How to Fix Kai Leng
I can fix him!
Mass Effect is one of my favorite video game franchises. I'm nearing the end of my annual playthrough (I don't plan to play it annually, it just seems to happen). If you're unaware (yet reading this blog for some reason), there is a character in Mass Effect 3 named Kai Leng. Kai Leng is the worst. He is one of the most hated characters in all of video games. And not in a "you love to hate him" kind of way. The kind where most would prefer to simply eradicate him from human history, as he is a mark of shame upon our species. I would be in favor of deleting him, but I think there's another option. Why not fix him?
Why fix him?
Well, because it's a fun thought experiment. I think about it every time I replay Mass Effect 3. During this replay, I think I've cracked the nut on how to do it. I don't think Kai Leng ever will be fixed, but it's fun to imagine. And maybe the Mass Effect trilogy will be completely remade one day. Future developers: You have my full permission to steal every idea on this page for your remake of Mass Effect.
Where do we start?
First, change everything about his appearance. Cut his stupid hair. Remove his stupid goggles. Change his stupid outfit and his stupid face. Make him literally anything other than a Cyborg Ninja as a concept. That's all surface level. The key to fixing him is to introduce him earlier.
Kai Leng in Mass Effect 2
I've thought for a long time that Kai should be introduced in ME2. If you meet him earlier, you might get to know him a bit. He wouldn't just show up out of the blue with his stupid everything and do random nonsense.
For a long time, I thought he could be merged with Jacob from ME2. Jacob has no personality and is completely unremarkable. Maybe if you merged him with Kai, it would solve both problems?
But, Kai must be in Mass Effect 3 as a villain. He cannot be a companion or on the Normandy crew during ME2. If he was, he could die in the Suicide Mission and never make it to 3. And everyone would make sure he didn't survive. Unless the writers wave their wands and give him plot armor, which would feel unsatisfying.
He needs to be in ME2, but he can't be crew or companion. Where would he fit? Here's the epiphany I had today, which led to the creation of this blog entry.
Kai Leng is the Shuttle Pilot
In ME2, Shepard takes a shuttle nearly everywhere. We never see the shuttle pilot. One scene seems to imply that Joker (Normandy's pilot) is at the helm. But there's at least one other scene where Joker is clearly at the Normandy helm while the shuttle is out. There must be a pilot we've never met. An unnamed Cerberus employee. Why not make this person Kai Leng?
If this happened, Kai could be present on the ship from the outset and throughout the game. When the crew are abducted, he'd be with Shepard. He wouldn't be abducted. During the Suicide Mission, he wouldn't be a companion at risk of death. He could be on the Normandy making repairs, or doing something else useful.
Conversations with Kai
If he were on the ship, Shepard could converse with him. You could talk to him after each major mission. Learn about his backstory. See why he's with Cerberus. In the games, we learn that he was once in the Alliance Military; he was even an N7 like Shepard. But he was discharged dishonorably due to allegations of murder. What happened? Surely he has a version of that story in which he is a hero and was hung out to dry by the Brass. He could tell us about that, and how the Illusive Man took him under wing afterward.
We would see how Kai seethes with jealousy at Shepard. He could grumble and contradict decisions you make. There could even be a scene were you walk into the Comm Room and see him demanding that the Illusive Man place him in charge of the mission, as he thinks Shepard a failure (this could be right after the crew abduction).
We would learn that Kai sees himself as a mirror Shepard. But someone who was dealt a raw deal by the universe. He is undervalued. Underappreciated. All this would lead to a moment in the climax.
The Collector Base
At the end of ME2, you're given a choice: destroy the Collector Base or disable it. This decision is ultimately pointless. It makes no material difference in the next game. So, why let the player make it?
Let's say that Shepard is victorious. You've beaten the final boss at the end of ME2. The Illusive Man confronts you, just as he does now. But the message is delivered to you by Leng. He brings the communication device to you. The Illusive Man asks you to disable the base, rather than destroy it. You refuse (and are given Paragon / Renegade dialog options in how you refuse). When you refuse, Kai Leng makes his move. He disables the base, rather than destroying it.
This serves multiple purposes. It eliminates that pointless decision at the end of ME2. It sets Leng up in direct opposition to Shepard. And, it gains Leng the implicit trust of The Illusive Man.
So there you have it. That's how you could fix Kai Leng.
Or, just delete him. That's fine, too.