In December 2020, Blizzard announced Kanezaka, a fictional Japanese city, would be added to the original Overwatch game as a Deathmatch map.

Blizzard's decision to make Kiriko, and all future playable heroes, locked behind a battle pass system was met with backlash and criticism from the game's player base. She was the first playable Overwatch character announced following the end of Overwatch 2 's beta testing period, as well as the first character made available through a battle pass unlock. Combining her two matriarchal influences, Kiriko carries the power of a kitsune, which she uses to protect her native Kanezaka, a fictional Japanese city.

In the game's lore, her mother trained her to be a ninja, while her grandmother taught her about spirituality and her ancestry. Kiriko's character design and gameplay mechanics draw from the imagery found in Japanese folklore and Shinto folk religion. Her first appearance was in Overwatch 2, a 2022 first-person shooter developed by Blizzard Entertainment. Kiriko Kamori ( 家守霧子, Kamori Kiriko) is a fictional playable character in the Overwatch media franchise.

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