Iso is the 24th Agent to join the VALORANT Protocol. Originating from China, he uses reconfigured ambient energy to generate bulletproof protection as he advances with focus towards his next duel to the death.
Chinese fixer for hire, Iso falls into a flow state to dismantle the opposition. Reconfiguring ambient energy into bulletproof protection, he advances with focus towards his next duel to the death.
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Lore[]
Representing Chongqing, China, Iso is the 24th Agent to join the VALORANT Protocol.
Background[]
Iso initially worked as an elite hitman for the Scions of Hourglass. He made a name for himself through his solo operations and his Radiant invulnerability to the point where he became a myth, as an assassin who was capable of taking on tasks that required full teams was unfathomable to many. It is unknown why he was loyal to the Scions of Hourglass, or when he joined the organization.
Before the VALORANT Protocol[]
Iso is first introduced in the MYTHS reveal trailer as a mythological assassin who has recently been targeting operations related to Kingdom's "Project Landfall". In the aftermath of the Sunset reveal trailer, a Kingdom scientist backed up with bodyguards attempts to retrieve her research from the ruined Landfall facility. Iso makes quick work of the scientist and her team before it is revealed that his next target for Hourglass is Omen.
Joining the Protocol[]
The VALORANT Protocol quickly takes notice of the missing Kingdom employees and abnormal presence on the Landfall site, beginning their search for Iso and investigating his employer's hourglass symbol. They soon identify Iso and he requests to join the team in exchange for having protection against the Scions of Hourglass. Iso's request is accepted, however, the Protocol keeps their suspicions about him due to his clean record and how easily he was found, as well as his connection to Omen through the Hourglass symbol.
The Triple Cross[]
Although the Protocol had suspicions about Iso, Cypher is seemingly the only one who learns of his true motivations to kill Omen. However, he does not act and allows Iso to make his own decisions based on the potential repercussions of his actions. Nevertheless, Iso still intends to betray the Protocol and eliminate Omen, but reconsiders at the last moment, marking his betrayal of the Scions of Hourglass and newfound loyalty to the VALORANT Protocol. It is implied that Iso changed his mind after recognising the VALORANT Protocol's noble intentions and close interpersonal bonds, contrasting the selfish goals and corporate-like structure of Hourglass.
Retaliating Against the Scions[]
Iso joins the team in their mission against the Boss of the Scions of Hourglass, helping the VALORANT Protocol gather intel and providing support during the raid on the Hourglass building in Jakarta. This fully cements his change in loyalty from the Scions of Hourglass to the VALORANT Protocol.
Personality[]
Iso has a very straightforward approach on the battlefield, typically focusing on the mission at hand. This perspective towards combat likely comes from his background as an assassin, who has a single directive in each mission. His interactions with his teammates display how he values combat ability and attempts to avoid being distracted by others. Iso also utilises each encounter to improve his skills to ensure he can fulfil his role in the team.
Iso also has a heavy focus on music, keeping his earbuds in during combat encounters and ensuring his music fits his current situation[1].
Appearance[]
The highlight of Iso's outfit is his puffy white jacket, which has red and purple highlights. Although it looks fashionable, the jacket is clearly made to be functional during combat, with a bulletproof vest and padding around the arms to provide protection during fights. He also wears tight combat gloves that go over his sleeves.
Iso has large earbuds that he keeps in almost all the time and a bandage on his left cheek. His eyes have the hexagonal patterns that are part of his abilities, implying a deep connection with Radianite and the Interverse.
This hexagonal pattern can also be seen on Iso's pants and the general purple patterns of his abilities are visible on his sneakers.
Meaning of the name[]
Callsign “Iso” could come from the word “isolation”. It means “to cause (a person or place) to be or remain alone or apart from others.”
First character of his given name Zhao (兆) could mean “omen”.The character can be combined with other characters to describe a foreboding feeling and prophecy.
Second character of his given name Yu (宇) can be combined with another character to mean The Universe itself
His surname Li (李) means plum. It's one of the most common surnames in China.
Abilities[]
As mentioned by Sage in the 8.07 Email, Iso manipulates Radianite energy itself to manifest it in a physical form in the real world and Interverse. This form is different to the regular Radianite used by Sage and the rest of the world, and he constructs it in various forms to help during combat, such as bulletproof shields and projectiles that weaken Iso's enemies. One of Iso's most powerful abilities as mentioned by Sage is his stable creation of an 'arena' in the Interverse (his Ultimate ability), suggesting that Iso is a very powerful Radiant with unique abilities.
Relationships[]
Iso and Omen share a history as elite assassins working under the Scions of Hourglass. Iso seemingly admires Omen for the legacy he left as one of the Scions of Hourglass's greatest assassin, and is glad to be working with him.
Iso respects and admires Sage as a Chinese person who is older than him and ranks highly in the VALORANT Protocol, and thus has a friendly relationship with her.
Cards[]
The VALORANT Iso card is a generic portrait of Iso.
The The Hourglass Turns card shows a medallion with an hourglass symbol between the hands of Iso at the bottom and an unknown person at the top.
The Portfolio card shows Iso standing amongst various armed people and his hexagonal shaped abilities.
Voicelines[]
Find all of Iso's voicelines here
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An unknown party: Patch 7.05 - 7.08[]
Iso was first introduced with Sova's Patch 7.05 Email, the second email of Episode 7 Act 2. Sova mentions that the team leadership from the now abandoned Landfall Project went missing under circumstances other than the explosion of the Kingdom West facility, beginning the search for Iso. This is supported by a Kingdom email that says that security is being increased as a result of employees going missing under suspicious circumstances.
Killjoy's Patch 7.06 Email confirms the presence of a new, unknown party being involved with the aftermath of the Sunset trailer while presenting the Hourglass symbol.
Omen's Patch 7.07 Email displays his connection to the organization behind the Hourglass symbol and, by extension, Iso, however, details remain unconfirmed due to Omen's sparse memory.
Cypher's Patch 7.08 Email identifies the unknown presence as an hitman who allegedly wants protection from their employer, who we now know to be the Scions of Hourglass. Cypher recommends extracting Iso to help investigate the disappearances of Kingdom scientists, but is wary of his clean record.
Social Media Campaign[]
Iso's social media campaign began on October 15th, 2023, just before the final Patch 7.08 Email. All four of Iso's social media teasers centre around him shooting a bullseye, teasing his combat experience and sharp shooting.
The first teaser[2] shows Iso shooting a target's bullseye with a Classic laying on a table in the foreground. Bullets are stored in a Chinese noodle box, providing the first teaser of his nationality. It is captioned "I’ve found something interesting. Very interesting. Debrief soon. - Cypher", following on from Cypher's discoveries in the Patch 7.08 Email.
The second teaser[3] shows Sage watching the video from the first teaser as Reyna, Neon and Cypher praise his shooting ability.
The third teaser[4] shows Raze and Phoenix's reactions to Iso's skills, with Raze having a similar reaction to other agents while Phoenix tries to downplay Iso's abilities. Raze shares an image of a bowl of Chongqing Xiaomian (重庆小面) that was found alongside his video of shooting a bullseye, almost confirming Iso's Chinese nationality.
The fourth teaser[5] shows Cypher and Omen discussing Iso in front of the video of him shooting a bullseye. It is captioned "Omen. This new recruit… there’s something you should know. - Cypher", developing Iso and Omen's connection.
After the MYTHS trailer's release, a teaser for The Hourglass Turns, Iso's Tier 9 Contract playercard, released[6]. It is captioned ""Such a pleasure to meet you, Li Zhao Yu. Please do give us a call.", revealing Iso's real name
Notes[]
- Iso's working name in the files is 'Sequoia'.
- Iso's voice actor is unknown, as they prefer not to reveal their personal information[7].
- Iso had three songs alongside his release:
Sources[]
SUNSET - Sunset's Reveal Trailer - Initial destruction of the Kingdom West facility
MYTHS - Iso's Reveal Trailer - Introduction of Iso as a mythological assassin, reveal of Iso's mission to eliminate Omen
"You need answers. So do I." short cinematic - Iso's betrayal of the VALORANT Protocol, then betrayal of Hourglass
RECKONING cinematic - Iso's betrayal of the Scions of Hourglass