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[whatshimadayou]

So there's a lot I tend to interpret in terms of what's given in canon, and heck I'm willing to take it and run with it until canon dictates otherwise and I can adjust from there. But in the meanwhile, I figured I'd share a lot of my thoughts in terms of how Hanzo works, because man that is one odd, angry, complicated guy.

On the subject of Genji
The biggest and most important matter that has dictated Hanzo's life: his little brother he tried to murder.

First of all, I wanted to talk a bit about the Shimada family as a whole. We don't know anything about Genji and Hanzo's mother, but it's probably safe to assume she died sometime ago, leaving their father to mostly raise them. Never for one second have I ever believed that their father loathed them. It's stated explicitly in their respective backgrounds that their father doted heavily on Genji, and the short states clearly that he used to tell them stories. I do believe that their father loved both of them, but had very different ways of displaying this affection. Hanzo was the direct heir, the first son, which means a lot of expectations of responsibility was placed upon him. Genji was the second son, and more or less free to do what he wanted -- much to the apparent disapproval of the elders, which their father didn't really give a damn about. We definitely know that the Shimada clan has been running their criminal organization for many generations, so there's no disillusion that they are all criminals, including their father, but there's no real implication that he was ever cruel to them or did not love them, especially Genji.

That doesn't mean, of course, that there was a perfect relationship or that there weren't mistakes in how Genji and Hanzo were raised, of course.

With that seed in mind, I also don't think Hanzo and Genji always had a difficult relationship or were never close. It is stated very specifically that the act of killing Genji broke Hanzo's heart, and we see during the short that Hanzo carries a sparrow feather with him -- the sparrow being the animal meant to represent Genji, not to mention that despite the fact that he now travels the world as a mercenary Hanzo always comes back on the same day every year to mourn his brother. If they were always antagonistic, it really wouldn't may any sense how the act would have affected Hanzo that badly to behave this way. This tells us that probably before their father died, their relationship used to be a very different one. I am under the impression that in their early youth, they were very close, but the older they became, more pressure to be more responsible and serious was placed upon Hanzo, whereas Genji really had no expectations.

Which also means Hanzo had plenty of their father's attention probably in his late teens, whereas Genji was given plenty of freedom. In their developing lives, this undoubtedly caused a lot of frustration for both of them: Hanzo likely had some struggling envy that Genji could do as he pleased, and Genji becoming frustrated that (A) his brother was changing into someone more serious and dedicated to the family business and (B) he had so much of their father's attention, though maybe not fully understanding the consequences of that. This probably could have spurned Genji into becoming the playboy he was in his 20s, leaving Hanzo to become more irritable that there was nothing that could really control him, making him more jaded -- but not hating Genji. I imagine during the time Hanzo was being groomed to his position, it also meant spending a lot of time with the Shimada clan elders, which we can clearly see they do not exactly have the Shimada brothers' best interest in mind.

There could be some mystery as to the circumstances of how their father died. Some fans believe that he may have actually been killed by the elders in some way, possibly poison; at this time, canon implicates that it was simply poor health, so I'll buy that for now unless something else comes up. Either way, it doesn't change the issues that come after: Hanzo expects Genji to step it up and become more involved as a result of their father's passing. Genji does not react well to the constriction of his freedom he's had all his life and refuses. This argument probably goes back and forth for sometime until the elders demand Hanzo either reign in his brother or kill him. Hanzo is already a mess of emotions (upset at their father's passing, annoyed with Genji) at this point but swallows them down as he has been trained to do, and definitely does what he always did, which was listen to the elders.

In Shimada castle where we see Hanzo mourn Genji, it looks like it's outright a god damned arena. There are seats for people to watch, and I'm under the impression that the elders were arranged to watch the duel. I also don't think Genji had immediately taken it seriously under it became clear during the fight that Hanzo was intent on actually killing him. Now, at this point in their history, it is stated that Hanzo was a master at the sword. Genji was also trained with the sword, but Hanzo was better than him, stronger than him. What isn't made clear is how Hanzo managed to give Genji the extent of the damage he has, considering how scarred up Genji's face seems to be in the present and how most of him needed to be replaced with synthetic parts. My interpretation of this is that as a killing blow, Hanzo summoned his dragons, which means that they maimed Genji.

But as you can expect, did not successfully kill Genji. Perhaps because Hanzo was not 100% committed as he thought, in the end, as the act broke his heart.

In their Young Genji and Young Hanzo skins, we see that Genji wears an orange scarf. Hanzo did not commit to using a bow and arrow until after he thought he killed Genji, which then he swore to never pick up a sword again. On the Young Hanzo skin, we can see an orange scarf with dark red on the end, suggesting that this is the same scarf that Genji wears in his young skin. And as we know, Hanzo left his place as the Master of the Shimada clan because of what he did. None of this could ever tell me that Hanzo ever actually hated his brother, but that their circumstances were definitely emotionally heated and Hanzo was placed into a difficult position and made an awful, very wrong decision. Why such choices if he did?

So what does this say about their present relationship?

Well shit man, that's a lot.

Let's start off with the in-game interactions. Now, we have to bear in mind of course that none of these interactions are canonical, per the creators, and stated that the interactions are like what-if scenarios. Most of their exchanges are Hanzo being hostile, either telling Genji that he would never amount to anything or that he was not the brother he knew. The exact interactions are as follow:

Genji: What's wrong, Hanzo? Don't you recognize me?
Hanzo: You may call yourself my brother, but you are not the Genji I knew.

Hanzo: Together we could've built an empire.
Genji: That was your dream. Not mine.

Hanzo: You will never amount to anything!
Genji: We shall see, brother.

From these interactions, we can determine a few things: Hanzo is bitter that Genji did not share his (trained) desire to rule the Shimada empire, furious that Genji is very different than the carefree brother he kneww, and bitterly tells him he won't amount to anything, probably an age old argument between them. The feelings between are immensely delicate, angry, and full of hurt for clear, understandable reasons. While one could say that it implies that Hanzo hates him, what it tells me that is he is definitely full of a tornado of angry, mixed emotions.

Genji: (to Hanzo) So this is what has become of you? A pity.

And in turn, Genji is not horribly impressed with his brother, who has wandered the world for ten years to be lonely and miserable and doing nothing with himself, whereas Genji has grown significantly.

Genji: It is not too late to change your course, brother.
Hanzo: You are mistaken, brother. I am beyond redemption.

And here, I think, is one of the most important quotes between them. Hanzo may lash out and show his anger at Genji, but in no way does he blame him. A way to process guilt is to react with anger, which is not healthy, but clearly that is one of Hanzo's defining emotions: just being pissed off almost all the time. We know that Genji forgives him, and it is implied that he invites Hanzo to join him in Overwatch. In Hanzo's own eyes, he does not consider himself a man to be forgiven; he calls Genji a fool in the Dragons short for thinking that he can change, that he can be a good man.

Hanzo does not see anything worthwhile in himself, and certainly cannot comprehend the concept of being forgiven by his brother who he did not just kill -- he maimed. All in all, I would not say that Hanzo hates Genji. He hates that he did this to him, he hates the he ruined their futures, and he hates that he doesn't even know his brother anymore because he's changed so much. Not just physically, but mentally as well.

Hanzo was given the one person he regretted harming, and feels that he doesn't even know him, leaving him still something of a lonely soul. But he does not hate Genji.


Depressing, self-loathing, and death-seeking
So we've established that Hanzo had been raised in a specific set of standards, being groomed to fulfill a difficult role in a criminal organization, being heir to the family business. Undoubtedly he was trained strictly, and to devote himself completely to the family.

Which makes the concept of what he did to Genji very difficult in a lot of senses. The elders convinced Hanzo that he had to either control Genji or kill him. Ultimately, he could not, and undoubtedly with as difficult as emotional tensions were, killing him was the only other option. The elders demanded it, it must be good for the family. As we know, all it did was make Hanzo regret so much that he left the family on its own. In thanks, the Shimada clan had apparently begun sending assassins after Hanzo for leaving, causing Hanzo to wander the world homeless, lonely, and suffering on his own.

The act of Genji's murder had put Hanzo on a self-destructive path, taking on various mercenary jobs in order to keep him alive. Yet, at the same time, Hanzo seems to be so destructive that he seeks his own death. This is apparent in the Dragons short when Genji tells him clearly that he will not grant him the death that he wishes for.

Seppuku or harakiri is a pretty infamous way for someone to go with honor. So what is it that Hanzo seeks alongside with his own death if he won't give it himself? It seems like Hanzo feels like he's lost his honor completely that he doesn't even think he's worthy of taking his own life, so perhaps he hopes to achieve it in battle where someone will strike him down. But he can't just give up in a fight either; it needs to be a fight that he gives his all in, as seen in Dragons. Regardless, just from his actions and from Genji's line, it seems clear that Hanzo hates himself so much that he has convinced himself that he can't take his own life, and needs to find death in a strong, honorable fight.

Another matter worth mentioning alongside Hanzo's depression is the use of alcohol. What surprises me in so many fanfiction is how people assume he doesn't drink or has not in a long time. This is odd to me, since Hanzo very obviously has a gourd on his wardrobe, which is very likely filled with sake. Heck, one of his emotes is just him shouting the damned word. This suggests to me that he's actually a bit of a lush, maybe as a way to take the edge off of his storm of emotions.

Hanzo is also a mess of contradictions in his anger and depression. While in Hanamura, he makes statements as of he will reclaim the Shimada clan one day, and that the Master has returned home. Yet, at the same time, he says that he is unworthy, and that it is no longer his home. What this tells me is that Hanzo still yearns for what he feels like his fate is going to be/should have been (leading the Shimada clan), but he no longer determines that he is worthy of that seat. His conversation with Widowmaker during the game also suggests that he is interested in reviving his clan's strength.

The story of Hanzo is a redemption story not yet told. Whether that means he takes up the seat of the clan again (not that there's much to return to) or finding his own path remains to be seen. Genji's words suggest that he has a place to fight in the future, maybe with Overwatch, but that remains to be seen.


And other quirks
Some other minor curious things to make note about Hanzo here!

Despite Hanzo's self-loathing and questioning his own worth and redemption, he is interestingly enough an incredibly prideful man. Bear in mind, all of that pride is geared completely toward his fighting abilities where he openly mocks his enemies for being weak and beneath him, stating confidently in his own strength. Which isn't surprising considering it was those very skills that (nearly) killed Genji, but it is worth noting that Hanzo's diligence in his skills has not faltered and he remains in top form -- and he absolutely knows it and will make his enemies be aware of it as well. He is absolutely confident in that much, at least.

In addition, he has a deep focus on honor, and feels he has lost it since the day he struck down Genji. Not too surprising, but Hanzo does seem like he isn't certain he can reclaim it alongside with any probable redemption. I think that for him, honor runs along the same vein of how much he had put value into his family.

The other thing worth noting here with everything is, curiously, how Hanzo does have a sense of humor. He is a grim, broody man, but he cracks some ridiculous jokes to himself during the game. For example, during the Dorado map, he will make a comment about how he'll knock his enemies down "like pinatas", and has a chuckle to himself. It's playing off of his Hanamura line about knocking his enemies down like "cherry blossoms", but it does tell me that Hanzo has some kind of sense of humor, even if he prefers to tell it to himself.