Overwatch 2 Kiriko: Role, Abilities & Playstyle

Overwatch 2 launched with some old fan-favorite heroes and some fresh new faces. Heroes are mainly divided into three roles: Support, Tank, and Damage. Kiriko, in Overwatch 2, is a brand-new hero in the support category alongside old faces like Lucio and Ana. Kiriko’s lore also shows her back story with one of the best DPS heroes in Overwatch 2, Genji, and his bother Hanzo.

Kiriko In Overwatch 2

The newest addition to the Overwatch 2 roaster is Kiriko; she is the poster girl for Overwatch 2, and for good reason. She is a ferocious but kind-hearted ninja who protects those unable to defend themselves. Her ninja training alongside Genji and Hanzo, under her mother’s wing, allows her to climb walls and have a precise aim. Meanwhile, her grandmother’s teaching helped her form a bond with the fox spirit.

Kiriko’s Role And Abilities

Her abilities include:

• Wall Climb.
• Healing Ofuda
• Kunai
• Swift Step
• Protection Suzu
• Kitsune Rush

Wall Climb

• Wall climb increases Kiriko’s agility and gives her a movement advantage not available to most heroes in the game.
• With her wall climb ability, you can climb buildings and flank enemy snipers.

Healing Ofuda 

Kiriko’s primary fire in Overwatch 2 is her Healing Ofuda. She shoots homing talismans in bursts of two, tracking her allies after being shot. The Talismans turn yellow when following a target or blue if flying straight. 

• The tracking feature allows you to fire, forget, and focus on the enemy or other teammates.
• Even though the talismans shoot in bursts, you will want to use all ten to get the most out of them.
• The talismans need a line of sight to work and have a medium range.
• Swift Step and Healing Ofuda have the same radius, so you can use the teleport indicator as a guide to know if you are close enough to your allies.

Kunai

Her weapon of choice, the kunai, proves deadly in the hands of a skilled player. While it inflicts low body damage, its 3x headshot multiplier makes Kiriko a formidable hero in duels. Notably, the kunai lacks damage dropoff, enabling precision sniping from behind your tank.

Despite the primary focus on healing and team support, the kunai serves as a potent means of self-defense. Its balanced design aligns well with Kiriko’s support role, allowing you to leverage its capabilities while fulfilling your healing duties.

Swift Step

Swift Step allows you to teleport to teammates after a quick animation. The teleport also cleanses Kiriko of some debuffs and can even be used through walls. You cannot use her teleport if you are under a movement lock, such as Gravitation Surge or Steel Trap. You even gain invulnerability for a swift moment. 

• Moreover, you can use this ability for numerous uses, just aim at an ally who is within range and teleport to them.
• You can use the teleport to get back in fights after respawning or teleport to a teammate on critical health.
• You can use it to escape a losing duel with the enemy or to aid your team in battles.

Protection Suzu 

Another ability in your arsenal is the Protection Suzu. With this ability, you can heal yourself and your allies while making them invulnerable. The healing projectile knocks enemies within its small radius. It rids the heroes of any negative buffs. However, even though you are immune, you are free to deal damage.

Kitsune Rush

Kiriko’s bond with the Kitsune enables her to summon a Fox Spirit, which sprints forward in a straight path, leaving a beneficial trail for Kiriko and her allies.

• The Kitsune Rush ultimate empowers Kiriko and her teammates, boosting speed, damage output, and reducing cooldowns.
• The Fox Spirit’s sprint follows the direction Kiriko faces, covering a short distance. However, caution is advised to prevent the Spirit from vanishing upon hitting any wall, including friendly ones like Ice walls or Cryo-Freeze.

Playstyle Of Kiriko

Best Heroes To Partner With Kiriko

Kiriko is one the best heroes in the game, but she works even better when you combine her with other heroes. Heroes with high DPS are highly effective in their ultimate and can mow down enemy teams. Tanks who are relatively slow but deal heavy damage close-ups pair well with her. You can heal your tank and snipe the enemy while they are distracted.  

Soldier 76

Soldier 76 has one of the highest damage-per-second heroes in the game. His ultimate gives him aimbot plus nonexistent reload time. This could only be made unstoppable by one hero, Kiriko. Combining both ultimates makes Soldier 76 ruthless. He can laser through the whole enemy team without a sweat.

Bastion

Due to Bastion’s ability to turn into a turret and drill through enemy defenses from a range, Bastion works perfectly with Kitsune Rush. Kitsune Rush turns Bastion into a killing machine, literally. He can easily do crowd control and hold back enemies.

Roadhog

Roadhog is a great tank but due to his close-range weapons and abilities has to get a little up-close and personal. The short-range can get him into some tricky situations with no way out. Kiriko helps him not only escape and get his health back, but she can also easily snipe the enemies while he hooks them.

Reinhardt

Reinhardt is an exceptional partner for Kiriko. His shield Provides the perfect cover for her to be protected and move around the team. His ultimate turns the enemies into sitting ducks Kiriko can headshot as much as she likes.

Genji

Kiriko and Genji’s ninja training fosters remarkable synergy. You can climb and teleport after Genji’s dashes, enhancing coordination. Protection Suzu provides Genji crucial support in winning fights and evading enemies.

• Their combined ultimates transform Genji into a swift, lethal assassin.
• Instant two-shots and reduced cooldowns enable effortless navigation through enemy teams.
• This teamwork establishes an unassailable combo, aligning seamlessly with the lore.

My Tips And Experience Using Kiriko

Personally, I would consider Kiriko an S-tier support in Overwatch 2. Her versatility is a huge strength, and she can be played as a traditional healer or as an aggressive support with Kunai and Swift Step. 

On Circuit’s Royale attack, an aggressive Genji threatened my team. I utilized Suzu Protection to shield my teammates from Genji’s Blade and Healing Ofuda to heal them, securing an effortless point capture. On the contrary, while defending Lijiang Tower’s first point, a persistent Sombra hindered my abilities, preventing me from using Suzu Protection or Healing Ofuda. Sadly, my team lost the point due to the lack of support and healing.

Final Words

All and all, Kiriko is one of the best support heroes on the roster. She is the first healer who can escape and deal an immense amount of damage. She will become a must-pick in competitive play when she is finally let in. 

Her ultimate combos are the strongest in the game and can turn the tide in your favor. You should give her a try and focus on making her your main. She is a brand new hero, so most people are unaware of her abilities and how to counter them, making Kiriko one of the best picks at the moment.

Next: Overwatch 2 Pharah