What Animal is Orisa in Overwatch?
As an avid Overwatch player and content creator, one of the most common questions I see is "what animal is Orisa?" At first glance, Orisa looks like a fusion of various animals with her four robotic legs and almost centaur-like omnic shape. But when you dig deeper into her design, backstory, and abilities – there are clear inspirations that Went into creating this fan-favorite tank hero.
The Origins of Orisa‘s Centaur Design
According to the Overwatch team, Orisa was envisioned as an "anchor tank" – a central hero that could lead the charge into battle and rally the team around her. They decided to emphasize this leadership role through her centaur-like shape:
"We had this idea for a really strong, physical tank that leads the charge for the team. Making the shape this centaur-like four-legged omnic reinforced the idea she‘s an unstoppable force storming ahead." – Arnold Tsang, Overwatch Assistant Art Director
This lower horse-like body combined With Orisa‘s upper robot torso gives her stability and strength to anchor her team‘s Offensive frontline pushes. It also clearly drew inspiration from mythological centaurs – known for being warriors like the famous Chiron.
Animal Inspirations in Orisa‘s Design
While Orisa takes on a centaur-shape, she doesn‘t mimic any single creature. Instead, her developers combined traits from various animals:
Horns
Orisa‘s forward-curving horns are reminscent of bovine animals like cows, goats, buffalo and antelopes. Their texture resembles beetle horns.
Legs
Her thick, pillar-like legs share similarities with elephants and rhinos – both known for their sturdiness.
Coloring
The green cow-like spots and markings on Orisa‘s legs and gun arm add an organic touch to her mechanical body.
Eyes
Glowing oval-shaped eyes are set on each side of her head, reminiscent of prey animals that have better peripheral vision.
The Data Behind Orisa‘s Power
As a tank hero, Orisa packs a formidable arsenal of abilities to defend her team. Here‘s a quick data guide to her in-game stats:
Health Pool
- 200 health
- 150 armor
- Total: 350 health
This gives her high sustainability in fights.
Augmented Fusion Driver (Primary Weapon)
- 132 dps sustained damage
- 12 rounds/second fire rate
- Infinite ammo
She has fierce frontline damage potential.
Protective Barrier
- 900 health energy shield
- 20 second cooldown
Her shield uptime ranks among the highest in the game.
Combine this with her Halt orb for grouping enemies and Fortify damage reduction, it‘s clear Orisa has an impressive toolkit to lead the charge!
Orisa‘s Backstory – Built to Protect
According to Overwatch lore, Orisa began life as OR15 – an outdated defense robot destroyed in an airport siege by Doomfist and his Talon agents.
11-year old robotics genius Efi Oladele rescued OR15‘s remains and rebuilt her into a protector the people of Numbani could believe in.
Efi‘s improvements reflected the community‘s hopes – Orisa was designed with compassion and personality rather than just functionality. Her very name "Orisa" means "she who carries the burden for others" in Yoruba.
So while Orisa was originally built as a machine for defense, Efi Oladele transformed her into so much more – an inspiration and symbol of hope for an entire city.
Final Thoughts – Orisa‘s Unique Design
When gamers ask "What animal is Orisa?", there‘s no single right answer. As we‘ve covered, she blending traits from cows, elephants, beetles and more into one epic package.
But what makes Orisa truly special isn‘t just her hybrid animal-machine design – it‘s the heart and personality Efi built into her upgrades. She represents the dreams of Numbani just as much as its technological innovations.
And that‘s what makes decoding every aspect of heroes like her so rewarding as an Overwatch fan!
Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions about Orisa‘s origins or stats!
