Overwatch released several new skins for specific heroes including the new Oni Genji which can be unlocked through playing Heroes of the Storm (15 games). Now, once unlocked, you can see the new cosmetic theme for Genji, including its new Twin Blades. But did you know that there is more to the skin than meets the eye? Today, we're going to discuss the story behind Genji's new Twin Blades.
Overwatch Oni Genji: Masamune (正宗)
To start off, let's begin with Genji's short blade, the Masamune (正宗). If you zoom in, you can see the small characters which are according to a Reddit post, is of the form of Kanji (Chinese characters used in the Japanese Language). Now, you may have noticed that Genji hardly uses this blade to stab the opponent. You can only see this blade being used when Genji uses Deflect and that is for a particular reason. Masamune and Muramasa go a long way back in the 13th century.
The two names are considered to be the greatest sword smiths in Japan. Masamune is said to have a placid and peaceful personality and thus, engraves serenity on its swords and are then carried into the person wielding it. This is why in Oni Genji's skin, the blade is used particularly for defense only.
Overwatch Oni Genji: Muramasa (村正)
Unlike Masamune, Muramasa is said to have an immense evil personality which engraves a curse on its blades. According to the legend, the cursed blades of Muramasa possess its wielder and induced it into a bloodthirsty rampage. It is said that anyone who wields Muramasa's cursed blades is doomed to crave hunger for blood and would kill anything and anyone including its own master. This is the main reason why the long sword is the one mostly unsheathed during battle. You can see Genji unsheathing the sword when he's performing Swift Strike and casting his ultimate, Dragonblade.
Last fan fact: According to bluefire1802, Blizzard incorporated the Notare Hamon (waves on the bladed edge of the sword which are the result of the cooling of the blade after it is crafted) really well on the Muramasa which, according to him, looks exactly as the original Muramasa swords (Notare Hamon is shallow much shallow on the blade.
