Another new hero is joining the cast of Overwatch 2, this time from an area that fans of the series are well-acquainted with.
During the first day of the 2022 Tokyo Game Show, Blizzard surprised fans with the reveal of yet another hero that will be playable when the game officially releases in early access on Oct. 4: Kiriko, who hails from Kanezaka. This Japanese hero—trained alongside Hanzo and Genji—was previously leaked in a post about Overwatch 2’s season one battle pass, though this is the first official confirmation of the hero.
Kiriko will be joining the roster as a new Overwatch support hero.
From the newly released gameplay trailers, it appears Kiriko can heal her allies using fortune slips, as well as teleport around the map and create invulnerability zones. Her ultimate seems to create a large gated-off zone that increases the damage and movement speed of allies that pass through.
How to unlock Kiriko in Overwatch 2
Kiriko will be the first hero of many in Overwatch 2 to be locked behind the seasonal battle pass. She will be available as the tier 55 reward in the free track of the battle pass, though will be given to players that were granted the Founder’s Pack by having the original Overwatch installed.
Blizzard stated that, while new heroes will be confined to the free tracks of battle passes, they will be able to be earned via other means after those seasons end. Players will be able to use their Overwatch Coins on heroes they missed out on, and sometimes these new heroes can be earned through rotating weekly challenges.
It is not clear if Kiriko can be obtained using Overwatch Coins while she remains part of the battle pass, though it is unlikely she’ll appear in the in-game shop until after season one of Overwatch 2 ends.
