Kait Diaz is a fictional character in the ''
Gears of War
''Gears of War'' is a media franchise centered on a series of video games created by Epic Games, developed and managed by The Coalition, and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The franchise is best known for its third-person shooter vide ...
'' franchise. She first appeared in ''
Gears of War 4
''Gears of War 4'' is a 2016 third-person shooter video game developed by The Coalition and published by Microsoft Studios for Windows and Xbox One. It is the fourth main installment in the ''Gears of War'' series, and the first mainline entry n ...
'' as a supporting character, and is the main
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of ''
Gears 5
''Gears 5'' is a 2019 third-person shooter video game developed by The Coalition and published by Xbox Game Studios for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, Xbox Series X/S. It is the fifth main installment of the ''Gears of War'' series and t ...
''. Within the series, she is originally a member of the Outsiders, a loosely organized faction of rebel human settlers who live outside of the walled
city state
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
s of the supranational and intergovernmental military collective known as the Coalition of Ordered Governments ("COG"), following the conclusion of humanity's war with the Locust Horde on the planet Sera. By the events of ''Gears 5'', she has enlisted with the COG armed forces and has attained the rank of
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
. The character is voiced by
Laura Bailey
Laura Bailey is an American voice actress. She made her anime debut as Kid Trunks in the Funimation dub of ''Dragon Ball Z''. Her other anime credits include Emily / Glitter Lucky in ''Glitter Force'', Tohru Honda in ''Fruits Basket'', Lust in ...
in each of her appearances. Outside of the video game series, Kait has appeared in the novels ''Gears of War: Ascendance'' and ''Gears of War: Bloodlines''.
Kait Diaz is the first lead female character of the ''Gears of War'' video game franchise, which is predominantly known for its
hypermasculine
Hypermasculinity is a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality. This term has been used ever since the research conducted by Donald L. Mosher and Ma ...
male characters.
The Coalition, a subsidiary of
Xbox Game Studios
Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...
and the current developers responsible for the ''Gears of War'' franchise following its acquisition from
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, M ...
, intended for a strong female lead to replace
Marcus Fenix
Marcus Michael Fenix is a fictional character and the primary protagonist from the first three games in the ''Gears of War'' video game series. He first appeared in the first game of the series, released in 2006.
Appearances Video games
Fenix d ...
and wrote the narrative arc of the fourth and fifth installments of the franchise around the character.
Kait has been received positively, and is considered to be one of the more popular characters in the ''Gears of War'' series. She has been praised for her nuanced characterization, strong backstory, and as a positive example of
gender equality and representation in video games. Various merchandise for the character, as with other of the series' characters, has been released.
Creation and development
Kait Diaz is designed as a character with
Latino roots; the Coalition's character designers mixed Latino-inspired physical traits with typically Caucasian features to give her an "interesting look".
Her less regimented look is a reflection of her youthful urge to stand out among her peers, as well as her literal background as an "Outsider" compared to the other main characters in ''Gears of War 4''; unlike
J.D. Fenix
JD or jd may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''JD'' (film), a 2016 Bollywood film
* J.D. (''Scrubs''), nickname of Dr. John Dorian, fictional protagonist of the comedy-drama ''Scrubs''
* JD Fenix, a character from the ''Gears of War'' vi ...
, son of Marcus Fenix and Anya Stroud, and Delmont "Del" Walker, Kait is an Outsider from birth and her attire has a completely different look without any visual cues that would connect her to COG society.
She utilizes reclaimed fabric and her wardrobe has multipurpose elements.
The beanie she wears help maintain her aesthetic as a grounded character.
One of the ways the designers have explored the Outsider culture of Sera through visual language is through the hairstyles of its female members, which is an indicator of their marital status: Kait's mother, Reyna Diaz, hangs her ponytail over her right shoulder, while hers is hung on the left shoulder as she is single.
Then-studio head Rod Fergusson compared the story arc of ''Gears of War 4'' to ''
Mad Max: Fury Road'', in the sense that
Tom Hardy's
Max Rockatansky
Max Rockatansky is the title character and antihero protagonist of the Australian post-apocalyptic action film series ''Mad Max''. Created by director George Miller and producer Byron Kennedy, the character was originally played by actor Mel G ...
is functionally a supporting character even though he is ostensibly the eponymous lead character of the movie. He further elaborated that, "Max is really there to support
Furiosa's journey as she's trying to escape, and that's kind of what ''Gears 4'' was.
twas really Kait's story about trying to save her mom, and JD was there to help."
Kait's transition from a supporting character to protagonist in ''Gears 5'' is reflected by the ending of its prequel, where it is revealed that her past is connected to the new threat facing the world of Sera.
She wears COG-issued armor as she has enlisted with the organization as a soldier by the events of ''Gears 5''. The designers explored different looks for Kait that evolved from her ''Gears of War 4'' attire as well as armor variations which match the different environments she visits, while preserving a few elements of her Outsider heritage, especially her braid.
The Coalition staff have disclosed during interviews that the decision to place Kait as the protagonist in ''Gears 5'' was planned over a number of years, and it involved change on a cultural level for the company.
Fillip Foksowicz, a game designer at The Coalition, said that Fergusson and the game's team of writers decided early on during the production of ''Gears 5''
that they wanted to have a female lead, and so the game's whole story was written around Kait, in his words "fully embracing her as a female and truly showing all of her strengths". Foksowicz said the team understood that they could not simply write a story and replace certain characters with females or various cultural backgrounds where it fit simply to meet a predetermined quota, as it would not be possible to truly define them as believable characters.
According to franchise narrative lead Bonnie Jean Mah, a strong, well-rounded female character is "someone who is authentic and has a full range of emotions", and she claimed that her company ensured that there is ample opportunities for participation by female staff in the game's developmental team.
Appearances
Video games
Kait is introduced in ''Gears of War 4'' as a part of a group of Outsiders including J.D. and Del, two COG deserters. The trio, led by J.D., are the main focus of the game's narrative as they discover a new threat to humanity, a successor to the original Locust Horde known as the Swarm, who has kidnapped numerous victims from various human settlements, including Kait's mother Reyna and uncle Oscar. By the game's ending, Kait comes into possession of an amulet that once belonged to Myrrah, Queen of the Locust Horde, after she is forced to euthanize Reyna.
Kait is the central character of ''Gears 5'', which explores her backstory as she plays a pivotal role in humanity's conflict against the resurgent Swarm. She is depicted as enduring recurring nightmares she believes to be messages. Following the death of Oscar, who led an Outsider settlement called Riftworm Village in their defense against a Swarm raid, she travels to a remote area in search of answers about her maternal family's connection to the origins of the Locust Horde.
She eventually discovers that Queen Myrrah is her grandmother, and that a resurrected and mutated Reyna has succeeded her estranged mother Myrrah in leading a genocidal war against humanity.
''
Gears Tactics
''Gears Tactics'' is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Splash Damage in conjunction with The Coalition and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a spin-off of the '' Gears of War'' franchise and a prequel to the first game. The game ...
'', a spin-off of the ''Gears of War'' franchise, features Kait's father Sgt. Gabriel Diaz as the protagonist and details how he first met Reyna Diaz (née Torres).
Novels
Kait is one of the main characters of ''Gears of War: Ascendance'', a novel which acted set between ''Gears of War 4'' and ''Gears 5''. She is also the main character of ''Gears of War: Bloodlines'', which is set during the intervening four months between the evacuation of Settlement 2 and the siege of Riftworm Village in ''Gears 5''. In the latter novel, Kait explores her family's past by learning more about her father, Lieutenant Colonel later Sergeant Gabriel Diaz, who died of Rustlung when she was young. The ending hints at the events of ''
Gears Tactics
''Gears Tactics'' is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Splash Damage in conjunction with The Coalition and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a spin-off of the '' Gears of War'' franchise and a prequel to the first game. The game ...
'' with Colonel Victor Hoffman telling Kait to pay attention if she ever hears the name Ukkon. Kait thinks she heard Ukkon's name at some point when she was a child, but can't remember when or how as if the memory has been blocked from her mind.
Promotion and merchandise
![Xbox One Controller, Gears of War 5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Xbox_One_Controller%2C_Gears_of_War_5_%22Kait_Diaz%22.jpg)
Kait Diaz has been extensively featured by Microsoft in advertising for the ''Gears of War'' franchise since the launch of ''Gears 5'' in 2019. Like other characters in the franchise, she has been subject to various merchandise. In 2016, McFarlane Toys released a highly detailed action figure for the character, which stands 7 inches tall, rests atop a stand, and includes her weapon in-hand.
In 2019, statue makers First 4 Figures unveiled a resin statue in the character's likeness.
A limited edition
Xbox One controller
The Xbox Wireless Controller is the primary game controller for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S home video game consoles, also commercialized for its use in Windows-based PCs, and compatible with other operating systems such as macOS, Linux, i ...
named after the character, with a snow-weathered finish and COG emblem, was released on August 20, 2019, as a standalone purchase and was also included in a Limited Edition Bundle for ''Gears 5''.
Reception
Kait Diaz has received a positive critical response. In his review of ''Gears of War 4'' for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' in October 2016, Steve Boxer noted that Kait is the franchise's first properly central female character and was positive in his assessment of the game's campaign and cast of characters.
Kait's depiction in ''Gears 5'' drew critical praise for her level of complexity, range of emotions, and strong backstory. Multiple sources formed a view that her role in ''Gears 5'' led to more nuance in its narrative, and brought more emotional depth and maturity to the series as a whole.
George Yang from ''The Escapist'' opined that ''Gears 5'' was able to pivot the narrative to explore Kait's story in a way that felt natural, because the strong story of the ''Gears'' series allows Kait to be in the spotlight since questions about her lineage appeared in ''Gears of War 4''.
Sam Byford from ''The Verge'' was of the view that the game's plot does a great job throughout of establishing the stakes on both a personal and global level, giving emotional momentum to the storytelling about Kait's exploration of her heritage even as the world is on the brink of collapse.
In his review of ''Gears 5'' for ''The Bleacher Report'', Chris Roling said that Kait's past and conflicts "are exploited for some excellent, creative gameplay sequences even longtime fans of the series won't see coming".
John Saavedra from ''Den of Geek'' opined that Kait and Del outshone the series’ original duo of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as they have actual personalities and motivations that go beyond “killing Grubs”, highlighting their banter to be a delightful experience which adds necessary levity to a plot that often place its characters in tragic circumstances.
Kaan Serin from ''TheXboxHub'' proclaimed the character to be one of the best heroines in gaming.
The decision by the Coalition to feature Kait as the central protagonist of ''Gears 5'' attracted significant media coverage. Several sources have commented that the decision to promote a female side character to series protagonist represents a major departure in creative direction for the series, and an important development for the games as a whole.
This is due to the fact that the ''Gears of War'' game franchise is stereotyped for being a “bro-shooter” and for its "
dudebro machismo".
Many industry watchers perceived the replacement of lead character Marcus Fenix with Kait Diaz as a bold move by the developer.
Brittany Vincent observed that while the series has had female characters like Anya Stroud to help punctuate the narrative, this is the first time "a woman has been at the forefront" for the series. She compared this to "swapping in
Spartan Kat in for her own personal
''Halo'' title instead of giving her a little time in ''
Halo: Reach''".
Byford said the shift in focus "does wonders", noting that the franchise's move to its first female lead does not feel forced, nor was it ever directly acknowledged.
Todd Martens from The ''Los Angeles Times'' noted that Kait's story arc helped bring a sense of mystery to a series filled with monstrous villains and chainsaw guns while reducing the unnecessary machismo prevalent in previous installments.
Terry Terrones from ''The Gazette'' claimed that Kait makes for a fascinating protagonist and her personal journey gives the franchise a completely new look, even with the presence of Marcus Fenix and his son J.D. within the narrative.
Owen Gough felt that the narrative of ''Gears 5'' benefited from an exciting new lead in Kait "who manages to revitalise the male-only club of killing monsters, without feeling like it's pandering to an expanded audience".
Similarly, Roling found Kait's plot points in the narrative to be well handled and remains engaging throughout without being "stereotypical gender fodder".
Shaun Munro from ''Flickering Myth'' considered Kait to be the most sympathetic and likeable character in the entire ''Gears'' series and a more appealing protagonist then J.D., whom he dismissed as a "dullard".
Reflecting on the issue of female leads in video games being perceived as a risky proposition, senior producer at The Coalition Zöe Curnoe expressed a desire to see the normalization of women leads in video games and that it would no longer be a newsworthy topic.
![Laura Bailey SDCC 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Laura_Bailey_SDCC_2016.jpg)
On the other hand, Osama Niazi from ''Segment Next'' expressed concern that The Coalition may not have adequately prepared for a hostile backlash from certain segments of the video game player audience with
misogynistic attitudes, citing the
significant negative reception to the promotion of female playable characters in ''Battlefield V'' as an example.
Sherif Saed from ''
VG247
''VG247'' is a video game blog published in the United Kingdom, founded in February 2008 by industry veteran Patrick Garratt. In 2009, CNET ranked it as the third best gaming blog in the world.
History
Founded in collaboration on 1 February 2 ...
'' reported an incident which took place during a Q&A session at a E3 Coliseum panel in June 2019 where
John DiMaggio
John William DiMaggio (; born September 4, 1968) is an American actor. His various voice roles include Bender on ''Futurama'', Jake the Dog on ''Adventure Time'', Marcus Fenix in the '' Gears of War'' series, Dr. Drakken on '' Kim Possible'', ...
, the voice actor of
Marcus Fenix
Marcus Michael Fenix is a fictional character and the primary protagonist from the first three games in the ''Gears of War'' video game series. He first appeared in the first game of the series, released in 2006.
Appearances Video games
Fenix d ...
and a panel member, reprimanded an audience member who queried the hosts about Kait Diaz's “sexual preference”. Saed suggested that DiMaggio's response to the way the question was worded implied that it may have been asked in bad faith.
Laura Bailey's performance as Kait Diaz has received critical acclaim from several reviewers.
Byford credited Bailey's strong performance with anchoring Kait's personal struggles in a believable manner, which play out with a surprisingly delicate touch and includes some genuinely shocking moments.
For her performance as Kait Diaz, Bailey received nominations for best video game performance of the year award from a few outlets.
On the other hand, Alan Wen remarked that Kait is a Hispanic character being played by a white Caucasian actor in his analysis of the issue of
whitewashing as well as the lack of opportunities for voice actors from ethnic minority backgrounds.
References
External links
''Gears of War 4'' Cosplay Guide: Kait Diaz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Kait
Female characters in video games
Fictional female corporals
Fictional Hispanic and Latino American people in video games
Fictional military personnel in video games
Fictional soldiers in video games
Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder
Gears of War
Microsoft protagonists
Science fiction video game characters
Video game characters introduced in 2016
Video game mascots
Woman soldier and warrior characters in video games