Some heroes in Overwatch 2 are very easy to pick up and learn how to use and have been designed this way to help new players who are learning the game. Other heroes are a bit more complex and require more hours to practice, perfect, and execute in games.
One of these heroes is Genji in Overwatch 2, the agile shuriken-wielding Japanese ninja who is best utilised as a flanker to assassinate enemy squishies.
For more on the game, check out our Overwatch 2 tier list to see where all heroes rank. We've also got a guide on how to use Kiriko, if you're more of a support main.
What are Genji's abilities in Overwatch 2?
Here is a breakdown of Genji’s kit and abilities:
- Shuriken - Throws three shuriken.
- Shuriken (Alt-fire) - Throws three shuriken in a wider spread.
- Swift Strike - Genji rushes forward and slashes with his wakizashi. If he eliminates his target, the ability’s cooldown timer resets.
- Deflect - Genji reflects incoming projectiles and blocks missile attacks.
- Dragonblade - Genji’s melee attack becomes a mighty katana strike during his ultimate, that he can use multiple times.
- Cyber-Agility - Genji can climb walls and double jump.
Genji is one of Overwatch’s most popular heroes. This is mainly because he is arguably one of the most exciting to play. However, what separates good Genji players from the best Genji players is timing.
It is very easy to die as Genji because he only has a 200 HP health bar and also requires some skill to pull off. He thrives on attacking the back line of the enemy, which is why you usually see Genji players being a nuisance on the flank. They're known to relentlessly bully supports with no movement abilities, like an Ana.
Your left-click should be used to poke from a distance, but you should mainly be using your right-click when you are close/mid-range from the enemy. The timing of your deflect ability is also crucial when playing Genji, as this could be the difference between life and death.
How to use Genji's abilities in Overwatch 2
You need to know when you can successfully execute your attacks on the back line and when you cannot. Remember, if you take part in a takedown then you will gain a reset on your dash - this is Genji’s most important ability.
His dash may be used as an escape tool, but this is also something that lower elo players use too much. Whilst it is necessary to dash away from danger sometimes, your dash should instead be used to initiate fights and engage the enemy more quickly.
His passive Cyber Agility is an excellent way of gaining vantage points that only Genji can access. You can climb up walls and find nooks on the map to use the element of surprise or simply poke enemies.
Combining both passives is a great way to make yourself a harder target to hit. This means running at walls and jumping off of them in rapid succession. You can do this as many times as you want because there is no cooldown to his wall running passive.
When you deflect damage, it is important to aim your crosshair as close to the heads of the enemy you are deflecting against. This will mitigate the damage you receive, and deal it to them instead.
Genji's Dragonblade
Genji's Ultimate move, Dragonblade, is by far the most exciting to use. This is where Genji players tend to make creative plays. You gain a movement speed buff when you cast Dragonblade, and this can sometimes make it harder to control. Once you have clocked enough hours on Genji, this will naturally become easier.
Once again, the key thing here is timing and accuracy. You should purely focus on trying to hit the target and landing two successive blows. This should be enough to take down most heroes in the game.
Dragonblade is a very powerful tool that can be used to flip team fights on their head, so be sure to save your Ultimate for a key moment in the game.
Some ideal times include a last-minute defence against the enemies pushing the payload (and vice-versa), the cusp of overtimes when you are on the verge of winning or losing, and just any time you need a minimum of one or two kills in quick succession.
But there you have it, that's it for our Overwatch 2 Genji build guide! For more on the game, check out everything we know about Season 7 Rise of Darkness, plus we have an Overwatch 2 server status hub, so you can make sure you can always get into a match.