The new Overwatch skin for the Anniversary event makes Hanzo look like a fool – at least if you’re fluent in Japanese.
Japanese is certainly one of the most difficult languages in the world. The various characters, which come from different systems, can be quite confusing for outsiders. When a developer designs a special skin for Overwatch that includes Japanese characters, they should definitely have it checked by a native speaker – or shouldn’t they?
The Japanese fans are not too fond of Hanzo’s “Cyber Ninja” skin. The reason for this is that there are some characters on the strap of his quiver. Literally translated, they mean “arrow” – but not in the way Blizzard intended. It’s not about the arrow that a bow would fire, but rather an arrow, like a road marking, a directional sign. No wonder fans are now mocking the skin.
Japanese people wonder: Why does Hanzo have the character for directional arrow on his strap? It makes absolutely no sense.
A mistake like this has happened to Blizzard in the past, making the situation even more embarrassing. In the cinematic “Dragons,” the backstory of Hanzo and Genji, Hanzo kneels on the floor of his shrine. On the wall scroll, it literally says “Dragon head, snake tail” – but Japanese people don’t read it literally, instead, they interpret it as “disillusionment.” Probably not what Blizzard intended to convey.
All good things come in threes – so it will be interesting to see what blunder happens next time.
Whether Blizzard will change the skin retrospectively is still uncertain. However, it seems likely that they will accommodate the fans here – or simply wait it out until it becomes a meme itself. We will see.
Mein-MMO thinks: This whole situation is reminiscent of the cliché tattoos with Japanese wisdom that some people have tattooed on their bodies. Sometimes it just says “Sweet and sour chicken” or “Ramen with mushrooms” – sometimes it would indeed be better to have such things checked in advance if you’re not fully familiar with a language. But hey… somehow this fits the stereotype of the “Hanzo main” perfectly, doesn’t it?
By the way, the Overwatch developers are into anime – check out Mei’s dance and its origin!
