Blizzard had no idea how massive Anran’s reveal would be. Anran was introduced as a new high mobility flanking hero in ‘Overwatch‘ during a recent livestream show called Spotlight. He is primarily fire-based with a phoenix theme and has a very unique way of utilizing his Ultimates – he actually has two at once. It didn’t take long for the community to begin questioning whether or not Anran was just a reskin of another hero.
Many users on all of the above platforms quickly pointed out that Anran resembles ‘Marvel Rivals‘ Phoenix, and before anyone had seen Anran in-game, they were having full-blown arguments over whether or not he was a complete copycat of Phoenix.
Why Fans Are Comparing Anran to Marvel Rivals’ Phoenix?
Anran’s kit has an established design that is evoking a lot of conversation right now. Many people have been comparing her fiery dash, aerial slam, and rebirth-style ultimate to Phoenix’s high-impact abilities (the dash, slam, and ultimate) in ‘Marvel Rivals.‘ This has led to many players drawing parallels between the two characters that simply can’t be overlooked.
Both characters are heavily influenced by the same fantasy. High-speed movement, flame-based abilities, explosive entries, and resurrection mechanics all match perfectly. When you see each part of the two characters being used back to back in clips and gifs the connection becomes clearer.
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Many critics say this is not just inspiration, but Blizzard is trying to copy the successful character concept from their rival. Since the release of ‘Marvel Rivals,‘ some fans feel Blizzard implemented Anran as a similar character to maintain their competitive edge in the hero shooter genre.
Others are less convinced of this. They argue that Phoenix has been a character with power in games for decades. There are plenty of examples of fire dashes, rebirth ultimates, and aerial slams in RPGs and Shooters. Therefore, Anran is not copying Phoenix, but rather both characters are utilizing a common mythos of fantasy heroes.
The Redesign Backlash Making Things Worse
In addition to the allegations of copying, there has been growing concern over Anran’s in-game appearance. Specifically, players have noticed that Anran’s playable character model is quite different from her cinematic and concept art. Instead of sporting sharper facial features and an angular jawline with distinct silhouettes, Anran now has a softer, more generic character design.
Many fans feel that Anran resembles existing heroes like Kiriko and Juno. This has led to what the community has termed “Kirikofication”, which describes a trend in which newly released female heroes are being created with similar facial templates. The internet quickly became flooded with threads on Reddit calling for Anran’s redesign, along with mock-ups of the character as she appeared in her original concept art.
Some have even drawn comparisons between the redesign of Anran and the uproar of the Sonic redesign. Fans are hopeful that even large amounts of negative feedback can influence change if Blizzard responds in a timely manner. Others referenced other past cases of character redesigns resulting from public outcry, including Sojourn’s character model that was changed after public criticism.
Blizzard’s Silence and the Timing Problem
By far the most significant factor in this situation is the timing of the launch of Anran and four other new heroes at the same time, which will set the record for the most new heroes introduced in a season for ‘Overwatch.‘ As players get closer to the release date, the likelihood of a major redesign for him diminishes daily.
Even though Blizzard has not responded to allegations of copying or demands for redesign, their lack of response has enabled a lot of speculation to spread, and many players interpret their silence as an effort to avoid addressing the situation, while others see it as a common practice of letting the drama die down after players have had a chance to use the new hero.
In addition to being a source of plenty of drama in terms of how the hero will be received, there is also the fact that visually stunning abilities such as those using Phoenix-style powers will most likely sell very well, and even the harshest of critics agree with the majority of players that Anran will probably be an extremely popular hero based on how many skins he will receive after his release.
Is Anran Inspired By Marvel’s Phoenix?
Ultimately, the discussion over whether Anran is a result of Blizzard being unoriginal in a saturated genre or a revision of an established fantasy archetype is based on individual perspectives. However, what can be said without question is that Anran has become a widely discussed ‘Overwatch‘ hero despite not having played a single ranked match.
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Whether players log on to try out this new hero due to pure curiosity or frustration, she undeniably commands attention. This may be the only thing that is important through all of this. Copycat or not, Anran is successful because she has created discussions about herself in great numbers. In a genre that relies on hype, conversation is power.
