New Overwatch hero Shion was the talk of the game’s community with her initial reveal last week, and much of it had to do with her visual design.
First off, yes, Shion is an Omnic, despite her human-like face, which devs confirmed to me is a mask. Lead narrative designer Miranda Moyer explained in an interview last week that Shion is “very, very heavily modified to have the appearance of more of a human” compared to her fellow Omnics like Zenyatta, Ramattra, B.O.B., or Bastion. And there are reasons for it.
“I think as we saw a little bit in the Mizuki comic, she is someone who has, despite her very clear position of power, she has a lot of baggage and she had to go through a lot to get to where she is today,” Moyer explained. “And I think, as you’ll see with some of her upcoming content, it’s something that’s very much explored in her story, this idea of what this depiction of herself means to her, why she likes suits and motorcycles and all this other stuff. I think it’s something that is definitely incorporated into her grander narrative in a way that I think is super interesting.”
After the reveal, many players questioned why Shion’s face has a sort of idealized feminine design, which follows throughout the rest of her body. According to Moyer, it’s all in the lore which is to come, and the mask-like face is a big part of it. But Shion was described by the devs as a “survivor,” and someone who “had to work her way up to the top.”
“We really, really like what we did with her face in particular,” Moyer said. “The fact that it resembles this mask, I think really speaks to her character and the fact that she’s kind of putting on this performance of what it means to be a human as an Omnic in this very human-heavy world.”
This idea “really spoke to the themes of this season in particular,” Moyer detailed, which is “about finding out the truth of who you are underneath all of these expectations from others.”
“I think Shion is an example of that taken to its very negative extreme,” Moyer said. “And Mizuki, as someone who was raised under the Hashimoto, sort of was brought up to believe that putting on that mask and showcasing yourself as the most extreme and lethal version of yourself is what you need to do. But I think his time with the Yokai has taught him a little bit more about being open and true to who he is.”
Moyer said that the Overwatch team likes the idea of “subverting a lot of archetypes and creating these really interesting characters as a result of them,” and cited the example of Venture as “a new depiction” of an adventurous archaeologist, whereas most would think of someone like Indiana Jones.
“I feel like Shion being this Yakuza boss, being a woman, being an Omnic, these are all things that to us stood out as very cool and interesting subversions of what you would immediately expect, right?” Moyer said. “If you hear John Wick (who devs described as a main inspiration for Shion’s design), you’re like, ‘oh, it’s a cool guy in a suit, and he’s got his two guns.’ And I feel like Shion being a woman, being an Omnic in this world where Omnics are viewed a certain way, I feel like is something that really, really gave us a lot to dig into with her character and really reflects a unique take on the archetype that I really think is interesting in the way that it comes across in-game.”
In the immediate future, Moyer said they’re excited for certain hero interactions that will play out with Shion in the mix, especially when it comes to season three’s narrative with characters converging on Japan to rescue Genji.
“I think the fact that Rammatra has such a very, very clear view on his opinions of Omnics versus humanity and their relationships,” Moyer said. “Seeing someone like Shion, who has so clearly modified herself to resemble what he views as their oppressors, I think, is something that really comes to a head in the way that they discuss these things.”
“I also feel like a lot of Shion’s conversations with some of the other characters in Overwatch are pretty interesting, too,” Moyer continued. “One of my favorites is the way that she interacts with Sojourn. You would expect that after their big fight and Sojourn causing so many problems with her that there would be a lot more animosity. But it’s very, very clear that Shion has, like, a lot of affinity for Sojourn. And she’s very, very cutesy and fun with her, which I think is really, really interesting and creates a great dynamic for them. So, I think there’s quite a bit to look forward to here with all the characters that we’ve sent to Japan to help rescue Genji and then with the Shimada storyline sort of coming to a head here.”
Shion will be playable with tomorrow’s Season 3: Into the Tiger’s Den update in Overwatch, and more of her lore should be coming quickly down the pipeline soon after.
