This fanmade Overwatch hero concept is an amazing omnic overlord

The world could always use more heroes, and this is especially true when those heroes are menacing, elegant omnic crime lords who have a grudge against Hanzo and Genji. This hero concept was made by Dashiana, an Overwatch fan artist who wanted to create a new kind of omnic. Orisa and Zenyatta are fantastic, but we’re desperately lacking in calculating, villainous omnics who can cause lots of trouble without descending into red lights and rapidly firing gatling guns.

Dashiana

Shinjuku’s design, all heavy robes and ornate head halo, suggests that she wouldn’t be a mobile hero... but her design screams power. With omnics like Zenyatta able to pull on their religious faith, I’m terrified and intrigued to see what secrets Shinjuku holds in her voluminous sleeves.

Dashiana

As the leader of the Ayame-Kai, Shinjuko has a long history with the Shimada clan. After the war between the Shimadas and the Ayame-Kai led to the Shimadas claiming Japan, Shinjuko is out for revenge. Also, something subtly terrifying and completely awesome? She’s almost twice as big as Genji!

Dashiana went through multiple iterations before settling on Shinjuko’s final design, including versions of the omnic where she floats, wields crystals, or rocks extra sinister, snake-like robotic arms. Ultimately, her final design is stately, vain, imposing, and more than a little awesome in the traditional sense of the word.

Dashiana

Finally, there’s one of the most satisfying parts of a fan work... figuring out how this new original character would interact with the rest of the cast. With a backstory rooted in high level, sophisticated organized crime, Shinjuko has a lot of potential. Dashiana drew some potential interactions with both Hanzo and Doomfist, driving home just how vain and in control Shinjuko is despite the Ayame-Kai’s defeat in Japan.

Dashiana

Ultimately, the main problem with Shinjuko is simple: she doesn’t actually exist in the world of Overwatch. That’s the wonderful thing about fandom, however; it builds on the existing foundation of our favourite game and adds new wrinkles and aspects. It’s completely feasible that Shinjuko and the Ayame-Kai exist in Overwatch, and the world is richer for being able to imagine these new characters and complications.

Dashiana can be found on Twitter, and more of her artwork is hosted on her ArtStation. She specializes in 2D game art and animation. While I love her Overwatch work, which often emphasizes and celebrates the personality of iconic heroes, her entire portfolio is definitely worth a look.