The Heart-Wrenching Tale of Illari: A Deep Dive into Overwatch 2's Most Tragic Backstory

Highlights

Overwatch 2 Season 6 introduces new hero Illari, who has an impressive kit and is already making waves in the community.

Illari's backstory, unveiled in a recent cinematic, proves to be even bleaker and more sorrowful than expected, bringing a new level of complexity to her character.

Taking full responsibility for the tragic occurrences that befell the Inti Warriors, Illari sees her affiliation with Overwatch as a means of redemption for her past missteps.

Overwatch 2 Season 6 launched on August 10, introducing several exciting new features including PvE story missions, a revamped practice range, and a new game mode. One of the most highly anticipated additions is the new support hero Illari. Although Illari is not yet available in ranked games, players can enjoy her in other game modes and the practice range.

Illari has quickly become a standout in the Overwatch 2 community due to her impressive abilities, which is a notable contrast to the underwhelming performance of Lifeweaver in Season 4. While little was known about Illari prior to Season 6, a recent cinematic from the PlayOverwatch YouTube channel shed some light on her backstory. To the surprise of many, her origin story is darker and more tragic than expected.

Illari's Lore Could Take The Cake As The Most Tragic Overwatch Origin Story

The exceptional work done by Blizzard on its Overwatch heroes is truly remarkable, particularly with the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community towards its cinematics and artwork. A prime illustration of this is the highly acclaimed "Dragons" animated short, which explores the complex relationship between Hanzo and Genji. Adding to the excitement, Overwatch 2 recently unveiled "Genesis", a series of three anime-style episodes, as a captivating teaser for the upcoming Invasion storyline, brilliantly uncovering the origins of the Omnic Crisis.

A new video was released on August 11, unveiling the identity and beliefs of Illari. Titled "Illari Origin Story," the cinematic features a supporting character recounting her life, which entailed training alongside the Inti Warriors. These formidable individuals harnessed the energy of the sun to sustain themselves and served as providers, healers, and protectors for the people of Peru.

Illari's ultimate goal is to join the ranks of the Inti Warriors through a ceremonial initiation known as the Solar Threading Ritual. Tragically, due to her unawareness of her own formidable abilities, Illari unintentionally taps into an excessive amount of solar energy during the ritual, overwhelming the mechanism. The cinematic depicts the horrifying moment she inadvertently obliterates all the other warriors, leaving her with a somber realization.

Overwatch boasts several tragic backstories that rival Illari's, including Widowmaker's manipulation by Talon and Mei's emergence as the lone survivor of a perilous mission. However, the most sorrowful aspect of Illari's tale is the absence of outside intervention. She alone took on the burden of eliminating each of the Inti Warriors, sparing only herself.

Illari's backstory clearly reveals her deep sense of guilt for the events that transpired that fateful day. She expresses a determination to make amends for her actions, possibly through her involvement with Overwatch. It remains uncertain if she has any connections with other characters at this point, but it is probable that Blizzard will intertwine their storylines in future missions and seasons of Overwatch 2.

Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.