Overwatch Voice Actor Champions Fan Demands to Change New Hero Anran’s Design

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Fareeha, who creates content for Overwatch and voices the character Anran, has publicly agreed with fans who want Blizzard to reconsider Anran’s new look. The Overwatch streamer and voice actor is supporting the community’s request for changes to the character’s design.

Blizzard recently made some big changes to Overwatch 2, including reverting the name back to just Overwatch. The next season, launching February 10th, will kick off a year-long story arc and introduce several major updates, like new character roles, a redesigned user interface, and five completely new heroes.

Anran’s Voice Actor Hopes Overwatch Will Redesign New Hero

One of the new characters introduced has received some negative feedback from players. Anran Ye, the older sister of the support hero Wuyang, is a new damage-dealing character appearing in the Reign of Talon Season 1 update. Many in the community aren’t happy with her design and have asked Blizzard to make changes to her appearance. The voice actor for Anran, Fareeha, has also spoken up to support these requests.

You can play as Anran in Quick Play now as part of her hero trial, which lasts until her official release on February 10th.

Okay, so when Blizzard first showed us Anran during Wuyang’s story, she looked really cool and unique. She had strong features – a bit of an unconventional face and nose, honestly – which made her look mature and tough. Her clothes were practical and sporty, totally fitting that vibe. But when they finally released her official design, it was… different. They smoothed out her face, gave her a smaller nose and softer eyes, and suddenly she looked way more like Wuyang’s little sister, or even a relative of Kiriko or Juno. And her outfit? It’s still cool, but way more frilly and feminine than anyone expected for a character who seemed so determined and a bit of a tomboy. It’s like they completely changed her look!

Fareeha stated that Anran’s design in ‘Elemental Kin’ created an expectation of challenging traditional beauty standards within the industry. Because of this, many feel disappointed with Anran’s current appearance, which Fareeha feels doesn’t match her character. She hopes Blizzard will consider making changes to the model in the future.

Before landing the role of Anran, Fareeha was already a successful performer, storyteller, and content creator, focusing on games like Overwatch and Marvel Rivals. She’s particularly popular on Twitch, where she has almost 150,000 followers, and is a well-known figure in the Overwatch community.

Image via Blizzard

Honestly, I was really impressed to see Fareeha, as both a popular streamer and a voice actor for Blizzard, use her position to speak up. She basically said this was an issue she was willing to fight for, and that she made sure Blizzard heard what the community was saying about Anran. There’s no promise Anran’s model will change, but knowing Fareeha is pushing for the version of the character we all want definitely gives it a better chance. It’s cool to see someone with that kind of influence actually listen to us players.

Criticism of Other Overwatch Hero Designs

As hero shooters regain popularity, a major criticism of Overwatch centers on its hero designs. Several female heroes introduced in Overwatch 2, like Kiriko, Juno, Freja, and Vendetta, have been called overly cute or conventionally attractive – a complaint recently echoed about Anran. Even the upcoming heroes for Overwatch’s Reign of Talon Season 1 are facing criticism, with players pointing out Domina’s youthful appearance, Jetpack Cat’s unusually human eyes, and the similarity between Emre, Mizuki, and characters from Valorant.

Blizzard is significantly increasing the rate at which it releases new heroes for Overwatch, with plans for five more in 2026—one every two months. Players will get to see these new characters and decide if Overwatch truly innovates and redefines what it means to be a hero, as one character, Fareeha, described.

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2026-02-09 01:05