he received a lot of positive comments from fans about his performance.[27]
^Adjei-Brenyah, Nama Kwame (2023). Machado, Carmen Maria; Lennon, J Robert (eds.). Critical Hits: Writers Playing Video Games. Graywolf Press. pp. 12–13. ISBN9781644452615. ... this game does feature an impossible-not-to-love teammate, Kim Kitsuragi, another officer who is by your side as you wander Martinaise...
