Overwatch is a multiplayer first-person shooter game released in 2016 and has since flourished as one of the biggest esports games in the world. The playable hero roster boasts a lot of diversity, with characters all having their own unique abilities. Despite the game’s lack of a story mode due to its focus on multiplayer action, there is a lot of lore surrounding Overwatch and its heroes that players are often keen to learn about.
Here we’ll be taking a look at some of the more interesting backstories for your favorite Overwatch heroes.
D.Va – the best mech pilot around
D.Va, real name Hana Song, is a former professional gamer known for her fierce play style and never-ending determination to win. The 19-year-old retired from the gaming life to become a mech pilot and defend her homeland against evil omnics that have been plaguing South Korea’s seas for two decades.
The first attack came 20 years ago and the South Korean government developed mechanized drone units to fight back against the threat, protecting their cities successfully at first. The omnics adapted and evolved over the years though, figuring out a way to disrupt remote control of the defense drones and forcing the government to place human pilots in the mechs.
The Overwatch hero D.Va was one of the first to be drafted as a mech pilot due to her incredible reflexes and skills from her gaming years. She has since become a national icon for her fearless efforts against the omnic hordes.
Winston – regular gorilla turned Overwatch hero
A group of genetically modified gorillas, Winston amongst them, was sent to the moon as part of an experiment to test the effects of extended space habitation on living beings.
Winston was originally just a regular gorilla but following gene therapy, his brain development was drastically enhanced to the point where his intelligence outshone even that of the best humans of the time. Fascinated by science, the gorilla prodigy took lessons from his human mentor, Dr. Harold Winston, to quench his thirst for knowledge and answers.
In later years, the other gorillas staged an uprising, killing all the human scientists in the moon base. Winston was devastated but managed to escape on a rocket back to Earth, taking his late mentor’s name as his own. He ended up joining Overwatch as one of their lead scientists.
Tracer – a British gal with a playful attitude
Lena Oxton, or Tracer as she’s often known, is probably one of the most recognizable Overwatch heroes. She was one of the Overwatch organization’s youngest agents who had incredible piloting skills. Brought on as a test pilot for the Slipstream, a new teleporting fighter, Tracer disappeared suddenly following a malfunction in the aircraft’s teleportation device.
No-one knew what happened to her until she reappeared months later, but things were never the same again. Desynchronized from the flow of time itself, Tracer was described as a “living ghost” as she was never truly present and would still vanish for days at a time. Overwatch’s Winston, however, saved her by developing a device that helped keep the British pilot in the present time for good and solidified a friendship that has lasted even past the disbandment of Overwatch itself.
Tracer’s new state-of-the-art device, the chronal accelerator, gave her the ability to teleport and control time which made her a huge asset to Overwatch for many years before the organization’s downfall.
Genji and Hanzo – a never-ending brotherly feud
Genji and Hanzo are brothers hailing from the Shimada ninja clan and are two of the nimblest Overwatch heroes. Hanzo being the older brother and due to succeed his father in ruling the empire, was a lot more serious in nature. Genji, the younger half of the duo, lived a more carefree life and didn’t care so much about the responsibilities surrounding the Shimada clan and its illegal activities.
Their differences led to years of tension, which reached its apex after their father’s untimely death. With Hanzo due to take over the empire, the Shimada clan elders forced him to speak to his brother and get him on board with helping to run things. Genji’s refusal led to an intense fight which ended with him on the verge of death at the hands of his brother.
Hanzo left his brother to die, but Genji was ultimately found and rescued by some of the Overwatch heroes, his scarred body enhanced and restored using cyber technology. Genji’s ninja skills excelled even more as a cyborg, with the modifications granting him increased speed and maneuverability. Despite these new strengths, the man grew to hate himself and his body, leaving the Overwatch organization after struggling to accept what he had become.
Heartbroken by what he’d done to his brother, Hanzo similarly parted ways with the Shimada clan in an attempt to move on from the past and come to terms with his own guilt and grief.
Genji eventually crossed paths with Zenyatta, another Overwatch hero, from whom he learned how to accept himself for what he was despite rejecting the monk’s guidance initially out of frustration. Genji now lives a free life whilst his brother, Hanzo, roams the world in search of purpose and a way to regain his honor.
Wrecking Ball – a hamster, really?
Last but not least is perhaps one of the most unique Overwatch heroes. A genetically modified Hamster with a knack for technology and engineering, Hammond – or Wrecking Ball as he likes to call himself – lived on the moon over the same period of time as Winston. Much like the gorilla, Hammond developed hyperintelligence and was using his newfound brainpower to teach himself mechanical skills. During the mass revolt that killed all the scientists, Hammond managed to hitch a ride on Winston’s escape capsule by tethering his escape pod to it and made it safely back to Earth.
Hammond crash-landed in the Australian outback near Junkertown. He spent his here time developing his own mech, using his lunar escape pod as the framework for it. By participating in scrapyard mech battles and securing enough cash to fund his mech development, the hamster is now free to travel the world in his impressive ball-like contraption, doing whatever he pleases.
Well, there you have it, some of our top Overwatch hero backstories. If you liked the article, be sure to check out boosting-ground.com for more information about the Overwatch heroes and their abilities.
