Why do Overwatch players ship Mauga and Baptiste together? Yoshi12370 tells all in an exclusive interview with esports.gg.
What compels someone to pair fictional characters together and create their own artwork, stories, cosplays, theories, and even communities about them? Perhaps it’s a voice line, a moment in a comic, or in-game references that show but don’t tell. In yoshi12370’s case, it’s all of this and the tension created by Mauga and Baptiste’s different worldviews in canon. Esports.gg sat down with Yoshi for an interview about how he got into Overwatch, why Mauga and Baptiste are his favorites, and his thoughts on why more players should enjoy the Mautiste pairing.
From Yeehan to Mautiste
In his interview with esports.gg, Yoshi shared that he knew about Overwatch back in 2016, however, didn’t engage with it until 2017. This was all thanks to Yeehan fanart. Not only did artwork of Hanzo and Cassidy spark his interest, but it also led him to watch videos, read fanfiction on Archive of Our Own (AO3), and eventually play the game on the PlayStation 4 (PS4).
“I was diving deep into AO3, fanfiction.net — reading all the stuff on Reaper76, Yeehan, Roadrat. That’s how I really got deep into the fandom,” he said. “And around when Retribution came out, I ended up deep diving into the lore instead of just going to the fandom. Retribution was amazing — I was such a Reaper double-agent theorist. I was reading analyses of everything, and Overwatch became my number one game.”
Mauga and Baptiste in What You Left Behind
Years later, the “What You Left Behind” short story came out. In it, Baptiste tried to stay off the radar as a former Talon agent. However, Mauga tracked him down for a Talon mission. During that mission, Baptiste had to confront his past when things spiraled into violence. In the end, Baptiste saved the target instead of killing him.
“I like you, Baptiste. There’s something special about you. And I didn’t feel like dragging your body all the way back there because you’re damn heavy. Now get going. Just remember — you owe me. Call me when you’re ready to come home.”
“The day I read ‘What You Left Behind’ changed so much,” Yoshi told esports.gg. “When the story came out, I was like, this is really good. And it’s really, really gay. I’m like, am I crazy? Because this really reads like they were more than friends.”
Yoshi recalled re-reading the short story and drawing parallels to the Adora and Catra relationship from She-Ra. After realizing she was working for a questionable organization, Adora left her close friend Catra behind. Catra was devastated and wanted Adora to return. To Yoshi, this made the relationship intense and complicated. It also led Yoshi to share his thoughts online and connect with others who saw Catradora and Mautiste the same way.
“One of the things that I feel a lot of people don’t understand about Mauga, in particular, is everyone sees him as this silly but evil guy,” Yoshi added. “But from his lore and everything, it’s established that he puts on a facade. And even though he acts all amicable and everything, he’s actually extremely cunning to the point that he was able to fool Sombra in his cinematic.”
He continued, “The only person that can really see past his mask is Baptiste. And it was made very clear that he’s the only one that truly understands Mauga. Despite everything, despite Baptiste leaving, Baptiste still cares about Mauga. Their relationship is so complicated. Mauga still wants Baptiste to come back.”
According to Yoshi, what really holds Baptiste and Mauga back is their opposing worldviews. While Baptiste is hopeful and believes it’s never too late to make a difference, Mauga is more nihilistic. It’s this tension and complexity that makes Mautiste compelling.
Mauga, Baptiste, and the power of Overwatch’s storytelling
Mauga and Baptiste are compelling as individual characters as well. That is, the way that the Overwatch team writes about Talon shows how the organization preys on the disenfranchised. As someone shaped by violence and trauma, Mauga is more entrenched in Talon’s ranks and worldview. In contrast, Baptiste represents hope and redemption, believing that, again, it’s never too late to make a difference.
“I do hope that the story does end up exploring that part of him,” Yoshi said, referring to Mauga. “I do hope we get to see more sides of these two in the future.”
In Overwatch, there’s a popular quote said by Dr. Harold Winston that goes, “Never accept the world as it appears to be. Dare to see it for what it could be.” To Yoshi, the Overwatch universe is optimistic and shows that anyone can be a hero and make a difference. Yet even characters who are seen as villains have nuance.
That is, the franchise explores how different characters react to the legacy of Overwatch. It has idealists like Tracer, Winston, and Mei plus more jaded characters like Cassidy, Mercy, and Ana. It also has those who reject Overwatch entirely like Reaper and Moira.
The same events can be interpreted very differently depending on who is telling the story as well, according to Yoshi. An example of this is Ana’s understanding of Soldier: 76 in the Bastet story versus Mercy’s understanding of him in the Valkyrie story. By making motivations unclear and filtered through multiple perspectives, Overwatch encourages fans to piece the truth together.
Now, with the recent updates to Overwatch’s story under Vendetta’s Reign of Talon, Mauga remains a member of the latter organization. He must head to Junkertown and negotiate with Junker Queen. Baptiste, meanwhile, is currently with Overwatch and recovering from Talon’s attack on Watchpoint: Gibraltar. Will Mauga and Baptiste meet each other again? Will a new perspective be revealed? Only time will tell.
The world could always use more queer heroes
In terms of what Yoshi hopes for these characters and the franchise’s future, he would like Overwatch to confirm and add in more queer heroes. Currently, the confirmed LGBTQIA+ heroes are Baptiste, Tracer, Soldier: 76, Lifeweaver, Pharah, and Venture. He also wants fans to engage more deeply with the game’s lore beyond the cinematics.
“I do hope Overwatch adds and confirms more characters as queer,” Yoshi told esports.gg. “I find it very important the way that I related to Baptiste when he was confirmed as bisexual. It was really affirming for me. Overwatch is known as the gay first-person shooter. Blizzard should definitely lean more into that because there are so many queer folks who love the game and see themselves in the game. I feel that Blizzard should embrace that part of their identity and embrace that part of the perception of their game.”
That’s all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more Overwatch interviews, news, and updates!