| Ashe | |
|---|---|
| Overwatch character | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Ashe-bob-overwatch.png) Ashe from Overwatch | |
| First game | Overwatch (2016) |
| Created by | Jason Hill[1] |
| Designed by | Mio del Rosario (preliminary)[1] JungAh Lee[2] Ben Zhang (equipment)[3] |
| Voiced by | Jennifer Hale[4] |
| In-universe information | |
| Class | Damage |
| Origin | Texas, United States |
| Nationality | American |
Elizabeth Caledonia "Calamity" Ashe, known mononymously as Ashe, is a character in the Overwatch franchise. She first appeared in the 2018 animated short Reunion, and was soon thereafter added as a playable character in the franchise's first game. Ashe is an American gunslinger and leader of the Deadlock Gang, a band of arms-trafficking outlaws. She does this alongside her sidekick B.O.B., a large mustachioed robot whose name stands for Big Omnic Butler. In all appearances Ashe is voiced by Jennifer Hale, while B.O.B. communicates strictly through body language and eye movement.
Ashe's development was different from other playable characters for the game, conceived originally for the animated short by Jason Hill as a foil for the character Cassidy. However, after artwork was drawn by Mio del Rosario and JungAh Lee, the team took a liking to the character, as well as her sidekick B.O.B. Around the same time, project lead Geoff Goodman was interested in introducing a new playable character into the game, and seeing her lever action rifle took a liking to the idea. As a result, when the short was released, they announced her as a character for the game shortly afterward.
Ashe received mixed reception. While she was popular with many fans upon release, some drew issue with the lack of black female characters in the game, and saw Ashe as a disregard for those concerns. This was compounded when concept art revealed at one point in development it was considered to have her be a woman of color. Additional criticisms were raised about her body type being too standard for female video game characters, and the clash of her cowboy character against the game's science fiction background. However some sources noted her contrast to Cassidy as a positive, and praised her portrayal in literature related to the game's universe. B.O.B. himself was more warmly received, with some inquiring if he could be made into a playable character himself.
- ^ a b "BlizzCon 2018 Overwatch: What's Next Panel Transcript". Blizzplanet. November 23, 2018. p. 2. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2023. (Video)
- ^ Burns, Matt (December 2021). The Art of Overwatch, Volume 2. Titan Books Limited. pp. 64–65. ISBN 9781950366668.
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