Overwatch’s latest Free-for-All map Kanezaka seems loaded with secrets. While players believe they’ve already found a clue to a new hero out in the open, others have delved deeper into the map’s graffiti and have made a big discovery.
The idea to look closer at graffiti on the map actually came from Game Director Jeff Kaplan himself during a developer update video uploaded on YouTube.
According to Kaplan, he advised paying attention to “every piece of graffiti” for some important story easter eggs, especially those from the Shimada clan.
Now, players believe they’ve found what Kaplan was referencing. In a post on Reddit, user ‘DoctorDeadeye’ noticed that a piece of graffiti has a hidden message inside and decided to outline the stylized text.
“The word is ‘yokai’ — a Japanese word for supernatural spirits, often with animal forms,” the user explained. “The map also features many foxes, including one in the graffiti. According to yokai folklore, foxes have the ability to assume human form, and both tricksters and messengers of the gods.”
The graffiti itself features a fox of sorts as well. This is an important detail, because of a report by Game Informer Executive Editor Andrew Reiner during BlizzCon 2019.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Reiner claimed that he saw the silhouettes of four still-unannounced heroes during his visit, but one, in particular, caught his eye.
✅ Picturesque View 📸✅ Rich History 🏯✅ Seedy Nightlcub 🎶✅ Cat Cafe 🐈
What are you waiting for? Kanezaka, Overwatch's newest Free-For-All map, is now testing on the PTR! pic.twitter.com/sUgbHM7RL6
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) December 16, 2020
“The hero that stood out the most, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of, appeared to be a female with short hair. At her side and standing up to her knees was a fuzzy little critter with pointy ears and an equally pointy tail. It looked like a fennec fox, but with longer ears and a more aggressive stance,” he wrote.
He went on to add that the hero wielded a four-sided weapon, which was similar to a shuriken, but much thicker. As for the animal, he had no idea whether or not it would actually be on the battlefield.
It’s possible that this graffiti could be a reference to the unnamed “yokai” hero that Reiner saw. In any case, we may be learning more come February when additional information about Overwatch 2 is expected to be revealed at BlizzCon.