Overwatch’s new Jetpack Cat hero is so OP she’s getting banned

Jetpack Cat has been a breakout star in Overwatch, but she’s so strong that she’s already getting banned in most competitive matches.

As part of Overwatch’s big Season 1 update, five new characters were added to the roster at once. One of these was Jetpack Cat, a flying feline who can float above the map to heal allies, deal damage to enemies, and, crucially, move heroes around the battlefield.

She’s already become a meta hero, as many fans have made her their new go-to Support character due to how versatile she is.

However, if you were hoping to make her your new main to grind the competitive ranks, you’re out of luck, as teams are already banning her instantly.

Jetpack Cat is virtually unplayable in Overwatch competitive

Before every competitive match, teams vote to ban one hero each, who will then both be removed from the selection. Since Jetpack Cat was added on February 10, she has become public enemy number one, and there have been plenty of posts from frustrated players urging teams to stop banning her.

“If you’re one of the people voting to ban jet pack cat in every game of competitive, you’re a boring loser,” said one player on Reddit, while another added that in a night of grinding, “she wasn’t banned for 1 game. 1 game out of 8 hours.”

“How is jetpack cat???” posted an angry player on X. “I DONT KNOW, I PLAYED RANKED FOR 10 HOURS STRAIGHT, AND SHE WAS BANNED EVERY SINGLE GAME.”

The trend has become so widespread that even the official Overwatch X account commented on it, joking: “NO BAN JETPACK CAT PLZ.”

There are many reasons why players seem to be excluding Jetpack Cat from their matches. The first is that she’s a flying hero with a relatively small hitbox, meaning she can be frustrating to take down when she’s soaring overhead.

The main reason, though, is the Catnapper Ultimate, which lets her dive to the ground and tether the nearest enemy to her. Players have been using this to pick up rival heroes and drop them off the map for an easy kill.

It’s especially effective against Tanks, who are usually tough to take out thanks to their large health pools and healers who guard them. But with one well-timed Ultimate from Jetpack Cat, you can remove them in seconds.

She’s hardly the first hero to be targeted by bans. When the voting feature was first introduced, the likes of Sombra and Widowmaker were also hit hard, forcing some fans to switch to a new main.