Overwatch Hanzo Guide
One half of the infamous Shimada brothers, and heir to the Shimada underworld throne, Hanzo is one of Overwatch’s most interesting heroes.
Hanzo started out his journey as we know it after taking control of the Shimada criminal empire from his father. The elders of the clan wanted Hanzo’s brother, Genji, to assist him in leading the organization.
Genji was more of a free spirit than Hanzo and flatly refused. This went back and forth until tensions rose, and the two clashed in a duel.
Hanzo came out victorious and believing his brother to be dead was ridden with guilt. He soon after abandoned his position in the clan and set out on his own to try and atone for his sins.
Gameplay-wise, Hanzo is a defensive hero with massive damage output potential.
He wields a bow, meaning, unlike other snipers, he is not able to zoom down his scope. However, like the other snipers, he can one-shot kill heroes with headshots.
Abilities
Hanzo’s passives are called Lunge and Wall Climb. Lunge allows him to change direction, and boost in said direction, while in mid-air. This makes it a great tool for evasion and for creating angles on enemy players.
Wall Climb does what it says, allows Hanzo to climb walls, much like his brother, with his own variation on the ability.
Hanzo is considered by most to have a very high skill curve. This is primarily due to the mechanics of his primary weapon, the Storm Bow. Like most bows in FPS games, your arrows must be drawn, resulting in a charge time before firing that can get inexperienced players slaughtered in a game.
It is also a projectile, meaning you need to lead your targets and have impeccable aim. What’s more, the arrows also have a drop off range, so players need to account for gravity on long-range shots.
Hanzo’s ability Storm Arrows is precisely what one might expect. It allows Hanzo to fire arrows at lightning speed. When activated, Hanzo can fire the next six arrows instantly, skipping the draw animation.
The ability has a 10-second cooldown but can be a fantastic tool for dishing out quick damage. Keep in mind that the arrows fired this way do have decreased damage, however.
Sonic Arrows is Hanzo’s other ability. As a utility tool as opposed to damage, Sonic Arrows allow Hanzo and his teammates to view enemies through walls so long as they are within range of the shot.
It has a cooldown of 12 seconds and a fairly short range, but it can be great for preventing flankers and preparing your team for upcoming team fights.
Hanzo’s ultimate is called Dragonstrike. This ability is considered one of the more skill-based ultimates in the games, as you can often wipe out an entire enemy team, but it requires good situational awareness and skill.
When used, Hanzo summons a massive double dragon spirit. This spirit travels for a short distance, passing through objects. Those caught in its path are killed instantly.