After a drought of content in the final years of Overwatch, the launch of Overwatch 2 gave players three new characters to sink their teeth into. In addition to the new gameplay brought by the addition of these heroes, new backstories and lore for the heroes were also introduced to help expand the universe of Overwatch 2. The most recent of these heroes, Kiriko, leaves something to be desired in regard to her backstory and how it is integrated into the lore for other characters. While not a complete misstep, some inconsistencies and missed opportunities make Kiriko a feel like a shell of the character she could have been.
Kiriko is a member of the Yamagami family who are tasked with protecting the shrine in Kanezaka. She was raised by her mother and grandmother, both having shaped who she would become. Her mother was a ninja who trained her alongside the Shimada family's Hanzo and Genji. Her grandmother was very spiritual and taught her how to heal and summon her spirit fox. All of these character aspects can be seen as a part of her in-game abilities, yet they seem relatively bland compared to what could have been given her relation to Hanzo and Genji—two of the game's most compelling characters from a lore standpoint.
Some Inconsistencies Hamper Kiriko's Character
Aside from having a rather bland backstory, a couple of pieces of lore are questionable with regard to maintaining in-universe consistency. The Yamagami family had a close connection to the Shimada family and, as noted above, Kiriko's mother Asa trained her alongside Hanzo and Genji. However, there is around a 15-20 year age difference between the Kiriko and the Shimada brothers—Hanzo and Genji are 38 and 35 respectively while Kiriko is supposedly in her early 20s. Assuming Hanzo and Genji started training as teenagers, Kiriko would not have been born or would have been an infant during this period. This makes it very unlikely that she would be able to train alongside the two much older Shimada brothers.
According to her backstory, Kiriko was close with Genji and would often spend time with him at the Hanamura arcade. Again, the age difference complicates this aspect of the lore as Genji would have to be around 25 if Kiriko was hanging out with him as a child. While it's not impossible for this to be the case, this detail walks a fine line of believability. Genji was known to be a lot less mature than Hanzo, so spending time at the arcade into adulthood is in line with his character. However, having a close relationship with a young girl who likes to tag along seems a bit iffy, and a better explanation for their connection could have been created.
How Kiriko's Backstory Could Have Improved Her Ties to the Shimadas
With Kiriko herself having an underwhelming backstory and most of her connection to Hanzo and Genji coming through her mother, Blizzard really missed an opportunity to develop a more interesting character to weave into the lore surrounding the tragic Shimada feud. She was just a child when the Shimada clan fell and only played a passive role as she watched how it affected the people around her. A better backstory that focuses more on Kiriko herself would be to make her the apprentice of Hanzo. Perhaps feeling guilty about trying to murder his brother, Hanzo takes in a young, orphaned girl—whose parents were killed as a result of a clan war with the Shimadas—with the intention of training her as a means to atone for his actions. This would not only give Kiriko a stronger connection to the Shimadas but also provide some growth for Hanzo's character and fix the age issue assuming Hanzo took her in shortly after the conflict with Genji.
The most interesting part of Kiriko and Shimada brothers' lore is their use of spirit energy. Genji and Hanzo wield the spirit dragon and Kiriko the spirit fox. Having Kiriko train with Hanzo in order to unlock her spirit potential and wield the spirit fox could also help provide an in-universe explanation for this phenomenon. As the world of Overwatch 2 is rather ambiguous about the existence of magic, a clearer explanation of how this spirit energy works would naturally fit into the story of training an apprentice to wield it. Currently, magic just inexplicably exists, and the player is supposed to accept it.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.