Blizzard adds Overwatch Damage hero Shion in Season 3

A new villain is joining the roster of the multiplayer shooter Overwatch. The game's developer, Blizzard Entertainment, announced that Shion, an elder of the criminal Hashimoto clan, will be released as a playable Damage-class character on Tuesday, June 16, as part of the launch of Season 3, titled "Into the Tigers Den."

Shion was introduced in an animated trailer that depicts a confrontation with the hero Sojourn on a speeding train in Japan. The trailer shows Shion wielding dual pistols and a cybernetic knife, and she is seen riding a motorcycle, suggesting potential mobility within her gameplay kit. While her specific abilities have not been officially detailed, the footage has led to speculation among players that she may be a close-quarters fighter with capabilities to disrupt enemy abilities, similar to how the knife attack temporarily impairs Sojourn's cybernetic arm in the short film.

The character's design has sparked discussion, as she appears to be an Omnic—a robotic being in the game's universe—but with unusually human-like facial features and expressions. Her voice is electronically modulated, and she speaks through speakers in her neck. In the trailer, Shion...