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Is Kiriko a Main or Off-Healer in Overwatch 2? A Deep Dive

Kiriko, the agile and deadly support hero in Overwatch 2, presents a fascinating question for team compositions: Is she a main healer or an off-healer? The answer, as with many things in Overwatch, is: It depends. Kiriko possesses a kit that allows her to flex between both roles effectively, although she leans more naturally towards being a flexible hybrid support, capable of fulfilling main healer duties in specific team compositions and excelling as an off-healer in others. The key lies in understanding her strengths, weaknesses, and synergies within a team.

Understanding Kiriko’s Kit: A Blend of Healing and Utility

Kiriko’s abilities allow her to be both a primary and secondary healer, she is able to do damage when healing is not needed. Her toolset includes:

Healing Ofuda: These homing talismans deliver moderate bursts of healing over time. Their targeted nature means she can consistently keep allies topped up, especially those taking focused damage.
Kunai: High-skill projectile weapons that deal significant headshot damage. They reward accuracy and encourage Kiriko to weave in damage while healing.
Protection Suzu: A potent ability that cleanses allies of most negative effects and grants temporary invulnerability. This is a game-changing tool for countering enemy ultimates and protecting teammates from burst damage.
Swift Step: A teleport ability that allows Kiriko to quickly reposition to an ally, even through walls. This enhances her mobility and enables her to reach teammates in need.
Kitsune Rush: Her ultimate ability summons a fox spirit that creates a path boosting allies’ movement speed, attack speed, and reload speed. This offensive ultimate is perfect for initiating team fights or pushing through chokepoints.

Kiriko as a Main Healer

Kiriko can function as a main healer when paired with the right team composition and playstyle.

Sustained Healing: Her Healing Ofuda, while not providing raw output as fast as Moira or Baptiste, offers consistent and reliable healing, particularly on a single target. She can easily keep a tank alive while the rest of the team is taking damage.
High Healing Potential: With precise targeting and consistent aim, Kiriko can achieve high healing numbers, rivaling traditional main healers. The article stated Kiriko “if she lands all of her talismans, heals for an astonishing 72 health per second.” However, this relies on the player’s mechanical skill.
Team Compositions: She is well suited for compositions that focus on a single tank or need to push through choke points on a map.

Kiriko as an Off-Healer

Kiriko truly shines as an off-healer, offering incredible utility and offensive potential alongside consistent healing.

Utility Queen: Protection Suzu is an unparalleled ability for mitigating enemy ultimates, negating debuffs, and saving teammates from critical situations.
Damage Dealer: Skilled Kiriko players can consistently land headshots with their Kunai, contributing significant damage to the team. This makes her a threat to flankers and snipers, adding an offensive edge to her support role. The article stated, “Kiriko is an offensive support because she’s designed around hitting headshots with her kunai and keeping her teammates alive and aggressive with her ofuda, Cleansing Suzu, and Kitsune Rush.”
Mobility and Flanking: Swift Step allows her to reposition quickly and escape dangerous situations, enabling her to support flanks and engage in aggressive plays.
Synergies: Kiriko excels when paired with a main healer who can provide sustained AOE healing, such as Ana, Baptiste, or Moira. This allows Kiriko to focus on using her utility and damage potential while ensuring the team remains healthy overall.

Factors Influencing Kiriko’s Role

The determination of whether Kiriko is a main or off-healer isn’t solely based on her kit; several factors come into play:

Team Composition: The presence of other healers significantly impacts Kiriko’s role. If she is the only healer, she will need to prioritize healing.
Map: Open maps favor Kiriko’s mobility and damage potential, while close-quarters maps demand higher healing output.
Enemy Team: The enemy team’s composition influences the value of Protection Suzu. A team with many debuffs or ultimates that can be countered by Suzu enhances Kiriko’s off-healing potential.
Player Skill: A skilled Kiriko player who can consistently land headshots and utilize Protection Suzu effectively will naturally lean towards an off-healer playstyle.

Mastering the Hybrid Role: Tips for Playing Kiriko

To maximize Kiriko’s potential, consider these tips:

Prioritize Healing: While damage is important, always prioritize keeping your teammates alive.
Master Protection Suzu: Learn the timing and range of Protection Suzu to effectively counter enemy abilities and save teammates from burst damage.
Practice Your Aim: Hone your Kunai aim to consistently land headshots and contribute to the team’s damage output.
Utilize Swift Step: Use Swift Step to reposition quickly, escape danger, and reach teammates in need.
Communicate with Your Team: Coordinate your ultimate usage and communicate your cooldowns to ensure optimal team play.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Kiriko

Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify Kiriko’s role and capabilities:

What healer pairs best with Kiriko? Good pairings include Ana, Baptiste, and Lucio. Ana provides long-range healing and anti-healing, Baptiste offers strong burst healing and immortality field, and Lucio can speed boost Kiriko and provide AOE healing. The article mentioned Kiriko and Lucio, stating, “Kiriko can also save multiple allies from certain death with her Protection Suzu, thus giving time for her to heal them and for Lucio to recover all of them at once.”
Is Kiriko good against anti-heal effects? Yes, her Protection Suzu cleanses anti-heal effects, making her valuable against heroes like Ana.
How much does Kiriko heal per second (HPS)? Her Healing Ofuda can heal for approximately 72 HPS if all talismans land, but this requires good aim and consistent targeting. The article stated, “Analysis of her healing ability shows that she heals for around 55 health per second. Kiriko, if she lands all of her talismans, heals for an astonishing 72 health per second.”
Can Genji deflect Kiriko’s Healing Ofuda? Yes, Genji can deflect her healing. However, the deflected heals will still target the initial intended ally.
Is Kiriko good on defense or offense? Kiriko is good on both offense and defense, but her ultimate is best used offensively to initiate pushes and secure objectives. The article stated, “While this dampens the effectiveness of Kiriko as a defensive support hero, she is great for turning the tide of battle and allowing her team to push the offensive.”
How old is Kiriko? Kiriko is 21 years old. The article stated, “Hanzo is 40, Genji is 37 and Kiriko is 21. This age gap makes it harder to believe, if not impossible for the characters to have trained together.”
How tall is Kiriko? Kiriko is approximately 5’7″ tall.
Does D.Va’s Defense Matrix block Kiriko’s Healing Ofuda? Yes, D.Va’s Defense Matrix and other absorption abilities can block her healing.
What is Kiriko’s ultimate ability called? Her ultimate is called Kitsune Rush.
Is Kiriko a difficult hero to play? Kiriko has a medium to high skill ceiling. Her Healing Ofuda requires precise aim, and her Kunai demands accuracy for effective damage dealing.
When should I pick Kiriko? Kiriko is a good pick when your team needs a mix of healing, utility, and damage. She is especially strong against teams with many debuffs or ultimates that can be countered by Protection Suzu.
Is Kiriko considered a top-tier hero in Overwatch 2? Many consider Kiriko a top-tier hero due to her versatility, strong healing potential, powerful utility, and ability to contribute significant damage.
Who is the best healer in Overwatch 2? There is no single “best” healer, as each hero has their strengths and weaknesses. However, Moira has the most raw healing. But Ana has superior range, the ability to amp all healing.
How should I position myself when playing Kiriko? Position yourself in the backline, near your team, where you can easily heal and provide support while also having a clear line of sight for dealing damage. The article stated, “It should come as no surprise, but Kiriko is best when on the rear of your team. This lets you chip away bits of damage with kunai when safe but mostly keep tabs on your Tank and Damage classes for healing.”
Is Kiriko a good choice for beginners? While Kiriko can be effective in the hands of a skilled player, she is not the easiest hero for beginners. Moira or Mercy might be better options for new players due to their simpler mechanics.

Is Kiriko a main or off-healer?