Interview with kirikokamoris: How Kiriko inspires hope in the Overwatch universe

With the launch of Season 1 and the Reign of Talon, Overwatch has continued to expand its roster of unique heroes. The game now has 50 playable characters, and among them is none other than Kiriko. In an interview with esports.gg, Kiriko enthusiast Vee, also known as kirikokamoris on X, shared her expertise on Kiriko's lore and why the character resonates so strongly with players.

In her interview with esports.gg, Vee shared that she has been a fan of Overwatch since 2017. She recalled that when Kiriko was added to the lore, she loved how the character connected to the Shimada brothers while adding new depth to the franchise.

For context, Asa Yamagami, Kiriko's mother, trained her alongside Genji and Hanzo Shimada. When the Shimada clan’s elders wanted Hanzo to kill Genji, the former carried out the order. This devastated Hanzo so much that he abandoned the clan. Afterwards, the Hashimoto clan took control of Shimada Castle.

Despite being so interconnected with the Shimada brothers, Kiriko is still her own character. Kiriko's hope for a better future, Vee explained, also contrasts Hanzo's feelings of loss and despair.

"She symbolizes the youth of Kanezaka and the people who had to grow up with the consequences of the Hashimoto takeover," Vee said. "She shows that everyone can be a hero. And even when the older generation has given up, there's still hope. This is why I love her so much."

In the short story titled "Where Honor Lives," Hanzo reunited with Kiriko and recalled how she once hung out with him and Genji. Later, Hanzo accepted Kiriko's offer to help protect Kanezaka and her people -- just as her family had served his for centuries.

“Kiriko still believes in the fox spirit,” Vee continued. “Kiriko still has hope in this hopeless situation and she continues to fight. She still believes that there is a future even if the odds are against them."

Another example of how Kiriko represents a better future can be seen via her relationship with her mother. In Kiriko's animated short, Asa admitted she was wrong not to trust Kiriko's belief in the fox spirit. Kiriko also understood that her mother just wanted her to be safe.

"I feel like in a lot of stories where you have a child and a mother who see things differently, you usually have one side that's correct and one side that's wrong," Vee explained. "And one side has to admit that they're wrong and the other accepts the apology. But with Asa and Kiriko, that was not the case. Asa realized that there is still hope. She started actually believing in Kiriko and she apologized for not doing that. But also Kiriko realized that her mother is just worried about her and she's scared because they live in a scary situation. So I like how they met halfway."

To Vee, this mutual understanding shows that one can honor their roots while forging their own path as well.

Speaking of forging one's own path, Kiriko now has a new support ally in Overwatch. As one of the latest heroes added to the roster, Mizuki is from the aforementioned Hashimoto clan. However, he's also part of Kiriko's Yōkai. Toshiro, Kiriko's father, gave Mizuki his anima kusarigama weapon and encouraged him to seek his own place in the world.

Vee told esports.gg that she studied medicine and recently graduated as a doctor as well. She recalled being a Mercy main and said that playing as Kiriko now still reflects her interest in helping others.

When she started playing Overwatch 2, she was drawn to D.Va's fun kit and cleansing ultimates with Kiriko's Protection Suzu. While she was reluctant to play as Moira because of the character's questionable actions, she later saw Moira as an objectively interesting character.

In terms of Vee's favorite Kiriko skins, she loves the DokiWatch collection because she is a fan of the magical girl genre. She's also fond of the Juri and Suki Kiriko skins.

As for parting words, Vee said that she hopes Kiriko and Hanzo will get more of their own storylines before officially joining Overwatch in the lore itself.

"I just think that Kiriko is a very, very sweet girl," Vee added. " I feel like there's a reason that a lot of female players, especially around their early 20s, are drawn to her. She is in this weird, transitional life phase where you have to create your own path, and I feel like a lot of girls that age find that very relatable. I also think it's really cool that there's this character who isn't someone you'd call girly right away when you look at her and not someone I would call a tomboy right away when I look at her."

That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more Overwatch news, interviews, and updates!