Reyna strikes fear in players in-game, but her backstory? Now that's a whole other level of intrigue. Find the details below!
The lore of Valorant involves parallel worlds, and the storyline we mainly follow takes place on Alpha Earth. A future version of Reyna reveals more about her, but the present Reyna carries a heavy burden as well.
Reyna's Lore Story
Fact sheet:
Name: Zyanya Mondragón |
Origin: Mexico |
Class: Radiant |
Agent number: 11 |
Key role in the lore: Reyna is one of the more experienced members with important tasks in the VP. She's a strong, self-confident woman but also ruthless. |
What Is Known About Reyna
With Reyna, the societal conflict in the lore comes to the forefront. There are people with supernatural abilities called Radiants and humans without those powers, both are represented within the VP team. The Radiants were often oppressed, especially with the Kingdom Corporation, who conduct experiments on Radiants for scientific exploitation.
If you're wondering how some people became Radiants, you should know that there is a close connection to the mysterious substance called Radianite. Individuals with genes that synergize particularly well with Radianite became Radiants.
You're probably familiar with the voice line:
My city needs me, I can't be away for long. Let's end this quickly.
When Reyna refers to 'the city,' she means the place where she has gathered Radiants and offers them protection. She takes great pride in her Radiant powers, but the question is, does she have extreme views on the topic and is she generally against Non-Radiants?
At least within the VP, she doesn't hold a grudge against the human members, except for Killjoy. But there's probably a personal reason for that, which we'll talk about later. Overall, Reyna sees herself and other Radiants as superior to humans and their tech. Also, she seems to have a certain dislike, but it definitely doesn't go so far as to blindly condemn all humans.
However, this could change in the future. This is where Kayo comes in. Kayo is a cybernetic robot who teleported from a parallel universe into the alpha world. He arrived at the teleporter in Breeze. In his previous world, he was created to kill Radiants.
Through him, we learn that Reyna led the Radiants in a devastating Radiant War against humans in Kayo's world. It is not confirmed which Radiants from the current Valorant Protocol Team fought alongside Reyna, but there are some hints. Probably Astra, Phoenix, Skye, Sage and Jett were on the Radiant side. Sova, Brimstone and Kayo were fighting on the human side.
Jett and Brimstone, among others, lost their lives and Kayo blames himself for the death of his friend Brimstone. However, in the end he managed to kill Reyna.
Kayo's resentment against Reyna persists in the alpha world. If you want to check Kayo's dossier, you can do it here.
We also don't know exactly what triggered the war. It might have been a provocation from one of the sides, or maybe it has something to do with Reyna's sister ...
Reyna's Sister
In another common voice line Reyna says:
For you, Hermanita.
'Hermanita' means little sister, and there's more to the story. Reyna's little sister Lucia is in a very critical condition. Viper is keeping her alive through technological means by converting the souls Reyna collects into life energy for her sister.
We should note that Viper is not a Radiant. She usually uses her brilliant genius as a dangerous weapon, but here she's using it to keep Reyna's beloved sister alive. However, whether this is due to friendship or other reasons isn't clear.
Besides that, the practice appears to be inefficient, with a significant loss of essence. Reyna collects souls when she kills her enemies not only for herself but also always for her sister, which could explain Reyna's constant hunger for these souls.
Several voice lines from Reyna make it clear how she feels about Killjoy and her machines. Moreover, it's possible that one of Killjoy's machines is responsible for what happened to Lucia:
Killjoy is an offense to my Radiance. I'll break her apart!
I remember the machines Killjoy made. What they did to- never mind, it does not matter!
The Duality Between Reyna and Sage
Regarding Reyna and Sage, there is a certain duality between the two, which Reyna also points out with a sarcastic voice line:
Sage, we are the perfect pair. You give life. I take it.
Through further interactions, it becomes evident that the two not only differ in their abilities but also in their perspectives and methods.
As Sage comments on Reyna:
Reyna, there are better ways to survive than your path.
Oh I'm so ashamed. Pobre de mi, how will I live with myself?
Pobre de mi, is translated to poor me.
Additionally, both Reyna and Sage serve as Radiant mentors for Neon. Reyna tends to steer Neon towards risky strategies, while Sage takes a different approach.
And there you have it, your complete overview of all known Reyna lore.