Overwatch 2's Hanzo was removed from the game, but now he's back

Hanzo getting frozen
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Blizzard was forced to remove popular hero Hanzo from Overwatch 2, for a short time, thanks to a particularly destructive bug. 

Hanzo was removed for only a few days thanks to a bug that turned his primary fire, the bow and arrow, into a machine gun. You can fire repeated arrows by simply holding the primary fire button down, almost guaranteeing a fluke headshot. 

Hanzo already has the ability to rapid-fire arrows. However, this is on a significant cooldown and only fires three arrows. This ability is terrible enough as Hanzo can simply fire around corners and just wait for a headshot; half the time, the player doesn't even see you, let alone aim at you. 

The problem stemmed from a new alternate control option that was meant to give players more accessibility features. This meant you could toggle the action on and off, leading to some changing Hanzo's primary fire entirely. Usually, you have to hold the primary fire down to aim the arrow and then let go of it to fire. However, thanks to the new features, players realized they could circumvent this process and bundle it all into one action. 

This update meant that Hanzo was able to do 120 damage at twice the speed, making him the most lethal damage-type hero. Like Mei, Bastion, and Torbjorn beforehand, Hanzo was removed from open play so Blizzard could work some magic and fix the mistakes. However, unlike Bastion, who was kept out of open play for almost two weeks, Hanzo's fix was much faster. 

Not even a full 24 hours after the Hanzo was removed, Blizzard had found a fix. Jared Neuss, the executive producer for Overwatch 2, tweeted about the return, saying, "Sorry, Hanzo Haters. I hope you enjoyed a few blissful Hanzo-free games today." So now players can enjoy bug-free matches with their favorite Shimada again. 

For more great competitive shooters, check out these superb FPS games and the best PC shooters that are available to play right now. 

Elie Gould
Features Writer

Elie is a Features Writer for TechRadar Gaming, here to write about anything new or slightly weird. Before writing for TRG, Elie studied for a Masters at Cardiff University JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs or editing the gaming section for their student publications. 

Elie’s first step into gaming was through Pokémon but they've taken the natural next step in the horror genre. Any and every game that would keep you up at night is on their list to play - despite the fact that one of Elie’s biggest fears is being chased.