Anran appears to be Overwatch 2’s next hero after audio tease and datamines

Kotaku reports Blizzard appears to be teasing Anran as the next hero for Overwatch 2 after releasing a short audio drama and fans datamined voice files that seem to contain her ultimate line.

Anran is described as a fire-wielding hero and the older sister of Wuyang; Blizzard showed footage of the two fighting Omnic soldiers in the audio drama, and players found Echo voice lines that replicate what looks like Anran’s ultimate. She was also seen in Wuyang’s promo trailer and appears light on her feet and offense-oriented rather than resembling the game’s usual bulky, brawling tanks.

That quick move up the hero queue likely means another tank was skipped: 2025 passed without a new tank, with Blizzard instead releasing one support (Wuyang) and two damage heroes (Freja and Vendetta), leaving some tank mains frustrated. Some fans have also criticised new characters as being “made for skin sales” and said the game has shown favoritism toward east Asian heroes’ skins; Blizzard briefly faced backlash over a perceived shift from “oddball” heroes to “aspirational” ones, then said oddities remain important and that such a character is in the works. I guess we’ll see them sometime after Anran, who all evidence points to being the next new hero joining in a future season.

Key Topics

Culture, Anran, Wuyang, Echo, Blizzard Entertainment, Omnic Soldiers