Overwatch Heroes: Race, Nationality, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

J Walsh
3 min readOct 15, 2023

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Overwatch is a popular multiplayer first-person shooter game that features a diverse and inclusive cast of playable characters, or heroes. Each hero has a unique backstory, personality, and abilities that make them stand out from the rest. In this article, we will explore the race, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation of each of the heroes in Overwatch, as well as some of the LGBTQIA characters in the game’s lore.

Race and Nationality

Overwatch heroes represent six of the seven continents and various ethnicities and cultures. Here is a list of the heroes and their race and nationality:

  1. Ana — Egyptian
  2. Ashe — American (Caucasian)
  3. Baptiste — Haitian
  4. Bastion — Robot (Swiss origin)
  5. Brigitte — Swedish
  6. Cassidy — American (Caucasian)
  7. D.Va — Korean1
  8. Doomfist — Nigerian1
  9. Echo — Robot (Singaporean origin)
  10. Genji — Japanese
  11. Hanzo — Japanese
  12. Junkrat — Australian
  13. Junker Queen — Australian
  14. Kiriko — Japanese
  15. Lifeweaver — Thai (Pansexual)
  16. Lucio — Brazilian
  17. Mei — Chinese
  18. Mercy — Swiss
  19. Moira — Irish
  20. Orisa — Robot (Nigerian origin)
  21. Pharah — Egyptian
  22. Ramattra — Thai
  23. Reaper — American (Latino)
  24. Reinhardt — German
  25. Roadhog — New Zealand (Maori)
  26. Sigma — Dutch
  27. Sojourn — Canadian
  28. Soldier: 76 — American (Caucasian)
  29. Sombra — Mexican
  30. Symmetra — Indian
  31. Torbjörn — Swedish
  32. Tracer — British
  33. Widowmaker — French
  34. Winston — Gorilla (Moon origin)
  35. Wrecking Ball — Hamster (Australian origin)
  36. Zarya — Russian
  37. Zenyatta — Robot (Nepalese origin)

Gender and Sexual Orientation

Overwatch heroes also have diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, ranging from straight to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and non-binary. Here are the heroes and their gender and sexual orientation:

  1. Ana — Female (Straight)
  2. Ashe — Female (Straight)
  3. Baptiste — Male (Bisexual)
  4. Bastion — Robot (N/A)
  5. Brigitte — Female (Straight)
  6. Cassidy — Male (Straight)
  7. D.Va — Female (Straight)
  8. Doomfist — Male (Straight)
  9. Echo — Robot (Non-binary)
  10. Genji — Male (Straight)
  11. Hanzo — Male (Straight)
  12. Junkrat — Male (Unknown)
  13. Junker Queen — Female (Straight)
  14. Kiriko — Female (Straight)
  15. Lifeweaver — Male (Pansexual)
  16. Lucio — Male (Unknown)
  17. Mei — Female (Unknown)
  18. Mercy — Female (Straight)
  19. Moira — Female (Unknown)
  20. Orisa — Robot (N/A)
  21. Pharah — Female (Lesbian)
  22. Ramattra — Male (Unknown)
  23. Reaper — Male (Straight)
  24. Reinhardt — Male (Straight)
  25. Roadhog — Male (Unknown)
  26. Sigma — Male (Straight)
  27. Sojourn — Female (Unknown)
  28. Soldier: 76 — Male (Gay)
  29. Sombra — Female (Bisexual)
  30. Symmetra — Female (Autistic/Asexual)
  31. Torbjörn — Male (Straight)
  32. Tracer — Female (Lesbian)
  33. Widowmaker — Female (Bisexual)
  34. Winston — Gorilla (N/A)
  35. Wrecking Ball — Hamster (N/A)
  36. Zarya — Female (Unknown)
  37. Zenyatta — Robot (N/A)

LGBTQIA Characters in Overwatch Lore

Apart from the playable heroes, there are also several LGBTQIA characters in the Overwatch lore, such as:

  • Emily: Tracer’s girlfriend who was introduced in a 2016 comic.
  • Vincent: Soldier: 76’s ex-boyfriend who was revealed in a 2019 short story.
  • Lynx Seventeen: A hacker omnic who has a crush on Zarya in a 2017 comic.
  • Mauga: A Talon heavy assault unit who is confirmed to be gay by the lead writer Michael Chu.

Conclusion

Overwatch is a game that celebrates diversity and inclusion in its characters and stories, making it appealing to a wide range of players and fans around the world.

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J Walsh

Technology and gaming are my passions. I love to create, explore, and learn new things in both domains.