Genji Overwatch 2 – Everything you need to know

Overwatch 2 is a team-based first-person shooter that lets players pick from a large roster of 35 different heroes. Each hero has their own special personality, playstyle, abilities, and even weapons. In addition to each hero being unique, they all fall into one of 3 different roles. These roles include: tanks who defend their team from damage, supports that heal their team and DPS that deals massive damage to the enemy. Each role has its own unique place on a team. Genji is a DPS hero that is a cybernetic ninja that is quick and nimble and is able to dish out punishing damage quickly. Here is everything that players need to know about Genji in Overwatch 2.

Who is Genji in Overwatch 2?

In Overwatch 2, Genji is a cybernetic ninja that is able to move swiftly across the battlefield. Not only does he have a lot of mobility, but he is able to block incoming attacks with lightning speed, and even strike down his foes with a large katana. For those that are looking for a hero that can deliver swift justice, Genji is a great choice. 

Genji’s abilities remain largely unchanged for Overwatch 2, even though he did receive a cosmetic makeover. This means players returning from Overwatch will feel right at home, though those picking him up for the first time will have a bit of a learning curve. However, in the right hands, after learning his abilities, players will be able to fly across the battlefield and strike fear into the heart of their foes as they rush towards victory.

Note: You can read about all of the Overwatch 2 characters here.

Rework to damage dealing heroes in Overwatch 2

A lot has changed for team compositions in Overwatch 2. The most glaring change of all is the reduction in team size from 6 players to 5. What this means is that each team will now have one less tank. Because of this, all roles were given special passive abilities to compensate for having one less tank on their team. For DPS characters, this passive ability is a 25% movement speed increase and reload speed buff on eliminating a player. This buff lasts a few seconds and consecutive eliminations will not stack the buff but will reset the timer. For Genji, this buff is huge as he is already a very mobile hero and this further enhances that ability.

Genji’s abilities in Overwatch 2

While Genji did get a cosmetic overhaul, he is basically the same character he was in the original Overwatch. Because of this, he will play the same way, which means using his abilities to get in and out of engagements quickly. As a flanking hero, his strength lies in moving from target to target swiftly. When he catches players off guard, he can make short work of them before swiftly moving on to the next one. Using this method, players can easily slash their way to a win for their team.

Cyber Agility

As a cyber ninja, Genji possesses an incredible amount of agility. This grants him Cyber Agility, which lets him climb on walls and double jump. This can be used to be extremely mobile, which can be used to move between targets, evade fire, or simply surprise enemies by coming from unexpected angles. This is a passive ability and very integral to the flanking nature of Genji’s kit.

Shuriken

As a ninja, Genji has access to a lot of Shurikens. In the primary fire mode, Genji will throw one Shuriken at his enemies. As a thrown weapon, it acts as a projectile. He can hold up to 30 Shurikens at once and will need to reload for 1.5 seconds either manually or when running out of reserves.

In addition to throwing one Shuriken with his primary fire, he can also throw 3 of them at once using his secondary fire method called Fan of Blades. This makes it so each shot consumes 3 ammo, but will throw 3 Shurikens at once in a spread pattern. This makes it easy to hit multiple enemies at once, or the same enemy multiple times at close ranges. It still travels in the same projectile pattern. It should also be noted that even if Genji has less than 3 Shurikens remaining in reserves, he will still throw 3 of them at once when using Fan of Blades.

Swift Strike

When using this ability, Genji will dash forward and strike at enemies with his sword for 50 damage. If he eliminates an enemy using this ability, it will let him use it again instantly. This can cause him to be able to rapidly eliminate many lower-health enemies. If he does not eliminate an enemy, it will trigger the default cooldown of 8 seconds. This ability can also be used not just for damage, but for added mobility in a pinch as well.

Reflect

As a defensive ability, Reflect can have serious consequences for Genji’s foes. When this ability is used, any projectiles that strike him from the front will be reflected back towards the enemy. This effect lasts 2 seconds, and any projectiles reflected will count as damage coming from Genji himself. This means that timed properly, players can defeat other heroes using their own bullets. This ability has a cooldown of 8 seconds.

Dragonblade

As Genji’s Ultimate Ability, Dragonblade is a powerful tool that lets Genji unsheath a large blade called the Dragonblade. This is his katana, and each swing of it can deal a devastating 110 damage per strike. Not only does it deal massive damage, but each strike sends him lunging forward, and he gains a 30% movement speed buff allowing him to chase down almost any hero in the game with ease. Though Genji cannot use ranged attacks during this ability, he can swiftly strike down any target with just a few swings and should aim to get into the thick of things quickly to make short work of entire enemy teams.

Tips for using Genji in Overwatch 2

As a flanking character, Genji excels in moving from location to location to catch players off guard. He can engage comfortably at mid-range with his shurikens and finish off any fleeing or low-health enemies using a quick slash from his blade. These skills combined allow him to flow through the match taking out the enemy team in style. Though he is not the fastest hero on the battlefield by any means, he does have some mobility, but he can be outclassed or outranged by faster characters.

For survivability, players can use Deflect and hit enemies with their own weapons for massive damage. In addition, when his ultimate is ready, he can decimate an entire team with just a few swings of his Dragonblade.

Pick Genji and slice into victory in Overwatch 2

Genji is not the most nimble character in the game, but he certainly can get around. Using his ninja reflexes and skills, he is able to cut down any low-health players quickly. In addition, he brings the ability to quickly move from fight to fight and finish off any lone players that may be caught out of position. Players who want to get the feeling of being a cyber ninja should try out Genji and slice their way into a win in Overwatch 2.