Overwatch 2 Canon Ages Have Messed Up the Game's Lore
Overwatch 2 has continued to frustrate gamers due to underwhelming gameplay, a lack of replayable PvE content, and the new paid battle pass system (among many other things). But one thing that has kept players coming back time and time again is the colorful cast of heroes and the Overwatch lore.
Overwatch lore has continued to be a selling point of the controversial FPS, with gamers falling in love with the fleshed-out heroes and their touching backstories, portrayed through game modes, voice lines, and short animations. But a recent addition to the lore has actually caused a lot of issues with the game’s timeline, frustrating a lot of fans.
Heroes in #Overwatch2 now have canon birthdays and ages 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/3CvU1WbEUB
— Overwatch Cavalry (@OWCavalry) September 7, 2023
Here are the most confusing confirmed ages that have broken the game’s timeline and lore.
Kiriko’s Much Too Young, Genji and Hanzo Too Old
Kiriko is one of the newest heroes on the roster and many fans have really enjoyed learning about her touching and emotional backstory, which includes training alongside Hanzo and Genji before the Hashimoto clan kidnapped her father and destroyed her village.
But it’s now been revealed that Kiriko is 21, Genji is 37 and Hanzo is 40. This age gap not only doesn’t make logical sense but has also made official artwork and animations no longer accurate.
assuming Kiriko is like 5-6 here, OW really wants you to believe Genji is 23 years old and Hanzo is 26 in this photo pic.twitter.com/9biuFzCLal
— FIRE BILLY (@zackkoeck_) September 8, 2023
Mercy Might Be a Little Too Young
The Overwatch community is a bit torn on Mercy’s confirmed age, which is 39. Some are confused because Mercy was around when Overwatch was initially founded, along with Reinhardt and Torbjorn, who are 63 and 59. Was Mercy really only 17 or 18 when she joined Overwatch?
Other people pointed out that this age would mean Mercy and Pharah are five years apart. But a photo of the founding Overwatch members shows Mercy looking like she’s late teens, early 20s and Pharah looks like a very young child.
A lot of Overwatch players just feel Mercy should be more around 50 but it can be argued that 39 makes sense if she truly got involved while she was a teenager.
These two aren’t 5 fucking years apart pic.twitter.com/WsRgsqZrQf
— clairevoyant262.bsky.social (@transgoofball) September 8, 2023
Sojourn’s Age Creates a Lot of Problems For Her Sister
Sojourn’s new confirmed age is 47. This changes not only the super soldier's timeline a bit, but her twin sister’s. It’s said that Valentine Chase, her twin sister, had a five-year-old daughter by the time Sojourn joined Overwatch when the Omnic Crisis began. This age would mean that Valentine had a child when she was as young as 12 to 14, which shocked fans.
Winston and Hammond Are Old AF
A lot of fans were alarmed to find out that Winston is 31 since gorillas only live to be 35 to 40 years old. On the other hand, Hammond is 16 when hamsters live, well, two to three years. A lot of people found these ages a bit confusing although others pointed out that the two animals were heavily modified. It’s unclear if their ages reflect human ages, meaning Hammond is just a teenager and Winston is a young adult.
Olivia is a long-time esports journalist and editor who covers just about every game but has a deep love for the FGC. Her goal is to find community-driven stories that bring a new perspective to the esports scene. In the past, she has worked for Team Liquid, Rogue, Inven Global, Dot Esports, Upcomer, and more. Outside of esports, Olivia enjoys Kirby, Pokemon TCG, Fallout, and writing science fiction. She can be found trying out new foods, traveling, or hanging out with her two orange cats. Fun fact: Olivia can do some video game and cartoon impressions!