The decision by the Coalition to feature Kait as the central protagonist of Gears 5 attracted significant media coverage. Several sources have commented that the decision to promote a female side character to series protagonist represents a major departure in creative direction for the series, and an important development for the games as a whole. This is due to the fact that the Gears of War game franchise is stereotyped for being a “bro-shooter” and for its "dudebro machismo". Many industry watchers perceived the replacement of lead character Marcus Fenix with Kait Diaz as a bold move by the developer. Brittany Vincent observed that while the series has had female characters like Anya Stroud to help punctuate the narrative, this is the first time "a woman has been at the forefront" for the series. She compared this to "swapping in Spartan Kat in for her own personal Halo title instead of giving her a little time in Halo: Reach". Byford said the shift in focus "does wonders", noting that the franchise's move to its first female lead does not feel forced, nor was it ever directly acknowledged. Todd Martens from The Los Angeles Times noted that Kait's story arc helped bring a sense of mystery to a series filled with monstrous villains and chainsaw guns while reducing the unnecessary machismo prevalent in previous installments. Terry Terrones from The Gazette claimed that Kait makes for a fascinating protagonist and her personal journey gives the franchise a completely new look, even with the presence of Marcus Fenix and his son J.D. within the narrative. Owen Gough felt that the narrative of Gears 5 benefited from an exciting new lead in Kait "who manages to revitalise the male-only club of killing monsters, without feeling like it's pandering to an expanded audience". Similarly, Roling found Kait's plot points in the narrative to be well handled and remains engaging throughout without being "stereotypical gender fodder". Shaun Munro from Flickering Myth considered Kait to be the most sympathetic and likeable character in the entire Gears series and a more appealing protagonist then J.D., whom he dismissed as a "dullard". Reflecting on the issue of female leads in video games being perceived as a risky proposition, senior producer at The Coalition Zöe Curnoe expressed a desire to see the normalization of women leads in video games and that it would no longer be a newsworthy topic.
