Should You Pull?
Short answer, Yes if you want another powerful All Last Word Attacker, or simply need more characters this early on in the game for the purposes of maximizing your Errand rewards. The banner also features a considerable rate up on two powerful Story Cards - Members of the Yakumo Family, a five star Story Card which is fantastic for most Yang attackers, and It's Spring!, a four star Story Card which provides a useful Spirit Power boost to just about anyone.
Quick Overview
+ She has an extremely powerful All Last Word
+ She has some Accuracy support on a Spell Card
+ 3 Earth Breaks on Last Word for 1 Power
- Accuracy support is hard to make use of due to being on a Spell Card, lacks utility otherwise
- Almost no Elements, must trade in damage on Last Word for Element Breaks
- Outclassed in longer fights by future units and Yuyuko
Ran Yakumo
Ran Yakumo is the shikigami of Yukari Yakumo - typically in Japanese myth, shikigami are spirits summoned by a "Onmyoji" (a Japanese sort-of magician), who can best be compared to the concept of familiars. Unlike the usual shikigami, Ran’s kitsune body was converted into a shikigami by Yukari. As such, she serves as a servant to the gap sage, and dutifully carries out her orders - when she’s not busy forgetting her place and acting on her own terms. Outside of serving her master, Ran enjoys going to the human village, shopping for fried tofu, and calculating various mathematical equations.
Her primary selling point is her uncommonly powerful All Last Word, Nasu and the Three Takadas' Killing Stone. Dealing a devastatingly powerful amount of damage at a mere 1 Power, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Ran is one of the strongest attackers in the game where damage output is concerned - coming only second to Yuyuuko Saigyouji. Fully skilled out, she can hit a whopping ten stages of Yang ATK Up on turn one just by herself, between her second skill Shikigami Service, her third skill Work of a Nine-Tailed Kitsune, and her Character Ability, Capable of using shikigami. She has the Yang ATK and bullet damage to back it up too. If that wasn’t enough, her Last Word can, if you need her to Break, unleash four different Earth Element bullets upon all foes at once. She’s also easy to support with debuffers, as she can give herself Charge to move last from her third skill, Youkai Power Focus.
A perceptive player may already see the major flaw in her kit. In terms of team support, Ran is lacking. None of her skills buff her team - the best she can do is provide 3 turns of 2 Accuracy Up from her first Spell Card, Shikigami: Chen. This has a host of issues - the Spell Card itself has no Elements, her speed is somewhat middling meaning she will often move after your other units, and it eats up a turn that could have been spent on other things. She also has no Elements outside of her Last Word, meaning you are forced to choose between Breaking and dealing damage with Ran. Lastly, while this is somewhat minor due to Def Down generally being the superior form of support, Ran’s 10 stages of Yang ATK Up mean she gains no benefit from Yang ATK - only Yang DEF Down or a Full Break will benefit her. It will also be some time before she can benefit meaningfully from Accuracy support, as there are currently no Story Cards in global that can buff Earth bullet DMG.
Still, she hits so hard that it’s still recommended you pull for her. Outside of it still being so early in the game that most players will still need more Friends for the sake of errands, she’s just a really powerful Friend overall, and well worth your time. Just make sure not to expect anything but damage, and a lot of it, and Ran will serve you as well as she serves Yukari.
