Overwatch 2 Genji Guide

The master Shimada Empire, Sojiro Shimada, had two sons in Overwatch 2. The first child Hanzo was dutiful, and as the eldest son, he would soon be the heir to his father’s empire. On the other hand, his younger brother Genji, the second child of Sojiro, grew up to become irresponsible and lived a life of self-indulgence. The lifestyle Genji chose for himself was frowned upon by his clan, protected by his father, who did not mind his behavior, but this only infuriated them more. This article will be a definitive Overwatch 2 Genji guide to help players figure out how to play him and teach readers a little of his lore.

Overwatch 2 Genji Backstory

By the time of Sojiro Shamada’s passing, Hanzo took his place as the rightful heir of the new master of the Shimada empire. Hanzo’s first action as the new head of the clan is to convince Genji to take more responsibility, but Genji refuses. Hanzo was forced to take measures to ensure Genji was not a liability, leading to their fighting. After the battle subsided, Genji was left on the verge of death.

After his near-death experience, Genji is rescued by Overwatch agents and is taken to be healed. Under the care of Dr. Angela Ziegler (Mercy) and with the help of other Overwatch doctors and scientists, they developed cutting-edge technology prosthetics for Genji. These prosthetics enhanced his natural speed as well as his agility and reflexes. It became Genji’s mission to dismantle the Shimada Empire. 

Years later, when the Overwatch was recalled, Genji returned to Japan on the day of his “death” to meet Hanzo, who was unaware of his survival. Hanzo became a mercenary and left the Shimada Empire after he thought he had killed Genji. Genji reveals after their battle that he is his supposed “dead” brother, forgiving him and telling him to pick a side, as a great battle will soon make Hanzo pick a side.

Sometime after Genji confronted his brother, an attack on Paris called upon Tracer, Mei, and Winston. The gorilla scientist Winston was close to sacrificing himself to help Tracer and Mei escape, but to his rescue, Genji swoops in with his sword to defect a giant beam cannon. With the help of other Overwatch members who came to aid them in their battle, Winston announced that Overwatch had returned with Genji in their ranks.

Overwatch 2 Genji Guide: How to Play

Shuriken

A burst of three shurikens, thrown in a straight line or a fan with a rate of fire of 0.88 seconds with maximum ammo of 30 shurikens before reloading for 1.5 seconds. Each shuriken deals 28 damage at the speed of 60 meters per second.

• Tip: Use both fire modes
  • Genji can throw shurikens straight ahead or in a fan; having two modes allows players to either focus their throws or aim at multiple enemies by throwing all three shurikens.

Deflect

With quick lightning strikes of his wakizashi, Genji can deflect projectiles with an area effect of a 1-meter radius. He can only Deflect any projectiles heading in front of him. This ability has a cooldown of 8 seconds.

• Tip 1: Timing
  • Time your deflections to shield yourself from attacks, as this duration only lasts 2 seconds.
• Tip 2: No hesitation
  • With the quick cooldown of 8 seconds, try using Deflect as much as possible.

Swift Strike

Dash forward and strike a deadly slash with Genji’s wakizashi and deal damage to any enemies in your path. With a damage number of 50, a moment speed of 50, and a maximum range of 15 in 0.3 seconds, this ability has a cooldown of only 8 seconds.

• Tip: Precision is key
  • Be sure to aim straight at an enemy, as killing a foe will allow you to use the ability instantly.

Passive

Cyber-Agility is Genji’s Passive; his enhanced body can climb walls and perform jumps in mid-air; this provides excellent player mobility in maneuvering from rooftop to rooftop on the various maps in Overwatch 2.

Ultimate

Genji’s Ultimate Ability, also known as Dragonblade in Overwatch 2, is ultimate, allowing him to brandish his katana for a short time. Each strike on targets within his reach will deliver killing blows for 6 seconds. Dragonblade is one of the most powerful ultimates as it deals 120 to enemy health points with a +30% movement speed buff.

• Tip: Be Quick, Be What They Fear
  • This ultimate can be insanely overpowered, dealing a lot of damage to DPS and Support characters. It may not be powerful enough to take out tanks, but for sure will be the end of other enemies.

Genji Overwatch 2 Playstyle

Genji has the best mobility for DPS characters. Playing as Genji, he can double jump to ledges and climb them. Unlike Tracer having a bob-and-weave type of play, enemies will have to chase you to get a good shot at you.

Using Swift Strike to deal bursts of damage while defending yourself with Genji’s ability to deflect gives the player defensive and offensive abilities. Anything that is not too powerful for Genji will be deflected and can even deal the damage that was supposed to hit you and will be returned to them. Genji is a hyper-aggressive character, and much mastery is involved in becoming the dangerous ninja–the type of character he is. With this guide, hopefully, you can be the deadly cyber ninja that Genji is. Be swift and make sure your strikes are accurate, for your opponents are only pawns, and be what they fear.