Kang Tao: the Chinese Smart Gun Maker in Cyberpunk 2077
Kang Tao is the Chinese arms corporation behind Cyberpunk 2077's smart guns and one of Arasaka's fastest-growing rivals. It started as a cheap Taiwanese pistol maker in the tabletop game and was rebuilt with state money after the wars.
Kang Tao is a Chinese weapons corporation in the Cyberpunk setting, best known for smart guns that fire guided rounds. In Cyberpunk 2077 it is one of the world's largest arms makers and a rising rival to Arasaka, with a reputation for advanced technology, government friends and a careless attitude to safety. (Cyberpunk 2077; The World of Cyberpunk 2077)
Kang Tao in the tabletop game#
Kang Tao began in Taiwan. In the Cyberpunk 2020 setting, Taiwan becomes a manufacturing centre after its independence, and most of its big firms sell out to Japanese interests. Kang Tao is the exception. It stays independent, and its small arms division makes pistols cheap and reliable enough to become a favourite of gangs across Asia. (Pacific Rim Sourcebook)
Those guns travel. The sourcebook has Kang Tao weapons spreading through Asia and on into the United States, so a Kang Tao pistol is the kind of thing a 2020 street punk might carry. (Pacific Rim Sourcebook)
The company had a rough time in the chaos that followed. A shard in Cyberpunk 2077, written by a netrunner as the DataKrash tore the Net apart in 2022, lists Kang Tao's chief executive killing himself among the day's disasters. (Cyberpunk 2077)
The rebuild under Shiming Xu#
The modern Kang Tao is a 2040s creation. After the Fourth Corporate War, Asia was left battered, and China came out of its own internal turmoil looking for opportunities. Kang Tao by then was a near-dead company kept alive by government subsidies. (The World of Cyberpunk 2077)
In 2046 a former army colonel named Shiming Xu was put in charge. He spent four years clearing its debts and modernising it, and in 2050 the new Kang Tao went public with its first smart pistol, the A-22B Chao. With money and new research centres apparently backed by the state, it moved fast into smart weapons and caught up with established names such as Arasaka. (The World of Cyberpunk 2077)
Kang Tao in 2077#
The 2077 database describes Kang Tao as one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and an increasingly serious challenger to Arasaka. It sells military and paramilitary gear of all kinds, but its speciality is smart weapons, where the game says it has no equal. (Cyberpunk 2077)
Its reputation is mixed. The World of Cyberpunk 2077 credits it with tripling its stock value in a few years, but also describes accusations of stealing research from competitors and a refinery explosion in Hangzhou that killed tens of thousands, though official accounts cleared the company. Its friendship with the Chinese government keeps it out of most trouble. (The World of Cyberpunk 2077)
In Night City, Kang Tao is a big employer. An in-game article ranking the city's five best corporations to work for puts it fourth, praising its Gold Trauma Team cover for staff while noting the 50-year loyalty pledge that comes with the job. (Cyberpunk 2077)
Kang Tao smart guns#
For most players, Kang Tao means smart weapons. These guns fire guided rounds that bend towards a locked target, and they are at their best when V has a Smart Link implant installed. (Cyberpunk 2077)
The main Kang Tao smart guns in the game are:
- A-22B Chao, the pistol that launched the modern company. (Cyberpunk 2077; The World of Cyberpunk 2077)
- G-58 Dian, a smart submachine gun. (Cyberpunk 2077)
- L-69 Zhuo, a smart shotgun. (Cyberpunk 2077)
Kang Tao also makes clothing, armour and cyberware sold in Night City shops, and its logo turns up on gear across the game. (Cyberpunk 2077)
Frequently asked questions
- What is Kang Tao in Cyberpunk 2077?
- A Chinese weapons and technology corporation best known for smart guns, which fire guided rounds that track targets. The game calls it a serious rival to Arasaka.
- What are the Kang Tao smart weapons in Cyberpunk 2077?
- The main ones are the A-22B Chao pistol, the G-58 Dian submachine gun and the L-69 Zhuo shotgun. They work best with a Smart Link implant in V's arm.
- Is Kang Tao Chinese or Taiwanese?
- Both, at different times. In the Cyberpunk 2020 books it is a Taiwanese gun maker. By 2077 it has been rebuilt as a Chinese company with strong state backing.
- Is Kang Tao a good company to work for in Night City?
- An in-game ranking puts it fourth among Night City employers. Staff get Gold Trauma Team cover, but they have to sign a 50-year loyalty pledge.
Sources
- GameCyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red, 2020
- BookPacific Rim Sourcebook, Cyberpunk 2020 sourcebook, R. Talsorian Games, 1994
- BookThe World of Cyberpunk 2077, Marcin Batylda, Dark Horse Books, 2020
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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