Overwatch 2 recently revealed the official age of all the heroes within the game. But rather than answering the “age old” question, it resulted in confusion within the Overwatch 2 community. One hero in particular drew many of the player base’s attention: Kiriko.
“Kiriko’s age makes no sense. […] This sh*t bothers me so much,” one Redditor ranted.
And honestly, the Redditor is completely in the right, and their frustrations are completely viable.
According to the official Overwatch 2 website, Kiriko is 21 years old. Meanwhile, Genji is shown as 37 years old and Hanzo 40 years old. From a gameplay and design perspective, there’s nothing wrong with their appropriate age.
But the issue lies in the prewritten and set lore within the Overwatch Universe.
[Related: Overwatch 2 Patch Notes]
Kiriko Origin Story | Overwatch 2
Kiriko is a child who took inspiration from her mother alongside general ancestry. Using her spiritual roots, she heals others and goes around saving those in need.
Take a look at this painting, which is a part of the official Overwatch 2 Lore, which is a screen shot from the official Kiriko Origin Story linked above:
Kiriko’s age is speculated from her height and demeanor showcased in the portait. Meanwhile, Genji and Hazo’s ages are calculated based off the difference in their officially announced birth dates.
If Kiriko is indeed five years old, that means Genji is 21 years old while Hanzo is 25 years old in the portrait. It doesn’t take an age analyzing genius to realize that something doesn’t quite add up.
“I don’t understand why they have to shoehorn her into being a ‘childhood friend’. They could have easily written them as mentors who she wants to catch up to, like Kamina to Simon,” another player added.
Granted, it’s not explicitly stated the little boys in the portrait are Genji and Hanzo. But all the inferred lore evidence points towards such a relationship between the brothers and Kiriko.
Kiriko has a unique voice line with Genji, where the two share playful banter — as if they grew up together. They’re very much characterized as childhood friends through the interactions in game.
Overwatch 2 – All Kiriko Interactions + Unique Kill Quotes
Here is the interaction dialogue:
Under Genji’s updated lore, it explicitly states:
“He trained under swordmaster Asa Yamagami, forming a friendship with her young daughter Kiriko.”
She even has dialogue with Hanzo, where the two seem very friendly towards one another. Once again, very showcasing the possibility of a strong childhood friendship dynamic.
Now, with the context in mind, the likelihood of the two boys in the portait being the Shimada brothers seems highly probable.
In addition, the woman in the picture is clearly Kiriko’s mother. And the younger boy looks rather playful, while the older more serious, characteristic traits of the Shimada siblings. Their physical attributes looking eerily similar to what they would have looked like when they were young as well.
For context, here are all the ages of the Overwatch 2 heroes:
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