One of the main appeals of Overwatch is its colorful cast of larger-than-life heroes, villains, and all-around rogues. One of those characters is Echo, a benevolent Omnic programmed with a powerful artificial intelligence that learns through observation. Recently, an Overwatch fan decided to share a stunning design for a new Echo skin that appears to be themed after the Lunar New Year.
Redditor 4dpsNewMeta stated in the post that the new Echo skin idea came to them in a dream. The fan art certainly carries with it a dreamlike atmosphere, though one might wonder how much Overwatch 4dpsNewMeta has been playing if they're seeing the characters in their dreams.
The post features a piece of highly stylized fan art focusing on Echo in an outfit fans have never seen before. She appears to be shown dancing in the air over what seems to be the Lijiang Tower map, which is based on a bustling Chinese metropolis, dressed in a stunning red, green, and black outfit. Two boxy shapes on either side of her head act as an elaborate and decorated hairstyle, contrasting with what seems to be a hanfu-style green top and black leggings, while a red shawl completes the costume.
According to the lore of Overwatch, Echo was created by Singaporean scientist Dr. Mina Liao. As the majority of Singapore's population is ethnically Chinese and Echo is confirmed to have inherited a number of Liao's behaviors and speech patterns, it's entirely possible that Echo has taken on enough of Liao's culture and beliefs that she would be interested in such an ensemble. However, while several fans did look at this outfit and immediately draw connections to the Lunar New Year, that isn't the only comparison that can be made to this design.
While most fans appear to be quite taken with this possible skin design for Echo, opinions seem to be split on whether the inspiration came from. One user observed that the design reminded them a lot of Katamari Damacy. A second stated that it reminded them of a matador's outfit and a third spotted a similarity between the design and the Cloud Serpent mounts available in World of Warcraft. A fourth fan stated that it reminded them of Auriel's Sakura skins in Heroes of the Storm, which is interesting since Auriel is also an Omnic. However, Auriel's Sakura skins are more obviously based on Japanese culture and this Echo skin design appears to take inspiration from Chinese culture.
Overwatch is available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.