Image credit: Reddit
Kappa is one of the most popular emoticons (aka emotes) streamers and viewers use in Twitch chats. The grayscale emote of a smirking man is, in fact, one of the classic emotes of Twitch. Twitch owns the rights to the Kappa emote and therefore is native to the streaming platform.
Who is Kappa on Twitch? Is he a legendary gamer?
Many online gamers have a misconception that Kappa is a popular gamer. But in reality, he is not. Instead, he’s an engineer turned entrepreneur. The face behind the Kappa emote is Josh DeSeno. He was an engineering employee of the live streaming website Justin.tv.
Image credit: Josh DeSeno Twitter
At Justin.tv, Josh was working on a chatroom project that would later be used for Twitch. Just like the way other employees working on the project had used their faces as emojis for the chatroom, Josh used his employee ID picture and named his grayscale face emoji Kappa.
Here’s the original employee ID picture that Josh used for creating the Kappa emote:
Image credit: Josh DeSeno Twitter
Real-life pictures of Josh DeSeno
Apart from the employee ID picture of Josh DeSeno, here are other pictures of him that offer more context.
Image credit: Twitch
Image credit: Twitch
Image credit: Josh DeSeno Twitter
What does Kappa mean?
Originally, Kappa is an aquatic creature and is one of the Yōkai creatures from Japanese folklore. Josh DeSeno is a fan of Japanese mythology and therefore used the name Kappa for his face emote. You can learn more about Kappa and its significance in the Yōkai realm here.
Image credit: Yōkai.com
Why is Kappa popular?
The immense popularity of the Kappa emote was not intentional when Josh DeSeno initially created it and used it. It’s safe to attribute the emote’s popularity to the facial expression of Josh.
The almost-subtle smirk on Josh’s face makes the emote perfect for using when making funny and/or sarcastic comments. In fact, the team at Twitch themselves highlights the usage of the Kappa emote for sarcasm and wry humor.
Image credit: Twitch
Just how popular is Kappa?
Kappa is one of the most commonly-used emotes on Twitch. Visit Twitchemotes and you’ll see the Kappa emote almost always ranks as one of the top 10 emotes used.
Image credit: Twitchemotes
Kappa also ranks in the top 100 popular Twitch emotes list on a regular basis. Check out the top 100 emotes list here which refreshes every 15 minutes.
Image credit: Twitchemotes
How to use the Kappa emote on Twitch chat?
If you are new to using Twitch, you can add the Kappa emote to your Twitch chatroom arsenal by simply subscribing to game streamers. As a Twitch streamer, you can get access to exclusive emotes and badges by increasing your subscribers.
Image credit: Twitch
Kappa emote variations
Twitch developers have temporarily as well as permanently released various versions of the classic grayscale Kappa emote, taking Twitch broadcasters and viewers by fascination. Here are some of the most popular versions:
Kappa Pride
Image credit: TwitchMetrics
Kappa Glitch
Image credit: GlitchCon
Kappa Claus
Image credit: TwitchMetrics
Kappa HolidayCookie
Image credit: TwitchMetrics
Kappa Ross
Image credit: TwitchMetrics
Kappa Meepo (aka Keepo)
Image credit: TwitchMetrics
Kappa Wealth
Image credit: TwitchMetrics
Kappa Dark Mode
Image credit: TwitchMetrics
Kappa golden: the unique Kappa emote version
Image credit: GlitchCon Twitter
The Golden Kappa emote is one of the most mysterious Kappa emote versions and the odds are high that Twitch developers have kept it that way. Similar to other Kappa emote versions, Golden Kappa works on Twitch chats. But unlike them, not everybody has access to this rare Kappa emote version.
Golden Kappa isn’t always available either. Many Twitch users have had random and unintentional access to Golden Kappa in the past. Whenever there’s a random or unintentional use of Golden Kappa emote in Twitch chat, it often becomes a hot topic in the Twitch community.
Image credit: Reddit
Twitch is known to tease fans with the temporary availability of the Golden Kappa emote. Watch a teaser video clip here.
Image credit: Twitch Twitter
Ways to use Kappa emote in your chats
Kappa emotes make a great choice to supplement your funny and sarcastic chats in Twitch. Watch the short video clip on this page where top streamers offer handy tips for making the most out of your emote usage.
Image credit: Twitch
Other popular Twitch emotes
Apart from Kappa, there are plenty of other popular emotes that you can use in your Twitch chats. These include:
