Lúcio (Overwatch)

Lúcio Correia dos Santos is a character who first appeared in the 2016 video game Overwatch, a Blizzard Entertainment–developed first-person shooter, and the resulting franchise. Conceived from the desire to include a "bard"-type character in the game that could cast ability-boosting auras on their party, he was designed by Arnold Tsang and David Kang, and made Brazilian due to the country's association with music culture. Voiced by Jonny Cruz, Lúcio is a DJ and musician living in Rio de Janeiro, using his music to try and lift people's spirits. After a corporation tries to oppress and exploit his neighborhood, he steals some of the company's equipment to fight back and encourages others to join in, pushing them out. Now seen as a hero, he performs concerts worldwide and later joins reformed peacekeeping force "Overwatch" to help fight against global threat "Null Sector". Lúcio has since also appeared in another Blizzard developed title, Heroes of the Storm.

Since his introduction, he has appeared in various spinoff media related to the franchise, including a novel, merchandise, and an instrumental soundtrack called Synaesthesia Auditiva. As a character, Lúcio was well received, compared to characters from the game Jet Set Radio and heavily praised for his optimistic demeanor. Some sources have been critical of his portrayal as a black man and a Brazilian, feeling he plays into harmful stereotypes perceived against both cultures, while others have instead argued he acts as a positive symbol against such stereotypes in video games. Blizzard themselves have heavily promoted the character through various physical merchandise, such as a brand of cereal in his name, aptly titled 'Lúcio-Oh's'.