Overwatch 2 Fan Spots Interesting Connection Between Sombra and Kiriko

Overwatch 2 Fan Spots Interesting Connection Between Sombra and Kiriko

Key Takeaways

  • Sombra’s original design closely resembles Overwatch 2’s Kiriko, based on early concept art.
  • Overwatch 2 teases a new tank hero that may be named “Phreak” with a possible November reveal.

As a dedicated Overwatch fan with countless hours spent in virtual battles and countless more poring over every detail of the game’s lore, I find it fascinating to uncover these hidden connections between characters that seem so far apart at first glance. The revelation that Sombra’s early design shares striking similarities with Kiriko’s is a testament to the creative minds behind Overwatch 2 and the richness of their designs.


One fan of Blizzard’s popular hero shooter has pointed out one of Sombra’s original design concepts that closely resembles that of Overwatch 2 launch hero Kiriko. It’s all about Halloween right now in Overwatch 2, as its mythic witch Widowmaker-led Season 13, named Spellbinder, is underway. The annual Halloween Terror event is back as well, with a new mode called Junkenstein’s Laboratory that lets players upgrade their hero abilities between rounds.

In the world of Overwatch, Sombra was the second new character introduced after Ana in 2016. This DPS hacker has experienced numerous adjustments and complete overhauls throughout the years due to her ability to become invisible, a feature that sparked much debate within the Overwatch community. Upon its release, Overwatch 2 presented Kiriko as one of its initial three heroes. A Japanese support character who shares history with Genji and Hanzo, Kiriko is known for her lethal kunai and is often considered the second most popular support hero next to Mercy. Some players have expressed concern that Kiriko’s abundance of skins has been overshadowing other Overwatch 2 heroes like Venture.

It’s not immediately apparent, but Sombra and Kiriko share many similarities. A Reddit user named TheUndreaming pointed out an interesting observation in the Overwatch book titled “The Art of Overwatch”. In one of Sombra’s early concept designs, her appearance bears a strong resemblance to Kiriko’s final design that was developed six years later. This design features Sombra with a similar hairstyle to Kiriko’s, black pants with red details, and large red shoes. Delving deeper, this early Sombra design also depicts her holding kunai, suggesting that initially, Sombra’s role in Overwatch was intended to be more like Kiriko’s.

Early Sombra Design Looks Similar To Kiriko’s

It’s evident that unutilized designs of Overwatch characters have served as inspiration for the appearance of subsequent heroes. For instance, Hanzo and Genji were initially a single character in the original roster. If they decide to bring back the unused Sombra design, it would need to be modified to suit her figure and to prevent resemblance with Kiriko’s default skin. Such a design could potentially create an intriguing Mirrorwatch hero crossover should Overwatch 2 ever reintroduce the Mirrorwatch event in the future.

At the moment, there’s a lot of excitement within the Overwatch 2 community as they speculate about the identity of the upcoming hero hinted at in the Season 13 trailer. This character appears to be a tank and is rumored to be a revolutionist known as “Phreak,” suggested by graffiti spotted during his quick appearance. It’s expected that we’ll officially meet this newcomer sometime in November. There’s even speculation that their design might have been influenced by unused hero ideas from the original Overwatch.

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2024-10-28 23:43