Zenyatta

Lore & Background

Zenyatta is a member of the Shambali, an order of omnic monks in the 2016 video game Overwatch. Situated in the Himalayas in northern Nepal, after experiencing a 'spiritual awakening', the Shambali believe that, like humans, omnics also possess a soul. Their leader, Tekhartha Mondatta, sought to heal the rift between humans and omnics brought about by the Omnic Crisis, a conflict preceding the events of the game in which omnics attacked humanity but later gained sentience. During this time, Zenyatta formed a brotherhood with fellow omnic Ramattra, though the latter leaves the monastery to lead a crusade against humans through his group Null Sector. Zenyatta meets the cybernetic ninja Genji and helps him come to terms with his modified body. The Invasion story content for Overwatch further expands on Zenyatta and Ramattra's relationship, showing their discussion following the death of Mondatta, who was killed by the terrorist organization Talon's sniper, Widowmaker. Ramattra attempts to convince Zenyatta to join him, while the latter tries to convince him to see the similarities between omnics and humans, and the two depart in disagreement. At the end of Invasion's storyline, Widowmaker is shown to have found Zenyatta for an undisclosed party, later revealed to be Ramattra, who tries again to convince Zenyatta to join him as Null Sector retreats for now, but the offer is refused due to the group's brutal methods against fellow omnics. In 2020, Zenyatta was featured in the short story Stone by Stone. In it, the character Symmetra helps with restoration efforts after a tremor caused by property development in Roshani, India damages a nearby temple's religious statue. She meets with Zenyatta, who teaches her about his religion and helps her understand the statue's significance. As a result, rather than replacing it she uses yellow hard-light to repair it, giving it a warm glow and pleasing all involved.

In Their Own Story

The Invasion story content for Overwatch shows Zenyatta and Ramattra's discussion following the death of Mondatta, who was killed by the terrorist organization Talon's sniper, Widowmaker. Ramattra attempts to convince Zenyatta to join him, while the latter tries to convince him to see the similarities between omnics and humans, and the two depart in disagreement. At the end of Invasion's storyline, Widowmaker is shown to have found Zenyatta for an undisclosed party, later revealed to be Ramattra, who tries again to convince Zenyatta to join him as Null Sector retreats for now, but the offer is refused due to the group's brutal methods against fellow omnics.

Reader's Guide

In Overwatch, Zenyatta is classified as a Support-class character, meant to provide aid for his team. Rather than moving on foot, he floats above the ground in a meditative pose. He is surrounded by a circle of nine floating metal orbs resembling prayer beads, which are named the 'Orbs of Destruction'. These can be used to launch a form of energy at foes either one at a time, or through a charged-shot which deals extra damage. His melee attack 'Snap Kick' kicks a single target, knocking them back. In addition to these, Zenyatta has two abilities that can be activated separately. 'Orb of Harmony' applies an orb that grants healing to the targeted ally while it's attached to them, while 'Orb of Discord' can be attached to an enemy to increase the damage they take. Only one of each orb type can be active at any one time. Lastly his Ultimate ability, 'Transcendence', needs to be charged before use. The ability charges slowly over time, and can be charged faster through damage dealt to the enemy team or healing provided to allies. Once fully charged, the ability can be activated to make him immune to all damage for a short period of time, healing all allies around him. During this time his movement speed will increase, however he will be unable to attack or use any abilities.

Did You Know?

• Zenyatta was the second Support-class character implemented for the game, following Mercy.
• Early designs would have had Zenyatta having multiple physical arms, though the final version instead gave him only two physical arms; the idea was retained with multiple holographic arms appearing when a player activated his ultimate ability.
• Zenyatta stands 5 feet 8 inches (172 cm) tall.
• Zenyatta is voiced by Feodor Chin.
• In Overwatch 2, a scarf was added to his design, and he was given new pants and shoes.