Article by , VideoGamesTricks.com
Real name: Hanzo Shimada
Age: 38
Profession: mercenary, murderer
Base of operations: Hanamura, Japan (previous)
Affiliation: Shimada Clan
Lifespan: 200
Skills and key points
Hanzo is a very interesting defensive hero, a difficult character to master who can inflict devastating damage. This hero uses only bows and arrows and is able to climb easily in places unattainable for (almost) all other characters, has absolutely unique features and is widely used online (with results very often not exciting in reality). Hanzo is one of the two snipers in Overwatch but there are some very marked differences with Widowmaker that we will analyze in this guide. So let's start, as always, with skill analysis:
- Sonic Arrow: Thanks to this ability Hanzo is able to see all enemies in a rather small area and can prepare himself to hit with his arrows. Allied heroes can also take advantage of the increased field of view of the sonic arrow by moving accordingly, but it's still difficult to make the most of this ability. The range of the arrow is rather short but the duration is certainly satisfactory, our advice is to shoot your dart near a door or corner and then shoot another arrow at a safe shot.
- Treacherous Arrow: Activating this ability causes Hanzo to shoot an arrow that splits into many fragments on impact, inflicting damage to multiple targets in the same area. Of course, you won't kill anyone on impact (except for opponents who are already dying), but it can still be a great ability at certain points in the game. Our advice is to use this ability to flush out hidden opponents and damage large groups of enemies, remember that the angle from which you shoot the arrow strongly affects the direction of the fragments.
- Dragon Assault (super): the most spectacular super of the game, a move that has already become very famous. By activating this skill Hanzo can shoot an arrow that will turn into huge spiritual dragons able to pass through everything and everyone. The enemy heroes hit by your dragons will suffer a lot of damage and in most cases they will die on impact, avoiding this skill over medium distance is quite difficult and doing it while engaging in a one-on-one is virtually impossible. The use of this super does not require a particular precision, dragons have a rather wide range and you can safely limit yourself to shoot your arrow in the area where you believe there are enemies. Be very careful with the inclination of the bow because dragons will not chase enemies and if you shoot the arrow in the sky or on the ground you will not kill anyone. As we have said this super is also able to easily pass through structures, so you can safely shoot it from behind a wall without exposing yourself too much (make sure there is someone to hit obviously). Our advice is not to use the assault of the dragon against a single hero (except in cases of emergency), this skill is too powerful and valuable to be wasted and with a little 'attention you can safely take home even two, three or four kill.
Armament and key points
Hanzo doesn't use firearms. His only means of death is the bow of the storm. This hero has no more fire modes but can load the shot to increase damage and range: an arrow loaded to the maximum shot to the enemy's head almost always causes instantaneous death, but even if you hit the body you will still do enormous damage. Unfortunately, the range of Hanzo's arrows isn't unlimited, so you may find yourself in a bit of a pickle in distance battles with Widowmaker, but on the other hand the reload time (talking about arrows loaded to maximum) is slightly less than the time it takes the other sniper to fire a shot at full power.
Hanzo is a very mobile hero and can climb almost anywhere, this ability is extremely useful for reaching shooter positions and getting out of tricky situations in a short time: during climbing you are not invulnerable and you can't use weapons or skills, so pay attention to the surrounding areas.
The best supports for Hanzo are in our opinion Mercy (able to further increase an already very high damage) and Zenyatta (able to inflict globes of discord on opponents giving you easy kills). This hero can easily get rid of all the tanks in the game with two or three arrows and is able to take down Bastion without too many problems. Obviously you'll suffer against particularly mobile characters like Tracer or Genji but with the right skill you'll be able to take them down too. In our opinion Hanzo is a great fighter for long distance, if you find someone at close range your only hope is to kill him with an arrow (maybe already loaded) before he can hit you. This hero also suffers a lot against Reaper, a character who can easily transport himself behind him and kill him with a few shots.
Summing up we can say that Hanzo is a very difficult character to use that can change the fate of the game in an instant, his super is devastating (among the best in the game) but it takes a lot of practice to master the bow. Our advice is not to give up: at first you'll have a hard time, but after a while you'll see that great satisfaction will come.
