How to play against Kiriko in Overwatch 2

The early access for Overwatch 2 has officially arrived, allowing players across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch to dive into the evolution of the game in a new five-vs-five format.

Alongside the release of the highly-anticipated title is the addition of three new heroes to the game: Sojourn, Junker Queen, and Kiriko. Players were able to try Sojourn and Junker Queen during the two betas for Overwatch 2, but Kiriko was only recently revealed, making this the first time players can test the interesting abilities of the new Japanese support hero.

As part of the new battle pass structure, Kiriko will be locked behind tier 55 of the free battle pass or awarded to players for free for purchasing the premium battle pass. Owners of the original Overwatch will get Kiriko added to their accounts for free without grinding the battle pass, though this will only apply to her and not future heroes.

With a lot of utility spread throughout her kit, it may be difficult for players to figure out a way around Kiriko at first. Here are some of the most efficient ways to deal with an enemy Kiriko.

How to play against Kiriko in Overwatch 2

As a support hero, Kiriko’s main talent is healing her allies and providing them with various buffs. With so much utility, her damage is one of the lowest in the game. Her kunais deal minimal damage outside of headshots, which are on a three-times multiplier. Her kunais are also rather small, requiring precise hits to land headshots.

Therefore, players should not be too concerned with how much damage they’ll take from Kiriko, as long as they move sporadically. Heroes like Pharah, Hanzo, and Widowmaker can make quick work of Kiriko from a safe distance, while more up-close hitscan heroes like Cassidy and Ashe need to be aware of other distractions to prevent them from removing the support hero from the map.

Kiriko’s Protection Suzu is her kit’s crux and allows her to protect multiple allies simultaneously. It’s best to bait out this ability with a barrage of normal attacks and abilities rather than waste ultimates waiting for Kiriko to use it since the invincibility field will completely nullify any damage and cleanse debuffs.

Players should also note that Kiriko has great mobility in the form of both her wall climb and teleportation via Swift Step, allowing her to almost always get out of a bad situation. If she isn’t around an ally, she can’t use Swift Step, which greatly reduces her chance of escape.

Her ultimate, Kitsune Rush, provides any ally that goes through the small area with a buff to their movement speed and attack speed. Since this is a team-wide effect, players should counter with any shielding they can muster, whether it’s from Reinhardt or Sigma, or even retaliate with their own invincibility from Kiriko or Baptiste. The ultimate effect doesn’t last long, but its buffs are enough for a team to completely change the outcome of a fight.