Genji in Overwatch
Overwatch has plenty characters to choose, but who’s right for you? For players who want stealth, speed, and deadly precision, than Genji is the cyborg for you.
Genji is an offense-based character with a katana, shuriken, and the unique ability to climb terrain. Genji is great for close to long-range combat, perfect for flanking teams and picking off stragglers from any distance. Genji should win one-on-one battles, but struggles against groups of enemies.
To make the most of Genji’s strength and range, you must learn where and when to climb to ideal vantage points. Simply hold the jump button when facing the terrain and climb to the top. From here, use his shuriken to pick off targets.
Should an enemy be foolish enough to try and get close, lash out with your swift strike. If your attack happens to kill your enemy, the ability instantly becomes available for use again. But, sometimes your enemy will get the jump on you when you’re hurting. Use the swift strike to dash away from an enemy, and look for health.
So you manage to escape, only to find yourself face-to-face with a Roadhog who’s just whipped out his super. Normally, that’d mean instant death for you, but with Genji’s deflect, you can send each and every one of those attacks back at your attacker, turning this into a reverse surprise attack.
Finally, there’s Genji’s super, Dragonblade. This attack grants Genji’s brief access to his katana killing anything it lands a hit against. This move is perfect for taking out large groups holed up in a defensive position, or for taking control of the objective.
Genji’s Abilities
Shuriken (Distance) – Left Mouse/Left Trigger
A column of three shuriken meant for distance and damage. Great for picking off targets from a distance.
Shuriken (Wide) – Right Mouse/Right Trigger
This attack sends three shuriken in a wide arc meant for attacking a circle-strafing enemy. Great for fast enemies attempting to outmaneuver you. Also ideal for attacking groups.
Deflect – E/Left Bumper/L1
Genji holds up his katana and deflects any oncoming attacks and sends them back to the attacker. Perfect for use against Bastion and countering barrage type supers.
Swift Strike – Shift/Right Bumper/R1
The swift strike is a lunging slash that transports Genji a short distance. An enemy caught in his path is dealt damage, and any enemy killed as a result of this attack allows instant access to the skill again (no cool down upon kill).
Dragonblade (Super) – Q/Y/Triangle
For a brief time, Genji can strike any enemy with his katana resulting in instant kills.
Backstory in Overwatch
Here’s Genji’s official backstory and background information straight from Blizzard:
- Real Name: Genji Shimada, Age: 35
- Occupation: Adventurer
- Base of Operations: Shambali Monastery, Nepal
- Affiliation: Shimada Clan (formerly), Overwatch (formerly)
The cyborg Genji Shimada has made peace with the augmented body he once rejected, and in doing so, he has discovered a higher humanity.As the youngest son of the master of the Shimada ninja clan, Genji lived a life of luxury and privilege. He had little interest in the family’s illegal businesses, and although he excelled at and enjoyed his ninja training, he spent most of his time pursuing a playboy lifestyle. Many within the clan considered the carefree Genji to be a dangerous liability, and they resented his father for coddling and protecting him. Following the clan leader’s untimely death, Genji’s older brother, Hanzo, demanded that Genji take a more active role in their late father’s empire. Genji refused, enraging Hanzo. The tension between the brothers built to a violent confrontation that left Genji on the verge of dying.
Hanzo believed that he had killed his brother, but Genji was rescued by Overwatch and the intervention of Dr. Angela Ziegler. The global security force saw Genji as a potential asset in its ongoing operations to combat the Shimada clan. As Genji’s injuries left him clinging to life, Overwatch offered to rebuild his body in exchange for his help. He was put through an extensive process of cyberization, which enhanced his natural speed and agility and augmented his superlative ninja skills. Transformed into a living weapon, Genji single-mindedly set about the task of dismantling his family’s criminal empire.
But as time passed, Genji felt increasingly at war with himself. He was repulsed by the mechanical parts of his body and could not come to grips with what he had become. When his mission was complete, he abandoned Overwatch and wandered the world in search of meaning. He drifted for many years before crossing paths with the omnic monk Zenyatta. Though Genji initially rejected Zenyatta’s wisdom, the benevolent omnic would not be deterred. In time, Zenyatta became his mentor, and under the monk’s tutelage, Genji reconciled his dual existence as both man and machine. He learned to accept that although he had a cyborg body, his human soul was intact, and he came to see his new form as a gift and a unique strength.
Now, for the first time in his life, Genji is free. Even he cannot say where his path will ultimately lead.
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