Hanzo Shimada
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Hanzo Shimada aka Hanzo |
| Occupation: | Hier to Shimada Clan (formerly) |
| Relationships: | Genji Shimada (Brother) |
| Fandom: | Overwatch |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Hanzo Shimada, also known as Hanzo is a playable character from Overwatch, a first-person shooter game by Blizzard.
Canon
Hanzo is the older brother of Genji Shimada. He was the heir to the Shimada clan, a family of assassins. When his father died, he was instructed to take on the position of ruler of the clan, and to straighten out his wayward brother Genji. When Genji refused, Hanzo was forced to kill him - however unbeknownst to him, Genji narrowly survived.[1]
Heartbroken by his actions, Hanzo left the Shimada clan and now travels the world in an attempt to regain his honour.[2]
In the Overwatch animated short Dragons, Hanzo visits Hanamura to grieve his brother's death as he does every year. This year, however, Genji confronts him and reveals himself to Hanzo.
It is not known whether Hanzo has had any contact with Overwatch except through Genji.
Fanon
A common fan trope is to show Hanzo and Genji interacting normally despite their canon relationship. These tropes also tend to include Hanzo being a part of Overwatch, working alongside genji.
Another common trope in fanart is to portray his blue spirit dragons as noodles, dogs or cats.[3]
Alternate universe fanfiction and fanart frequently stem from Hanzo's in-game skins. These include a Demon skin, and skins that portray him as a young adult. He is also often portrayed as a Dragon, stemming from in-game symbolism, or as a mermaid.
The most popular fanfiction in the Overwatch fandom, Hang the Fool, features Hanzo as a main character.
Common tropes and headcanons include:
- Hanzo having unrealistically skinny 'chicken legs'[4]
- Hanzo having prosthetic legs[5][6]
- Hanzo being romantically cold or awkward
Shipping
The juggernaut ship involving Hanzo is McCree/Hanzo, generally called 'McHanzo'. This ship quickly gained popularity after Overwatch's release, and is now by far the largest ship in the fandom. Some fans hypothesize that its popularity is due to the strong 'opposites attract' aspect, as Hanzo is symbolic of the east and Jesse is symbolic of the west.
While there are very few other ships including Hanzo, there is a small incest ship between Hanzo and his brother Genji is known as Shimadacest. This ship has caused some fandom wank due to its moral nature.
Example Fanworks
[Examples illustrating common tropes; gen works; pairings other than those with their own articles]
Fanfiction
- Hanzo: Koi no Yokan by franklytriggering. Hanzo struggles to rein in his delinquent brother, Genji, as their father's health wanes and obligation demands their answer. While their fate speeds towards its inevitable breaking point, Hanzo wrestles between family tradition and his wayward emotions-- marrying well, or giving in to his own needs.
- Hang the Fool by AlmaMeDuele. How the heroic organization Overwatch acquires the talents of one Hanzo Shimada, and how gunslinger Jesse McCree will probably suffer because of it for the rest of his days.
- Dragon Scales by Kou_Tora. To be a Shimada is to be a dragon. That is their family legacy. Hanzo would like to inform the universe that this does not mean literally.
Fanart
- Delete him by dilfosaur
- Untitled by scatterarrow
- Hanzo Shimada by Aviastha
Other
- you reposted in the wrong dojo by dpeterz
- HANZO VS GENJI Rap Battle by JT Machinima
Hanzo-centric Communities
- Hanzo Shimada works in Archive of Our Own
- Hanzo Shimada tag on Tumblr