Overwatch wants to show the world how it could be, and not how it is. But with the latest hero, they are failing. Even the voice actress speaks up.
The latest hero in Overwatch 2 – which will soon just be called Overwatch again – is quite hot because she plays with fire. But aside from that, her appearance does not match what was previously seen in cinematics and other media. Her face is currently a major point of criticism in the community and has been the subject of ongoing discussions for days. Even the voice actress behind Anran, the streamer Fareeha, has now spoken out and clearly states: The community should express what they do not like, because the developers are listening.
What is the problem with Anran’s face? After Overwatch 2 brought the latest hero Anran to the live servers as part of a spontaneous playtest, it didn’t take long before there was some criticism. However, this was not due to her abilities, but to her appearance. Especially her face is being harshly criticized.
The problem here is that it does not correspond at all to her previous design, which had already been seen in comics and cinematics. In those, she had a slightly more angular chin and a clearly defined nose – both of which have disappeared in her in-game design, making her face look almost identical to that of Juno and Kiriko, who conform very much to the “typical” Asian beauty ideal. This is also referred to as the Same Face Syndrome.
The face does not match what Anran actually is
What did the voice actress say? In the Overwatch subreddit, the voice of Anran, the streamer Fareeha, spoke out. She shared her view of the situation and explained that she also “misses the Anran” that had emerged in the cinematics and comics, but was lost when translating into a game character. The current design does not match her personality or what she actually embodies:
This is a look that does not match her personality. She looks like the younger sibling. She looks tame and gentle. Somehow, as a fire heroine, she looks gentler than the gentlest, peacekeeping support heroine in the game.
I have seen all your redesigns and secretly bookmarked them. But I wanted you to hear this: These concerns are important. This is a fight worth having. Worth discussing. Because I believe that the more we speak out about the things that really matter to us, the more we see these things reflected in the world around us – the more we see our values reflected in the world around us.
Later she explained that she had shared all of this with the developers as well. They encouraged her to be completely honest and voice all the criticism she has. Therefore, it seems that the issue is also important to the developers – after all, Overwatch is now known for having a lot of heroines and heroes that do not correspond to the more “traditional” beauty ideal of their respective cultures and thus often appear interchangeable.
It is not my position to decide what can and cannot be done. But I want you to know that I am addressing this issue, hoping that we will see the version [of Anran] that we all wish for. And I want you to do the same. With courage. With kindness. With hopium.
Because Overwatch is not an exploration of how the world is. It is an exploration of how the world could be. Right?
Within just a few hours, the post had already gathered over 7,000 upvotes – clearly resonating with the player base.
The community gives her support: In the community, Fareeha’s statement is being received quite well. Most fans are glad that she apparently has a direct line to the developers and can voice their concerns. Some of the comments include:
- “Dude, she backed up all her points with the way she approached this. Just wow. She is her own PR team.” – insomniaLetMeSleep
- “I wouldn’t expect any changes in the short term, but it’s good to know that the voice actors have a direct line to the developers. I hope they listen to her and the community.” – nath999
- “I wouldn’t be surprised if Anran’s face was simply a management decision and had little to do with the developers who created her. So it’s nice to see that the voice actress also joins in on the concerns.” -spinningmous
Ultimately, most people agree that it will not be possible to change Anran’s face before the full release in a few days. If the developers really decide to make changes, it will likely take several weeks or months to see such changes.
Aside from this controversy, Overwatch is currently experiencing a surge – and that is due to 3 decisions that Blizzard has made.
