Overwatch 2 Kiriko Abilities Explained

Activision Blizzard has just confirmed a new Support hero named Kiriko, who will make her Overwatch 2 debut on October 4. She’s a childhood friend of Genji and Hanzo, and she’s meant to be a fast-paced Support with special abilities like wall-climbing and teleportation, making her one of the game’s most mobile healers alongside Moira.

It’s unclear whether she’ll be an offense-support hybrid like Zenyatta and Moira, but she definitely has less range than sniper-hearler Ana. Everything you need to know about Kiriko, including how to obtain her, her abilities, and her backstory, is right here.

Overwatch 2 Kiriko Release Date

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Kiriko will be included in the first season of Overwatch 2 when it launches on October 4, but unlike in the first Overwatch, new characters will not be available to all players for free as soon as they are released. Things have become a little more complicated.

How to Unlock Kiriko

Anyone who purchases the Overwatch 2 Season 1 Premium Battle Pass for around $10 will gain instant access to Kiriko. The Premium Battle Pass also includes an exclusive paid track of tiered rewards such as Mythic Skins and other cosmetics, which stack with the rewards on the free track. Those who own the original Overwatch will be able to unlock Kiriko for free on Day 1, but this is not expected to be the case for future Heroes.

Only at Battle Pass Tier 55 can new players obtain her for free. If you are unable to reach Tier 55 by the end of the 9-week season, you can still obtain her as a reward from Weekly Challenges. Characters from previous seasons will return as Weekly Challenge rewards, giving free-to-play players another chance to earn them, especially if they only recently joined and couldn’t get them.

Overwatch 2 Kiriko Abilities

overwatch 2 kiriko abilities

Kiriko is a Support hero who can keep up with fast-moving allies. The following is her complete kit, as described by the development team:

  • Protection Suzu — Upon impact, allies in the area become briefly invulnerable and are cleansed of most negative effects. These include Sombra’s Hack, Reinhardt’s Shatter, and others.
  • Kunai — Thrown projectile that deals increased critical damage.
  • Healing Ofuda — Channel a burst of healing talismans that can seek targeted allies. So long as you have allies within your line of sight before the attack, it will follow them as they travel or even through walls.
  • Swift Step — Teleport directly to an ally, even through walls. Be careful not to rush face-first into a death trap, though.
  • Ultimate: Kitsune Rush — Summon a fox spirit that rushes forward, accelerating the movement, attack speed, and cooldown of allies that follow its path.
  • Passive: Wall Climb — Jumps at walls to climb up them.

Overwatch 2 developers said they were keeping a close eye on Protection Suzu in particular to make sure it didn’t get out of hand. It lasts less time than Baptiste’s Immortality Field, but it could be nerfed further in the future. Overwatch 2 developers said they were keeping a close eye on Protection Suzu in particular to make sure it didn’t get out of hand. It lasts less time than Baptiste’s Immortality Field, but it could be nerfed further in the future.

Kiriko’s Lore

Kiriko grew up as a shrine maiden in Kanezaka, a fictitious Japanese town. Her family has ancestral ties to the Kanezaka Shrine, which serves as a temple for a fox spirit. Kiriko was raised by her mother and grandmother, so she represents their opposing ideologies.

“She will go to any length to protect her community, including breaking a few rules,” says Narrative Designer Kyungseo Min. “She’s a fox spirit’s trickster.”

Her grandmother taught her how to be a shrine maiden, and her mother taught her how to be a ninja. Her kit, which focuses on her ninja kunai and fox spirit summoning abilities, reflects both aspects of her identity.

Kiriko is also a childhood friend of Genji and Hanzo Shimada. She witnessed the Shimada Clan’s demise and how it affected her friends, which ties into her personal arc about bridging tradition and modernity. Other than the cinematic trailer and in-game lines, there wasn’t much information about how her story would be revealed, which is pretty typical for Overwatch.

“All I can say is that she will be a key player in the Kanezaka area and a major catalyst in the Shimada brothers’ story moving forward,” Min says.

Overwatch 2 Kiriko Tips and Tricks

overwatch 2 kiriko tips

Kiriko’s Healing Ofuda cards travel slowly and take time to replenish, despite the fact that they can follow companions from a long distance. Keep in mind how long it takes to heal with this ability and attempt to anticipate when your teammates will require healing so you can send out talismans ahead of time.

Don’t be hesitant to utilize your Suzu Protection. Because it is an area-of-effect ability, you should use it when your teammates are clustered together to optimize its effects, such as when defending an objective.

Kiriko can stay in the fight while staying near enough to teammates to keep them healthy using Swift Step. It also provides a quick way out. Keep this skill available and look for a buddy in the distance to teleport out of a tricky position.