Calling Mass Effect 3’s legacy “controversial” would be an understatement. The ending, the DLC rollout, the decision to turn the Normandy’s computer into a sexed-up fembot… the list goes on. But among all that, the villain Kai Leng might still be the most-hated part of both the game and the entire franchise. Even now, 14 years after launch, actor Troy Baker still seems embarrassed about helping bring Kai Leng to life.
In a recent video with YouTube channel Partychat, Baker is presented with clips of roles from throughout his career. He tells fond development stories about his roles as characters like Joel in The Last of Us and Higgs in Death Stranding, singing the praises of creators like Neil Druckmann and Hideo Kojima.
But the instant he sees Kai Leng on screen? “Don’t,” Baker says, turning to laugh. “Next clip. Nope, next clip.” He simply grimaces as the video continues to play, and he witnesses his character get stabbed through the torso. “Yeah, I deserve that,” Baker admits. “There’s so many reasons why I shouldn’t have played that character.”
Mass Effect 3 presents Leng as if he’s the biggest badass in the galaxy, but his dorky goggles, ninja antics, and samurai sword give him the vibe of those “I studied the blade” memes. The fact that Leng is presented as being of Chinese descent while playing into Japanese character tropes only makes it more embarrassing.
Every few years, you’ll find yet another Mass Effect discussion thread with a title like “Is Kai Leng the worst character of the franchise,” “Who is the worst character and why is it Kai Leng,” or “wtf is Kai Leng? Was someone drunk when he was created.” There are even popular mods that fully cover Leng’s face and delete his dialog from the game. Now that’s dedication to a proper hater life.
The Kai Leng hate has probably grown beyond reasonable criticism of the character at this point – as is the case with all negative online discussions – but the core of distaste for the character remains very real. Even, it seems, for Troy Baker himself.
Mass Effect 5 might just be the biggest upcoming RPG on the horizon.