Edit: It Appears this theory was pretty much correct:
What this says/confirms:
- Asa was a swordsmaster for the Shimada clan, she taught Genji and Hanzo how to fight alongside their father
- Her Husband Toshiro is an expert blacksmith/weapon crafter. He just made their daughter a new sharp “gift” (implied to be a blade weapon of some kind)
- The Hashimoto gang/clan has taken over Kanezaka and is extorting the civilians (making them pay for “protection”). They have taken Toshiro hostage and forced him to make their weapons for the last 8 years. He barely gets to see his family.
- Asa’s mother and hers before her were honored to tend the fox shrine
- A group of unknown insurgents have risen up and started attacking the Hashimoto gang, leaving colorful messages around the city, which in turn has caused the Hashimoto to take out their anger on the citizens.
- Asa is praying to the fox spirit for strength, gathering her sword, and going to face these insurgents at night to ask them to stop
She ends the letter with:
" “The kitsune can change your luck with a flick of even one of her tails.” May she flick all nine of them and send some much-needed good fortune our way. "
So this confirms the Kistune fox theme for the hero, the only question is whether the new hero will be Asa herself or her daughte, who has just received a new weapon from her father. I am betting on the daughter, and I’m betting that she is secretly a part of these town rebels who are fighting the Hashimoto gang. Tonight, her mother will discover this.
My original Theory:
Alright buckle up because this might be long. So on the new map (which is located next to Hanamura, as we can see Hanamura up in the skybox), there are multiple hints at potential other clans. In the Dev Update, Jeff said this map is “filled with lots of contextual hints at upcoming OW2 lore and people that the Shimadas are interacting with”. He also said pay attention to the graffiti. Well, I scoured the entire map and was only able to find a singular piece of grafitti. What’s on it? A fox:
h ttps://gyazo.com/3fd2798f75dde5d805b5cbf916ed7d8e
The word is “yokai” - a Japanese word for supernatural spirits, often with animal forms. The map also features many foxes, including one in the grafitti. According to yokai folklore, foxes have the ability to assume human form, and and both tricksters and messengers of the gods.
This caught my attention immediately because somewhere else in the map there are two prominent Fox statues in front of the big central building, as seen here:
h ttps://i.gyazo.com/a153d65c25f6b6e111ada6d84e75488b.jpg
So, this could be pointing at a different clan. The Shimadas are the Dragons, and this would be the Foxes. And then my good friend Cerberus reminded me of something Game Informer said about an upcoming OW2 hero…who has a fox pet…and shruiken weapon:
“The hero that stood out the most, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of, appeared to be a female with short hair. At her side and standing up to her knees was a fuzzy little critter with pointy ears and an equally pointy tail. It looked like a fennec fox, but with longer ears and a more aggressive stance. The hero of note wielded a giant four-sided weapon, which is somewhat similar to the shuriken used by Yuffie in Final Fantasy VII, but much thicker. At first glance, this weapon looks like it’s used for melee purposes, but given Overwatch is a science-fiction universe, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of it being thrown like a boomerang or attached to some kind of chain (which I didn’t see). Regarding the animal, your guess is as good as mine whether it will be on the battlefield or not. There’s a chance it could be summoned in like Bob for an Ultimate, or not be used at all like Bastion’s bird Ganymede. Given how prominent it was in this artwork, I get the feeling this animal is used in some way. Imagine being able to tell it who to attack or pin down just by aiming at the foe. Again, this is all speculation, but from the silhouette alone, this looks to be one of the wildest heroes for the game yet.”
A shruiken-esque weapon? A Fox pet? I may be crazy but I think that’s a pretty clear connection to the new Japanese map with multiple Fox decals represented over it.
Another interesting thing Cerberus noted, is that the Fox statues have ties to Inari, A Japanese deity of foxes who uses them as their messenger. As you can see, the fox statues on the map are holding parchment scrolls in their mouths. Inari is also apparently adrongynous and can appear male or female depending on their mood, which fits with a seemingly female hero with super short hair.
So that’s my current drawn out theory on the upcoming hero that GameInformer wrote about.
Also, another clan maybe be the Tiger Clan, another Chinese Zodiac Animal. In the official Tweet announcing the new map, it describes “A Seedy Nightclub”. In this Nightclub, there is a large neon symbol of a Tiger’s head. The Tiger is connected to the Earth, and the Dragons are connected to the Heavens. This is paralleled by their in-game locations: The Hanamura Castle is up in the sky on the mountain above this new map, and the Tiger Nightclub is down below. This could be yet another clan/mafia that the Shimadas are dealing with.
The last detail I noticed was the Shimada Clan symbol was engraved on every sewer grate covering.
Edit: Another note, Most death match and elimination maps are tied to a hero
Castillo - Sombra
Black forest - bastion
Chateau - Widowmaker
Ecopoint - Mei
Necropolis - Ana
ahaha I was shook when I remembered lol
