Nanobomb

'Nanobomb' is the fan-given name to the ship between Killjoy and Raze. Ever since Killjoy was added to the game, there have been *several* hints towards a genuine romantic relationship between the two Agents, but it wasn't confirmed nor denied by any formal source for more than two years.

When asked about the potential of a canonical and non-platonic relationship between Killjoy and Raze, the Devs had historically remained ambiguous, giving answers that were non-specific and cryptic hints, but never anything concrete.

This all changed on 11th December 2022, when Nanobomb was officially confirmed to be canon, in the concluding post of the 5.12 social media takeover (the one which showcased the Agents going on a vacation to Salvador, Brazil). This confirmation also made Nanobomb the first (and, as of Episode 5: Act 3, the *only*) ship to be made official.

## Hints and Teasers

Of all the new content that has been released since launch, Nanobomb arguably has had the largest and most long-winded teaser campaign, lasting for almost two years and sprawling across all forms of media. This included direct messages and hints from the Devs (primarily David Nottingham, aka Riot KingKut, VALORANT's Creative Director), in-game content such as voicelines and playercards, teasers and references made on social media, minor mentions in external content such as music videos, cinematics, etc., and much more.

The reason for the relationship being forced to exist in this 'pseudo-canon' state for so long was clarified multiple times, during various QnA sessions with the Devs. By VALROANT's narrative philosophy, elements of the Agents' characters such as their sexualities and interpersonal relationships were considered to be an innate and very personal aspects of their lives, too much so for them to be revealed outright to the fanbase.

The Dev team wished to reveal these aspects in a manner that would befit characters with genuine, human-like complexity and depth - which also meant taking the time to build a potential relationship up in a natural and organic way.

What's considered to be the earliest definitive 'teaser' for Nanobomb was made by David Nottingham on the 18th of December, 2020. During a QnA session on the VALORANT Lore // Art discord server, when the topic of discussion moved to possible future relationships, David shared some Nanobomb artwork (made by @anhdangerious). Of course, in typical dev fashion, when asked to elaborate all he had to was was "Seems like they would have a lot in common" and "They both love messing around with tech".

The second major teaser came on the 1st of April, 2021, a little more than three months later. As is obvious from the date, this teaser was a part of VALORANT's April Fool's prank for for 2021, which for that year was the Love Event. As a joke, the @PlayVALORANT twitter account announced that the VALORANT IP would be expanding to include a new dating sim, 'Agents of Romance'.

One of the screenshots in the tweet showed a conversation between the player character and Cypher, which was assumedly going to be a part of the game. In the tweet, Cypher's dialog heavily implied that Raze and Killjoy were dating.

The next major teaser came on the 10th of June, as part of VALORANT's YR1 events celebrating its first year. Raze got a short music video, Color of the Town, made by the VALORANT // Brasil YouTube channel (the main English channel had the video released a week later, on 18th June). It comprised of mostly gameplay clips, with short animated segments of Raze's workshop at the beginning and end. For a few seconds at the start of the video, from 0:11 to 0:17, we got a look at the street leading up to the workshop - lying on one of the windowsills is a small figurine of Killjoy.

What made this stand out as more than just a minor reference is the specific type of figurine it is: a *Namoradeira* doll, a type of traditional Brazilian sculpture whose name literally translates to "sweetheart" or "flirt". The dolls are made with their head resting on one arm and a wistful look on their face, meant to represent a woman staring into the distance as if awaiting the return of their lover.

The figurine of Killjoy seen in the music videoA traditional *Namoradeira* doll
Even beyond this, there were also a couple smaller Easter Eggs related to Killjoy in the music video. From 0:09 to 0:14, we could see Killjoy's shoes mysteriously hanging from a cable outside Raze's workshop. In the scenes showing the inside of the workshop, we could also see a Killjoy-themed plushie on Raze's desk, next to her lamp (this is easiest to notice between 3:05 and 3:14).

After this, the next hint came in November of the same year, during an early twitter takeover made from Killjoy's perspective, meant to build hype for Arcane. The takeover showed some aspects of Killjoy's inner life during the breaks between missions, with her enjoying herself through various activities (which included, of course, watching Arcane).

In the second post, one of the attached images showed her drinking coffee from a mug, which was from Salvador, Brazil - Raze's hometown. The particular origin of the mug was even pointed out by David himself, and when asked about its canonicity, he stated that it seemed "pretty legit". In another tweet from the same takeover, Killjoy also commented on some new graffiti that Raze had made in her lab, incorporating the *Loose Cannon* and *Tag! You're Dead!* sprays.

Finally, Nanobomb also got a mention in the recent set of social media takeovers that took place in Episode 4: Act 1. During Raze's takeover, one of the tweets made by the @VALORANTBrasil twitter account featured a question directed at her, discussing her relationship with Killjoy. The attached video (which was Raze's response) showed her making a heart with her hands, along with a sly wink to top it off.

### Minor Hints

The teasers mentioned above are, of course, not all the hints that this relationship had gotten over the years - only the 'major' ones, with many of the other 'minor' ones going unmentioned. While these minor teasers didn't explicitly imply a romantic relationship between the two women, they did still make it exceedingly obvious that they were *very* close together.

As an example, the two of them spent the majority of their screen time in the *WARM UP* cinematic with each other. Maxbot, the machine which bested every Agent thrown at it, was a joint creation between the two of them; they tried (and failed) to take him down as a team of two as well.

Indeed, of any pair of Agents, it is quite possible that these two spend the most time together when outside missions. They both have several voicelines that indicate this, such as requests to come over and listen to music or "tinker".

On the topic of tinkering with each other's technology, it is also evident that both of them have influenced the other's contraptions and gadgetry. Raze's *Boombot* is hinted to be a modified version of Killjoy's *Alarmbot*, and the doodle on Killjoy's *Turret* is hinted to have been made by Raze. In the *Making of:* video for Color of the Town, it is also stated that Raze's tools were designed to look like they were made in collaboration by her and Killjoy.

An important aspect of their relationship is how it gradually developed over time. When Killjoy was first added to the game, her relationship with Raze could be better described as a "friendly rivalry" than one between a romantic couple. This "rivalry" was based primarily on their shared love for tinkering and gadgetry, but in opposite styles - one neat and orderly while the other chaotic and wild.

This early take on their relationship was recorded in some older documentation of the two Agents, such as a Gamestar article made around Killjoy's launch interviewing Zach Betka (VALROANT's former Creative Director) , and the *VERSUS // Raze + Killjoy* playercard from the Episode 1: Act 3 battlepass.

 ***VERSUS // Raze + Killjoy***
The *VERSUS // Raze + Killjoy* card was an early look at Raze and Killjoy's relationship, emphasizing the contrasts and similarities between their individual styles.

Their relationship organically developed from then on, progressing towards friendly and borderline romantic. For example, when Killjoy's voicelines were updated in Patch 5.01, an old voiceline telling Raze to "stay out of her lab" was replaced by one explicitly asking her to come over.

Over time, they moved from 'rivals' to the best of friends, spending more time with each other, such as by going clubbing and to parties together. They also have pet names for each other, and even correspond through written letters at times. Raze also attempted to teach Killjoy how to inline skate once (not to much success, sadly).

### The Confirmation

While the ultimate confirmation of the ship being canon was made through a simple twitter post, it was by no means 'out of the blue' or 'random' (despite many claims otherwise). Indeed, even ignoring the significant amount of hints that the ship had gotten over the last two years, the post itself had gotten a deep and well-developed build up, and was the climax of the 5.12 Team Vacation takeover.

For background on the takeover, it took place around the time when Harbor, Skye, and Astra were sent to Omega Earth to locate the City of Flowers. On reaching there, the three of them were to lay down a Teleportal Beacon, which would allow the rest of the Protocol to come in as backup. Until that mission was resolved, the VP was forced to stay on standby, unable to go on any more missions.

However, they didn't have anything else to do in the meanwhile either. Making use of the unexpected free time, Brimstone allowed the Agents to have a short break, to "rest up and recharge" for their upcoming deployment to Omega.

Many of the younger Agents in the Protocol (Phoenix, Yoru, Neon, Killjoy, and Raze) decided to spend their time off on a collective vacation in the Brazilian city of Salvador - Raze's hometown. The vacation was relayed to us through a series of social media posts, all made from Neon's point of view.

In the first post it was evident that the team had only just arrived in Salvador - Neon's was suffering from jetlag, and numerous suitcases were strewn around haphazardly . Killjoy had it worst of all the Agents, having apparently "forgotten everything" on the way there, including her signature beanie.

As the takeover progressed, we saw the five Agents at various locations around the city. The first post showed them having breakfast together, before heading out into town. Neon looked exhausted from a lack of sleep, Phoenix was staring at his phone, and Yoru was trying to learn Portuguese from a book. Killjoy, as described above, was in a state of anguish at the loss of her beloved beanie.

In the second post, we continued to see the Agents together in Salvador, now having gone shopping in the city market. Neon and Killjoy were busy trying to find a replacement hat for her to wear, but nothing they picked was satisfactory. Similarly, in the third post (set in Raze's workshop) we saw the Agents playing on the arcade machine Raze had had installed there, but a dejected Killjoy sat apart, absentmindedly tinkering with Raze's *Boombot*.

The first postThe second postThe third post

In the fourth post, the Agents were attending a large concert at night. Neon, utterly drained from their recent exertions, had fallen asleep on a table at a table next to Phoenix. Yoru, making good use of his newly-learned Portuguese, was now talking with an unnamed Brazilian woman. Tucked away in a corner, seemingly unnoticed by the rest, Raze and Killjoy were together.

Raze was holding an unassuming box, a parcel which she had received from a delivery man in the previous post. It was apparently meant as a gift for Killjoy, who was clearly delighted at the prospect (this post was also the first time she seemed truly happy or excited during the entire takeover).

The contents of the box were revealed in the fifth post - Killjoy's beanie, that Raze had gotten shipped halfway across the world from the VPHQ to Salvador. Raze pulled Killjoy away into a quiet corner to reveal the surprise. Amazed and astounded by the gift, Killjoy kissed Raze in the moment.

The kiss (which Creative Director David Nottingham did verify to be canonical later) made Nanobomb the first ship in VALORANT to be officially confirmed. The fan-given name for ship was also acknowledged to be its official one, in a following tweet by the @PlayVALORANT account captioned just "nanobomb".

## 'No Fraternization Allowed'

Once Nanobomb had definitively been confirmed canon, the next question was how it would fit into the Protocol's regulations. The VP has historically been *heavily* against any form of 'fraternization' between the Agents, as they are required to always be battle-ready and willing to prioritize the mission above everything (and *everyone*) else - a mindset which a romantic relationship can easily disrupt.

It seems that, once the pair revealed their relationship to the other Agents, the 'No Fraternization' rule was revoked soon after. Viper discussed her opinions on the rule and its removal in an Email to Brimstone, sounding none too pleased at being disturbed for such a frivolous topic. This Email also opens the door for more relationships to be canonized in the future.

## Notes

* We don't know whether 5.12 takeover showed their first kiss, or if they were already dating prior to then.
* Due to the sheer magnitude of hints pointing at Nanobomb, a large part of the fanbase considered it to be 'canon' in some capacity even before it was officially confirmed.

## References

1. ↑ "Raze and Killjoy couldn't be more different. One's organized, one's chaotic. One's a planner, one's spontaneous. Still, they have lots in common..." - Reddit QnA with Lead Narrative Writer Riot ParmCheesy Go
2. ↑ "They definitely seem to be friends. Lots in common and lots of differences. A good basis for any type of relationship." - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
3. ↑ "It seems like they could be a cute couple. Just friends? Or something more?" - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
4. ↑ Why romantic involvement and sexuality aren't overtly described in Character design - Discord QnA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
5. ↑ Why inter-Agent relationships and sexualities haven't yet been directly confirmed - Discord QnA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
6. ↑ Why more 'private' sections of the Agents' characters and backstories (including Relationships) have not been revealed - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
7. ↑ The Creative Director's first hint at Nanobomb - Discord QnA with Riot KingKut Go
8. ↑ @anhdangerious's original tweet showcasing their art - Twitter post Go
9. ↑ The Creative Director's comments about the ship after he shared the art - Discord QnA with Riot KingKut Go
10. ↑ @PlayVALORANT's post revealing *Agents of Romance* - Twitter Post Go
11. ↑ Wikipedia's article about *Namoradeira* dolls Go
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 VALORANTBrasil's video pointing out some of the Easter Eggs in Color of the Town, which specified the shoes to be Killjoy's - YouTube Go
13. ↑ The second post of Killjoy's Arcane-based takeover - Twitter post Go
14. ↑ David Nottingham's comments about the takeover - Twitter posts Go Go
15. ↑ The fourth post of Killjoy's Arcane-based takeover - Twitter post Go
16. ↑ The tweet from @VALORANTBrasil hinting at Nanobomb - Twitter post Go
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Killjoy's voiceline calling Raze over to listen to "a new album" she found - archived by Kingdom Archives Go
18. ↑ Raze's voiceline about them "tinkering" - archived by Kingdom Archives Go
19. ↑ Raze's voiceline talking about how she modified one of Killjoy's *Alarmbot*s by adding explosion, assumedly creating her *Boombot* - archived by Kingdom Archives Go
20. ↑ From an early Facebook takeover from Raze's perspective, the third post shows some of Raze's absentminded doodles, which include the face on Killjoy's *Turret* - Facebook post Go
21. ↑ The tools used by Raze were designed to look like Raze made them with Killjoy's help - YouTube video Go
22. ↑ Gamestar's article on Killjoy, interviewing with Zach Betka, who was VALORANT's Creative Director at the time Go
23. ↑ The voiceline asking Raze to "stay out of [Killjoy's] lab" was removed in Patch 5.01 - Twitter post by Shiick, a reputable dataminer and developed for Kingdom Archives Go
24. ↑ As an example, a secondary plot going on in the live story during Episode 5: Act 2 (alongside Harbor's recruitment) was Killjoy, Raze and Phoenix heading to a concert in Berlin. It was documented in the voicelines at Brimstone's Office between Patches 5.05 Go and 5.07 Go
25. ↑ Raze called Killjoy "Kiki" in one of the posts from her Episode 4: Act 1 social media takeover - Twitter post Go
26. ↑ In first few seconds of the music video that Raze got for her takeover, O QUE FOR BOM, one can see a letter addresed to Raze. The postcard is a German flag, implying that the sender is from Germany, and it is addressed to her real name, 'Tayane Alves', indicating a close connection between the sender and received - Youtube video Go
27. ↑ The fourth post of Killjoy's E4A1 takeover, claiming that's she's heading to learn how to inline skate with Raze - Twitter post Go
28. ↑ The fifth post of Killjoy's E4A1 takeover, showing an image that (according to the caption) was taken "the last second before [Killjoy] fell over" - Twitter post Go
29. ↑ This was described by Brimstone in his Email during Patch 5.12 - archived by Kingdom Archives Go
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 The first post from the 5.12 takeover - Twitter Go
31. ↑ The second post from the 5.12 takeover - Twitter Go
32. ↑ The third post from the 5.12 takeover - Twitter Go
33. ↑ The fourth post from the 5.12 takeover - Twitter Go
34. ↑ The fifth post from the 5.12 takeover - Twitter Go
35. ↑ The 5.12 takeover (and, by extension, Nanobomb) is canon - Twitter post by Creative Director, Riot KingKut Go
36. ↑ The tweet confirming the ship's name to be "Nanobomb" - Twitter post Go
37. ↑ PROTOCOL guidelines state that the Agents are discouraged from Fraternization - Reddit AmA with Lead Narrative Writer Riot ParmCheesy Go
38. ↑ "Fraternization between Agents is heavily discouraged [...] Agents are expected to remain professional and remain battle ready at all times - Discord QnA with Creative Director David Nottingham, aka Riot KingKut Go
39. ↑ Workplace relationships are discouraged because they can cause 'complications' in the field - Discord QnA with Creative Director David Nottingham, aka Riot KingKut Go