Jetpack Cat has rocketed out of the Overwatch Season 1 update and straight into the center of a competitive controversy. The flying feline Support hero arrived on February 10, 2026, as one of five new characters added to the roster at once. With her ability to float above the battlefield, heal allies, deal damage, and reposition teammates, she quickly became a fan favorite. But in ranked play, she has also become public enemy number one. Players hoping to make her their new main are out of luck: teams are banning her almost every single match.

Overwatch's competitive ban system lets each team vote to ban one hero before a match, and both chosen heroes are removed from the selection. Since Jetpack Cat's release, she has been the most common target. Frustrated players have taken to Reddit and X to vent. One Reddit user called anyone voting to ban her a 'boring loser.' Another claimed that during an eight-hour grind, she was not banned for just one game. On X, an angry player wrote: 'How is jetpack cat??? I DONT KNOW, I PLAYED RANKED FOR 10 HOURS STRAIGHT, AND SHE WAS BANNED EVERY SINGLE GAME.' The official Overwatch account even joined in, joking: 'NO BAN JETPACK CAT PLZ.'

Why Jetpack Cat Is Public Enemy No. 1

The first reason is her mobility and hitbox. As a flying hero, she can hover above the action, making her a nuisance to hit. She is not impossible to take down, but she can be downright frustrating when she is soaring overhead and raining support from safety. That alone would make her annoying. The bigger issue, however, is Catnapper, her Ultimate.

Catnapper lets Jetpack Cat dive to the ground and tether the nearest enemy to her. Creative players have been using this to pick up rival heroes and drop them off the map for an easy kill. It is especially effective against Tanks, who are usually tough to eliminate thanks to their large health pools and the healers who guard them. But with one well-timed Ultimate from Jetpack Cat, a Tank can be removed from the fight in seconds. That kind of guaranteed value is a real headache for anyone trying to climb the ranked ladder.

Reason	Why it frustrates players
Flying mobility	Small hitbox and vertical movement make her hard to punish.
Catnapper Ultimate	Can tether and drop enemies off the map for instant kills.
Tank shutdown	Bypasses large health pools and healer support.
Support versatility	Heals, damages, and repositions allies, making her a must-pick.

Community reaction has been split. Support players who enjoy Jetpack Cat's mobility are frustrated that their new favorite is locked away. Other players argue that the ban system is working exactly as intended: if a hero is overpowered, teams should be able to remove her. In high-level ranked, the ban is almost automatic. Teams do not want to risk a Catnapper play that can swing a fight in one second. The Ultimate is not just a kill tool; it is a psychological weapon. Even when Jetpack Cat is not diving, her presence forces enemies to spread out and watch the skies. That changes how teams position on maps with cliffs and ledges, such as Ilios, Lijiang Tower, and Nepal.

Blizzard has not announced a specific nerf yet, but the community is already speculating. Possible changes could include a longer Ultimate charge time, a shorter tether range, or a delay before the grab connects. Any of those would give players more time to react. Until then, the cat stays banned.

A Familiar Ban Story

Jetpack Cat is 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. The pattern is familiar: a hero becomes too efficient at a specific job, and the community decides that the simplest solution is to remove them from the match entirely.

The ban trend creates a strange situation. Players who want to play Jetpack Cat cannot, while those who dislike her never have to learn how to counter her. That could delay balance changes, because Blizzard may see less data from high-level matches. On the other hand, the ban rate itself is a clear signal that she is overperforming. Some fans argue that the problem is not the hero, but the ban system. Others say Catnapper's map-drop potential is simply too easy for the value it provides.

For now, the debate shows no sign of cooling down. Chances are this will continue until teams find an effective counter or Jetpack Cat is nerfed in a future update. Until then, she remains one of the most talked-about heroes in Overwatch—whether she is on the battlefield or locked out of it. 🐱🚫