The 10 most impressive character designs in VALORANT

But they're all so good.

The most hyped-up announcements in VALORANT are oftentimes new agent reveals as each one adds another layer to the meta. In addition to having unique abilities, each character comes with their own sense of style to give us a better idea of their personalities.

When it comes to character designs, the VALORANT roster is known for being bold and flashy. Whether their aesthetic matches their culture, personality, or abilities, there’s no such thing as a poorly designed agent in the game. At the same time, certain characters really stand out and have a more defining style than others.

While each agent’s design is amazing in its own right, these rankings are based on how unique, creative, and visually appealing they are.

The interesting thing about Cypher is the fact he’s covered up from head to toe without any skin showing. We don’t even know what his actual face looks like, but that’s part of his charm and it works perfectly with who he is. He’s very much the kind of guy who’ll spy and get all the dirt on others with his camera, but he’d never give away too much.

We also have to talk about Cypher’s iconic hat. He might not be the only agent who looks different when using their Ultimate, but he definitely has the most shocking change. Once you see him toss his hat onto a fallen enemy, you’ll never unsee his smooth masked head.

Everything about Neon’s design embodies her electric abilities and speed. Her bright blue and yellow hair already stands out a lot on its own, but just one look at her and you’ll know she’s all about zipping and zapping.

A cute little touch is a metal-like strip over the bridge of her nose. Resembling a bandaid, the metal strip goes hand in hand with her young and reckless nature.

Often seen as the mother figure among the agents, Sage is always looking out for everyone else and tending to their wounds with her green orbs. Those special orbs she uses in battle happen to play a huge role in her design. They resemble jade, a mineral with cultural significance in China where Sage comes from.

Related: Best agents in VALORANT: Ranked tier list

In addition to the orbs hanging at her side and the jade-colored accents on her clothes, she wears big round jade earrings that look just like mini orbs. Sticking with the theme, even her signature Final Chamber Classic skin looks like it’s made of jade.

Killjoy’s wardrobe might look more like a college student’s outfit than war gear, but that doesn’t make her any less iconic. In fact, her style and design might be the easiest to identify or replicate in art or cosplay.

All you need are thick round glasses, ripped black jeans, Converse high tops, a green beanie, and a yellow puffy jacket. That’s our KJ in a nutshell.

It’s surprising how VALORANT didn’t have any agents with water abilities until Harbor arrived in Episode Five Act Three over two years after the game’s release. Harbor’s utility kit might’ve felt a little underwhelming on release, but he certainly made up for it with his design.

With his charming smile and man bun, Harbor is the embodiment of a Disney prince in a first-person shooter game, and we love that for him.

Alongside Neon, Gekko has one of the brightest and boldest designs. His lime green hair and buzzcut match one of his four little pals, Mosh, who acts as a molly when thrown.

Related: Best and worst VALORANT agents for each map

The other three adorable critters—Wingman, Dizzy, and Thrash—only add to Gekko’s fun and unique design. Because of how he utilizes his cute crew in battle, his character is often compared to a Pokémon trainer, earning him a lot of points in the design department.

Viper might have a cold personality, but her design is fire. Her green and black bodysuit pairs perfectly with her toxic nature and abilities.

Like Cypher, Viper changes her appearance when she uses her Ultimate. While in her thick green pit, her whole head is completely covered in a mask to protect her from her own toxins. With how hard it is to see in that pit, it’s almost like a jumpscare when you suddenly see her all masked up with a shotgun. It’s truly terrifying but in the best way possible.

Fade is hands down one of the coolest agents out there. She’s intimidating but not heartless, and she’s just an overall badass. Some might even say she’s an edgier version of Reyna with her many piercings and smokey eye makeup.

The best part of her design, however, has to be what ties her to her feline friend, Prowler. Fade not only has a pawprint mark on her collarbone but also adorable little paw pads on the bottom of her shoes. It’s a cute touch on an agent who thrives on fear.

Yoru is known for being one of the weaker duelists, and that’s okay because he’s being carried by his sick design. Like the tough guy he is, Yoru sports a nice blue jacket with matching gloves and a streak of blue in his hair.

The thing is, you know his design is good when he has multiple weapon skins that were made for him specifically. The whole Oni line is great for Yoru, but there’s a special easter egg that pops up when he uses his Ultimate with the Onimaru Kunitsuna melee skin equipped—he puts on the Oni mask instead of his default one.

Related: Best VALORANT agents for playing Team Deathmatch

He also has by far the best skin from the VALORANT GO! line with “Yoru’s Stylish Butterfly Comb,” which couldn’t be more fitting for his bad boy image.

Out of all the agent’s abilities, we can’t pretend like Astra’s cosmic powers aren’t super cool and aesthetically pleasing. Her smokes and Cosmic Divide Ultimate are like purple galaxies, and that translates over to her personal fashion.

Covered in a pretty purple and blue with a golden arm, Astra’s outfit is both fun and stylish. She even has a cute hood she puts on when in astral form. Her whole aesthetic is the perfect balance of being unique without going overboard, and we love it.

Karli is a freelance writer based in the Bay Area. She has written about your favorite video games on sites like Dot Esports and TheGamer. When she's not writing, she's playing VALORANT or the latest Pokémon game.