Characters of Overwatch

A promotional image of the 21 different playable characters on the launch of the video game Overwatch^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Major and recurring fictional characters from the first person shooter game Overwatch are listed below, organized by the roles they play in that game: Offense (damage dealer), Defense (snipers and heavy weapons support), Tank (damage absorber), and Support (healer). Thus far, Overwatch is the only game of the series, though two characters, Tracer and Zarya, appear in Heroes of the Storm along with characters from other Blizzard Entertainment franchises. The story of Overwatch takes place on Earth in the "near future" in the years after the "Omnic Crisis", a period where robots (called "omnics") rose up in rebellion worldwide, and the United Nations formed an elite group called Overwatch to combat them. Overwatch was disbanded years later under a cloud of suspicion, but its former members have returned to the fore in light of new threats to humanity.

There are currently 23 playable heroes in Overwatch; there were 21 heroes available at the game's launch, and more characters may be released as free downloadable content.

Gameplay overview

Overwatch's principle game modes bring together two teams of six players each into a match and compete in one of several objective-based game modes. A match starts with each player selecting from one of the available hero characters. The game's characters are divided into four character classes: offense, defense, tank, and support. Offense characters do the majority of the team's aggressive damage. Defense characters are equipped to guard the objective and halt the enemy's advance. Tank characters can absorb large amounts of damage for the team, and support characters share healing abilities and similar status effects for the team.^[1][2] The game will warn teams if they have an imbalance in their general class selection, and certain game modes require players to select different heroes. Players able to switch between heroes mid-match after they are killed or if they return to their team's base.

Each character has fundamentally different attributes such as health and movement speed, at least one basic attack, and at least one unique skill. These skills can be used repeatedly after waiting out the skill's cooldown period. Each character also has at least one powerful ultimate ability that becomes available once its meter is charged, either slowly over time or through other actions such as killing opponents or healing teammates. Once the ultimate ability is used, the player has to wait for the meter to fill again.

Winning matches earns the player experience towards experience levels in the meta-game. The player earns a loot box every experience level, which contain a random assortment of character skins, emotes, speech lines, and other decorative items without specific game-changing effects. Players can also purchase loot boxes with real-world money.

Character overview

Overwatch originally featured 12 characters at its November 2014 BlizzCon convention announcement,^[3] but expanded to 21 by the next year's convention.^[4] The game is character-driven, and reviewers noted Overwatch's emphasis on the individual differences between characters in the same class (e.g., between two snipers) as a departure from dominant class-based shooter paradigms.^[5][6] Critics widely praised the game's accessible and detailed character design and its role in the game's overall success.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

Similar to what Valve did with Team Fortress 2,^[12] in the absence of a dedicated story mode, Blizzard tells the backstory of Overwatch's plot and characters through media outside the game, including animated shorts, character press events, tweets, and webcomics.^[13][14] The game's story centers around a technological singularity in which humanity assembles a team of its best heroes, Overwatch, to fight off a rogue artificial intelligence and its robotic army of Omnics in an incident called the "Omnic Crisis". After winning its battle, the Overwatch kept the peace for about three decades before infighting led to its disbandment. The game takes place approximately sixty years in the future, during a time period in which the world is slipping into disarray, and former Overwatch members along with new allies and enemies are being called on to help protect the peace.^[13][15]

Blizzard announced that their post-release content, such as new levels and characters, would be free. While many of the company's contemporaries created downloadable content, Blizzard's choice to not charge customers was uncommon.^[16] In early 2016, Blizzard released media kits with granular character detail for fan artists and cosplayers.^[17] Preceding the game's launch, PornHub reported a surge in searches for pornography including Overwatch characters. An intellectual property security firm issued multiple takedown requests to sites featuring such videos and other erotica created in Source Filmmaker.^[18]

Development

Overwatch was developed by Blizzard following the cancellation of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game Titan, a project that had been in works for several years. A smaller team from those on Titan were given the role to come up with a new project, and they came onto the idea of a first-person shooter that emphasized teamwork, inspired by Team Fortress 2 and the rising popularity of multiplayer online battle arenas, as well as their own development team unity they found to keep their morale high following Titan's cancellation.^[19]

The development team settled on a narrative of a near-future Earth setting following a global-scale catastrophic event - the Omnic Crisis in which robots, known as Omnics, rose up in rebellion against humanity until stopped by a peacekeeping group known as Overwatch. With selection of this global theme, the developers wanted to create a cast of playable characters to portray diverse representations of genders and ethnicities, including males, females, and non-human characters such as robots and a gorilla.^[20][21] The need for a diverse cast was important to the developers, as some of Blizzard's previous games had been criticized before for missing this mark; Metzen explained that even his daughter had asked him why all the female characters from Warcraft seemed to be only wearing swimsuits.^[21] Metzen stated: "Specifically for Overwatch over the past year we've been really cognizant of that, trying not to oversexualize the female characters."^[22] Kaplan explained that the industry was "clearly in an age where gaming is for everybody", going on to say that "increasingly, people want to feel represented, from all walks of life, boys and girls, everybody. We feel indebted to do our best to honor that."^[21] The team envisioned the characters akin to superheroes in this narrative, each with their own abilities, background and personality that could stand on their own, but could also fit into the larger story; this notion translated into the characters being agents for the game, which Metzen said still captures the "heroism and vibe" that superhero stories carry.^[23] The team did not want to have any characters that served solely as villains in the game, but did develop some of the characters, like Soldier 76, to have an unsure purpose within the narrative.^[23]

Offense characters

Genji

Genji Shimada is a 35-year-old cyborg ninja offense character. Genji's playstyle is difficult to learn, yet he remains a popular choice among new players who like his ninja design.^[24] In his origin story, Genji transforms from a slacker to a superhero.^[25][26] His family—the Shimada crime family—ordered his eldest brother and fellow Overwatch character Hanzo to kill Genji for his carefree behavior, but before he could die, Overwatch healer Mercy restored Genji as a cyborg. After quelling the rogue artificial intelligence (Omnic Crisis), Genji left the Overwatch team to find peace with his new body, mentored by Overwatch healer Zenyatta.^[27] Blizzard tells the story of Genji's reencounter with his brother Hanzo in an animated short.^[28][29] The game's Hanamura map, set in Japan, includes a memorial to Genji in what is assumed to be the Shimada family compound.^[30] Genji is voiced by Gaku Space.^[31]

His attacks include three shurikens thrown in quick succession, three shurikens thrown in a horizontal spread, a quick dashing strike, and the ability to deflect projectiles back at enemies. Genji can also double-jump and climb walls. Polygon recommends using Genji to isolate and counter individual enemies. Since the wait time for his quick dash resets upon scoring a kill, it is best used as a finishing move. Genji's deflect ability can counter enemy ultimate abilities like Tracer's bomb and McCree's instant-kill "High Noon". While some characters function best when paired with specific teammates, Genji works best in isolation.^[24] Genji is strong against turrets like Bastion and those of Torbjörn, and is effective at flanking Widowmaker and McCree.^[32] Genji is weak against characters who can bypass his deflection, such as Symmetra, Winston, and Zarya. To counter Genji, Polygon recommends baiting him into using his deflection, and going on offense while he is helpless.^[24]

A vocal minority of players began to complain about Genji's balance with other characters in August 2016, as team strategies came to be centered around his rediscovered abilities when the abilities of other offensive characters were reduced.^[33] Later that month, Blizzard rebalanced Genji by reducing the power of his abilities.^[34] At the end of 2016, Blizzard offered a special "oni" character skin as a promotion for players who also played the company's real-time strategy game Heroes of the Storm.^[35]

McCree

Jesse McCree is a 37-year-old American bounty hunter and vigilante with a Wild West motif. An expert marksman, he wields a Peacekeeper six-shooter and flashbang grenades. His ultimate ability is "Deadeye", which allows him to hit every enemy in his line of sight.

Based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, McCree is a former member of the Deadlock Gang, a group of traffickers in military hardware operating in the American Southwest. He and his fellows were captured in an Overwatch sting operation, and he was given a choice: prison, or serving in Blackwatch, the black ops division of Overwatch. He chose the latter, believing he could make amends for his past crimes, and revelling in the lack of bureaucratic oversight. When Overwatch began to collapse and Blackwatch sought to reform it to its own ends, McCree went underground, resurfacing years later as a gunslinger for hire.^[36]

McCree is voiced by Matthew Mercer.^[37][38]

Pharah

Pharah (real name Fareeha Amari) is a 32-year-old Egyptian security officer. She wears the Raptora Mark VI, a combat suit which includes a jetpack, and wields a rocket launcher. She has a Wedjet (Eye of Horus) tattoo around her right eye. Her ultimate ability is a rocket barrage, an explosive area-of-effect attack.

Fareeha Amari is the daughter of Ana Amari, one of the founding members of Overwatch. She served as an officer in the Egyptian Army and aspired to follow in her mother's footsteps, but Overwatch was disbanded before she could join its ranks. After leaving the army, Pharah took a job with Helix Security International, a private security firm contracted to protect an artificial intelligence facility below the Giza Plateau.^[39]

Pharah is voiced by Jen Cohn.^[40]

Reaper

Reaper (real name Gabriel Reyes) is a 56-year-old American mercenary and terrorist, originally a founding member of Overwatch. He is attired in a black hooded trenchcoat with a white skull mask (resembling the face of an owl), wields twin Hellfire shotguns, and is able to enter "wraith form" (making him briefly invincible) and teleport short distances through the shadows; he is also able to heal himself by taking the life essence of fallen enemies, visible as red burning globes on the ground. His ultimate ability is "Death Blossom," which empties the magazines of both of his shotguns as it fires in all directions for massive damage.

Born in Los Angeles, Gabriel Reyes was a veteran officer of the United States Armed Forces who was subjected to a "soldier enhancement program", where he and the other selectees were genetically enhanced to become "perfect soldiers". When the United Nations formed Overwatch to combat the Omnic Crisis, Reyes was one of the two men from the program on the shortlist to join up, and was initially tapped to lead it. However, he was passed over in favor of his friend Jack Morrison, causing a rift between the two men. Reyes was later named commander of Blackwatch, Overwatch's black ops division, but his jealousy of Morrison (due to Morrison's publicity as the official leader of Overwatch, versus Reyes' secret dealings with Blackwatch) eventually caused Reyes to reveal Blackwatch's existence to the public, destroying both organizations and resulting in a battle that destroyed their headquarters in Switzerland. Both men were believed dead, but in reality survived, although Reyes's cells are now simultaneously decaying and regenerating, causing his body to fall apart and rebuild itself over and over again.^[41]

Reyes resurfaced years later as "the Reaper", a mysterious mercenary responsible for terrorist attacks all around the world, having been consumed by his hunger for fame to the point that he no longer cared what he was known for. He has developed the ability to steal life essence from his enemies, and also become incorporeal to avoid harm. His true identity is unknown to the rest of the world, as are his motivations, though a pattern of his movements indicates that he is hunting down former agents of Overwatch.^[42] He appears in the cinematic trailer, teamed with Widowmaker in a raid in the Overwatch Museum to steal Doomfist's gauntlet for the Talon organization.^[43] He also appears in the animated short "Recall", where he raids Winston's lab at Gibraltar to steal his list of Overwatch agents, though he was unsuccessful.^[44]

Reaper is voiced by Keith Ferguson.^[45]

Soldier: 76

Soldier: 76 (real name John "Jack" Morrison) is a 55 year old American soldier-turned-vigilante and a founding member of Overwatch. He wears a mask that covers his entire face and carries an experimental pulse rifle equipped with a rocket launcher that fires 3 "Helix" rockets, and equips a small device which deploys a Biotic Field. His ultimate ability, 'Tactical Visor', activates the visor in his mask, allowing him to automatically aim directly at targets in front of him for a brief period.

Jack Morrison was born in rural Indiana, and enlisted in the United States military when he was eighteen. His bravery and work ethic earned him the attention of the "soldier enhancement program", and he later joined Overwatch alongside his friend Gabriel Reyes. His contributions to its success in ending the Omnic Crisis led to his being granted command of the task force, leading to a rift between him and Reyes. As Overwatch came under world-wide scrutiny due to allegations of corruption, the tensions between the two men came to outright conflict, resulting in the destruction of Overwatch headquarters. Morrison was believed to have been killed in the explosion, and was reportedly buried at Arlington National Cemetery.^[41]

Six years later, however, Morrison resurfaced as the vigilante "Soldier: 76", becoming the focus of an international manhunt following a series of attacks against former Overwatch facilities, stealing weapons and advanced technologies. He wages a personal war to discover the truth behind the events that led to the fall of Overwatch.^[46]

Soldier: 76 was the most popular offense character during the game's open beta.^[47]

Soldier: 76 is voiced by Fred Tatasciore.^[48]

Sombra

Sombra is a 30 year old Mexican hacker and infiltrator, whose exploits have made her enemies in several major corporations. She dons a purple trench coat, and has purple dyed hair that appears to have faded to a white color at the ends. She is equipped with a low-damage, high-capacity machine pistol for short range combat. Her abilities allow her to hack enemies and their turrets, which prevents them from using their abilities or picking up health packs. Sombra may also put down a "translocator" to teleport, and can briefly turn invisible and gain a quick burst of speed. Her ultimate ability is an EMP blast that destroys all enemy barriers and shields, along with hacking them in the process.^[49]

Orphaned at an extremely young age in the aftermath of the Omnic Crisis, Sombra found she had a natural gift for hacking, and was taken in by the Mexican gang Los Muertos. She aided them with her abilities, rising up against a rebuilt Mexican government, whose interests solely benefited the rich, leaving the lower-classes starving. Over her years of efforts against the government and its corporate partners, including the energy company LumériCo (run by former President of Mexico Guillermo Portero), Sombra was seldom noticed by any government or agency, until she discovered a global conspiracy in the works. After acquiring this information, Sombra was finally discovered by a mysterious organization. Having to go further into hiding, Sombra deleted all evidence of her existence, including her life before her hacking days, and augmented her body with cybernetic enhancements. She eventually joined the criminal organization Talon, with the intent of using their resources to delve further into this conspiracy and discover "who really runs the world."^[50][51]

Sombra is the focus of animated short "Infiltration," where she sneaks into Volskaya industries with Reaper and Widowmaker, before secretly double-crossing the two and blackmailing company head Katya Volskaya. Zarya is contacted by Katya at the end to hunt down Sombra.^[52]

To introduce Sombra to the player community, Blizzard planned out an alternate reality game (ARG) around Sombra, as to give players "an idea of who she is and a little bit of her personality before we even unveiled her", according to Blizzard's lead hero designer Geoff Goodman.^[53] During Overwatch's open beta period, clues about Sombra were placed into the game's Dorado map.^[54] Hints about Ana Amari, a later released support sniper hero, were also placed into the Temple of Anubis map at the same time.^[55] Confusion over the two led to speculation that Sombra is Ana, which persisted until Ana's release as a playable character in July 2016.^[54][56] The ARG continued through November 2016, spanning official Blizzard videos, the Battle.net forum, websites representing fictional entities in the Overwatch universe, the game itself, and the Overwatch subreddit.^{[57][58][59][60][61]} Sombra was formally announced during BlizzCon in November 2016 and was available for all players on November 15, 2016.^[49][62]

Sombra is voiced by Carolina Ravassa.

Tracer

Tracer (real name Lena Oxton) is a 26-year-old British pilot and adventurer. She wields two rapid-fire pulse pistols, and is equipped with a "chronal accelerator" which grants her the ability to control space time around her, specifically to jump forward in time (or "blink") or rewind (or "recall") to a previous point in her timeline. Her ultimate ability is "Pulse Bomb", an explosive that can adhere to any surface or opponent, exploding after a brief delay and dealing heavy damage to any enemies within its blast radius.

Born in London following the events of the Omnic Crisis, Lena Oxton became the youngest test pilot in Overwatch's experimental flight program, and was tapped to test the "Slipstream", a fighter jet that used teleportation technology. During the test flight, a malfunction caused the craft to vanish and Tracer along with it. She was presumed dead. However, she reappeared months later, though suffering from a condition preventing her from maintaining a physical form and which caused her to vanish for hours or even days at a time. It was discovered that the accident desynchronized her molecules from time itself, a condition eventually called "chronal disassociation." The enhanced gorilla scientist Winston invented the chronal accelerator to re-synchronize her with the normal flow of time.^[63]

Tracer was the first Hero developed for the game and used to test the gameplay mechanics.^[64] Tracer features in the cinematic trailer, teamed with Winston as she tries to stop Widowmaker and Reaper from taking Doomfist's gauntlet.^[65] She also appears in the cinematic short "Alive", as she unsuccessfully tries to stop Widowmaker from assassinating the omnic monk Tekhartha Mondatta in London.^[66] Tracer is featured on the game's cover art, and is a playable hero in Heroes of the Storm.

Tracer is voiced by Cara Theobold.

Defense characters

Bastion

Bastion is a 30-year-old combat robot-turned-explorer. It is outfitted with a submachine gun in its mobile recon configuration, and has the ability to transform into a stationary turret equipped with a Gatling gun, as well as a self-repair capability. Its ultimate ability allows it to turn into a tank, able to move around and fire high-explosive rounds for a short period of time.

Bastion is a SST Laboratories Siege Automaton E54, a battle automaton originally designed for peacekeeping purposes; during the Omnic Crisis, they were deployed against their human makers becoming a symbol of the horrors of the war. Bastion was severely damaged in the field during the final days of the war, and was left dormant and exposed to the elements. For more than a decade, it became overgrown with plant life and the nests of small animals, until it mysteriously reactivated. It had developed a fascination with nature, but its combat programming still took over whenever it encountered anything it perceived as a threat. Due to conflicts with fearful humans, Bastion largely avoids populated areas in favor of exploring the wild.^[67] It is usually accompanied by a small bird named Ganymede.

Bastion is voiced by Chris Metzen.^[68]

Hanzo

Hanzo Shimada is a 38-year-old Japanese assassin and mercenary. He carries a bow which fires specialized arrows, including sonic arrows to detect enemies and scatter arrows to hit multiple targets. He also has the ability to run up walls. His ultimate ability is "Dragonstrike", in which he summons a spirit dragon that can travel through walls to hit its targets.

Hanzo is the elder brother of Genji, and the heir to the head of the Shimada clan. He was trained from an early age to take over the clan, becoming an expert strategist and tactician, as well as a skilled warrior and marksman. When his father died, Hanzo was directed by the clan elders to bring Genji into line; when Genji refused, the two brothers battled, resulting in what appeared to be Genji's death. Guilty and grief-stricken, Hanzo abandoned the clan and travelled the world in an effort to restore his honor.^[69]

Hanzo is the focus of the animated short "Dragons", where he visits his family's castle on the day of his duel with Genji, leaving offerings at the castle shrine to honor Genji's memory.^[70]

Hanzo is voiced by Paul Nakauchi.^[71]

Junkrat

Junkrat (real name Jamison Fawkes) is a 25-year-old Australian scavenger, mercenary and anarchist. He carries a frag grenade launcher, and also uses steel spike traps and remote-detonated concussion mines; when he is killed, he releases several grenades to take down anyone in range. His ultimate ability is the "RIP-Tire", a remotely maneuverable spiked tire filled with explosives.

After the Omnic Crisis, an "omnium" - an A.I. controller that directs omnics as part of a hive mind - was destroyed in the Outback, turning it into an irradiated wasteland. Living in the ruins are the Junkers, a group of scavengers and mercenaries; Junkrat was among their numbers. The effects of the radiation awakened a sense of madness which soon developed into pyromania. In the heart of the destroyed omnium, Junkrat found a valuable secret, making him the target of bounty hunters and rival gangs. He made a deal with the Junker enforcer Roadhog, who agreed to become his personal bodyguard in return for a 50-50 share of the profits from their finds.^[72]

Junkrat is voiced by Chris Parson.^[73]

Mei

Dr. Mei-Ling Zhou is a 31-year-old Chinese climatologist and adventurer. She wields an Endothermic Blaster that freezes enemies (similar to the freezer guns used by Mr. Freeze or Captain Cold), and has the ability to create walls of ice to block attackers, and to encase herself in ice to heal injuries. Her ultimate ability, 'Blizzard', calls down a blizzard with a modified weather modification drone.

Mei was employed by Overwatch to find the cause for the planet's changing climate, which had been variously blamed on industry, the increasing omnic population, and increased consumption of natural resources. While deployed at an Overwatch base in Antarctica, Mei and the other scientists there were trapped by a polar storm that damaged the facility. Lacking sufficient resources to wait for a rescue, Mei and the others entered cryostasis. Mei was the only survivor when she was found years later; by that time, Overwatch had disbanded, and all of the bases set up to monitor the climate crisis had stopped functioning. Mei elected to carry on the work alone.^[74]

Mei is voiced by Zhang Yu.^[75]

Torbjörn

Torbjörn Lindholm is a 57-year-old Swedish engineer and weapons designer, and a founding member of Overwatch. His armor comes equipped with a mobile forge, and he carries a rivet gun and a forge hammer. He constructs turrets which can be upgraded, and also provides armor upgrades for his teammates to give a boost to their health. His ultimate ability is "Molten Core" (a reference to World of Warcraft; his appearance is also similar to that of dwarves in that game), which overheats his personal forge, granting a speed bonus to turret construction and repair, as well as a damage and defense bonus.

Torbjörn believes that technology should serve a better vision for humanity, putting him at odds with his employers, who wanted to control the weapons with artificial intelligence. His deep-seated fear of sentient machines, dismissed at first as paranoia, became reality during the Omnic Crisis, during which he was recruited by Overwatch. His engineering knowledge proved invaluable to achieving Overwatch's aim of ending the Omnic Crisis. After Overwatch was disbanded, his weapons were stolen or stashed away, and Torbjörn has set out to ensure they are not used to harm the innocent.^[76]

Torbjörn is voiced by Keith Silverstein.^[77]

Widowmaker

Widowmaker (real name Amélie Lacroix) is a 33-year-old French sniper and assassin. She carries a versatile rifle that fires on full automatic in close-range, and can convert into a sniper rifle for long-range kills. She also uses a grappling hook to reach high ledges and poison mines to disable enemies. Her ultimate ability, 'Infra-Sight', activates her recon visor, which allows her and her teammates to see enemies through walls.

Amélie was the wife of Gérard Lacroix, an Overwatch agent heading operations against the terrorist organization known as Talon. When their assassins were unable to get close to Lacroix, they kidnapped Amélie and reprogrammed her as a sleeper agent. She was found and returned home by Overwatch agents, unaware of what had happened; two weeks later, she killed her husband in his sleep. Returning to Talon, she underwent extensive training in the covert arts, and her physiology was altered to slow her heart, turning her skin blue. Her emotional responses numbed by the conditioning, she feels little more than the satisfaction of the kill.^[78]

Widowmaker appears in the intro cinematic, teamed with Reaper to steal Doomfist's gauntlet from the Overwatch Museum; a boy visiting the museum uses it against her.^[43] She is also featured in the animated short "Alive", on a mission to assassinate the omnic monk Tekhartha Mondatta, an advocate for peaceful human-omnic relations.^[66]

Widowmaker was the most popular defense character during the game's open beta.^[47]

Widowmaker is voiced by Chloé Hollings.

Tank characters

D.Va

D.Va (real name Hana Song) is a 19-year-old South Korean mecha pilot and former pro gamer. She pilots a combat mech with twin fusion cannons and rocket boosters to launch into the air, as well as a defensive system to shoot projectiles out of the air. Her ultimate ability self-destructs her mech, damaging all enemies in its radius. If her mech is destroyed (either by her ultimate or in combat), she uses a mid-range blaster until she can resummon her mech.

The South Korean army developed automated battle mechs to protect its cities against a massive omnic that rose from the East China Sea. As the omnic learned from its battles with the South Korean military, it disrupted the mechs' drone-control abilities, forcing the army to turn to human pilots. They elected to recruit professional gamers, who they believed possessed the necessary skills to pilot their mechs. D.Va was the reigning StarCraft II world champion at the time, with a reputation for playing to win at all costs and showing no mercy to her opponents. She has since become a global icon, streaming footage of her combat missions.^[79]

D.Va is voiced by Charlet Chung.

Reinhardt

Reinhardt Wilhelm is a 61-year-old German soldier, and one of the founding members of Overwatch. He wears a heavy suit of powered armor, and carries a rocket-powered warhammer. His armor also incorporates a temporary hard-light shield and rocket boosters that allow him to barrel into enemies and crush them against walls. His ultimate ability is "Earthshatter", where he slams his hammer onto the ground to knock over all enemies in front of him, stunning and damaging them.

Reinhardt is a decorated Bundeswehr veteran from Stuttgart who lives under a knightly code of chivalry. He served with distinction as part of the original Overwatch team and remained in service well into his fifties, his code of ethics and his blunt honesty making him a respected member of the team. Forced into mandatory retirement, Reinhardt was forced to watch as Overwatch collapsed, but refused to abandon its ideals as the world returned to chaos.^[80]

Reinhardt was the most popular tank character during the game's open beta.^[47]

Reinhardt is voiced by Darin De Paul.^[81]

Roadhog

Roadhog (real name Mako Rutledge) is a 48-year-old Australian enforcer and bodyguard. He carries a scrap gun that fires shrapnel in short-ranged bursts, carries a canister to self-heal, and carries a chain hook to pull opponents to him. His ultimate ability, 'Whole Hog', allows him to put a top loader into his scrap gun, turning it into a machine gun that pushes enemies back and does massive damage towards enemies in small rooms.

Mako Rutledge lived in the Australian Outback in the period after the Omnic Crisis. The government of Australia, in an effort to make peace with the omnics, allowed them to take possession of the omnium and the territory around it, displacing the human residents. Mako and other angry humans formed the Australian Liberation Front to strike against the omnium and the omnics that resided around it. In the end, the ALF overloaded the fusion core, destroying the omnium and turning the Outback into a radioactive wasteland, severely disfiguring Mako's face. Mako donned a mask and took to the broken highways on his chopper, forsaking his humanity little by little until he became a ruthless killer.^[82]

Roadhog is voiced by Josh Petersdorf.^[48]

Winston

Winston is a 29-year-old genetically engineered gorilla scientist and adventurer. He wears armor that incorporates a jet pack, allowing him to leap forward short distances, and he carries a Tesla cannon. He can also activate a temporary shield bubble to protect his teammates. His ultimate ability is "Primal Rage", in which he gives in to "the beast within" and goes on a rampage, making him all but invulnerable and increasing his melee damage.

Winston was among a group of genetically enhanced gorillas living at the Horizon Lunar Colony, a research base on the Moon, intended to test the effects of prolonged habitation in space. He took his name from his mentor and caretaker, Dr. Harold Winston, the colony's chief scientist, from whom he also gained his signature eyeglasses. When the other gorillas rose up, killed the human scientists, and took over the colony, Winston escaped to Earth in a rocket he built himself. He later joined up with Overwatch, offering his scientific expertise to the team (such as building Tracer's chronal accelerator). When Overwatch disbanded, Winston went into seclusion at an old Overwatch base in Gibraltar.^[83]

Winston appears in the intro cinematic,^[43] as well as the animated short "Recall". The short recalls how he gained his glasses from Dr. Harold Winston, as well as fending off Reaper and agents of Talon who attempt to hack his database of Overwatch agents.^[44]

Winston is voiced by Crispin Freeman.

Zarya

Aleksandra "Zarya" Zaryanova is a 28-year-old Russian bodybuilder and soldier. She carries a particle cannon that can shoot a beam or a ball of energy and comes equipped with a personal shield, which she can also project onto her teammates. Her ultimate ability, 'Graviton Surge', is a gravity bomb that immobilizes and damages opponents in its range.

Zarya's village in Siberia was on the front lines of the Omnic Crisis, which devastated the region. As she grew older, she swore to gain the strength to protect her people and homeland. She became a bodybuilder and weightlifter, expected to break a number of records in the world championships, but the dormant omnium in Siberia awakened on the eve of the tournament, and she withdrew from the competition to join the local defense forces.^[84] Zarya was the second playable hero on Heroes of the Storm, announced at Gamescom 2016.

Zarya is voiced by Dolya Gavanski.^[85]

Support characters

Ana

Ana Amari is a 60-year-old Egyptian bounty hunter, and one of the founding members of Overwatch. She carries a Biotic Rifle which fires specialized darts to damage enemies or heal allies, as well as a sidearm that fires sleeping darts to incapacitate foes and Biotic Grenades that damage enemies or heal allies in a small area of effect. Her ultimate ability is Nano Boost, which grants an ally of choice additional speed and damage, and reduced damage from enemies.

Hailing from Cairo, Ana was considered the best sniper in the world, and rushed in to support the unprepared Egyptian defense forces during the Omnic Crisis. Her marksmanship and her critical decision-making skills led to her being recruited by Overwatch, and she served for many years as Jack Morrison's second-in-command during the conflict. Even with her command responsibility, Ana refused to give up going on combat missions. Remaining in service well into her fifties, Ana was believed to have been killed by Widowmaker during a hostage rescue; when Ana hesitated to make the kill shot, realizing that her target had in fact been her friend Amélie Lacroix, Widowmaker shot her through her rifle's lens, destroying her right eye, then proceeded to kill the hostages.^[86][87] Though Ana survived, Overwatch soon disbanded; her daughter, Fareeha, who had served in the Egyptian Army and hoped to follow in her mother's footsteps, later became part of a private security firm and took the name Pharah. Initially choosing to remain out of combat as the world became embroiled in conflict, Ana realized she could not remain on the sidelines, and has rejoined the battle to protect her homeland.^[88]

Ana was the first character to be added to Overwatch following its launch; she was announced and available to play on the Public Test regions on July 12, 2016,^[89] and was playable by all PC and console players on July 19, 2016.^[90]

Ana is voiced by Aysha Selim.^[91]

Lúcio

Lúcio Correia dos Santos is a 26-year-old Brazilian DJ and freedom fighter. He is armed with a sonic amplifier gun, which can be used to damage and knockback enemies. He uses music to either heal his teammates or increase their movement speed. His ultimate ability, 'Sound Barrier', uses sound waves to grant shields to nearby allies, as well as himself.

Lúcio grew up in Rio de Janeiro during the financial upheaval caused by the Omnic Crisis. He turned to music to lift up the spirits of his disheartened people, performing on street corners and at block parties. When the Vishkar Corporation, a multinational conglomerate, moved in to redevelop Rio, they began to crack down on its citizens with curfews and began to exploit them as cheap labor. Lúcio rose up and stole a Vishkar sonic weapon and used it against them, rallying the people to rise up and drive Vishkar out of their neighborhoods. His leadership made him a global celebrity, and he began to perform in filled arenas worldwide.^[92]

Lúcio is voiced by Jonny Cruz.^[93]

Mercy

Mercy (real name Dr. Angela Ziegler) is a 37-year-old Swiss field medic and first responder. She wears a Valkyrie suit, with wings that allow her to fly towards allies and slows her falls from high places. She carries a Caduceus staff that alternately heals her teammates or boosts their damage, and also carries a Caduceus blaster as a sidearm. Her ultimate ability, 'Resurrect', allows her to resurrect fallen teammates before they respawn.

Angela Ziegler was head of surgery at a Swiss hospital when she developed specialized nanotechnology to heal injuries. Her work earned her the attention of Overwatch, who recruited her as their chief medical researcher; the Valkyrie suit she wears was her own design. When Overwatch disbanded, she dedicated herself to helping those who were affected by decades of global war.^[94]

Mercy was the most popular support character during the game's open beta.^[47]

Mercy is voiced by Lucie Pohl.^[95]

Symmetra

Symmetra (real name Satya Vaswani) is a 28-year-old Indian architect. She uses a photon projector that can fire a short-ranged beam at enemies, doing more damage the longer the beam is connected, or can be charged to shoot a ball of energy. She is able to deploy sentry turrets on nearly any surface, and can provide shields for her teammates. Her ultimate ability is a teleporter pad, which connects her current location to her team's closest spawn point, allowing respawning teammates to return quickly to the fight. Symmetra had been seen as one of the least-enjoyable characters to play, and Blizzard announced in November 2016 that they will significantly alter her abilities. Once updated, Symmetra will also be able project an elliptical photon barrier that will move forward for a brief period of time, providing team protection similar to Reinhardt's shield. She will also gain a second ultimate ability that creates a temporary shield generator for all teammates in range; the player will be able to select which ultimate to use once charged up.^[96]

The Vishkar Corporation, based in southern India, created hard light technology that allowed it to build cities, and trained its elite architechs to bend the hard light into any shape needed for that purpose; with this technology, they built the city of Utopaea to serve as their base. Satya Vaswani's potential was discovered at a young age, and she was taken from a life of poverty to train at Vishkar's architech academy in Utopaea. Becoming one of the top students in her class, she combined the light-bending technology with the traditional dances of her homeland. Given the name "Symmetra", Vishkar dispatched her on clandestine missions around the world to oversee their corporate interests.^[97]

Symmetra is voiced by Anjali Bhimani.^[98]

Zenyatta

Tekhartha Zenyatta is a 20-year-old omnic monk and wanderer. Rather than running on foot, he floats across the ground in a meditative pose. He is surrounded by a circle of metal orbs (resembling prayer beads), which he can use to heal teammates, amplify damage taken by enemies, or directly damage his targets. His ultimate ability is "Transcendence", which makes him temporarily invulnerable and heals both himself and any teammates in his radius.

Zenyatta belonged to the Shambali, an order of omnic monks that had settled in a monastery deep within the Himalayas in northern Nepal, after experiencing a "spiritual awakening" that led them to believe that, like humans, omnics also possessed a soul. Their leader, Tekhartha Mondatta, sought to heal the breach between humans and omnics and bring them into societal harmony through the spreading of their peaceful message in public rallies (one of which resulted in Mondatta's assassination by Widowmaker in London). Zenyatta disagreed with this approach, believing that only directly engaging humans and connecting with them person-to-person will bridge the divide between man and machine. He left the Shambali monastery and wandered the world, seeking to help those he meets find inner peace (such as his encounter with the cyborg warrior Genji).^[99]

Zenyatta is voiced by Feodor Chin.^[100]

Non-playable characters

The following are characters who appear in other Overwatch media.

Athena

Athena is Winston's personal artificial intelligence, who supervises his vitals and keeps track of all former Overwatch agents. Together, she and Winston were able to activate the Recall that contacted all the agents at the beginning of the Second Omnic Crisis, which initiates the events of the game. She also serves as the in-game announcer.

Hal-Fred Glitchbot

Hal-Fred Glitchbot is a famous omnic film director, known for his works such as They Came From Beyond the Moon. As an omnic, he receives much prejudice from society, including being the recipient of assassination attempts. On the map Hollywood, the offensive team must escort his limousine to his trailer, while the defense must stop them. He is known for hurling insults at the players, which vary depending on which characters are being played.

His name is a play on famous real-world director, Alfred Hitchcock, and the robot, HAL 9000, from the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Dr. Harold Winston

Dr. Harold Winston was the chief scientist of the Horizon Lunar Colony, a research base on the Moon where a group of genetically engineered gorillas resided to test the long-term effects of living in space. Harold took a special interest in one young gorilla who showed a great curiosity for the world around him, beginning with stealing Harold's glasses because he thought there would be more to see. Showing the young gorilla a view of Earth, Harold gave him a piece of advice he remembered years later: "Never accept the world as it appears to be. Dare to see it for what it could be."

When the other gorillas on the moon base rebelled, Harold and the other human scientists were killed; his prodigy took his name "Winston" to honor him, his fallen mentor, and escaped to Earth in a scratch-built rocket. Winston also kept Harold's glasses, as well as a photograph of the two of them at the Horizon colony.

Tekhartha Mondatta

Tekhartha Mondatta was an omnic monk and leader of the Shambali. In the years following the Omnic Crisis, Mondatta and a group of other omnics abandoned their pre-programmed lives and settled in a communal monastery in Nepal, where they meditated on the nature of existence and came to believe that they were more than just "artificial" - they possessed their own souls, just as humans did. Mondatta was a leader in advocating peace between humans and omnics and healing the wounds following the Omnic Crisis, and travelled the world spreading his message. Mondatta was assassinated by Widowmaker during a rally in London, despite heavy security and the efforts of Tracer. In the King's Row map, a statue of him holding the hand of a human child stands on the spot where he was killed.

Mondatta and Zenyatta take their names from Zenyatta Mondatta, a 1980 album by English rock band The Police.

Liao

Liao was one of the founding members of Overwatch, along with Jack Morrison, Gabriel Reyes, Ana Amari, Torbjörn Lindholm and Reinhardt Wilhelm. Not much is known beyond this, only that Liao is the only one of them who is unaccounted for.^[101]

Katya Volskaya

Katya Volskaya is the CEO and head of the Volskaya Industries, a robotic company with the purpose of ending the lives of the Omnic.

Volskaya was first seen in the animated short 'Infiltration' where she was subject to an assassination by Sombra, Reaper and Widowmaker. However, Sombra hacks the alarms and puts the events into motion that ensures her safety. It is then revealed by Sombra, when she confronts Volskaya, that she has information that the technology she uses in her mechs was actually Omnic to start. Sombra blackmails Katya and in return, she is kept alive.

In the final scene, Volskaya hires Zarya to kill Sombra.

Notes

1. From left to right: Genji, Junkrat, Roadhog (back), Mei, Zayna, Pharah (back), Tracer, Widowmaker, D.Va (back), Torbjörn (front), Reaper, Zenyatta, Mercy, Hanzo, Winston, Reinhardt (back), Symmetra, Soldier: 76, Bastion, Lucio, McCree

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External links

• Overwatch at the Internet Movie Database