The Asian Mystique

The Asian Mystique:
Asia and Asianness on the (Computer) Screen
ASPA 5000
Spring 2016
Julia Yi

The Asian Mystique: Asia and Asianness on the (Computer) Screen 1
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction 2
A. The Industry and Diversity 4
B. The World of Overwatch 8
Chapter 2: Hanzo (Japan) 10
Chapter 3: Genji (Japan) 15
Chapter 4: Mei (China) 22
Chapter 5: D.Va (Korea) 29
Chapter 6: In the End (Positive or Negative Portrayals) 36
Bibliography 39

Chapter 1: Introduction
Diversity in the media is often equated to the diversity that can or cannot be seen on
television, movie screens, news reports, or even popular magazines. Unless one was immersed in
gaming culture, one would usually not even think about the social relevance and context of video
games. Video games open up different worlds and universes that either depart from our own or
act as recreations of it. In these manufactured worlds, often times the player’s race, gender, age,
and even nationality is blurred as they use another persona to interact with either the
manufactured story or other players from around the world. The topic of diversity is hard to
place in video games as most times the characters within these worlds are not like the characters
seen in the real world. Whether it’s a Hylian from Legend of Zelda, a simple orc from World of
Warcraft, or even a Yoshi from the Mario series, these different races are staple to their
individual worlds.
However, with newly popularized titles, like Overwatch, that are immediately set in a
world that futures our own in the future, the topic of diversity and representation comes to the
forefront. With a focus of using the real world and then adapting it to fit the futuristic but
fictional story, Overwatch makes the inclusion of ethnic characters even more crucial. It is
important to not only implement an inclusive and colorful array of characters but to also show a
breathing and growing world that recognizes that our world is filled with just more than the
western cultures.
In this paper, the diversity showcased in Overwatch will be broken down to see how
closely these character, in particular the Eastern Asian ones, match to real world concepts and
cultural ideas they associate with. Four characters, in particular, are representative of the Eastern

Asian cultures of Japan, China, and Korea. While each character has their own unique backstory
implemented in their place of origin, the question remains whether or not these characters are
still positive portrayals of Asia and Asianness since the common practice of media has often
portrayed these concepts negatively.

A. The Industry and Diversity
The gaming industry has always been a much smaller area of the entertainment industry,
but in recent years it has grown to be one of the most popular and influential forms of media.
Even individuals who do not play video games recognize the short and stout plumber with the
red hat, or the colorful ghosts chasing after a yellow circle eating little dots. In general, video
games are common knowledge, yet this particular industry is still left out in most areas of
academia. Due to the limited assumption that video games are a form of media for children,
popular academia has yet to do a strong focus and study on the cultural impact these virtual
stories and worlds have on the larger society.
To give a bit of context, the bar graph below shows the amount of viewers for a particular
live sporting event. League of Legends, currently the largest online game, had almost 6 million
more views for their live e-sports event than the Bowl Champion Series, the collegiate football
series in America (Tassi). This number is to really just show how large the audience is in the
gaming community despite the relatively little attention these e-sports events gain from
traditional media sources. There is a very loud minority in American sports saying that e-sports
should and will not be recognized as a true sport. However, it doesn’t change the numbers that
show that e-sports brings in a larger crowd than the more “official” sporting events. These
numbers only increase as the 2015 numbers show that League of Legends had a total 36 million
viewers in total. In fact, there were 14 million concurrent viewers at one point in their live event.
Yet, despite these numbers that show the massive audience in the gaming industry, this area of
entertainment is relatively unstudied.

It is interesting to note that e-sports is mostly dominated by players from different parts
of the world outside of America. Yet, the industry is still focused on a western audience which
causes the majority of video games to feature a western or white protagonist. While many critics
would attribute this to the idea that the majority of profits come from western countries, it is hard
to ignore that these same critics will easily forget about the racial and ethnic literature that
impact these decisions to feature only white protagonists. Sarah N. Gatson and Robin Anne Reid
discuss how race and ethnicity is involved in the industry and they acknowledge that the most
“prominent research on the digital divide is fundamentally disconnected from the vast literature
on race and ethnicity inside the United States”. Their finding of this also implies that because the
topic of ethnicity and race is often left out when discussing the impact of the gaming industry,
there is relatively little pressure for the industry to include that within their own products.
In 2014, Bao Phi wrote an article titled “Missing Polygons: Asians, Race, and Video
Games.” Phi starts off describing how, as an Asian American child, he was constantly reminded
of how “being white was the norm” even though he grew up in a predominantly non-white
neighborhood. Even with his more ethnic surroundings, he was remained of his Vietnamese
background and he needed an escape “from people of all colors blaming families like [his] for
the Vietnam war.” His escape was video games. To Phi, video games were the ultimate escape,

more so than films and books. This is a common trend still in the gaming community. Players all
over the world immerse themselves in artificial worlds that are lovingly rendered. Video games
act as a mechanism to temporarily escape reality, but there still remains to be an issue. Phi
noticed, that even if he wanted to escape the white-dominate/anti-Asian world that was his
reality, he could never really escape from it even in the virtual world. He notes that “you better
be OK with playing a white man, because you often won’t have a choice.”
Phi’s statement touches upon how race plays in the gaming industry as a whole. He notes
that “the issue of representation are still pretty dire unless you’re straight, white, and male.” In
video games, ethnic characters are more often than not, type casted:
Black male characters are in sports games, but they’re also in games as criminals
or soldiers. Latinos in games are gangbangers and sometimes undercover cops.
Asian men are martial artists in non-narrative games and are almost never the sole
choice. Arabs are terrorists and/or enemy soldiers. Native American people are in
Westerns. Pacific Islanders are NPCs at most. Women of color are almost always
either the love interest or the villain, if they are represented at all. And although
there has been a little bit of progress with queer characters in recent years, they’re
still scarce, and they tend to be white (Phi).
These type casted characters are also rarely the main protagonists in their featured games, as seen
with only 2 of the 50 games listed on a top 50 list of the Best Games of 2013 featured a non-
white protagonist (“Game Informer”). This common theme and statistic in video games ends up
being a sort of irony, as both Caucasian and Asian individuals make up much of the workforce in
the gaming industry as a whole. This leads Phi to question “if there are so many Asians who

work in the game industry and play games, why are there so few Asian characters?” Phi’s
questions seems to be largely unanswered, but he points out the issues within this question. What
seems to be implied by this unexplained issues is that “Asians don’t have any issues about racism
in gaming” due to their large population within the gaming community. Phi, of course, denies
this implication and instead points towards the “paradigm of Orientalism”. He explains that when
an Asian character is seen, they are often martial arts masters and are usually working for the
“American” side. These characters are most often speaking English and not their ethnic
language. However, when there are Asians and Arab characters who do speak their ethnic
language, they are placed in the role as the evil foreigner. Like the “paradigm of Orientalism”,
these characters are the enemy “other”.
Though Phi’s question remains relatively unanswered, his analysis ties into a much larger
question on what happens when these ethnically insensitive video games are questioned. Sidney
Fussell compares “calling a game “racist”” to “realizing blood into a shark pool”. In essence,
Fussell acknowledges the lack of positive ethnic diversity in games, but he also touches upon
how when an individual voices concerns in the gaming space, that individual is attacked and
ridiculed. Often times, the critiques mention that it shouldn’t matter that a game has these
problematic elements, they tell the concerned player to “calm down” because at the end of the
day, the game is “fun to play”.

B. The World of Overwatch
Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch is set in a near-future Earth, several years after a
global-crisis known as the “Omnic Crisis”. In this highly fictionalized version of Earth, Humans
and the “Omnix”, robots with artificial intelligence, lived peacefully. Humans were the creators
of the Omnix who were preprogrammed to serve humans. While this created “world-wide
economic equality”, peace was not meant to last forever. One day, the Omnix decided to break
free from their preprogrammed bonds and fight back. For the start of the crisis, governmental
tactics to stop the crisis fell through. The Omnic forces remained a powerful threat until the UN
decided to take action and decided to combine each country’s forces to create a strike team to
shut down the Omnic threat. Overwatch was this strike team. (Overwatch)
With this world, Blizzard immediately immerses the player in a world torn by machines
but brought together by the efforts of individuals around the world. Blizzard stays away from the

“Americans save the day” action troupe and instead fills Overwatch with characters who are
from diverse backgrounds. In many ways, it would be impossible, or at least unfavorable, to
create such an open and familiar world without including open and familiar characters to
properly fill that world. Overwatch sets an example, especially when “90% of games are still
stuck with white male protagonists” (Hardgrave). Laura Hardgrave, and many other individuals
in the gaming industry, has closely followed the diversity discussion in the industry and she
believes Overwatch has reached a new level of relatability through its diverse group of heroes.
The world of Overwatch is not yet fully explored. Blizzard is still in the process of
releasing new animated short videos and graphics to expand on an already open world they set.
So while the world is not yet fully explored, it can only be assumed that Overwatch will only
build upon its already huge and diverse foundations.

Chapter 2: Hanzo (Japan)
Origin
Hanzo Shimada is a skilled bowman and assassin. Much like any master of the physical
arts, he strives to better his skills and prove himself “as a warrior without peer”. His family is a
powerful clan of assassins that was established centuries ago. Their notoriety and power allowed
them to create a vast criminal empire that profited from the lucrative trade in arms and illegal
substances. Hanzo is the eldest son of the family’s head. His brother, Genji, is the younger
brother. Much like the traditional way of succession for clans and royal families, Hanzo was
expected to become head after his father and so he was educated with the mindset of becoming
an excellent leader. His lifestyle differed greatly from Genji, who lived a much more extravagant
life despite it causing a liability to the Shimada clan representation.

With the death of his father, Hanzo was instructed to straighten out his playboy brother so
that Genji may also become a leader in the family empire. Much to Hanzo’s distress, Genji
refused to take part. Hanzo, under duty of his family, had to then kill his own brother in order to
maintain the empire. Despite the duty to his family, the act of killing his own brother drove him
to reject his father’s legacy and Hanzo ultimately abandons the clan and his achievements. Now,
Hanzo journeys the world attempting to restore his honor. His hope is that with honor, comes
redemption.
Analysis
Despite Hanzo having a relatively under-developed story after the violent altercation with
Genji, Hanzo still emphasizes some very key elements in the East Asian culture. Hanzo’s sense
of filial piety is incredibly strong. He was born into a clan that raised him to become committed
to its values and trained him to be the next leader and he became dutiful enough to even kill his
own brother. Yet, at the very same time, he has a duty to his own brother as seen that he is left
traumatized after the violent altercation. In a way, Hanzo sees his act as a sin and he then seeks
to find redemption and to restore his honor. This actually results in a very interesting dynamic
within the traditional filial piety concept. Within this Confucius ideology, there are five
represented relationships that are meant to be the cornerstone of keeping societal harmony.
Among them are the Ruler-Subject, Father-Son, and Older brother-Younger brother
relationships. Typically, the relationships are in a hierarchy of importance. In Hanzo’s case, the
Ruler-Subject and Father-Son relationship would be above the later. Hanzo fulfills his duty by
following the orders of his family to straighten out his brother. In many ways, his family is his
father’s legacy so it would be assumed Hanzo would accept his duty to stop Genji, but the older

Shimada is still very close to Genji and actually leaves his father’s legacy due to the lesser
relationship. This is just interesting to note that despite showing incredibly filial piety, he feels
conflicted and does not follow the hierarchy of relationships.
Hanzo’s actual character design has several illustrations of the Japanese culture. One of
them is the Sake bottle he has at his hip. While this can be associated to some Japanese
stereotypes since Sake is a very familiar image for the Japanese culture, Sake actually has a very
unique history with traditional Japanese Shintoism. In the Shinto, Sake is one of the state items
of purification (--). Sake is often used to connect with the Shinto gods and is often used for good
fortune and to bless spirits away. While Hanzo seems to have no affiliation with any Shinto gods,
Hanzo’s sake bottle can still infer the idea of purification; Hanzo truly believes that he did wrong
in seemingly killing his brother. Killing his brother is now a sin he seeks to find redemption
from. Though, this is a very in-depth look into the possible role of sake. In-game Hanzo’s other
direct connection to sake is simply an in-game dialogue where he says “sake!” It seems to be
considered more as a random shout meant to be taken as a small joke which seems to actually
play more into this particular stereotype.
Hanzo’s in-game weapon is a bow and arrow. It first seems rather strange since
Overwatch takes place in a much more futuristic world yet Hanzo is stuck with a weapon that is
rather archaic compared to the automatic military weapons most of the other characters use. This
traditional weapon can, again, even be tied to very familiar images of Asian cultures. Most Asian
cultures are still portrayed as ancient and old cultures despite their leading technological
advances. Hanzo’s weapon of choice is tied to more traditional military training in Japan,
particularly in bushido. The way of the warrior is often associated with the sword-wielding

samurai, but many samurai were also trained in the archery. In fact, many samurai were usually
mounted on horses using bows and arrows (--). Hanzo does not aesthetically look like a
traditional samurai, but it can be assumed the same discipline and military training was a part of
Hanzo’s upbringing in the Shimada family. Hanzo is an excellent warrior and his use of a more
archaic weapon infers that he has the necessary training to not need a more practical gun. He has
the discipline and trust in his own abilities.
Hanzo is also closely associated with the image of the dragon. His arms and armor is
embroiled in the image. The image of the dragon is incredibly popular in East Asia, often having
significance in royalty and spiritual ceremonies. This fits Hanzo well as, in a sense, he is from a
higher class. His family is incredibly powerful and wealthy, they were known to having a huge
criminal empire; Hanzo being the heir to that family essentially made him the future emperor of
that empire. However, what connect Hanzo most with the dragon is the mutual connection with
water. Dragons, in the East Asian context, are often associated with water which then flows into
a much larger Daoist concept. In-game, Hanzo has a particular line where he states “flow like
water”. This particular line is very similar to a popular Bruce Lee quote where the martial artists
says “empty your mind, be formless, shapless…water can flow or it can crash” (--). The idea of
both of these lines are to really flow with the natural and to be fluid in mind and body. At the
same time, the concept can infer that to be like water is to also crash into any objections much
like how a water will slowly erode stone. This Daoists concept of being like water translates well
into Hanzo’s in-game abilities. Hanzo is one of the most mobile characters in Overwatch.
Though he cannot fly like some of the character, Hanzo is able to scale up walls in an instant and
snipe his enemies from the back line. At the same time, Hanzo can decimate his enemies by
calling out a huge blue dragon that fills the battlefield. In fact, when Hanzo uses this particular

ability, he says “let the dragon consume my enemies.” Though Daoism is not often associated
with the Asian cultures outside of China, many of its aspects transitioned well into other
countries. The images of water and dragons have combined together and Hanzo expresses both
through his aesthetical looks and abilities.
Conclusion
Hanzo’s very character stems into familiar images of Asian men. He is a skilled warrior
and he is associated with the eastern image of the dragon. Yet, Hanzo is often seen speaking his
native language which is rare in western video games. While he can be seen as a sort of
antagonist when compared to his brother, he is inevitably an individual who seeks redemption
for his own crimes which allows Hanzo to be a redeemable character. Hanzo’s character design
also shows an individual who is athletic and skilled, which is unlike the familiar depiction of
weak Asian men in western media. While the ideologies surrounding Hanzo are also familiar
images, it inevitably makes Hanzo a fluid and deep character as the player has more of a sense of
what type of character Hanzo really is. In many ways, Hanzo has a story and design that is
fleshed out and allows the player to identify with an eastern character.

Chapter 3: Genji (Japan)
Origin
Genji Shimada is the younger brother of Hanzo and like many great stories about
brothers, there is an underlying tension between the two. Genji experienced more of the luxury
and privilege than his brother, who was set up to be the next leader of the Shimada family. Genji,
in general, had little interest in the family business and lived a playboy lifestyle which made him
a dangerous liability to the reputation of the clan. After the death of their father, Hanzo
demanded that Genji take on a more active role in the Shimada Empire but he refused. This
refusal led to a violent confrontation that left Genji on the verge of death.
It was believed Genji fell to his brother, but he was rescued by Overwatch. They saw
Genji as a potential asset to combat the operations of the Shimada clan. However, Genji’s

injuries left his natural body in a constant struggle to survive so Overwatch rebuilt his body. He
underwent extensive operations to cybernize his body which led him to become a living weapon.
With his newfound speed and agility as well as his augmented fighting skills, he single-mindedly
set about dismantling the very family that sought to get rid of him. Genji was an excellent asset
to Overwatch, but he also felt increasingly at war with his own body and mind. He was repulsed
at his artificial and mechanical new body and he was unable to come to terms that he would no
longer be a “human”. After he dismantled the Shimada clan, he left Overwatch and wandered the
world to find a new meaning for his existence. On his journey, he meets an omnic monk named
Zenyatta.
Zenyatta’s own origins revolves around finding spiritual enlightenment. As an omnic, he
is preprogrammed to serve his human masters, yet he and many other omnics abandoned their
posts to find more meaning in their own life. They no longer saw themselves as artificial
intelligences and that, much like humans, they possessed a soul. Genji, at first, rejects the
teachings of Zenyatta, but this did not deter the monk. After some time, Zenyatta became Genji’s
mentor. Through Zenyatta, Genji was able to reconcile his dual existence as man and machine;
he came to believe that despite his mechanical body, he still had his human soul. Genji found a
sort of “enlightenment” and freedom from his initial distress and he continues on a path knowing
that there is much more to his life than just being a cyborg.
Analysis
Whereas Hanzo’s story continues as a journey of finding redemption, Genji’s story is
much like a story of reincarnation. Genji is reborn with a new body and a new purpose which is
to destroy the very family that sought to destroy him. Genji was able to fulfil this new purpose,

but he realizes that he is unable to find a life outside of his quest for revenge. So while he
believed the destruction of his family to be is purpose in life, it is realized it was simply his quest
for revenge and not his true purpose in his new life. Genji is intialliy unable to really find a
purpose outside of his revenge which reflects in his in-game dialogue where he says “revenge
takes only the one who seeks its.” Even with his new opportunity for life, Genji is dead set on
getting his revenge and it consumes his mind, but once he was able to dismantle his family he
felt he no longer had a purpose. Instead, his obsession for revenge only made his new life seem
insignificant; he was unable to see a life past his revenge and his new mechanical body. Genji
required balance in his new life; something he seemed to lack even in his past life. His quest for
this balance is expressed in his line, “my soul seeks balance.”

The introduction of Zenyatta brings in a heavier reference of East Asian ideology.
Whereas Genji and Hanzo are dichotomies within their own lives, Zenyatta acts as another
opposite of the newly cybernized Genji. Zenyatta was born into the life of an omnic, a being who
many would believe to have only an artificial mind. Yet, Zenyatta believed he had a true living
soul which led him on his own journey to find enlightenment outside of his mechanical body.
Zenyatta stressed the idea of letting go revenge and external conflicts which did not sit well with
the Shimada. To Genji, it was his family that caused him to be a living weapon and it was his
revenge that kept him going in his new life. Genji could not find a life outside of those two
aspects that impacted him so much. Yet, Zenyatta who remained steadfast and still stressed the
ideas of inner peace and benevolence. These ideas are reminiscent of some aspects of Buddhism
and Zenyatta’s actions are reflective of Mahayana Buddhism in that he wants to lead Genji to
enlightenment. Buddhism, at its core, stresses the idea of letting go of the physical world and to
become enlightened past the need of tying down to the earthly world. Zenyatta’s idea of
enlightenment are not to the total extreme of letting go of earthly ties, but he still focuses on the
aspect of finding an internal peace in order to let go grudges and other aspects that would
consume Genji. While Genji first resisted Zenyatta’s teaching, he eventually became his disciple
and Genji soon evolved into an individual who made peace with his new body. In one of the
teaser cinematics, Genji is featured saying “we are harmony”. This line infers that he found a
sense of harmony with his new mechanical body as he is also seen in the backdrop of nature
while meditating on another machine. Players can really only conclude that Genji was able to do
some self-discovery and self-reflection during his time with Zenyatta as another one of his lines
of dialogue have him saying “to know yourself is to be at peace.”

It is relatively unknown whether Genji and Zenyatta have truly found their
enlightenment, as they are both playable characters in a game based on fighting and combat. In
fact, it seems even strange that two characters who strive to maintain inner peace and
benevolence to even be part of the Overwatch battlefield. Regardless, Genji still ties his new
discipline into his old one of swordsmanship. In a line of dialogue, he says “a steady blade
balances the soul”. This can fit loosely off the ideology of the Samurai in which much of the
discipline ties into Buddhist ideology. Genji, who has finally accepted his cyborg body, still
trains as a warrior. With his new found inner peace, Genji must have incorporated the teachings
of Zenyatta into his foundations as a warrior.
Much like his brother, Genji has some ties to the image of the dragon. His in-game
abilities manifest a green dragon and follows his sword strikes. During this animation, Genji can
be heard saying “the dragon and I are one.” This, again, just illustrates the connection between
the dragon and the Shimada brothers. Both are from royalty and have the ability to call upon the
beast to decimate their opponents. Genji does not have any close ties with the element of water,

however his in-game skill set allows him to be just as mobile and fluid as Hanzo. He is able to
dash through the air and climb up walls which allows him to assassinate his enemies. He also
still wields “primitive” weaponry compared to the futuristic world of Overwatch. His primary
weapon is the Katana, a sword that binds him to the image of the samurai. His abilities tied to his
swords are precise and requires some timing from the player in order to block and counter-attack.
His secondary weapons are the shuriken which he can easily throw form long distances. While
his long range attacks are not as strong as Hanzo’s, Genji is still a masterful warrior from a
distance. Both of these weapons are familiar to the Japanese culture, which can lead Genji to be
connected with some stereotypical images. However, much like Hanzo, Genji breaks these
stereotypes by showing how skilled he is on the battlefield. He is not just an “Asian warrior”
though design, he is a formidable soldier through discipline and action. In some ways, Hanzo and
Genji “own” this stereotype and they prove themselves to be serious characters through the
familiar images.
An interesting aspect that both Genji and his brother also illustrate is the lack of the de-
sexualized Asian man. Hanzo and Genji’s physique are almost comparable to Greek statues and
are unlike the weak and effeminate image that Asian men have depicted in western media (Song
332). Hanzo and Genji are warriors at the core of their characters, so it would make sense that
they would physically show their capabilities, yet their body type can be considered even more
masculine that the actual Caucasian characters in Overwatch. Combined with the fact that both
Shimada brothers also speak their native language, the brothers are depicted as very masculine
and capable individuals who are not necessarily tied down by western images despite have
aspects of familiar images.

Conclusion
Genji remains to be one of the more popular characters in Overwatch which does infer
that players feel a sense of power when playing this character. This is something that should be
noted as often times, the image of Asian men are often seen as weak and effeminate. While there
are some very familiar images associated with Genji, like his use of traditional weapons and his
ties to Buddhism, Genji remains to be a serious and expansive character though is entire
character development. Much like Hanzo, players are able to identify with Genji and despite his
design dipping into stereotypical images of the Japanese culture, it can be argued that Genji’s
character as a whole makes him fluid and expansive enough to not limit him with these familiar
images.

Chapter 4: Mei (China)
Origin
Mei is, perhaps, the one ethnic character that reflects a much more political view of her
representative culture. Genji and Hanzo, on the other hand, were much more tied to the Japanese
traditional culture. Mei is a Chinese climatologist who strives to preserve the environment. In the
world of Overwatch, the planet’s escalating and unexplained climate phenomena is blamed on
the advent of new technologies, the growing omnic population, and the drastically increased
consumption of resources. However, it is noted that the “true” cause of the climate phenomena is
unknown. Overwatch set out to find a solution to the raising climate issue so a series of eco-
Watchpoints at critical locations of the world were established.

Mei was a member of this new initiative. As an excellent climatologist, she introduced an
innovation in the field of “climate manipulation”. Her innovations protected at-risk areas in Asia
and beyond. At one point, Mei was stationed in Antarctica. After a catastrophic polar storm, her
team was stranded and left with little resources. As their supplies dwindled, they entered into
cryostasis in a last effort to survive until they are rescued.
A rescue team never showed up, instead, it took years for her team’s cryogenics chamber
to be found. Unfortunately by that time, Mei was the only survivor. Mei awoke in a world where
Overwatch was no more yet the climate issues had worsened. All of the eco-Watchpoints were
no longer in operation and much of the research and progress made was now lost. Despite this
huge set back, Mei decided to continue with her work on her own. With her own portable version
of her climate-manipulation technology, she now travels the world hoping to re-establish the eco-
network while also tracking down the causes of the raising climate threat.
Analysis
Mei-Ling Zhou’s backstory does not reveal much of her ethnic background but Xi’an,
her base of operations, is historically relevant. Xi’an is sometimes referred to as where “China”
began. The Qin Emperor, from whom China gets its name, built his Terracotta Army in this
location as well as some of the earliest forms of roads. Xi’an remained to be the capital city for
most of the Chinese dynasties; most noticeably the Han and Tang dynasty. There is a sort of
significance in Mei’s base of operations being Xi’an. Xi’an has been a main structure in
dynasties that flourished and were known to be the golden ages of China, but Mei lives in Xi’an
when the world is physically crumbling around her which makes Xi’an one of the last few living
places in China. Xi’an is also known to be a developing modern city known for its software,

space technology, and defense research and development. Mei fits well in this developing city as
she uses some high-tech technology in-game and has even created her own climate-manipulation
tech.
Mei’s main characteristic is her climatologist background which almost seems to point
at China’s very real and current environmental issues. In Overwatch, Mei faces environmental
phenomena that are not specifically explained, but the phenomena is blamed by several factors.
The first factor is the advent of new technologies. Overwatch does not specifically identify what
these new advances consist of, but this concept connects to the current age of technology. In
recent times, there are concerns of how much machines are more relied upon than actual human
labor. The idea of “artificial intelligence” is also being explored and this concept delves into
“superintelligence” superiority (Bostrom). Nick Borstrom and many other intellectuals believe
that “superintelligence may be the last invention humans ever need to make”. Though this might
at first seem to counter-argue Overwatch’s climate factors, this idea does not mean to say that no
new innovations will come after the invention of superintelligence. In fact, the exact opposite
would happen. Superintelligence would be much better at doing scientific research and
technological development than any human and “possibly better than all humans taken together”
(Bostrom). Even more innovations and advances would come from superintelligences. In
Overwatch, these superintelligences can come from the second factor of Overwatch’s climate
phenomena; the raising Omnic population.
While the Omnic are never specifically named as superintelligent beings, they are
considered to be artificially intelligent and can even adapt. In fact, since their creation, they were
specifically programed to serve humans which indicates that not only did they act as labor, but

they must have also been a key factor in multiple technological advances. The Omnic even
advanced to the point where they were able to break out of their own pre-programed duties and
declared war on humans. Due to the workforce of the Omnic population, it can be assumed that
humans used the Omnic to push the limits of technology which would have required a significant
amount resources that tie into the third factor of Overwatch’s climate phenomena factors. Earth’s
reduction of resources is directly connected to an increase in industrialization which correlates to
an advent of new technology. All three factors tie together and their modern context translate
well into Overwatch, but Mei’s particular story connect her to China which, in a real world
context, has an image of capsuling all three of these factors in some way. China has the largest
population in the world that is also highly educated. This educate youth helps for innovative
technology that is actually comparative to the Silicon Valley (Wertime). Asian is also one of the
leading innovators of AI technology and robotics.
So Mei’s background connects her to the real world political and environmental
factors. Not just in her background as being a young innovator in a technologically advanced
world, but also as a climatologist. In recent studies in China, it was found that at least 64 percent
of the population describes themselves as environmentalists (Nikolaou). Mei not only connects
to this political stance as a passionate climatologists, she also has in-game dialogue that conveys
it. She says “fight for our world” in her native language which infers many things. As explained
before, it ties her to a very environmentalistic agenda, but it also ties her to criticism against
China’s current environmental issues. China, in mainstream media, has been notoriously known
to have grey skies and numerous industrial plants that releases smog at all hours. These images
of China has caused many to criticize the Chinese government of having “un-green” practices
which many tie to the damaging environment. Mei’s very character design acknowledges these

environmental issues and much of her back story is fixing the environmental damage done in
Asia. While this Mei’s environmentalism does tie her strongly to political aspect, there are still
some traditional Asian ideology that is mixed into this aspect. Parts of Daoism is tied closely
with nature. While Daosim is mostly focused on the idea of maintaining the natural order and
letting things go on its own accord, Mei still connects with this aspect as she inevitably tries to
fight off the works done to nature by human intervention.
Other than her relatively fluid connection with China and her close ties with
environmentalism, Mei has a few “pitfall” that do play into possible Asian stereotypes. Mei’s
physical design alludes to the “smart Asian” stereotype. In many concept arts, she is seen
pushing up her glasses and wears her hair in a bun with the very “Asian” hair pin. Though she
does not fall into the “dragon lady” pitfall, Mei still characterizes a very familiar image of
Asians. Her outfit also has very subtle circular patterns that are often associated with “Asian”
designs. Mei also illustrates a very amiable and almost innocent characteristic, seen in many
images of Asian women, in a line of dialogue where she simply says “…sorry, sorry, I’m sorry,
sorry…” While Mei is marketed as the cute and chubby female character of Overwatch, her
mannerisms still play into a familiar image of Asian women; if they are not obviously sexual,
they are bookworms with relatively shy mannerisms.
Mei’s in-game abilities are not as connected with her native culture as the abilities of
Genji and Hanzo. She uses her miniature climate-manipulation device to essentially control are
manifest ice. She can create terrain on the battlefield by creating ice walls, she can guard herself
by encapsulating herself with ice, and she can freeze her enemies in a certain radius. Her abilities
offer utility to her team and annoyance to her enemies. While the element of ice does not seem to

have immediate and close connections with any sort of historical and mythological aspects of
China, her abilities and weapon of choice show a sense of intelligence and even lack of physical
ability. Unlike Genji and Hanzo who are tested and proven warriors, Mei is strictly a scientist
with no apparent physical strength. She manipulates ice through her technology, without her
technology she cannot do anything. This can be very loosely linked the Asian image of physical
weakness. Mei has an inherent dependency on her technology and it is the quality that makes her
relevant as a playable character in a fighting based game.
Conclusion
Mei does exhibit some qualities that are familiar to Asian women. She is a bookworm
and is relatively amiable is her mannerism and she is incredibly dependent on her brains and her
technology which leaves her physically weak. Even her ice-gun, which can shoot a sort of ice
bullet, is mostly used to spray ice in a cloud so precision is not as needed. Despite all this, Mei’s
character does go beyond her loose connections with China. Instead, Mei’s characters touches

upon the real-world political atmosphere involving the environment. This makes Mei, in some
way, even a sort of character to poke fun at China’s current epidemic of pollution.

Chapter 5: D.Va (Korea)
Origin
D.Va is physically and mentally the youngest character in the Overwatch series and her
origin story only affirms this. D.Va is originally a professional e-sports athlete but she now uses
her skills to pilot a mech in defense of her homeland, South Korea. During the Omnic Crisis,
South Korea was attacked by a colossal omnic machine that rose from the depths of the East
China Sea. This monstrosity devastated coastal cities before it was driven back beneath the
ocean. In response, the South Korean government created unmanned mechanized armored drone
units called MEKA. These drones would be used to protect urban environments in the future
against the omnic threat.

The government’s plan for these drones proved to be not in vain, as a pattern of omnic
attacks emerged. Every year, the omnic sea monster would rise from the sea to assault South
Korea and other neighboring countries. The omnic monster was evolving and even though it was
always defeated, it was never destroyed and it came back each year in a different and more
evolved form. As this monster continued to adapt, it eventually disrupted the MEKA’s drone-
controlled networks which required the military to place pilots into the mechs. In a quick effort
to find suitable candidates, the government turned to the country’s professional e-sport players.
These individuals possessed the necessary reflexes and instincts to operate the MEKA’s
advanced weapons systems. Many of the top stars were drafted in, including Hana Song who is
now known as D.Va.
D.Va was the reigning world champion of Starcraft and was famous for her elite skills.
She was a fierce competitor who played to win at all costs and she often showed no mercy in her
strive to win. Her competitive nature translated well into her new role as a MEKA pilot as she
saw her new mission as a game. She fearlessly charges into battle and is always ready to suit up
whenever her nation calls for it. To remain in touch with her already large community of fans,
she has “begun to stream combat operations to her adoring fans” and she has become a sort of a
global icon.
Analysis
D.Va is unlike the previous three characters in that she illustrates Korean popular culture
with subtle hints towards Korea’s military practices. D.Va’s background as an e-sports
professional is a nod to the raising and reigning popularity of electronic sports in Korea. In a
real-world setting, e-sport athletes are household names in Korea. Korea is also credited in

expanding and popularizing e-sports which allowed it to travel internationally, specifically in
Europe and the United States (Schwartz). In particular, D.Va is associated with Starcraft, a real-
life game released in 1998 by Blizzard Entertainment, the same producers of Overwatch. Since
then, Starcraft, has been a mainstay in South Korea’s professional gaming league. D.Va’s
connection to e-sports is almost an act of homage to the influence South Korea had on to the rest
of the world in terms of popularizing and leading the electronic sports market. D.Va is also
characterized as a competitive and young, only 19, gamer which fits the characteristics of many
real-world gaming professionals who usually fit that same age range. In fact, D.Va was first
announced as a character on the official Starcraft website as an actual player; a sort of crossover
to show how the world of Overwatch is very much like our own. While e-sports and its popular
culture strays from traditional culture, D.Va’s original profession as a professional gamer allows
her to connect with the audience of Overwatch. Her design was meant to connect with the raising
popularity of e-sports and to showcase how this culture has really been a keystone in South
Korea’s real life media.
D.Va, again, strays away from the traditional Asian culture Hanzo and Genji flourish in
and even the political stance Mei brings, but D.Va’s origin plays into two very key ideas and
factors that ties into South Korea’s politics. D.Va was drafted into the South Korean military and
she has been characterized by her strong sense of nationalism. While the military draft in South
Korea is only for adult men, there is an interesting comparison that can be made between the real
world drafting versus the draft D.Va partakes in. Compulsory military conscription is almost
more of a dreaded and inescapable chore (Kim). It becomes a sort of rite of passage for young
Korean men and illustrates itself as a transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. Forced
military service is closely tied to citizenship, as one of the ways many men with dual citizenship

escape military conscription is by giving up their South Korean citizenship. While they escape
military service, getting back their Korean citizenship is next to impossible and leads to many
problems (Kim). Since D.Va willingly chooses to join the military, it highlights D.Va pride in
her nation; a sort of critique against individuals who would willingly give up citizenship to
escape military service.
Korea’s employment and residence laws make it extremely hard for non-citizens to enjoy
the same privileges and protection that citizens do; even things as trivial as buying a phone
becomes complicated. There is a deep rooted cultural aspect to military conscription as well.
Many men feel culturally obligated to serve to prove their masculinity. Often times, men will
also be working under other men who have also done their required service, so there is a social
and culture pressure to serve. There is a need to maintain masculinity as well as a need to
maintain a certain level of respect; it could be seen a disrespectful to not serve in the military
while still expecting the same privileges as an individual who does. Shame is one of the largest
factors for men who must decide if they will go through the act of escaping military conscription.
D.Va, as a woman, does not face these same pressures as women are not required to serve in the
military. Yet, her experience with military conscription is relatively positive and she seems more
than willing to join. The Korean military purposefully drafted in their professional e-sports
players to suit into the MEKA suits and D.Va seemed to whole-heartedly agree to join. In fact,
her already present popularity shot up as she then became an international icon of nationalism.
D.Va’s very origin story states that she was “ready to spring to her nation’s defense at a
moment’s notice” (Overwatch). D.Va shows no sign of fear and struggle. Instead, she even
seems to flourish under her new profession as a MEKA pilot. There is a very political statement
being made through D.Va’s draft into the military. In the real world context, forced military

service is seen in a very negative light. Often times there is a sense of dread in forced service and
many men seek to escape it. Yet, D.Va takes on her military draft with the sense of serving her
country. In many ways, it can be argued that she is “out-manning” the men who escape military
service. In some ways she also even thinks piloting her new mech suit as being a sort of game.
This comparison can possibly infer that nationalism and the larger good should overrule personal
feelings; there should be a sense of duty for self-sacrifice.
Self-sacrifice actually becomes a sort of staple in D.Va’s in-game abilities. She plays
more of a tank role, taking damage for her team and rocketing herself into the middle of the
battlefield. Her ultimate ability also causes her to self-destruct her MEKA suit which leaves her
vulnerable until she can call on a new suit. Whereas her in-game dialogue portrays a very
competitive and even cocky young girl, her abilities really require her to protect her team and
sacrifice her own safety. Despite her independent personality, D.Va is definitely there to serve
her team. Her MEKA suit is also in the image of a sort of rabbit creature which can loosely
connect to Asian mythology of the Rabbit. In Chinese mythology, the rabbit is associated as a
servant for the Moon Goddess and in the Japanese and Korean mythology, the rabbit is thought
to make rice cakes on the moon. Not only does her MEKA suit connect with an animal that is
often seen in a servitude role, it also brings a sense of nationalism as rice cakes are often dishes
associated with the Japanese and Korean culture.
While there are ties to Korean politics, it is relatively unknown why Blizzard
Entertainment, a western company, would include such a tie. It could have likely been a mere
coincidence but the emphasis of her draft is simply too strong to be one. Perhaps the designers
purposefully included the military draft into her origin story because it is an aspect of Korean

society that is familiar with the western world. Especially in America where military
conscription has mostly ended, it is often a critique against the Korean government of having
conscription. While it can be assumed Blizzard Entertainment is not purposefully making any
social critique, their inclusion of military service in D.Va’s origin story shows that perhaps it is
relatively not understood about how huge of a social impact it has to Korean nationals.
Her in-game physical design differs from Mei’s greatly. Whereas Mei is covered up in
snow clothes and has a more plump body type, D.Va is often in her MEKA suit or is seen in a
more body- hugging cat suit. These types of body suits are often associated with sexualized
female characters, but D.Va’s body design does away with the “sexualized” characteristics.
Instead, she is shorter and more petite than any of the other female characters of Overwatch. By
comparison, D.Va looks like a child and her character designs takes advantage of this by also
making her into a very competitive and cocky young e-sport professional. While this can play
into the other western spectrum of Asian women—if they are not sexualized, they are child-
like—D.Va somehow remains to be separate from this image due to her active, cocky, yet bubbly
qualities. In fact, many of her poses or dialogue in-game signify her cockiness. She often taunts
by saying “GG”, “nerf this!”, or “is this easy mode?” (Overwatch). These lines show that D.Va
does not embody any sort of meek, weak, or submissive characteristics. D.Va is first and
foremost, a competitive gamer and even though she has taken up a more political professions,
she does not lose her young and active personality. In the end, while D.Va remains to be a cocky
young girl who know pilots state-of-the-art MEKA suits, she still symbolizes as a hero to her
country while acting as a homage to South Korea’s impact of esport on the world.

Conclusion
D.Va is interesting in that her character does not tie into traditional Asian ideology. At
most, D.Va is connected to the image of the rabbit that has its own qualities in East Asian
mythology. Yet that image is not as strong as her connection to popular South Korean culture.
D.Va is supposed to be one of the best, if not the best, esports professional of her time and she
simply characterizes this by her young, vibrant, but ultimately cocky nature. While she does
wear a body suit, she is mostly seen in her pink bunny MEKA suit that only displays her
technical prowess. She ultimately plays the role as a tank which signify to a deeper self-
sacrificing political statement but she overall encapsulates the young and growing esports
popularity in the larger world.

Chapter 6: In the End (Positive or Negative Portrayals)
While the majority of this work is focused on the analysis of four East Asian characters
within Overwatch, the main question is whether or not these four characters still present a
“positive” or “negative” portrayal. Many of these characters still fall into stereotypical pitfalls
yet, at the same time, the characters arguably have other qualities that allow them to grow
outside of these pitfalls. These stereotypes do not seem to limit these characters, instead these
characteristics only brings a familiarity to the character that allows players to connect with them.
In a larger sense, one could say a positive aspect of these four characters is that it simply
allows for a more diverse pool of character that players are able to choose from. In fact, at least
half of the playable character is Overwatch can be considered to be ethnic or non-white. Not only
does this bring more options to the player, but it also showcases the overall world of Overwatch.
Another important positive aspect to keep in consideration is that all four of the East Asian
characters speak their native language in some way. This is extremely rare, as often times Asian
characters who speak their native language are characterized as the enemy, yet all four characters
are mostly seen as the “good” guys, despite the slight villainous origins of Hanzo and Genji.
Some other positive results that have come from the non-white includes the general fan reaction
that these characters have an overall “cooler” skill-set. Genji, who has had relatively little screen
time in comparison to characters like Tracer, Winston, and Reinhardt, is still a fan favorite which
implies that these Asian character have allowed characters to feel powerful and effective on the
battlefield. Characters like Mei and D.Va also have body types that are not overly sensualized.
They do not illustrate the hypersexualized body while, at the same time, do not totally illustrate

the other end of the spectrum. Mei and D.Va’s body are simply just one of their characteristics,
but it does not make their overall character.
Yet, at the very same time, these four characters still allude to some familiar images. The
“paradigm of orientalism” can still be seen with characters like Hanzo and Genji. While they are
currently, at most, neutral characters, they still had villainous origins through their criminal
empire. Hanzo and Genji are much more than their connection to the Shimada family, but it must
be noted that these characters still have origins to criminal activity which plays into the idea of
the “enemy other”. Another huge factor that must be considered when questioning whether or
not these characters are negative of positive portrayals is how the other 17 characters are
portrayed. For example, Tracer, who is considered the “poster child” of Overwatch, is notably
British. One of the many qualities that players enjoy about Tracer is her thick British accent.
However, Tracer’s origins story is notably absent of her British upbringing. Other than her
accent, nothing directly connects her to a British background.

Yet Hanzo and Genji have origin stories that directly connect them to their Japanese upbringing.
With D.Va, her Korean nationality is heavily emphasized. At most, Mei is much like Tracer in
that it might not be totally obvious that she is Chinese, yet her origin story is still strongly tied to
the current politics surrounding China. Tracer has none of that which infers that, as a white
character, she can be easily related to and recognized. In many ways, Tracer is the “norm”
whereas Hanzo, Genji, Mei, and D.Va are the exceptions so their ethnic background must be
emphasized. All four characters also have a very “Asian” accent when they speak English which
makes it more obvious to the player that they are not the “norm”. These factors still tie into the
idea of the “other”. Having playable East Asian characters is “unusual” in a popular game, so it
must be made obvious that they are unlike the usual characters.
Perhaps gamers, like Bao Phi, would be happy to even just have more playable characters
of non-white backgrounds despite the few pitfalls these characters fall in. Of course, they cannot
speak for the entire gaming community which leaves it really up to the individual player to
consider that positive and negative factors. While these characters ultimately have larger
characteristics that make them more than their stereotypes, these characters are still presented in
a way to make it obvious to the players that they are different. These characters cannot simply be
Asian as an after-thought; instead, these characters have origin stories that deeply tie them to
their ethnic backgrounds as if to infer they cannot be Asian unless it is made obvious they are
Asian. At the same time, it is their difference to the other characters that make them so relatable.
So, it is ultimately up to the player to decide whether these characters are positive or negative
portrayals of East Asian cultures. It is the player than decides whether the positive factors can
outweigh the negative.

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