Hanzo Shimada
Hanzo Shimada is one of the two surviving members of the Shimada Clan. The other, of course, being Genji – the younger brother he thought he killed. Hanzo took his position as heir to the leadership of the Shimada Clan very seriously. He took pride in his training, where he became adept in archery, sword-fighting and the Dragonstrike.
Later, the Overwatch organization dismantled the Shimada Clan. On a quest for redemption, Hanzo joined them.
I played as Hanzo regularly in both Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm. In fact, his port into Heroes of the Storm was one of my favorite representations. Back then, however, he had the Scatter Arrows ability, which he has now lost in Overwatch.
Keys to the Character
A Total Drag
Hanzo is trained in the art of the Dragonstrike, a mystical dragon themed attack, which lets him summon the powerful essense of a dragon. Or, perhaps, become one himself.
Take A Bow (Not That Kind)
Although he is trained with a sword and hand to hand combat, Hanzo is a master with the bow. He rains arrows upon his foes with a mix of styles and shots.
A Storm Arrowhead
Hanzo has a number of specialized bow attacks that utilize his storm arrows.
Another Brick In The Wall Runner
Double jumps and wall runs are Hanzo’s bread and butter for getting around the battlefield.
Hanzo is an archetypal shooter, raining arrows upon foes from safe areas of the battlefield. He uses his amazing acrobatics and parkour abilities to get to hard-to-reach arrows, where he can safely strike with his bow.
In rare situations, when arrows aren’t enough, Hanzo can use the Dragonstrike. This ancient family technique summons the essence of a great cloud dragon alongside his arrow. In our build, Hanzo can take this technique to the next level by transforming into the cloud dragon itself.
Outside of combat, Hanzo is a quiet, reserved member of a party. He can use his ability to reach high ground and enhanced perception to good measure as a scout for the party. As well, he can sometimes stay in his position after alerting allies to strike from above.
Build OVERVIEW
Ancestry
Elf – Whisper Elf
The Elf ancestry adequately invokes the nimbleness and litheness of Hanzo’s body. The Dexterity boost and extra speed fit his swift style as well, and the Constitution hit isn’t as bad on a shooter.
The Whisper Elf heritage suits his role as a trained archer. He uses his vantage point high above the battlefield to seek out any movement by the enemy.
Background
Martial Disciple (Acrobatics)
Hanzo spent years training his body as a martial weapon. Therefore, the Martial Disciple background is tailor made for him. Especially the Acrobatics version, which gives him Cat Fall.
As well, the Dexterity bonus he gets is perfect for his archery basis.
Class
Monk
Hanzo’s dedication to Martial Arts and his expert acrobatic feats are perfectly suited to the Monk class. Specifically, he is a Monastic Archer Stance Monk. This level one feat sets the tone by allowing the use of a longbow with the Flurry of Blows feature, raining multiple arrows with a single action.
Along the way, Hanzo represents his Dragonstrike family ability through the Dragon Disciple Dedication. This feature is normally reserved for access by Kobolds, Dragon Rage Barbarians and Dragon Bloodline Sorcerers.
This build assumes a discussion with the GM to allow access to this dedication to represent the years of Hanzo training Dragonstrike by the Shimada Clan. However, you don’t need to fret if that doesn’t fly. It is an easy switch to a Half Elf ancestry to grab a Sorcerer Dedication through Multitalented. Of course, this little less flavorful, but with no blurred lines.
Skills & General Feats
Obviously the skill focus above all has to be on Acrobatics and Athletics. Beyond that, the favor is on some Dragon Lore, Stealth and Society.
Legendary: Acrobatics, Athletics
Master: Crafting, Stealth, Performance, Thievery
Expert: Deception
Attribute Increases
Equipment
Suggested Starting Equipment
Longbow – Hanzo is a master archer monk. The lonbow is the best form of bow that he can use alongside his monk feats, such as Flurry of Blows.
Explorer’s Clothing – As a monk, no armor can be worn. However, Hanzo has reflexes and height advantage to make up for it.
Key Spells
Changelog
Related Builds
