Summary
Overwatch 2fans have been lamenting Blizzard’s decision to keep Genji’s hood down in his default appearance in the sequel. While many prefer the hooded look the cyborg ninja sported when he appeared in theOverwatch 2announcement cinematic, Blizzard ended up removing the hood on the default skin itself.
As one of theoriginal heroes released inOverwatchback in 2016, Genji is one of the most recognizable characters in the game. The agile cyborg ninja’s iconic stance, weaponry, and face mask make him stand out from every other character that has come to the game in the last eight years.
However, one missed opportunity might have seen Genji look quite different inOverwatch 2. As pointed out by BlackbirdKos on Reddit, Genji appears with an awesome hood that seamlessly carries the glow of his mask across it during the“Zero Hour” cinematic reveal trailer forOverwatch 2. He battles several Null Sector robots with the hood up, though he pulls it down before slicing through the giant mech’s hand, and for the final shot of the trailer. Unfortunately, the hero’s default model inOverwatch 2likewise removed the hood, much to the disappointment of players who preferred his hooded design.
Genji’s Hood in Overwatch 2
On one hand, adding the hood to Genji would have changed the character’s silhouette. Historically,Overwatch 2has tried to ensure all characters are easily recognizable through cosmetics to ensure no skin gives players an edge. That said,Overwatch 2released the Street Runner Genji Epic skinshortly after the game launched, which sports a recolored version of the “Zero Hour” hood, making the silhouette argument a moot point.
Another reason players presented was that having his hood up would have set a new baseline for his other skins. Future cosmetics would have been expected to have hoods by default, with only some pulling it down in an inverse to the current situation. Regardless of the reason, many fans think the default skin having the hood would be better and, at the very least, want to see a hooded version added, considering the model already exists with the Street Runner skin.
In another world, Genji himself could have been quite different from what he does now. He and his brother Hanzo were originally conceptualized as a single character wielding both a bow and sword. He went through many iterations during development, including versions with instant-kill abilities or melee-only builds. Consideringfuture runs of Overwatch: Classic plans to visit pre-launch versions of some heroes, there is a small chance that players might see echoes of these early versions of Genji in game some time in the future.
Overwatch 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
