Since the world entered the digital age, news travels at lightning speed. Whether someone passes away, gets married, or even if someone across the globe is just picking their nose—we know about it within minutes. This is a far cry from the past, when news could take days to reach us. In this interconnected era, media outlets receive instant feedback on their work, both positive and negative.
The gaming industry is no exception. Recently, Overwatch officially unveiled five new characters for the upcoming season, as we previously reported. However, in less than a day, a wave of criticism hit. Fans pointed out that Anran's in-game model doesn't quite match her appearance in the cinematic anime shorts released earlier. Furthermore, her facial structure bears such a striking resemblance to Kiriko and Juno that some have started joking, "Anran is just a Kiriko skin, not a new hero." Let’s dive deeper into this story
This story has become a hot topic across various platforms, from Reddit to X and Facebook. Gaming communities are buzzing about how Anran—the older sister of Wuyang Ye—lacks a distinct and interesting identity. Fans first caught a glimpse of her in Wuyang Ye's animated short, leading many to speculate that she would eventually join the Overwatch roster. After all, the cinematic ended with her receiving an official invitation to join the team (we’ve embedded the video below for those who missed it).
The primary reason for the backlash is her lackluster design. Many players feel she lacks originality, appearing more like a "kitbash" of Kiriko and Juno. By tweaking a few details here and there, the result feels less like a brand-new hero and more like a high-end skin for Kiriko or Juno.
Some fans commented, "The 'same-face syndrome' is annoying enough, but the real disappointment is that she looks nothing like the previous official artwork of Anran. Everything, right down to her hairstyle, feels off—it's like she’s a completely different person. What’s ironic is that in Emre’s case, they were redesigning a 10-year-old concept with actual lore to back it up. But here, they’ve drastically changed a character who was introduced only six months ago!"
Looking back, if anyone remembers when Wuyang Ye was first revealed, his concept art also differed from his in-game model. However, in that case, the adjustments were made to make him look older and more mature, which fans actually embraced. In contrast, Anran has undergone a "reverse-aging" transformation; her in-game face looks significantly younger than her original debut, and that is exactly what fans are struggling to accept
Another thread questioned, "I wonder if they'll actually change her face if the backlash gets loud enough? Her silhouette feels a bit bland, but I doubt they can do much about her body shape now. Still, swapping a face model shouldn't break the rest of the game's systems, right?"
Some took a more analytical approach, suggesting: "This is what happens when departments (or outsourced artists) aren't given clear briefs and fail to stay on the same page. The result is a total disconnect. It's not necessarily the artists' fault—it's poor management, likely just following whatever marketing thinks is 'safer' or more marketable."
Meanwhile, others kept it blunt: "They literally just took a Juno skin and tweaked it into Anran."
However, some threads offer a glimmer of hope. One popular post by user u/illidormorn, which garnered over 2,900 upvotes, recalled: "Remember when we first saw Sojourn’s in-game model? Her face was such a mess it looked like they just tweaked Doomfist’s face. But in the end, they fixed it." He added, "Maybe there’s still time for them to polish the new characters' faces."
Another perspective drew a parallel to a famous pop-culture moment. User u/rilleryeah posted a comment that earned over 1,900 likes, stating: "The internet once bullied a major movie studio into changing a character's face (Sonic), so we can definitely do the same with Overwatch." They concluded with a plea: "Please, stop making every new female hero look like a literal child."
So, what do you think about this situation? Is it time for Blizzard to head back to the drawing board?
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