‘Overwatch‘ has officially decided to explore some of the more insane ideas it’s had for its game over time. One of those ideas is the introduction of a brand new hero named Fika, a Cat who uses Jetpacks. After years of discussions internally, theory crafting from fans about cat heroes, and scrapping past concepts.
Blizzard finally introduced Fika as the first Cat Hero in ‘Overwatch ‘that is not considered a gag character, but rather as an actual support character who can fly permanently, help with the movement of her team, and disrupt large groups of opponents.
Fika the Jetpack Cat Release Date and Time
Fika was unveiled at the 2026 Overwatch Spotlight Event and serves as both a new hero within ‘Overwatch Clank‘ and indicates the beginning of a new era for the ‘Overwatch‘ franchise as Blizzard drops the “2” from the title and moves into a lore-based direction.
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The release date of Fika, the Jetpack Cat, is set for February 10, 2026, along with four other brand-new heroes: Domina, Mizuki, Emre, and Anran. This marks the beginning of the 1st season of ‘Overwatch‘ for 2026, not the 21st season.
If Blizzard continues its regular schedule of updates, then fans should expect to see Fika go live at 11 AM PST, which equates to 2 PM EST and 7 PM GMT on Thursday, February 10th, 2026. The addition of these five heroes to Overwatch will count as half of the 10 total that Blizzard has planned for release in 2026 and represents the largest roster expansion in the history of ‘Overwatch!‘
All Fika the Jetpack Cat abilities explained
Fika is classified as a Support Character within the Tactician Subrole, having previously been classified as an Offensive Character as well as being the first Character with a Permanent Flight Mechanic as part of their core ability.
Biotic Pawjectiles (Fika’s Weapon) fire Projectile Objects that can heal allies or damage enemies at mid-range distance to allow Fika to make contributions to team fights without having to decide between offensive support and offensive damage dealer.
Fika has a constant Flight Mechanic due to a Jetpack-based Passive Ability that allows her to maintain full control of the vertical space in any direction. When using the Frenetic Flight Ability, Fika can receive a Speed Boost in any direction, but her flight speed Up mechanism will greatly reduce the rate of fuel Recovery while she is carrying an additional player.
The Transport Mechanic is used to carry an ally while in flight is a Lifeline Ability that grants Fika an extreme ability to reposition herself and her allies ahead of time during spectacularly chaotic fights.
The ability to create a Heal Zone that increases Regenerate Rate over time with the Purr Ability and knocks back nearby enemies when used makes use of her Ultimate ability – Catnapper – to knock down enemies that are beneath her while tethering the next closest enemy to her momentarily. Skilled players can use this Tethered mechanic to drag enemies to generally dangerous areas or deliver them to the point of elimination via an Environmental Object.
Perks and Playstyle Depth of Fika
Fika has great flexibility because of the number of unique perks she has. Her minor perks; such as Claws Out, give her melee attacks bonus damage & slows against her enemies, and Transport Shielding gives her an additional amount of shield health while she is helping her teammates carry them.
Fika’s major perks, such as Headbutt, result in knocking back enemies while using Frenetic Flight (an easy way for her to take out enemies if they charge after her) and turning Purr into an offensive ability, which means that Fika will do damage with her Purr ability instead of just knocking them back.
Fika has the Tactician passive, which allows her to keep any extra Ultimate Charge that she may have earned (because of any kills made) stored until she can use them. Fika is the only support hero in the game that allows you to be aggressive or to play a more tactical role.
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The idea of Jetpack Cat dates back to 2017, when former game director Jeff Kaplan revealed the concept but admitted it felt out of place at the time. With additional heroes being introduced (such as Winston and Wrecking Ball), Blizzard changed its vision for the Overwatch universe and how it operates.
With Fika being added to Overwatch, it showed how far the game has become. It has come a long way with a strong narrative foundation of the game and being more open to creativity. Jetpack Cat is now acceptable and seems to be, at least, timely.
