Aside from a few events, Blizzard has been relatively silent about Overwatch as development ramps up on its sequel. But it now appears as though the developer has started its Overwatch 2 new hero tease campaign by dumping a fair bit of lore out onto the internet concerning a character named Asa. And this isn’t random either since BlizzCon 2021 is quite close, meaning that Blizzard is likely starting to lay the groundwork for its online event next month.
Overwatch 2 New Hero | Who is Asa?
[CORRESPONDENCE] As winter leads to spring, let me write a letter of lightness. Perhaps it will grant us both a little peace, even as I turn my blade to keeping the peace here from shattering altogether. – Asa
📨 https://t.co/ZjcmZZcCI7 pic.twitter.com/HoKTQoN1Oe
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) January 11, 2021
The official Overwatch Twitter account tweeted out a link from a letter written by a character named Asa to someone named Toshiro Yamagami. It’s a mysterious and poetic note that appears to say that Toshiro is a blacksmith of some sort and that his family misses him. It also appears to give context to the upcoming free-for-all deathmatch map in Japan called Kanezaka (which she reference by name) that sits below the castle in Hanamura, which Overwatch players might recognize from one of the launch set of maps.
Blizzard is trying to tie all of this lore to the new map coming to the game as Asa speaks plainly about the castle that is “overlooking [her] city.” Lead Designer Jeff Kaplan talked about this map in the most recent Developer Update where he said that the team littered Easter eggs throughout it, saying it has contextual storytelling and “payoff that going to come in Overwatch 2.” He then went on to say that players will learn more about Hanzo and Genji as well as other people that “relate to that group.” Asa and Toshiro sound like they might in that “other people” crowd.
Asa sounds like she is some of sword-wielding character, as evidenced by her saying that she “soul longed for the sword” and that she “excelled at kenjutsu,” which is the general name for Japanese swordsmanship. She also says that Toshiro and her were “two who make and wield the sword,” further giving even more credence to both his and her implied backgrounds. Some have even guessed that she was Genji and Hanzo’s swordmaster and others have speculated that Asa’s daughter will actually be the playable hero since the letter opens with Toshiro giving the daughter a gift, which could have been a blade.
It is likely that Blizzard will divulge more at BlizzConline 2021 next month. The digital-only event is scheduled for February 19 and February 20.
