An Overwatch 2 fan artist has taken inspiration from an official Kiriko image and decked the character out in original skins based off the piece. As one of the three new characters made available during the launch of Overwatch 2, Kiriko, along with Sojourn and Junker Queen, falls behind the game's other characters when it comes to their library of skins. This has inspired the fan base to see what they could come up with themselves.
With only nine alternate outfits currently available, including the controversial Witch Kiriko skin, her collection is a far cry from the 20-plus skins of many characters, and the whopping 26 in Genji's closet. Though this is certainly to be expected for a new character, it's left a gap that the community has been filling with some inspired work. One artist has done so by using some official art and creating two understated, but excellent, Kiriko skin concepts.
The image at the root of the inspiration was first seen in a character cinematic, which expands on the lore initially detailed in the Kiriko origin story video. In the cinematic, her mother looks wistfully at a picture of herself, Kiriko, and Kirko's grandmother. The picture shows Kiriko in very casual clothing, and its from here that the fan artist derives their inspiration. Originally created by an artist known as SoulArt, but posted by Reddit User V3lr4X, the two skins have Kiriko decked out in a gray jacket over top a threadbare black crop top with a cute, smiling face on it, while a plaid shirt is wrapped around her waist. Kiriko is without her iconic fox ears but instead wears a pair of headphones around her neck.
The two concepts differ only slightly, with differently-colored boots, and slightly altered color schemes in the plaid shirt adorning her waist. The post's title claims the concepts would be much better legendary skins than the ones in the game, and many commenters praised them. But some pointed out that Overwatch 2 legendary skins need more of a complete overhaul. The more understated tone and only slight differences between versions weren't enough to convince them of the skins' legendary status.
However, understated can be a good thing. The long list of Overwatch 2 heroes often sport visually loud and garish skins, but reigning in that design mentality and offering a more personal look at Kiriko could win over the hearts of fans. Plus, tying a skin to a character's backstory, as was done in this instance, adds a nice emotional touch to the piece.
With controversy continuing over the game's high cosmetic prices, there will likely be many players who will never get their hands on the outfits offered in-game. But comments in this post, and in many others, continue to lash back at the monetization. So hopefully, Blizzard will someday find a middle ground that serves both it and fans, and skins like the ones seen here can be enjoyed by all.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Reddit