Secret Agent Xin Zhao

First time I loaded into a game with Secret Agent Xin Zhao on the enemy team I genuinely laughed. A cavalry general in a tailored black suit and dress shirt absolutely should not look this convincing, and yet here we are. The Cops and Robbers skinline gave Xin Zhao the spy treatment and it fits better than it has any right to. His whole playstyle is diving into backlines alone, hard engaging a five-versus-one, and somehow winning the exchange. Thats not a soldier. That’s a spy. This skin just admits what he already was.

What the Suit Actually Changes In-Game

Straight up: new model, new textures, one new recall. No VFX changes on any ability – Q, W, E, and ult all run base particles. Xin Zhao gets a sharp black suit with a white dress shirt and a red tie that reads cleanly on-screen even in chaotic teamfights. His spear becomes a sleeker combat lance that fits the spy aesthetic without feeling out of place mid-gank.

Been locking this in on and off since sometime in 2016, around patch 6.4 I think, and the lack of ability VFX never bothered me the way it does on some skins. The model carry is real. (sidebar: the red tie specifically – small detail, but it’s the kind of thing you start noticing after 50 games with a skin on.) Voice pack is base only. Same Richard Epcar delivery, which actually works fine in the spy context.

The recall is where Riot added genuine character. Xin Zhao straightens his tie, checks a phone, exits like he has a mission debrief to get to. For a Standard tier skin that’s a real bonus over nothing. Most 975 RP releases don’t bother with anything memorable there.

Cops and Robbers, the Artist, and Release

Secret Agent Xin Zhao dropped March 16, 2015, mid-season 5. The Cops and Robbers skinline was picking up momentum around that period but never expanded into the full thematic universe that Crime City eventually became. The individual skins hold up on their own regardless.

Sixmorevodka Studio nailed the splash. Xin Zhao center frame, mid-stride, suit crisp, spear raised, explosion behind him. Classic action movie poster composition. For a Standard 975 RP release, that’s a splash punching well above tier. No notes on the artwork.

No chromas exist for this one – zero. Clean on the collection side. Shop stock, always there, no vault hunting or loot rolling required.

Should You Pick Up Secret Agent Xin Zhao?

Verdict time. If you main Xin Zhao and want personality over raw particle upgrades, this is probably the right call. The spy concept lands because it fits the kit. A champion who dives backlines solo, three-spears a target, and hard engages the entire enemy comp reads more like a covert operative than a soldier. The Cops and Robbers framing just makes it explicit.

Not gonna lie, 975 RP feels fair for what you get: model rework, new recall, base VFX, base VO. Might be overthinking it but this holds up better than some flashier options in his catalog because the concept is more coherent. If you’re climbing on Xin Zhao in solo queue and want something other than default armor, lock this one in. Shop has it any time.