Overwatch 2's Newest Support Hero Kiriko Is A Healing Ninja

After Activision Blizzard recently unveiled its successor to the acclaimed F2P first-person shooter Overwatch, various new faces have begun to appear in the game for players to relish in its beta state.

Announced officially as the latest Hero to join Overwatch 2 on 15th September 2022 is the kunai-throwing, spiritual healing ninja, Kiriko, releasing upon early access launch on 24th October 2022. Despite Kiriko being leaked earlier, the developers have officially unveiled the new character's abilities and unique qualities.

Introducing Overwatch 2's Newest Support Hero, Kiriko

Joining the ranks of Overwatch 2 comes Kirkiko, the 35th character to debut in the game. Finally, after years of waiting for another Support Hero to hit Overwatch, the time has arrived as Kiriko utilizes her powers as a ninja to heal and protect allies and slice down opponents.

🦊Introducing Kiriko 🦊

An all-new support hero and her Fox Spirit companion rush into the action.
#Overwatch2 arrives free-to-play October 4. pic.twitter.com/yXfs7knpB2

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) September 15, 2022

Kiriko is a “single-target hybrid healer” that excels at moving swiftly and aiding her teammates by popping in and out of battle and healing them.

She’s equipped with all the skillsets of a proper ninja, but her Kitsune powers help the Hero shine brighter than some Supports. Here are Kiriko’s abilities and passive.

Passive: Wall Climb

• Like Hanzo and Genji, Kiriko can jump at walls and climb them. This passive isn't different from the Heroes above. Still, it allows the character to excel at being a ninja by positioning herself for the most opportune moments to save her teammates.

Primary Fire: Healing Ofuda 

• Kiriko’s primary fire allows her to target another ally and heal them by throwing healing talismans at them. She sends out five healing ofuda, slightly following an ally to whom she directs her primary fire.

Secondary Fire: Kunai 

• As the Hero's main source of damage, her secondary fire allows Kiriko to send out flurries of kunai at a rapid pace, making hitting headshots all the more deadly. These kunai almost function similarly to Genji’s shuriken but hit their shot much faster.

Ability: Swift Step

• Swift Step is one of Kiriko’s primary moves for dashing across the battlefield, allowing her to teleport to an ally in the ability’s radius. She can even pass through walls (as long as it’s within her castability).

Ability: Protection Suzu 

• Kiriko’s other ability, Protection Suzu, is probably one of the Hero’s most important skills players will use often. The ability allows Kiriko to throw a bell that provides a short period of immortality and cleanses debuffs. It has quite a long cooldown, but it’s extremely useful against incoming crowd-control abilities.

Ultimate: Kitsune Rush

• Finally, Kiriko’s ultimate allows her to send out a blue fox that hops and runs in the direction she aims and lays down a path, boosting your teammates' cooldown reduction, attack speed, reload speed, and movement speed.

It’s hard to tell how decent Kiriko will play out, but it’s always exciting for players to receive another Support character that’s not a carbon copy of another.

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Kiriko is somewhat comparable to Zenyatta and Moira, but her ultimate is something players haven’t seen yet. For those wishing to try out the healing ninja in Overwatch 2, the character will be available upon early access release on 4th October 2022.

For more on the game, check our section dedicated to Overwatch 2 news, guides, and features.

All featured images are courtesy of Twitter via Overwatch.