Orisa (Overwatch)

They developed her personality to be somewhat between that of RoboCop and GLaDOS, with the veteran experience of the existing Omnics Zenyatta and Bastion. Because of these disparate elements, the design team came upon the idea of introducing Efi, so that the strange design of Orisa would be that of the Overwatch world as seen through the eyes of an imaginative child.[3]

Rebuilt from the wreckage of an OR15 defense robot after an attack by Doomfist in her home city of Numbani, Efi upgraded the hardware and software on the Omnic, emphasizing public safety as its primary objective. Efi's upgrades on the robot also created a sentient identity, in which Efi dubbed the robot Orisa from its designation number. Despite still being young, Efi continues to guide Orisa in the path of protecting the innocent. With the help of Lúcio, the duo successfully drove Doomfist out of Numbani after reappearing with multiple attacks on the city. Her name derives from "orisha", spirits in the Yoruba religion of West Africa.[4]

Orisa was revealed on March 2, 2017. Unlike the previously introduced hero, Sombra, which was the subject of a protracted alternate reality game that was met with some criticism, Blizzard opted to tease Orisa over a much shorter period via social media, introducing the character of Efi and new events in the Overwatch narrative happening on Numbani a few weeks before Orisa's reveal.[4]

While Orisa was cited as an example of one of the "badass, stereotype-defying ladies" in Overwatch by sources such as Kotaku's Cecilia D'Anastasio,[8] other outlets voiced issues with the character, leading to mixed reception. Colin Campbell of Polygon noted that while she was happy to see Efi representing Sub-Sarahan African cultures in gaming, she was disappointed the character wasn't the primary hero, only her creation was.[9] Austen Goslin in an article for the same website instead criticized the lack of buildup for the character, noting that coupled with the lack of connection to the main storyline Efi and Orisa felt "inconsequential and trivial when faced with the legendary heroes of Overwatch, or the mythical characters like Doomfist."[10] Other criticism was focused on the context of the then-lack of a playable black female character in the roster, with several outlets stating Orisa herself "didn't count" due to being a robot.[11][12] The magazine PC Powerplay on the other hand criticized how her gameplay differed between Overwatch and Overwatch 2, which in their eyes changed her from a protector and "nucleus of a team" to an aggressor, and made her more stereotypical of how black characters are portrayed in gaming.[13]

Chris Kindred of Paste on the other hand was far more receptive of the character, calling her an "Afrofuturist icon" alongside Efi. He further praised that the character's story and characterization allowed both of them to make mistakes and grow, something that he felt black characters were seldom able to experience in video games, and enjoyed the social imagery of Efi creating her own answer to surrounding violence scratch as providing "affirmation of the work black girls and women do for social progress." Kindred also addressed the notion of whether Orisa counted as a black female character or not, citing the cultural influences in her design on both a visual and story level but Efi's involvement in her creation, and whether "blackness extends to robots built by black hands in a black culture." Outside of these factors, he additionally praised her role as a tank, noting that it helped establish her as a protector and the "backbone" of team compositions in Overwatch.[14] Paste echoed Kindred's statements again later that year as they named Orisa one of the best video game characters introduced in 2017.[15]

Brandon Howard of The Gamer praised Orisa and Efi's portrayal in the standalone The Hero of Numbani novel, noting that it helped fleshed out the characters in a narrative sense beyond what the games were possible, while also providing more characterization to Efi herself. He additionally praised the emphasis on African culture in Orisa's design, something he felt media seldom properly touched upon, and how Orisa's voice was established as a combination of voices from "a variety of powerful, compassionate women in Efi's life [...] It's something special."[16]