Hanzo Shimada

Mastering his skills as a bowman and an assassin, Hanzo Shimada strives to prove himself as a warrior without peer. He has a cynical view on the nature of the world, and believes that compassion has no place in battle.

In addition to his skills with the bow, Hanzo is likewise skilled with the sword, but has sworn off using such a weapon. He considers crossbows to be "toys for children," and refuses to use firearms, as "they make killing too simple." He carves wooden charms as a hobby, and dislikes cities, preferring quieter areas such as Kanezaka. He similarly avoids people in general.

Hanzo was the eldest son of Sojiro Shimada of the Shimada clan; a clan of assassins whose power grew over the years, enabling them to build a vast criminal empire out of Hanamura that profited from lucrative trade in arms and illegal substances. As Sojiro's firstborn, Hanzo was bound by duty to succeed his father and rule the Shimada empire, dealing with expectations that his younger brother, Genji, did not. While he overshadowed Genji in his status, Hanzo preferred to have his brother beside him.

In his youth, Hanzo spent preferred the quiet of Kanezaka rather than the heart of Tokyo. On the rare occasions he accompanied his father on business trips into the city, he found it too bright and busy. Sojiro often told his sons children's stories to remind them of their duty.

From a young age, Hanzo was trained for that responsibility, displaying a natural aptitude for leadership and possessing an innate understanding of strategy and tactics. He also excelled in more practical areas: he was a prodigy in martial arts, swordplay, and bowmanship. He was instructed in the ways of the sword by Asa Yamagami alongside his younger brother, Genji. She also taught them how to wall climb. One lesson Asa taught Hanzo was that it was just as important to know how to disarm an opponent without lifting a weapon. That often you could do it by saying the right thing or smiling the right way. Another lesson of Asa's was "You must learn when to strike and when not to strike. Sometimes you are better off waiting for the right opportunity to make your move." At the time, Hanzo found the lesson counterintuitive.

Through Asa, the brothers learned alongside Asa's daughter, Kiriko, who became a "cute, little niece" figure to them. While younger than the brothers, she often tagged along after them. Hanzo watched Kiriko and Genji play in the Kanezaka arcade, as Genji chased one high score after another. While Genji and Kiriko were close, Hanzo kept himself at arm's length, given the duty he had to prepare for. He regarded Kiriko as "the brat," and treated her as a nuisance.

With Sojiro's death, Hanzo was thrust into the role of leadership. He found himself ill prepared and overwhelmed, as Sojiro's death had left the Shimada clan exposed to threats from rival clans, law enforcement, and Overwatch, and it became apparent just how much the clan's illicit activities had put the people of Kanezaka at risk. The clan elders tried to use Hanzo as a puppet, and instructed Hanzo to straighten out Genji, so that he, too, might help rule the Shimada empire. When his brother refused, Hanzo was forced to kill him. Unbeknownst to Hanzo, however, Genji narrowly survived the attempt with the help of Overwatch. This act broke Hanzo's heart and drove him to reject his father's legacy, ultimately leading him to abandon the clan and all that he had worked so hard to attain.

When he left, he felt his father was a fool. In his mind, the age of honor and respect that Sojiro had derived his beleifs from was long gone, and for all of Sojiro's stories about duty and honor, it was easy to moralize and say empty words when you were the one holding power.

After Hanzo left the clan, he was stripped from access to its finances. He began roaming the world in solitude as self-punishment. Hanzo swore to never again wield a sword, and would forevermore rely on his skills with the bow. He began to write poetry in an attempt to find peace. Seeing his abandonment as betrayal, the clan declared Hanzo an enemy and assassins were sent time and again to kill him.

Hanzo visited Kanezaka every year after Genji's supposed death to honor him. Every year, he saw more of the Hashimoto's baleful effects upon Kanezaka.

Shaken by his reunion with Genji, Hanzo fled Tokyo. Though it shamed him, he'd been running so long, he didn't know what else to do. He distracted himself with work as a mercenary, ignoring the truths that weighed on him.

Two years after his reunion with Genji, Hanzo was training at Okinawa when he saw news footage of Null Sector's global invasion. For the first time in fourteen years, Hanzo heard his father's voice in his head, to the extent that he briefly thought his father had returned. However, he realized that he was alone. However, hearing his father's voice summoned him back to Tokyo. To where, perhaps, he was needed to be.