D.Va | |
---|---|
“I play to win.” | |
Real Name |
Hana Song (송하나) |
Age |
19 |
Nationality |
![]() |
Occupation |
Professional gamer (formerly) Mech pilot Actress |
Base |
MEKA Base, Busan, South Korea (formerly) |
Affiliation |
Mobile Exo-Force of the Korean Army (MEKA) (South Korean Army) Overwatch |
Charlet Chung[1] (English)
Genevieve Doang (French) | |
Cosmetics |
Cosmetic page |
Quotes |
Quotation page |
Role |
Tank |
Health |
150 (Pilot) 300 (Mech) |
Armor |
300 (Mech) |
Character Video
| |
D.Va is a Tank hero in Overwatch.
Contents
Overview
D.Va’s mech is nimble and powerful — its twin Fusion Cannons blast away with autofire at short range, and she can use its
Boosters to barrel over enemies and obstacles, or absorb attacks with her projectile-destroying
Defense Matrix.
Abilities

- D.Va can use
Self-Destruct while ejecting.
- D.Va is invulnerable while ejecting.










Splash: 1 - 4 per missile
Self: 1 - 4 per missile




300 armor



Strategy
D.Va is a unique tank with some mobility. With very high health and Boosters, she can close a gap to the enemy with ease. She has high damage output at close-range, making her a strong fighter in a 1-on-1 match. Her
Defense Matrix is useful against all incoming projectiles, protecting her teammates from enemy fire. The
Micro Missiles deal high amount of damage when used in close range. She is a dangerous flanker in the Tank class, dealing consistent damage to the enemy.
Self-Destruct will wipe all opponents within the blast area. However, she doesn't have an extended barrier to properly protect her team like Reinhardt. She is also slow while firing, allowing the enemy to outrun her to disengage or move around her to distract her aiming. Both
Fusion Cannons and
Micro Missiles are ineffective against anything further than medium-range, meaning she can be outranged by the enemy before she even has a chance to close a gap with
Boosters.
Weapons & Abilities
Fusion Cannons: D.Va's main weapons on the mech. Her mech can fire consistent shotgun-like bullets onto the targeted point. She can rapidly fire her bullets without needing to reload, but suffers from slow movement while firing.
- While firing her
Fusion Cannons, D.Va's movement speed is reduced by 40%, down to 3.3 m/s.
Fusion Cannons have 11 bullets per shot and large spreading; position yourself to the closest of the targets so that they won't be able to escape from you while firing.
- Aiming for the upper-body is recommended due to the nature of spread in combination with infinite ammo.
- Spraying the bullets at mid-to-long range has little to no effect, but it can pressure the enemy and sometimes interrupt some certain abilities when hit, like Mercy's self-healing and Sombra's
Stealth.
- The
Light Gun does not have damage falloff, and is actually more effective than the
Fusion Cannons at long range.
- While firing her
Defense Matrix: D.Va's primary defensive ability. When activated, the targeting-array will pop up from the front of her mech. All incoming projectiles will be shot down mid-air when they come into range of this ability. D.Va cannot attack with her
Fusion Cannons while using it.
- While
Defense Matrix has infinite "health" and can block any number of projectiles, it only lasts for 2 seconds when used continuously, and requires 1 second before beginning a recharge. Try to use it as a quick-burst protection instead of as a main blocking tool like the barriers of Reinhardt or Sigma.
- If some hero rushes into a group of enemies, use
Defense Matrix to cover your allies when needed. For example, cover Winston when he jumps in or cover Pharah when she is using her ultimate. You can protect your teammates with
Defense Matrix without needing to be right next to them thanks to its long range. Keep its short duration in mind; try not to spend all of its charge and leaving yourself as the enemy's main target.
Defense Matrix only blocks fire from the front, and cannot prevent incoming projectiles from other directions, making it ineffective against flankers and less viable when used as a barrier to protect her team or herself.
- Keep playing a mind game; try to lure some heroes like Zarya or Mei into thinking that you have run out of
Defense Matrix so that you can use it to block their Ultimate. D.Va's
Defense Matrix is very useful to erase a powerful ultimate if timed properly.
- When retreating from a group of enemies, activating
Defense Matrix while moving backward will greatly help D.Va to survive a strong attack.
- While
Boosters: When activated, D.Va's mech will launch into the air. She will move forward with faster movement speed and be able to adjust her momentum for 2 seconds. Deals damage and knockback to enemies when collided with.
Fusion Cannons are available to use during Boosters.
- The cooldown triggers after the
Boosters ability ends.
- Despite its small damage, it can still be used with a melee combo to guarantee a strong knockback and decent damage dealt.
- Using
Boosters in combination with
Fusion Cannons can guarantee a kill on injured enemies who are trying to retreat.
- D.Va can activate
Defense Matrix during the flight to protect herself from enemy fire.
Boosters can be stopped mid-use by a melee attack or
Boosters' key again.
- The cooldown triggers after the
Micro Missiles: When activated, D.Va's mech will launch a volley of missiles after a short cast time. The missiles will travel in a straight line and hit the first solid target. The ability can be activated in all actions and can't be stopped until D.Va is stunned or the mech is destroyed. The missiles can damage the D.Va who fired them.
- Combining the ability with primary fire can ensure a kill on an isolated enemy. It is less effective when used on a group of enemies, but still provides a strong pressure and enough damage to gain a great amount of ultimate charge.
- Since it can be activated at any time, consider using it when
Defense Matrix is activated. This will render the enemy's attack useless and hurt them with a bunch of missiles.
- Try not to waste the ability on a hero with a stun attack, since a stun effect can interrupt the missiles immediately.
- It's better not to use missiles apart from close range. The missiles travel at a slow speed and only deal small damage upon impact. Additionally, the enemy team can easily see it coming from afar and walk a step back to dodge it.
Self-Destruct: (Ultimate): The ultimate of D.Va's mech. D.Va will eject from her mech, which will detonate after 3 seconds. It deals massive damage upon explosion in a very large area around it.
- The mech will receive any momentum from
Boosters if they were used prior to activating
Self-Destruct. Use this to launch it in the right direction, and even to stall its travel around corners and catch enemies by surprise.
- The blast creates a strong knockback effect on any opponents that survive, sometimes launching them into a pit or off a cliff.
- Any cover will block the damage from
Self-Destruct entirely; even a light post that is large enough to cover the hero's size will allow them to survive the blast.
- Succeeding in using
Self-Destruct's explosion will fully charge D.Va's
Call Mech ability. However, if your mech is blown off a cliff while the countdown is still going, you will not gain any ultimate charge.
- After her mech takes critical damage, there is a brief window between the damage being taken and her ejecting from the cockpit where an ultimate can be used to cause the mech to detonate rather than simply being destroyed. This will also give her a full
Call Mech ultimate charge.
- The mech will receive any momentum from
Light Gun: D.Va's main weapon after her mech is destroyed. The
Light Gun deals considerable damage with fast (but not hitscan) projectile bullets.
- The weapon is very accurate at most ranges. D.Va can use while kiteing enemies and charge her ultimate meter to call a new mech.
- With her small hitbox, D.Va can dance around and kite the enemy, using the weapon's projectile nature to cut off the enemy's escape routes. Keep in mind that you have low survivability and lack movement options in pilot form, though.
- The
Light Gun does not have damage falloff, and is actually more effective than the
Fusion Cannons at long range.
Call Mech: (Ultimate): D.Va can call a new mech after her previous one is destroyed.
- The mech will deal considerable damage around it upon impact, killing any low health character. However, you must make sure that you can safely return to the mech.
- The ability creates a strong knockback upon cast. It can launch the enemy to an environmental kill.
- Both D.Va and her mech can be damaged or killed while she is entering the mech.
- When not fully operating the mech, any damage being dealt to you will not transfer to ultimate charge for your enemies.
General Strategies
- While D.Va is considered a Tank, a lot of successful D.Va players use her like Reaper. Flanking and harassing are some of D.Va's strong suits. Her high damage output at close range coupled with her
Boosters movement ability makes it easy for her to get "shotgun-like" damage in and escape with ease.
Defense Matrix is especially strong against most damage dealers. It can even negate a dangerous bullet from Cassidy's
Deadeye or even Pharah's
Barrage.
- You can close the gap on most heroes with
Boosters, but you will be susceptible to enemy fire while airborne.
Defense Matrix can be used during
Boosters, so activate it while flying towards a target that's shooting at you.
- You need to prioritize protecting the team from flankers and snipers, potentially by rushing them down at close range. Snipers are your first target since they are vulnerable at close range followed by other damage dealers depending on the situation and their position.
- It is not recommended to play D.Va without a shield tank on your team due to her own lack of shield and the short duration of
Defense Matrix. She can't offensively eliminate an entire enemy team by herself like a Damage hero, and she can't provide extended cover like a shield tank such as Reinhardt or Orisa, but she can alternate between the two roles in short, well-timed bursts.
- Strategize where and when to place a
Self-Destructing mech. The 3 seconds countdown of
Self-Destruct is long enough for your enemies to find cover or get behind a friendly Barrier. One effective tool is to use
Boosters before
Self-Destruct to send the Ultimate out from a blind spot towards a place where there is less cover.
- D.Va's high damage in her mech is useful against Tanks. Due to their large size and slow speed, the burst damage of
Micro Missiles and
Fusion Cannons can chew through a lot of health.
- Even though
Defense Matrix will destroy all projectiles, it will not absorb beams such as Zarya's
Particle Cannon, Mei's
Endothermic Blaster, Moira's
Biotic Grasp, or Symmetra's
Photon Projector.
- D.Va has a large critbox in front of her mech (the cockpit). You will receive critical damage easier than most heroes, so avoid turning your mech to face oncoming fire without
Defense Matrix active.
- Ramming an enemy with
Boosters deals damage in addition to mild knockback, which may be enough to finish off a low-health opponent.
- When out of the suit, D.Va's primary goal is to score as many headshots as possible, as fast as possible, to call her next mech. You may want to target a distant, large enemy such as Roadhog or an enemy D.Va to regain your ultimate charge.
Match-Ups and Team Synergy
Tank
Hero | Match-Up | Team Synergy |
---|---|---|
![]() D.Va |
D.Va mirror matches are extremely bizarre. Both of you are going to try to act smart and fight around each others' ![]() Don't use more than 0.364 seconds, or 18.2%, of your |
D.Va has no notable team synergy with another D.Va. |
![]() Orisa |
Orisa's ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
A sturdy Orisa as your teammate frees you up to play as a more aggressive Tank. With that in mind, don't leave her to fend for herself; once you've picked off any flankers or lone enemies, try to stay by your Orisa to make sure she isn't ambushed, since she's not as handy as you are in a close range fight. |
![]() Reinhardt |
Your quick mobility, ramming potential, and burst-fire capabilities may allow you to chase down a lone Reinhardt and quickly finish him off. Conversely, if Reinhardt is chasing after you, fly away and he will be incapable of catching up. Using ![]() ![]() ![]() |
As D.Va lacks any capability to produce shields, a friendly Reinhardt can cover your role as a primary Tank while you block large-impact attacks and chase after enemies Reinhardt is incapable of pursuing. The stun of ![]() ![]() |
![]() Roadhog |
Roadhog fights are extremely unfortunate, because your ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Teaming up a D.Va and Roadhog will result in your team lacking heavily in protection. However, among the Roles#Tanks, D.Va and Roadhog are also arguably the most offensively powerful. With the right team comp that focuses more on barreling through an enemy line rather than slowly pushing and protecting your team, you can pick off key targets while your Damage allies finish off any stragglers. |
![]() Sigma |
Sigma's ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
With a friendly Sigma on your team, you'll have an incredibly easy time negating incoming projectiles and covering each other's bases. That being said, you'll have a much greater difficulty against beam weapons such as those of Zarya and Symmetra. Try to do your fair share of absorbing projectiles and don't put the burden of protection on your friendly Sigma; if his ![]() |
![]() Wrecking Ball |
If you and Wrecking Ball both stay put and fire away at one another, you're almost certain to come out on top. Unfortunately, due to his high mobility, this will rarely be the case. While it's unlikely that Wrecking Ball will ever land a kill on you unless he's supported by his allies, his primary asset against you is being a nuisance who will refuse to die. Ramming him with your ![]() |
If your team decides to run both D.Va and Wrecking Ball as your tanks, you're offering your team extremely minimal protection. That being said, if your team is filled with heroes who prefer to stay mobile and fend for themselves, such as Genji, Tracer and Lucio, this may be an acceptable, aggressive team composition. |
![]() Winston |
Out of your mech, Winston is a nightmare, because he'll just ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The classic "dive comp" combo, D.Va and Winston both have the ability to quickly move towards, or "dive", an enemy. This is especially helpful to ambush foes that wish to remain on the backline, such as Widowmaker or Support heroes. Try to coordinate with a friendly Winston so you both ambush the same target simultaneously. |
![]() Zarya |
Zarya is among D.Va's greatest enemies, as she can build lots of charge from the fire of D.Va's ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
While having a Zarya as a second tank will cost your team traditional barriers, you each have unique ways to negate incoming fire. As long as you keep constant awareness of your teammates, you can both keep them safe from enemy fire. Zarya's Ultimate, ![]() ![]() |
Damage
Hero | Match-Up | Team Synergy | |
---|---|---|---|
![]() Ashe |
You excel at taking down snipers, and Ashe is no exception. ![]() |
D.Va has no notable team synergy with Ashe. | |
![]() Bastion |
You can negate an enemy Bastion's ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
While D.Va isn't as well-suited to protect a friendly Bastion as Reinhardt or Orisa, her ![]() ![]() | |
![]() Cassidy |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
D.Va has no notable team synergy with Cassidy. | |
![]() Doomfist |
![]() |
D.Va has no notable team synergy with Doomfist. | |
![]() Echo |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
D.Va is a very complimentary tank for Echo. You're both capable of large amounts of burst damage, so you should have no trouble securing a kill or two when you go diving. Follow her call and keep close to her so she can shield you with ![]() |
|
![]() Genji |
Due to Genji's constant mobility, he can be extremely difficult to pin down as D.Va, and his ![]() ![]() |
At higher skill levels, the classic "dive" composition almost always includes both D.Va and Genji, along with Winston and Tracer. | |
![]() Hanzo |
Your ![]() ![]() ![]() |
D.Va has no notable team synergy with Hanzo. | |
![]() Junkrat |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
D.Va is able to combo her ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
![]() Mei |
At close range, Mei will almost always freeze you before your ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Mei's ![]() ![]() | |
![]() Pharah |
Your ![]() ![]() ![]() |
You and Pharah tend to be the most airborne heroes. You can take advantage of this by both taking control of the skies, especially if you have a friendly Mercy on your team. Pharah's primary counters are hitscan and sniper heroes, which happen to be some of your easiest targets; you can cover her counters, while her powerful rockets can help keep flankers off your back. | |
![]() Reaper |
Both you and Reaper need close range to effectively deal damage, and at close range Reaper will rip through you in seconds. While negating his ![]() ![]() ![]() |
D.Va has no notable team synergy with Reaper. | |
![]() Soldier: 76 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
D.Va has no notable team synergy with Soldier: 76. | |
![]() Sombra |
With a well-timed ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
A well-timed ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
![]() Symmetra |
Your large health pool and close-range fire are both great assets in quickly taking out Symmetra's turrets as well as Symmetra herself. Since your ![]() |
Symmetra can create a teleporter through which D.Va can send her mech during ![]() | |
![]() Torbjörn |
In addition to blocking an enemy Torbjörn's ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
D.Va's ![]() ![]() | |
![]() Tracer |
Like Reaper, you and Tracer both excel when fighting at close range. Also like Reaper, Tracer will outdamage you in most circumstances. While Reaper has ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Tracer is absolutely essential to the classic "dive" composition that includes D.Va and Winston. Your team's lack of a shield tank (such as Reinhardt, Orisa, or Sigma) can potentially be made up for if an accurate Tracer dances around your enemies with well-used ![]() ![]() | |
![]() Widowmaker |
With her high mobility and ability to negate incoming fire, D.Va is an incredibly strong counter for Widowmaker. A common Widowmaker tactic is for her to fall to a lower altitude, wait for you to chase her, then use ![]() ![]() |
D.Va is able to distract potential targets, leaving them open to easier shots from an allied Widowmaker. |
Support
Hero | Match-Up | Team Synergy |
---|---|---|
![]() Ana |
Ana is both a Support hero and a sniper, making her one of your highest-priority targets. With ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
You may be a large target for your friendly Ana to heal, but you're also a mobile one. Make sure you're always in your Ana's line of sight to stay at full health. While a ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() Baptiste |
Fighting a Baptiste one-on-one isn't too difficult for D.Va. However, his ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
When Baptiste activates ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() Brigitte |
Due to her ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
D.Va has no notable team synergy with Brigitte. |
![]() Lúcio |
Due to Lúcio's high mobility and self-heal, it can be very difficult to definitively finish him off, even with your ![]() |
D.Va has no notable team synergy with Lúcio. |
![]() Mercy |
When an enemy Mercy is in sight, you need to be decisive on whether or not you're going to focus on her. If you damage her somewhat but let her fly away, she'll simply heal back to full health due to her self-healing abilities. In particular, while Pharah is one of your greatest targets, she becomes far more difficult to deal with if she has a Mercy attached at the hip. If she's well-protected in the rear of the enemy team, don't barrel in after her unless you have other teammates who are coming with you, otherwise she'll fly from teammate to teammate to avoid your attacks while her teammates promptly rip you to shreds. That being said, if you do have the likes of a Winston or Doomfist on your side, you can safely dive in and focus her down. If you catch Mercy alone, her lack of mobility and puny firepower makes her an easy target; just kill her quickly, because if one teammate shows up, she can fly to them and use them as a shield. | Like Pharah, D.Va's flight provides a massive boon to a friendly Mercy's aerial mobility. If a friendly Mercy is willing to pocket you, you can withstand most fights thanks to your impressive health and close-range damage output. If the situation is dire, though, be willing to flee from the fight; you might survive a group fight, but if your Mercy is killed because you weren't protecting her, she'll be much less inclined to pocket you in the future. By flying away from a fight, you're giving your friendly Mercy the out she needs. |
![]() Moira |
Moira's only real tool to escape D.Va is ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
D.Va has no notable team synergy with Moira. |
![]() Zenyatta |
Zenyatta can shut you down in a number of ways. His ![]() ![]() |
Because she has high damage output at close range (as well as medium to long range with her ![]() ![]() |
Story
D.Va is a former professional gamer who now uses her skills to pilot a state-of-the-art mech in defense of her homeland.[2] She is a very competitive individual,[3] and coupled with her pro-gamer skills, this makes her an extremely effective mech pilot. Never backing down, D.Va always plays to win.[4] While she projects a carefree, irreverant attitude, D.Va is burdened by the emotional cost of defending her homeland, and the facade the South Korean media projects on her.
In addition to skills as a mech pilot, D.Va is also a competent mechanic.[5]
Early Life
“ | It's like how we used to stay up late, and work on your hoverbike. You mean the one you wrecked? Really? You're still mad about that? We won the race! Yeah! And you almost killed yourself! |
„ |
~ Dae-hyun and Hana |

Song on the e-sports scene
Hana Song grew up playing classic games with her father, himself a former professional gamer during his younger years.[6] He was the one that introduced her to StarCraft, and her undeniable skill helped lay the foundation for her eventual e-sports victories in other games.[7]
Song has been friends with Dae-hyun since childhood. They would stay up late working on his hoverbike. Hana took part in a race with it and won, albiet at the cost of the bike and nearly her own life.[5]
Like her father before her, Song became a pro-gamer.[8] She became a Mecha Guardian V player in high school, quickly ascending to the #1 rank, winning the world championship[5], surpassing her teammate Yuna Lee [6][9] and rival Kyung-soo Hann.[6] A fierce competitor, Song played to win at any cost, and gained a well-earned reputation for showing no mercy to her opponents.[2]
MEKA

Song pilots her mech
At home, however, not all was well, as MEKA struggled to maintain its defense against the Gwishin omnics that repeatedly attacked the nation. As the omnics continued to adapt, they eventually disrupted MEKA's drone-control networks, forcing the military to place pilots in the mechs. Scrambling to find suitable candidates, the government turned to the country's professional gamers, who possessed the necessary reflexes and instincts to operate the mechs' advanced weapons systems,[2] in addition to standouts from other fields that required similar talents. Top stars were drafted, including the 19-year-old Song,[3] along with Lee and Kyung-soo.[9][6] She saw the new mission as a game,[2] and an evolution of her own career. Without fear or hesitation, she abandoned the limelight of her pro-gamer career, and got an armored mech operator's licence. As a member of the MEKA Squad under the command of Captain Myung,[10] she could put her reflexes to the ultimate test on a real battlefield, instead of a digital one.[3] Her skills and intense competitive spirit made her an extremely effective pilot.[4] Myung instructed Song to consider all threats, not just the ones right in front of her.[10]

A MEKA poster of D.Va
Song now fearlessly charges into battle alongside the rest of her MEKA unit, ready to spring to her nation's defense at a moment's notice. Not long before the Second Omnic Crisis, she began to stream combat operations to her adoring fans, and her growing following turned her into a global icon.[2] Sponsorship deals and her fanbase provided her with the means to customize her mech,[11] such as Nano Cola.[5]
At some point she also played one of the leading roles in the movie Hero of My Storm.[12][13]
As an active member of the military, Song was no longer able to freely travel as she could've as a civilian. She became an avid reader of Mei's Adventures, the publicly-posted travel journal of climatologist Mei-Ling Zhou, fascinated with all the different places Mei has seen.[14]
Shooting Star
“ | Oh man. This time off is great, isn't it? What's not to like? There's delicious food, and drinks... Yeah... And good friends. The kind that are always there for you-- when you need them most. |
„ |
~ Dae-hyun and Song after the Gwishin attack |

D.Va reflects on her burden
As time went on, the cost of defending South Korea from the Gwishin began to take its toll on Song. In one battle in Busan during a thunder storm, the squad barely managed to defeat the omnics, but the other mechs were put out of commision due to serious damage and their pilots sustained some injuries; only Song came out of it relatively unscathed. While the rest of the squad went on leave and the media reporting that Song was celebrating the victory by schmoozing with celebrities, Song had actually chosen to remain on active duty and spent time over the next week fixing and fine-tuning her mech alongside Dae-hyun, who had also joined MEKA as her assigned mechanic. As she stated that the squad and the rest of Busan were counting on her to keep the city safe, and any mistakes on her part could cost them everything, Dae-hyun recognized the emotional weight Song was carrying. He tried to convince her that she needed a break and that it was okay to ask for help, not needing to bear it alone, but she assured him that she had things under control.

Ready to launch
That didn't last long however, as five Gwishin omnics returned to attack Busan—while previous attacks were spaced between months, this one was just one week, which left the pair the only ones present to defend against the omnics. Song launched her mech to engage them. She took out two of the Gwishin, but the remaining three outmaneuvered her, damaging her mech and destroying one of the fusion cannons. Dae-hyun told her to get to cover and wait for reinforcements, but Song stated that they wouldn't get there in time. Performing a 180 on the pursuing omnics, she managed to destroy two of them, while the last Gwishin broke off and headed for Busan. Song pursued it, but it avoided her weapons fire and micro missile barrage before turning around and entangled her mech, tearing off the other cannon when she tried to fire on it. Left without any weapons, all her status readouts in the redline, and the city still in danger, she realized she could do nothing else and asked for her friend's help.
With Dae-hyun going over the mech's status, on the mention of the reactor becoming unstable Song remembered their earlier conversation of the destruction of his hovercycle, and suggested purposely overloading the mech's reactor. After some protest, Dae-hyun obliged, and as Song distracted the omnic to buy him some time he successfully triggered an overload that would destroy the reactor in sixty seconds. The omnic would reach Busan before that however, so Song ejected from the mech and used her light gun to shoot the exposed reactor from afar, destroying both the mech and the omnic. She fell into the sea, where she was recovered by a search-and-rescue team and taken for medical treatment, Dae-hyun accompanying her.

Enjoying 'time off'
South Korean media later made an update on the attack, reporting that authorities had stated that she had emerged without a scratch. In reality, she came out of the ordeal with a broken leg and arm, along with other more minor injuries. That didn't stop her from using her time off by assisting Dae-hyun with assembling her new mech. She thanked him for being there for her when she'd needed him.[5]
New Blood
“ | I'm making the call to dispatch you to Overwatch. We can't afford to be caught unawares like this again. MEKA Squad will remain here, but D.Va, you have a new assignment. Assess the Null Sector threat to Korea and update our tactical response. You may travel as you see fit to accomplish this task. If Overwatch is gathering the intel we need, I want you right there with them. Thank you, ma'am. Dan gyeuol! |
„ |
~ Myung assigns D.Va to Overwatch |

D.Va makes her case to Myung
Song and the rest of her squad watched a news report on Null Sector's attack on Paris, and how it had been repulsed by a newly-reformed Overwatch. Song asked Captain Myung if MEKA was going to contact Overwatch, as MEKA Squad's experience in fighting omnics could prove invaluable. Myung refused—contact with Overwatch had been forbidden by HQ, and MEKA was needed at Korea to defend the nation from the Gwishin. In light of the Gwishin's earlier attack (the one Song had single-handedly repelled), the squad was ordered to remain on high alert in the event of another Gwishin attack. The squad agreed, but Song talked to Myung in private, pressing the case to ally with Overwatch. She pointed out that the world's initial disunity during the first Omnic Crisis had cost millions of lives. If Myung contacted HQ, pressing the case to join with Overwatch, Song was certain they'd listen to her.

D.Va deploys
Behind closed doors, Myung could admit to admiring what Overwatch had stood for, but South Korea was still bound to respect the Petras Act, and MEKA couldn't defy direct orders. Before the debate could progress, an alarm sounded—Null Sector was attacking Busan, with thousands of omnics being deployed by drop pods from a command ship. MEKA Squad was deployed to repel them. Song requested permission to attack the ship directly, but Myung refused, instead ordering the squad to clear the enemy from Busan's evacuation routes. However, it became clear that they were caught between the need to defend the city, and the fact that the ship could deploy apparently limitless reinforcements.

Back on the offensive
Myung ordered a change in strategy—Song and King were ordered to attack the ship, while the rest of the squad played defense. However, the squad was overwhelmed, leaving Song with the sole operating mech. Myung gave the order to withdraw, but Song refused, insisting that they had to save Busan. The tide turned with the arrival of Overwatch members in a dropship. While Overwatch operated on the ground, Myung ordered MEKA Squad to take out the ship. All five mechs opened fire, causing the ship to retreat. All that was left was to mop up the remaining Null Sector forces, after which they escorted the dropship back to MEKA Base.

D.Va joins Overwatch
Inside, Song met with Cole Cassidy and the rest of the Overwatch members. He revealed that they'd come to Busan to see if MEKA was interested in working with Overwatch. Myung gave Song the go-ahead. She'd sort things out with HQ, while Song was assigned to work with Overwatch, assess the Null Sector threat, and report back to them, so they could update their tactical response. Song joyfully accepted the new assignment. The following day, she and the rest of the Overwatch members flew to Watchpoint: Gibraltar.[10]
Achievements
Name | Icon | Description | Reward |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
Prevent 1500 damage with a single use of D.Va's Defense Matrix in Quick or Competitive play. | ![]() | |
![]() |
Kill 4 enemies with a single use of D.Va's Self-Destruct in Quick or Competitive play. | ![]() |
Trivia
Self-Destruct: In line with D.Va's ultimate voice line, "Nerf this!", which can be interpreted as a challenge to the developers to nerf her ultimate, as of October 15, 2021,
Self-Destruct has never been nerfed.
- Her name is a play on the word "Diva", meaning a female celebrity.
- The stylization of her name is reminiscent of Korean pop idols, who often adopt pseudonyms to stand out. In the Korean version of the game, D.Va's name is the only name not in Hangul, reflective of the romanization of these idols' names. This makes sense considering D.Va is a Korean idol through her fame as a pro-gamer.
- The way her name has a prefix "D." is reminiscent of the way esports players have an abbreviated team tag before their names. This is supported by how she and D.Mon played on the same team.
- D.Va's given name Hana (하나) is the same as the Korean number 1. This parallels her personality, as she is a world champion and self-proclaimed "Number One."
- D.Va's jersey number when she was a pro player was also the number 1. [15]
- D.Va's suit has sponsors all over it, which is a reference to the same advertising style of sponsors in Korean esports.
- D.Va's mech is named Tokki (토끼), which means rabbit.[16]
- Hana is a fan of Lúcio's music, and has apparently bought his album. He in turn also knows enough of the pro-gaming scene to be a fan of hers.
- D.Va is the youngest launch hero, and was the youngest hero overall until Orisa was introduced. D.Va is sometimes teased by others because of her age, such as when Widowmaker mockingly says, "This is no place for children."
- D.Va is the fifth playable Overwatch character in Heroes of the Storm.[17]
- D.Va is a purchasable announcer in Heroes of the Storm, along with Genji.
Defense Matrix has D.Va manually shoot down incoming projectiles, counting towards her APM. In-game, D.Va is able to reach an APM of 84,480 in a best-case scenario by blocking the combined 1,408 pellets per second of 11 simultaneous
Whole Hogs.
- D.Va is the first hero to use randomized "Quick Melee" attacks with both arms (in mech mode). Outside of her mech, she uses her right hand for "Quick Melee" attacks.
- D.Va is used as the symbol for the National D.Va Association, now called FAMERz, a progressive feminist movement composed of Overwatch fans. The group achieved international notability after a photograph of their flag—featuring D.Va's bunny-ears logo—was photographed in a news report for an international Women's March event in Seoul on January 21st, 2017. Based in South Korea, the group chose D.Va as its symbol owing to an earlier incident where professional teenage Overwatch player Geguri was accused of cheating owing to an eighty percent win rate; which some believed was "impossible" for girls to achieve. The group distributes stickers of D.Va's bunny logo, among other paraphernalia. It plans on finding new ways to use Overwatch as a tool for spreading its message.[18]
- Charlet Chung, who is D.Va's English voice actor, has commented positively on her character, commenting "in terms of representation of Asian-American characters in video games, particularly women, they might be over-sexualized - and I don't know if I'm being too candid here - I feel like D.Va is more of a real person. She happens to have some sex appeal, but that's not why she's in the game. She's not there to be an exotic lotus."[19]
Development
D.Va was first announced through the official PlayOverwatch Twitter account, which linked to a mock-up page on the official StarCraft II World Championship site.[20][21] She had previously been depicted in posters in the attacking team's starting area in Hanamura. Her StarCraft page was later taken down and the link instead redirects to the StarCraft II home page.
The StarCraft WCS web page first introduced D.Va as a former professional StarCraft player. Michael Chu later clarified on February 1, 2018 that this was not intended to be canon and was just a fun way to tease the character. He also explained that the unnamed game that she was best known for in her career was one that best matched the skills needed to pilot her mech.[22]
D.Va's design and kit seems to take inspiration from Brit, one of the hero concepts created for the Overwatch pitch meeting.
Merchandise

The Figma D.Va statue
- A StarCraft II portrait and announcer for D.Va was available for those who attended BlizzCon 2016 or bought a Virtual Ticket for the event.[23] The announcer has since been made available for regular purchase.
- A D.Va statue is available.[24]
- A Funko Pop D.Va statue is available for purchase from the Blizzard Store.[25]
- A D.Va-themed hoodie is available from JINX.[26]
- A Figma D.Va statue is available.[27]
- D.Va will appear in LEGO Overwatch, as part of a set shared with Genji.[28]
Gallery
Videos
Official
Curse
Balance Change Log
For more information, see Patch Notes

- Damage increased from 50 to 250
Developer Comment: D.Va's respawn is often intentionally delayed by the enemy team if she is the last player alive from her team and without her mech. This change will make it more dangerous to be near the Call Mech arrival area for low health heroes.
Developer Comment: We're increasing the ratio of armor to health that D.Va's mech has to enable it to withstand more damage from shotguns, beams, and weapons with a high rate of fire.

- Movement penalty reduced from 50 to 40%
- Cooldown reduced from 1.5 to 1 second
- Activation delay reduced from 0.5 to 0.25 seconds
Developer Comment: These buffs are aimed at making D.Va feel more fluid and responsive to play.

- Cooldown decreased from 5 to 3 seconds
Developer Comment: The lower cooldown on her mobility will enable D.Va to more readily swap between playing offensively and defensively.

- Defense Matrix cooldown decreased from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds
Developer Comment: With role locks in place there is some room to improve D.Va’s impact as a tank, so we’re partially reverting a previous change which increased Defense Matrix’s cooldown.

- Regeneration rate increased from 12.5% to 16% per second
- Delay before regeneration begins lowered from 1 second to 0.75 seconds
Developer Comment: This change will allow D.Va to absorb more damage over time, while still keeping the maximum duration she can absorb at one time the same.

- Pilot ultimate cost reduced by 12%
Developer Comment: This change is just meant to counteract the global increase in ultimate cost. The time it takes to generate a D.Va’s ultimate when out of her mech should remain the same as it was before this update.

- Reduced length of Defense Matrix from 15 meters to 10 meters.
Developer Comments: Defense Matrix is a very powerful defensive ability and can often feel oppressive from far away. Reducing the range on it will require D.Va to position herself more carefully to take advantage of its effects.
- Heroes that are flying can now be knocked back and slowed
Developer Comments: Knockbacks are now less affected by how the enemy was moving when they were hit. Instead of having small or large knockbacks that depend on chance, knockbacks will feel similar regardless of the enemy’s movement leading up to the knockback. Allowing flying heroes, like Mercy when using her Valkyrie ability or D.Va using her Booster ability, to be properly knocked back makes for more fluid, realistic gameplay.

- Cooldown increased from 1 second to 2 seconds
Developer Comments: This change allows D.Va’s enemies to play around her Defense Matrix by increasing its downtime between uses.

- Explosive damage reduced from 6 to 4
- Impact damage reduced from 25 to 10
Developer Comments: D.Va’s burst potential is a bit too high, so we’re reducing the damage of her Micro Missiles and Boosters impact. Prior to this change, each missile dealt 3 impact damage and 6 explosive damage. We’re reducing explosive damage from 6 to 4 but leaving the impact damage the same, the net result being 21% damage reduction.

- An option to manually hold down D.Va’s boosters rather than toggling them has been added under Options > Controls > D.Va

- D.Va fires a barrage of small rockets that detonate on impact, dealing damage in a limited radius around each explosion. These can be fired while D.Va is using any other ability or firing her Fusion Cannons
- Defense Matrix's resource meter will now deplete twice as quickly
- Energy regeneration per second has been increased to 12.5% (formerly 10%)
- Fusion Cannons can now be fired while flying
Developer Comment: D.Va’s Defense Matrix uptime has proven to be too strong, but simply reducing it without making other changes would make her too weak (and far less interesting to play). Instead, we’re adding a new ability and giving her the ability to fire while flying. These changes give D.Va new options while maintaining Defense Matrix’s ability to shut down big enemy attacks.

- New sound effects and voice lines have been added, indicating when Defense Matrix has absorbed an enemy’s ultimate ability

Enemy shots no longer need to travel a minimum distance before they can be blocked Developer Comment: Previously, there was a minimum distance a projectile had to travel before it could be destroyed by Defense Matrix. This made it nearly worthless in situations where an enemy was right next to your teammate, such as when Roadhog hooks your ally. This change removes that restriction so Defense Matrix should now reliably destroy projectiles regardless of how far they have traveled.
- Armor decreased from 400 to 200
- Bullet damage decreased from 3 to 2
- Number of bullets per shot has been increased from 8 to 11
Developer Comment: D.Va’s armor often made her feel like she had no weaknesses, even against heroes that are typically effective against bigger targets (like Reaper). The changes to her primary fire will result in a small overall decrease in damage, but her Fusion Cannons should feel more consistent now.

- Ultimate cost has been decreased by 20%
- Mech health increased to 200 (formerly 100). Armor remains at 400
- Movement speed while firing has been increased by 25%
Developer Comment: We reduced the cost of the Call Mech ultimate ability to compensate for the increased ultimate cost across all heroes (detailed above). D.Va players shouldn’t experience a noticeable change. The rest of these changes help D.Va’s withstand attacks, which will allow her to keep pressuring enemies.

- After being activated, Defense Matrix will begin regenerating following a 1-second delay (formerly .5 seconds)
Developer Comment: Defense Matrix was too efficient when tapped repeatedly, instead of being held. Now, the recovery delay matches the ability cooldown.

- Cooldown decreased from 10 seconds to 1 second
- A new resource meter has been added. This meter will deplete while Defense Matrix is active and then recharge when it’s not in use.
- Defense Matrix takes 10 seconds to reach full charge from empty
- At a full charge, Defense Matrix will last for 4 seconds
- Defense Matrix will now remain active as long as its assigned hotkey is held
- Defense Matrix has been reclassified as an alternate fire and is now bound to RMB (by default)
- An option to "Toggle Defense Matrix" has been added under Options > Controls > D.Va
- Ultimate cost decreased by 15%
- Explosion delay reduced from 4 seconds to 3 seconds
- Explosion no longer damages D.Va (the player who activates it)
Developer Comment: D.Va isn't being selected as often as our other tanks, and we feel a lot of that stems from the underperformance of her damage absorption abilities. So, we've reconfigured her Defensive Matrix, making it more flexible and giving players the ability to use it more often. We’ve also given Self-Destruct a little more oomph, because it felt slightly underwhelming when compared to many of Overwatch's other ultimate abilities.
References
- ↑ 2015-11-24, "I AM D.VA". 'Facebook. Accessed on 2016-05-18
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 D.Va, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2015-11-12
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 [[1]], D.VA ENTERS THE NEXUS!. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2017-05-17
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 2017-05-08, D.Va Spotlight – Heroes of the Storm. YouTube, accessed on 2017-05-18
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Shooting Star
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 2018-08-28 D.Va Deconstructed
- ↑ Announcer: D.Va, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2018-12-28
- ↑ 2015-11-07, Overwatch: What’s New | Summary. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-11-12
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Overwatch, Busan
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 New Blood Issue 5
- ↑ Pro D.Va, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2017-05-17
- ↑ Overwatch, Oasis
- ↑ Overwatch, Hollywood
- ↑ Overwatch, D.Va Quotes
- ↑ Michael Chu's Twitter, Accessed on 2018-08-24
- ↑ Michael Chu's Twitter
- ↑ Heroes of the Storm 2.0 – Hanamura Showdown
- ↑ 2017-1-26, Overwatch’s gamer girl hero inspires a feminist movement Polygon.com, accessed on 2017-1-27
- ↑ 2016-09-17, OVERWATCH: A WORLD FANS BUILT. IGN, accessed on 2016-09-18
- ↑ PlayOverwatch Twitter
- ↑ D.Va (Archive), WCS. Accessed on 2015-11-12
- ↑ 2018-02-01, Michael Chu on Battle.net Battle.net forums. Accessed on 2018-02-01.
- ↑ 2016-10-17, BlizzCon In-Game Goodies: D.Va Announcer and Portrait! Battle.net, accessed on 2016-11-17
- ↑ 2017-06-29, NEW STATUE D.Va | Pre-Order Now! | Overwatch. YouTube, accessed on 2017-07-03
- ↑ 2017-08-22, Gamescom 2017 swag and more, including new Blizzard exclusives. Blizzard Watch, accessed on 2017-08-23
- ↑ 2017-11-22, Overwatch Hoodies. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2017-11-23
- ↑ 2020-02-24, Toy Fair NY 2020: Figma Overwatch Action Figures. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2020-04-10
- ↑ 2018-10-02, Blizzard teases new Overwatch LEGO sets. Shack News, accessed on 2018-10-08
External links