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    Phantom Thieves Thwarted: No Persona 5 in Overwatch 2

    The highly anticipated crossover between Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 and Persona 5 is finally here! The developers officially revealed the five collaborative skins yesterday. As is typical within the Overwatch community, the reactions have been diverse. With a large roster of 44 heroes, pleasing everyone is a difficult task. It can be frustrating for players when their preferred characters consistently miss out on new cosmetic items. This issue is particularly noticeable when Overwatch 2 seems to prioritize certain characters with each event or partnership. While Kiriko, a support hero often considered the poster child for this imbalance, didn’t receive a Persona 5 skin, some fans remain unhappy. Their concerns center on heroes like Genji and Mercy receiving perceived favoritism or disappointment that some seemingly perfect character pairings didn’t happen.

    Surprisingly, the Genji as Ryuji skin has become a focal point of debate. While Genji’s inclusion aligns with his status as one of Overwatch 2‘s Japanese heroes and his katana’s potential parallel to Yusuke’s sword, the choice of Ryuji is puzzling to some. Ryuji, the energetic track star from Persona 5, is often seen as the team’s tank, using blunt melee weapons like bats. In this skin, Genji’s katana is replaced with Ryuji’s signature lead pipe, which some feel is an awkward replacement and doesn’t translate well into Genji’s slashing ultimate ability.

    This decision is further questioned, as some fans felt that Junkrat, the grenade-launching damage hero sometimes overlooked, would have been a more logical fit for the Ryuji skin. Many fans hoped for Junkrat to receive the Ryuji treatment. They cite his blond hair, shared leg injuries resulting in a limp, and Ryuji’s comedic personality as reasons why Junkrat would have been perfect.

    Adding to the discussions, D.Va’s skin, themed after Makoto, the student council president, is also creating controversy. While the mech’s design, inspired by Johanna, Makoto’s Persona, is appreciated by some, other Overwatch 2 enthusiasts believe Futaba would have been a more appropriate fit for D.Va. Futaba, a support character in Persona 5, is a self-proclaimed recluse with strong online presence. Her character often uses gamer jokes and memes. Since D.Va’s background involves being a professional gamer turned mech pilot, the parallels between the two characters are clearly evident. The fact that Futaba pilots her own Persona like a mech adds to the similarities. However, some fans have defended the selection of Makoto’s design, citing that adapting Johanna’s design for D.Va’s mech was an interesting creative choice.

    Prior to the official reveal, many fan-generated ideas circulated online. One suggestion was Ashe getting Ann’s Rose themed skin, another was Juno dressing up as Haru, based on their shared voice actors. Ultimately, the prolonged anticipation created by Blizzard’s teasers allowed fans’ imaginations to run wild, leading to inevitable disappointment when the actual collaboration was revealed. These feelings are compounded by existing perceptions of favoritism. The Ryuji Junkrat concept, in particular, appears to be a widespread source of disappointment, seen by many as a missed opportunity.

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