Kiriko is the latest support hero added to Overwatch 2, and she’s definitely proven to be a refreshing change of pace. She’s not exactly the easiest character to play, however, and that’s where we come in. Here’s a full guide for Kiriko in Overwatch 2, including a rundown of her abilities, her role in the game compared to other supports, and how to actually play her.
Overwatch 2 Kiriko Abilities
First off, let’s go over her kit. Unlike most other supports in the game, Kiriko is way more mobile and also a little more damage-oriented.
- L-Shift: Swift Step – Teleport directly to an ally, even through walls.
- E: Protection Suzu – Upon impact, allies in the area become briefly invulnerable and are cleansed of most negative effects.
- Ultimate: Kitsune Rush – Summon a fox spirit that rushes forward, accelerating the movement, attack speed, and cooldowns of allies that follow its path.
Her basic left-click ability lets her throw out her Healing Ofuda, which will channel a burst of healing talismans that seek out targeted allies. Her right click lets her throw out kunais, that deal increased critical damage. Finally, Kiriko also has the passive wall climb ability, which allows her to jump at walls and scale them, just like Hanzo and Genji.
Before we move on, it’s also worth noting that her Protection Suzu will cleanse the following abilities:
- Biotic Grenade
- Sleep Dart
- Rampage
- Blizzard
- Earthshatter
- Hack
- Dynamite
All of these abilities are pretty high impact and can stun players for a good while, so being able to time your Protection Suzu is quickly cleanse your teammates to get them back on their feet is critical.
Overwatch 2 Kiriko Strategies
Right off the bat, Kiriko isn’t a great option for beginner support players. She should be considered as one of the more advanced and harder supports to play as, with a very high skill floor and ceiling. With that out of the way, here are some basic strategies to keep in mind while playing as Kiriko in Overwatch 2:
- Be aggressive and always put pressure on your enemies with the kunai.
- But if you’re up against shields and tons of protection, back away to support your teammates as the kunai won’t do much against them.
- Flank the enemy team to put pressure on them, and use Swift Step to quickly teleport back to your team when your foes are focused on you.
- Time your Protection Suzus to counter high impact abilities and ults from the enemy team. You should use this whenever Rein throws down Earthshatter, when Ana hits your team with the Biotic Grenade, or when Mei ults with Blizzard.
- Try to take the high ground at hit enemies from an angle, while also healing all teammates within your line of sight.
- Kitsune Rush doesn’t necessarily need to be used in combination with other ults. It decreases cooldown rates dramatically, and can be effective almost anytime in team fights.
Kiriko Counters and Synergies
Kiriko generally performs best with dive compositions, so teams with Genji, Winston or D.Va, Tracer, and Moira can pair pretty well with her. Dive comps typically specialize in putting a lot of pressure on enemy teams and disrupting their backlines, so Kiriko will fit right in with her mobility as support.
However, you’ll likely find that Kiriko doesn’t perform quite as well against compositions that specialize in long-range attacks and shields. A Widowmaker or Hanzo on the enemy team can make your life hell, as they’re just a bit more mobile to you and can pick off flankers fairly easily.
In addition to that, it’s also important to be mindful of the environment when using Kitsune Rush. The fox’s path will get stopped by any hard walls or obstacles, including Mei’s Ice Wall. Make sure that you’ve got a clean line of sight before pressing Q.
That does it for our Kiriko character guide in Overwatch 2. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more tips and information on the game, including how to use Weapon Charms and Souvenirs.
