Genji: Ninja Reborn
A lore driven story of Genji, the cyborg ninja.
Written by Andrew Tulloch
Co-Written by Nick Charman
November 2016
The year was 2041, the second son was born. The Shimada family finally had another heir to look out for. The age old ninja clan would continue their reign of Hanamura, Japan through the birth of a new son. The result of this birth made the Shimada's have two sons: Hanzo Shimada and Genji Shimada. Genji, the youngest of the two and the newly born child. As children they both loved to mess around but also practice the traditional ninja ways of their clan. Genji's goal as a child, was to hone his ninja skills. While they would train, their father would tell them the timeworn stories of the amazing and powerful ninjas the Shimada's once had. This heavily influenced Genji's childhood causing him to be obsessed with mastering the art of the dragon and the way of the ninja. Hanzo, was smitten with the stories of old. Not of ninjas, but stories of samurai, the most honourable in Japanese culture. Hanzo took these ideals to heart and wanted to become the most skilled and honourable Shimada.
As time went on, the two brother's trained more intensely, while their father watched and schooled them. He noticed that Hanzo had a natural aptitude for leadership and an innate understanding of strategy and tactics. He also excelled in more practical areas higher than Genji could ever hope to accomplish. He was a prodigy in the martial arts, swordplay, and bowmanship. This led their father to favor him more than his brother. Hanzo being the eldest and more skilled was destined to succeed his father and rule the Shimada empire. As a result of their father's negligence towards Genji; he would spoil allowed him to take a backseat to the Shimada's illegal way of life and to philander around, making the two sons completely opposite in their lifestyles. This pushed Genji away from ever hoping to succeed his brother and crushed his goal of becoming the better Genji became older, he still excelled at and enjoyed his ninja training he did with his brother and fellow clansmen, but he ignored and disregarded his responsibilities he had as a Shimada. Instead, he became more involved in a playboy and carefree lifestyle that was shunned by the Shimada clansmen, and even his own brother. His father knew of his lifestyle but Genji was raised in a luxurious and privileged lifestyle, his father knew he would never listen. Instead of shunning and disregarding his own son he sheltered and protected Genji from the hatred that was rampant in the Shimada clan. Many within the clan considered the carefree Genji to be a dangerous liability, and they resented his father for coddling and protecting him. As Genji became more into his womanizing lifestyle. His brother was too interested and involved in the clan and succeeding his father to notice or worry about his brother.
Unfortunately, the Shimada clan's leader, also the father of Hanzo and Genji, met an untimely death. Genji much later in life described what happened to his mentor. The police broke into Shimada Castle. Their guns pointed high and at the head. They Moved into the stood Genji, ready to protect his dojo and his family drew his sword and disappeared. "To the left, no to the right, behind us!" the guards squabbled and fumbled around looking for him. With one strike from his sword four policemen dropped. On the floor cold as the mountain tops of Everest, was four bodies. Genji did his duty. So he thought, one guard in the shadows horrified, took up his gun and shot. Bang, bang, bang. Three shots in quick succession. Genji opened his eyes after the shots were fired. He had no wounds on him. He rapidly turned around to see his father standing with his arms out, blocking Genji. Their father immediately fell to the ground. In a bloody rage, dropping his katana, Genji dashed out towards his father. He took a small sword out from his belt. His wakizashi, was ripped out from its sheath. The man dropped instantly. Genji on top of him, repeatedly stabbed him. Hanzo and the other clansmen rushed to the scene and pulled Genji off the man. This unfortunate incident left the clan with an empty hole in their hearts and more importantly shattered Genji's ties and love for the clan. This left him empty inside making him delve deeper into his lifestyle of partying and womanizing, thinking he could escape the reality of the situation.
After their father's death Hanzo took charge of the Shimada Clan and was now the leader of this ninja clan and Japanese criminal syndicate. As Genji became increasingly distant from the clan, Hanzo became more aware of how much a liability he really was to their operation. The clan's elders instructed Hanzo to straighten out his erratic younger brother, Genji, so that he might help rule the Shimada empire alongside himself. Hanzo went to his brother hoping he would help rule the clan with him, but Genji refused his demand. This enraged Hanzo. The tension between the brothers built up to a violent confrontation that locked the two brothers in a fatal duel. Hanzo being the more skilled of the two, won this confrontation leaving Genji on the verge of death. The magnitude of this task broke Hanzo's heart. He abandoned the clan and all the work and time he had invested into it was gone. This led the clan to call Hanzo an enemy. Hanzo never came back to Shimada castle. The only exception was to lay incense out every year for his 'dead' brother.
Being on the brink of death Genji was picked up by Dr. Angela Ziegler, also known as Mercy. He was brought back to Overwatch headquarters. As Genji's injuries left him clinging to life, Overwatch offered to rebuild his body in exchange for his help. Subsequently he was put through an extensive process of cyberization using a super alloy called: Carticulum; mixing Neutronium, Molybdenum and Tritanium. This gave Genji his ultra strong, super absorbent, yet flexible stealth suit; which enhanced his natural speed. This increased his agility and augmented his superlative ninja skills while giving him a protective suit. Unfortunately Carticulum is extremely hard to produce because the ions in the Tritanium need to be positively charge which it is not, in it's original state. Therefore Overwatch could not make his entire suit out of just Carticulum, instead they mixed it with aluminium, to produce this flexible super alloy stealth suit. Transformed into the living weapon he is, Genji only knew one thing, he must seek out and destroy the Shimada's Criminal Network. Not just for Overwatch but also for himself to realize what his clan really was. To end all the inward fighting and to confront all those that resented his father. To finally come to terms with what he had done, and what he had become.
As time befell, Genji knew it would require a large amount of time and effort to take down this huge network he once called home. He would have to come to terms with destroying all that he knew was home, and somewhere down in his heart he struggled with this thought. His clan was not the only struggle in his life. His new cyborg body was causing him to be in a constant state of strife with himself. He was becoming progressively disgusted with his cybernetic body. Time moved on without Genji realizing it. About three years of sabotaging the Shimada clans criminal syndicate, Genji was finally finished with his duty. After his required time in Overwatch was up, he left without a trace. No Overwatch official could track him.
Genji drifted for many years on the path that no one ever wants to be wandering. The path of sorrow, self loathing and self-destruction. Wandering for so many years can destroy a man, but Genji was no man, he knew this. He would constantly ask himself "What am I?" No one had the answer to this question. Going from country to country, state to state, and city to city. As his new cyborg body was made of metal, Genji felt his humanity leaving him; like a new butterfly emerging from it's cocoon. His touch was null to the skin of another women, he knew he could never return to his old life of playboying and womanizing. Drifting from town to town he realized the people around him always staring, always whispering… always...judging. This pushed Genji to the brink of civilization, where no one knew about or cared who he really was. This little pocket of no man's land was Nepal. As he walked up the chilling Ten thousand staircase, he arrived at a monastery. He met an omnic monk named Zenyatta. When they first met, Zenyatta could see the grief and sorrow in Genji's cold, confused, guilt ridden body. Zenyatta approached Genji, he drew his sword thinking it was an attacker and asked "Who are you, what do you want from me?" Zenyatta replied in his natural robotic voice
"I am Zenyatta, a monk from this monastery. I have made a choice to help those I meet to overcome their personal struggles and find inner peace."
"I don't need your help go away before you get hurt, it won't rest on my conscience, I'm not human anymore." Genji replied.
Genji went back to the monastery. Zenyatta was there, again waiting for him, "I can help you Genji." Zenyatta warranted
Genji just ignored him and continued on through his path of sorrow and misery.
Genji consistently found himself going back to the monastery. He finally came to the decision. Hesitant at first he asked Zenyatta to mentor him. After weeks and months of Zenyatta supplying him the ideals of the monks, and training him not for the body but for the mind. He pointed Genji in the right direction of becoming mindful and opened his mind to the vast wilderness of the world and beyond. This made Genji realize, doing the right thing at any time, means you have a soul. It means you have your humanity and will never lose it. Genji may have lost his body, but he has not lost his honour.