We've all seen the new agent, Yoru, but because he's just recently been added, we don't have a lot of confirmed lore for him. Icebox and deeper exploration of it, its changes, and its design can give us some of what I think are hints on his lore.

First of all a forewarning, none of this (apart from the map of course) is confirmed or canon, this is just my take on Icebox and Yoru's connection. This is also going to be a long post (hence Masterpost)

Now, as u/playatg, u/oklopfer and u/Lion_2094 have previously mentioned on this subreddit, on the far side of A site on Icebox, the Samurai that was in what resembles a sci-fi cryogenic chamber has an explosion all around it, and it looks like the mask has been stolen from it.

This is what it looked like before:

Inside is a preserved Samurai with armor and mask inside (image from u/oklopfer)

After the update that introduced Yoru the same area looked like this:

The whole Samurai apparatus is broken apart , the front of the chamber glass broken with what looks like radianite energy either entering or escaping the area

On closer inspection:

The Samurai armor inside is still intact, but something is missing! The mask isn't there

From here we can go in many different directions (we'll explore them all in time) but first, let's take a look at Yoru's Ult in relation to the Samurai explosion. Yoru's ultimate starts with him tearing open the air and grabbing a mask:

The beginning of Yoru's Ultimate

I am very sure that the mask that Yoru grabs out of thin air is the very same mask, or a similar one, from the mask that was stolen from icebox. Although the masks do not have the same color scheme, they do have the same features, and Yoru could have previously taken it then customized it to fit his aesthetic.

The radianite energy exploding from the Samurai area may not necessarily be Yoru though, but instead energy that was already in the mask/armor exploding (this also gives reason for someone to want to steal them, but we'll explore Yoru's personal reasons in a bit)

In a little lab area in icebox we see these:

Take note of the red outlines: On the right, what seems to be x-rays of the samurai, and on the left, a picture of what looks to be radianite ore or stone infused with it at icebox with the label 'Experiment'

We also see a suit of Samurai armor on a table in a lab room next to the original Samurai area at A that seems like it was experimented on or researched in some way:

Samurai armor on a medical/research table in a lab next to the original Samurai area

There's other reason to believe they are the same or similar masks, and that Yoru and the Samurai at Icebox are connected. The connections between Yoru and the Samurai I will explain in a bit, first, continuation of the mask;

In Icebox, there are several digital maps and different signs that say that there was an intruder:

Red bold sign that reads 'INTRUDER ALERT' at defense spawn

A digital map at icebox with a bold square that also says 'INTRUDER ALERT'

Note the layout of the side closest to us in the map, the two rectangles on one side, small walkway in the middle, one rectangle on the other side with a block then a path out.

If we look at this map, and then at site A:

Site A right side

The two boxes with a thin walkway in the middle(above), and on the other side:

Site A left side

The walkway that then leads to a rectangle in the middle and a path out on the other side.

The map is showing site A, and the Intruder Alert is on the broken in Samurai area from before.

From here there's two ways we can take this info,

The first is because of Yoru's known teleporting abilities and the rip at the start of his ult he simply broke into the area himself and took the mask.

The second is that the Valorant Protocol, perhaps together with Yoru, snuck or broke into the Icebox Research Facility and took the mask, this second idea could be plausible because we can see the Icebox facility is still running smoothly, the lights are on, the power works, and apart from a few ripped cords here and there, still looks in tip top shape as a research facility.

Following this train of thought there are small hints around Icebox that someone was breaking in:

This picture in the break room notice board shows a picture of someone entering with a motorcycle or bike, from it's placement on the board, I assume it functions similar to grocery store surveillance pictures of people who have stolen

In the same break room, after a picture of Hawaii on the weather report a glitchy picture of who I assume is Phoenix with the text 'THA T N E W FIRE'

Later, on the same screen, we see a glitched image in the same style of the previous one that says repeats 'First strike' over and over

'First strike' implying that there will be another

Some other sign of a silent intruder is that Icebox is a very clean map, everything working and such, the only broken area since before the update was this container of radianite up on a crane, where wires have been ripped and the container itself opened.

Container of radianite held up high by a crane, opened

These all could be implying that the Valorant Protocol broke into Icebox.

After all that, we now look at the samurai and how they're connected to Yoru.

First, the Samurai in the chamber at A on Icebox arrived there via a ship stuck in the ice around the corner of the map, which Kingdom then removed them from and put them in the chamber and experimented on them.

We can see the ship below. we also see close ups of the older Japanese architectural style that tells us they came from here:

The boat that is stuck in the ice, presumably where the Samurai came from

Close ups of the architectural style of the boat

This ship, apart from being Japanese in origin, is also remarkably similar to the ship in Yoru's chapter 2 player card, 'Unmasked Lineage':

Yoru's chapter two player card

This, paired with a new gun buddy introduced, titled 'Ancient Inheritance' and that shows a Samurai head almost identical to the Samurai in Icebox give us an idea of Yoru's personal motive we talked about before:

New gun buddy introduced with Yoru, 'Ancient Inheritance'

The personal motive Yoru has, based off of these titles and similarities to the things found in Icebox could be that he stole BACK the mask, that Kingdom stole first but that were of his ancestors.

The title 'Unmasked' could mean that he went into Icebox with the Valorant Protocol for a different reason and found the Samurai and realized his lineage, stealing the mask back.

This would also match up well with the picture we see when starting up the game, of Jett, Cypher, Yoru, Viper, and Phoenix at Icebox.

We know that Phoenix was there from the breakroom glitch, it might be a bit of a stretch but there are multiple motorcycles and they seem to be everywhere on the map Bind, which we know is Cypher's hometown, so the person on the motorcycle could be him. Another stretch is that perhaps the opened container that is held up high was Jett's work, since she can reach high places with her abilities. No notable signs of Viper, though.

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That's about it (for now at least), Yoru lore I've put together with evidence from Icebox and his character!

Tell me what you think and your ideas!