Razer AVA Renames Its Avatars: Kira and Zane Are Now Sumi and Niko
Razer's official site no longer mentions Kira or Zane. The two avatars unveiled at CES 2026 have been renamed to Sumi and Niko, with no press release or announcement. Here's what we know — and what we don't.
Update — Oct 19, 2026
This article was written when Razer was targeting the second half of 2026. Razer has since moved the Razer AVA launch to early 2027, under Early Access. What changed.
At CES 2026, Razer unveiled Project AVA with five avatars: AVA itself, Kira, Zane, Faker (the T1 League of Legends player) and Sao, inspired by Saori Araki, the viral Japanese salarywoman. Eight months later, the official product page on razer.com shows only three personalities — AVA, Sumi, and Niko — with no mention of Kira, Zane, Faker, or Sao. Here's exactly what changed, why we think it happened, and what's still unconfirmed.
01.What exactly changed
| January 2026 (CES) | September 2026 (official site) |
|---|---|
| AVA | AVA (same name, redesigned hologram) |
| Kira | Sumi |
| Zane | Niko |
| Faker (T1 collaboration) | Not shown on current site |
| Sao (inspired by Saori Araki) | Not shown on current site |
Razer's official press release from January 6, 2026 described Kira and Zane as "exclusive Razer characters," available alongside AVA at launch. Faker and Sao never appeared under those names on razer.com's own product pages — they were confirmed through coverage from outlets like Dexerto, Hypebeast, and The Esports Radar after CES. Today, both the US site (razer.com/razer-ava) and the Asia-Pacific version show a "Choose Your Personality" section with just three options: AVA, Sumi, and Niko.
And it's not just the name: comparing the current videos to January's screenshots, the visual design has been reworked too — most noticeably on Niko, and to a lesser extent on Sumi and on AVA's own hologram. Here's a closer look.
02.What AVA, Sumi, and Niko look like now
These are real screenshots pulled directly from the official presentation videos Razer hosts on razer.com/razer-ava — not recreations or AI-generated images.
Images: Razer (razer.com/razer-ava)
Comparing these frames to January's screenshots, the redesign differs for each character. AVA's hologram is the clearest change: it's gone from the Razer logo wrapped in green smoke to a sphere made of thousands of points of light, like a small planet.
Sumi keeps the cat ears and the black-and-green palette from Kira, but with noticeably longer hair and more green streaks, plus a new outfit — a black corset with a sheer green jacket, instead of Kira's olive-green tactical suit with rope and buckles.
Niko changes the most: it barely shares any traits with Zane's design (an adult man, bearded, green arm tattoo) — it's now a younger-looking character with headphones, a chain necklace, and a dark green-and-black bomber jacket.
Razer describes Sumi as "a caring friend who listens, offers thoughtful support, and brings a touch of warmth," and Niko as "a quick-witted advisor that sharpens your perspective, fuels bold moves" — personality descriptions that do line up with the Kira (companionship, scheduling) and Zane (strategist, analysis) profiles we already knew, even though the visual design has changed.
03.Why would Razer make this change?
Razer hasn't explained the change in any statement. But there's context that helps make sense of it: Kira's reveal at CES 2026 drew an unusual wave of critical coverage for a hardware product.
Gizmodo's headline read "Razer Seems Even More Confused About Its 'AI Waifu' Than the Rest of Us". Android Authority described its hands-on as "I spent 20 minutes with Razer's AI anime girlfriend, and now I need a shower". MakeUseOf and Kotaku ran pieces in a similar tone, and an interview between CEO Min-Liang Tan and The Verge about the product's "waifu" angle got notably uncomfortable.
Important: this is our own reading based on public context, not a reason confirmed by Razer. More neutral names like "Sumi" and "Niko" (versus more overtly anime-coded naming) fit the pattern of a typical response to that kind of media criticism, but we have no official statement confirming it.
04.What happened to Faker and Sao?
This is the question we get asked most. There's no clear answer yet: neither razer.com/razer-ava nor the Asia-Pacific version mentions Faker or Sao anymore.
That doesn't necessarily mean the collaborations were cancelled — they could have been temporarily pulled from the main page, held back for a separate announcement, or handled as paid content (something that was already rumored back in January). We haven't found any statement confirming or denying their cancellation, so for now we're leaving it as an open question.
Our Take
Renaming Kira and Zane without a press release, refreshing their visual design (Niko's especially) and AVA's hologram, while Faker and Sao quietly vanish from the main page with no explanation, points to a post-CES image adjustment that runs deeper than it first looked: the avatars' personalities stay the same, but the name and the look have both been retouched. It's a quiet move, typical of a company that doesn't want to reopen January's media noise but also doesn't want to formally admit something went wrong.
This has real practical consequences for anyone who reserved expecting the five personalities confirmed in January: what you see on razer.com today is no longer what was announced at CES, and there's no guarantee Faker or Sao ship with the final hardware.
Our bet is that Razer won't dedicate a press release to this change — it'll confirm or deny it in passing, folded into a bigger announcement of final price and date, likely around the launch, now expected in early 2027. Until then, we're treating "5 avatars" as January's promise and "3 avatars" as September's reality. We'll keep watching this page closely and update this article as soon as Faker and Sao resurface or their removal is confirmed as permanent.
05.FAQ
When did Razer rename the avatars?
We don't know exactly. The CES press release (January 6, 2026) still used "Kira" and "Zane." The current site (September 2026) already shows "Sumi" and "Niko." We haven't found any statement that pins down the exact date of the change.
Are Sumi and Niko new avatars or just a rename?
Based on the personality descriptions, they're the same characters (Kira→Sumi, Zane→Niko), not new personalities. But the visual design has been updated too, especially Niko's, which barely resembles Zane's design anymore. Razer hasn't explicitly confirmed this.
Have the Faker and Sao avatars been cancelled?
There's no confirmation either way. They simply no longer appear on Razer's current product page. They could return later as their own announcement.
Does this affect Razer AVA's price or launch date?
There's no sign that it does. Razer now points to early 2027, and there is still nothing beyond the unofficial $270 / €249 price.
Explore Razer AVA's avatars
Interactive 3D viewer with each character's official animation.