Kim Kitsuragi

Kim Kitsuragi
First game	Disco Elysium (2019)
In-universe information
Origin	Revachol

Kim Kitsuragi is a fictional character in the 2019 video game Disco Elysium. Kitsuragi is a police lieutenant for the fictional Revachol Citizens Militia (RCM) and serves as partner to detective Harrier Du Bois, the game's protagonist. Contrasting Du Boi's more vibrant and unpredictable personality, Kitsuragi acts as stoic and serious partner. He is voiced by Brussels-based voice actor Jullian Champenois, who was chosen after years of searching for an actor who was able to portray what they wanted for Kim, specifically a French accent.

He is gay as well as mixed-race, being part Seolite and part Revacholian; each based on multiple Asian and European countries, but primarily Japan and France respectively.

Kim has received generally positive reception for his role in Disco Elysium among both fans and critics.

Concept and creation

Kim Kitsuragi is a police officer, serving as a non-playable partner character to the player-character, Harrier Du Bois. When designing Kim, the team wanted players to have to put effort into learning more about Kim rather than learning about him through dialogue trees. They did this by providing opportunities for players to learn more about Kim in various scenes and situations throughout the game. Du Bois has a "Thought Cabinet" where various personalities communicate and guide Harry. Lead writer Robert Kurvitz noted that Kim had a Thought Cabinet of his own. He commented: "I like to think Kim has a Thought Cabinet project called Revolutionary Aerostatic Brigades that he's worked on since he was a teenager ... This raises the learning caps for his Reaction Speed and Interfacing." However, he clarified that Kim did not actually have a stat sheet in the code like Harry did, adding that they only conceptualized what some stats might be, in order to help characterize him. He said that Kim would have low Motorics, but high Volition, which contributes to him being so closed-off. Over the course of the game, Harry can develop a certain copotype - a mechanic in the game that lets players define the type of cop Harry is over time - which Kim does not. Kurvitz felt that if asked his copotype, Kim would say "copotypes are stupid." Kim was designed to find Harry funny, and despite his typically better judgment, will occasionally humor Harry's whims. Kurvitz commented that his willingness to occasionally go against his instincts "gives him a warmth that's so endearing."

Kim represents a theme in the game of unsatisfying answers or resolutions, and serves as a "systemic metaphor" for Disco Elysium. Kurvitz commented: "What he does for the officer is what Disco Elysium tries its darndest to do for the player. Let's get through this shit, it says. It's not fair, or easy, but it's not entirely impossible either ... And hey, it's not much, but you have me."

When picking Kim's voice actor, the team sought to find someone who would fit in the fictional city of Revachol, and thus aimed to make Kim sound "vaguely French." However, finding the right actor took four years, until they discovered Jullian Champenois, who became Kim's voice actor. He was found via a voiceover casting agency that was hired by developer ZA/UM to find Kim's voice actor, with the casting call requiring a French accent and a certain tone and personality. The sheet also contained a short description of Kim as well as a handful of early-game prompts. He did an audition in summer 2019, and was chosen for the role a few days afterward. Once chosen, he was given early access to play the beta of Disco Elysium and was told by the co-producer Kaur Kender to not change his manner of speech as they wanted his authentic voice. This helped put Champenois at ease for the role. Kurvitz explained that he chose Champenois because he fulfilled "the cool, the deadpan, and the warmth" personality they intended for Kim. Champenois, when reading about the role, felt like there were certain aspects of Kim that paralleled his own life, which he was excited to utilize in his performance. During voice recording, artistic director Jim Ashilevi and sound engineer/voice actor Mikee Goodman guided Champenois through the scenes, explaining the context and purpose of these scenes. Champenois called upon his "lonely, quiet and composed" side when voicing Kim. The first day of recording was both the longest and slowest, where Champenois and others worked to perfect the tone, vocabulary, and intonations for Kim's character.

Appearances

Kim Kitsuragi first appeared in the 2019 video game Disco Elysium as one of its main characters. As a frequent companion to the protagonist, Harry Du Bois, he is able to provide assistance during the investigating of a murder as well as other things, including Harry's identity, political and economic theories, the region they are in, and more. He later appeared in Disco Elysium - The Final Cut, a remaster of Disco Elysium, with new content that involves Kim.

Reception

Kim Kitsuragi is frequently praised as an essential part of Disco Elysium and its overall critical acclaim. Lauren Morton of PC Gamer declared Kitsuragi as the "breakout star" of Disco Elysium, explaining how "an empathetic enough detective can manage to uncover brief moments of vulnerability" in the otherwise unflappable character. Also writing for PC Gamer, Jody MacGregor highlighted the interaction with Kitsuragi during an autopsy, saying that "his approval is delicious", "a drug so potent it makes me decide on the spot to chase more of it". Leanne Taylor-Giles also focused on the autopsy sequence in Games and Narrative: Theory and Practice, praising Kitsuragi's reactions to the player's choices in a way that reinforces his character. Eric Van Allen of Destructoid was struck by moments of "small kindness" between the Kitsuragi and the protagonist, when the player can simply allow Kitsuragi to correct a minor error without embarrassment.

Kim was nominated by both staff and readers of Adventure Gamers and Fanbyte staff for the award of Best Character of 2019. GamePro writer David Molke identified Kim Kitsuragi as one of his favorite heroes in gaming, particularly for stoic and patient he was with Harry, which reminds him of those in his life who act similarly towards himself. He identified him as the true hero of the game due to the way he behaves towards Harry. PC Gamer writer Lauren Morton identified him as the "breakout star" of Disco Elysium. She cited how Kim is so closed off by default, with the moments where if someone managed to get him to open up as the reason he's so significant to the game. She praised Kim's voice actor as one of the best in the game. Comic Book Resources writer Abderrahemane Nejam called Kim "gaming's best companion", a sentiment shared by writers from Eurogamer and Shacknews. Nejam felt this way due to how Kim tends to have more agency than other video game companions. He specifically discussed how Kim would agree and disagree with Harry depending on the behavior Harry exhibits. PC Gamer writer Andy Kelly also considered him possibly the best video game companion, appreciating The Final Cut for adding more of Champenois' acting to the game. RPG Site writer George Foster commented that his choices in the game often involved seeking Kim's approval. He added that every one of his favorite moments had Kim involved in it.

The Mary Sue writer Madeline Carpou praised Kim as quality example of a mixed-Asian character. Carpou regarded Kim as a realistic portrayal of a mixed-Asian character due to how he "picked a lane" and identified more with his nationality than his heritage, a decision mixed-race people often have to make, though without holding any animosity for his heritage at the same time. She felt that Kim's story was one of the best representation of Asian immigration in video games, as well as appreciating how Kim stood strong despite discrimination over his looks and behaviors. She also discussed how Kim received some criticism for his centrist political viewpoints, arguing that it makes sense for a character like him due to him coming "from [a history] where [he] couldn't afford to be academic about these things." Waypoint writer Colin Spacetwinks, in an article about how the game was "afraid of sincerity," commented that he was the "most sincere and emotionally available" character despite his stoicism. They point out that, while he won't divulge opinions needlessly, he also tends to be upfront that he doesn't want to share his opinions. They add that Kim's disposition towards keeping his opinions to himself is based on a desire to avoid being hurt.

Lead writer Robert Kurvitz and the rest of the team were surprised by how well-received Kim was, stating that they "felt [he was] a real person and our friend." Champenois was similarly surprised as well as flattered by the positive reception, mentioning that he received a lot of positive comments from fans about his performance. A portrait of Kim Kitsuragi was put on the wall at the Disco Elysium booth at Eurogamer Expo 2022, which led to it developing into a shrine of fan letters, inspirational messages, and fan art of Kim. Kotaku writer Renata Price praised Kim for his design, particularly his outfit and how he appears to take care of it. This led to her getting an official reproduction of Kim's jacket.