Overwatch 2 characters are canonically One Punch Man fans, because why not?

Kiriko Terrible Tornado skin victory pose

(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

Blizzard has a canonical reason for why its Overwatch 2 heroes are wearing the upcoming One Punch Man costumes.

Speaking to Xbox Wire, Overwatch 2 art director Dion Rogers said that the characters don't become One Punch Man characters when they use the crossover skins, they're just big fans.

“That’s our approach; that our heroes are basically aware of the anime and are fans too. And they’re cosplaying as the heroes," Rogers said. "So when you see Doomfist wearing the Saitama outfit, he’s a fan too.”

The hero shooter's wall-climbing support character Kiriko will get a skin based on Tatsumaki, or Terrible Tornado. The skin swaps her outfit to black and gives her green hairlike the psychic One Punch Man character.

Overwatch 2 takes place sometime around 2077 and Kiriko is in her early 20s, which suggests One Punch Man fandom held strong for over 60 years in this universe. I would have guessed Neon Genesis Evangelion would be the one to survive that long. Doomfist and Soldier: 76 are much older than Kiriko, so I can see why they would dress up as One Punch Man characters.

Rogers also said that many people on the Overwatch 2 team love One Punch Man, which was what compelled them to chase this collaboration. Doomfist, for example, launched with a voice line that references One Punch Man.

Season 3 has earnable rewards for everyone 🎉📈 Get 5 free Battle Pass tiers by logging in before Feb 14💰 Earn 1500 OW Credits in the free Battle Pass track🔓 Unlock OW1 Skins, now available in the Hero Gallery& so much more! 🚴 pic.twitter.com/a4PKETiLXyFebruary 10, 2023

The Kiriko Terrible Tornado skin will drop with the One Punch Man event on March 7. Her skin will come in a bundle with a profile name card and a victory pose and cost 2,100 Overwatch Coins. Doomfist will get a Saitama skin in the store, and Soldier: 76 will get a Mumen Rider skin that you can earn for free.

Blizzard hasn't revealed a limited time mode for the One Punch Man event yet, but a trailer will debut next week with more details.

Tyler has covered games, games culture, and hardware for over a decade before joining PC Gamer as Associate Editor. He's done in-depth reporting on communities and games as well as criticism for sites like Polygon, Wired, and Waypoint. He's interested in the weird and the fascinating when it comes to games, spending time probing for stories and talking to the people involved. Tyler loves sinking into games like Final Fantasy 14, Overwatch, and Dark Souls to see what makes them tick and pluck out the parts worth talking about. His goal is to talk about games the way they are: broken, beautiful, and bizarre.