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Analysis by lordhelpme
Kagero - Honorable Ninja

3-4

Obtainable as a 3 - 4 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
148
HP 31
ATK 35
SPD 32
DEF 22
RES 28

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 15 8 7 4 5
Middle 16 9 8 5 6
High 17 10 9 6 7

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 28 32 29 19 24
Middle 31 35 32 22 28
High 34 38 35 25 31

IV Sets

Key stats worth increasing through nature if possible.
Complementary stats that matter, but not to the point of picking them over key stats for nature increase.
Relatively worthless stat that can safely be decreased through nature.
HPATKSPDDEFRES

Skill Sets

Momentous Kunoichi (Offensive / Damage Focus)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Kagero's Dart (+Eff) A Sturdy Impact
Alternate: Life and Death 4
Positional Assist
Alternate: Assistless
B Null Follow-Up 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Ruptured Sky
C Fatal Smoke 3
Alternate: Joint Drive Atk
IVs

+ATK or +SPD

SSwift Sparrow 2
Alternate: Life and Death 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Kagero’s Dart (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist / No Assist / Flexible

Special: Moonbow / Ruptured Sky / Luna / Glimmer

Passive A: Sturdy Impact / Life and Death 

Passive B: Null Follow-Up / Lull Skills / Desperation

Passive C: Fatal Smoke / Panic Smoke / Atk Smoke / Joint Drive Skills / Flexible 

Sacred Seal: Swift Sparrow / Life and Death / Atk/Spd Solo / Heavy Blade / Hardy Bearing 

  • The 50% damage reduction imparted by Kagero’s Dart alongside its modest Attack/Speed increase complement her offensively-tuned statline quite well, altogether making the ninja fairly well adept at aggressive play; this build centers itself around these characteristics, though with some consideration for her Aether Raids Defense viability as well. Increasing either Attack or Speed (or potentially both with a Floret for the truly dedicated) is recommended for enhanced damage. 
  • Kagero’s main A skill options are between Sturdy Impact and Life and Death.
    • Sturdy Impact is quite useful to boost her damage while further mitigating her physical bulk issues, granting +10 Defense on top of guaranteed enemy follow-up negation upon initiation. She may still have trouble fighting high Attack foes, but she'll at least have a good chance of surviving should she fail to directly ORKO.
    • Further, Sturdy Impact is particularly deadly on Aether Raids Defense to set up to make her especially difficult to bait, especially when you consider that this lets her potentially set up allies equipped with Wings of Mercy to narrow in on the challenging team; this works since the skill enhances her durability enough to not outright die, but leaves her fragile enough to fall below 50% HP readily easily given her innately low HP pool. 
    • However, Sturdy Impact does come with the issue of doing nothing for her Speed – and with a meek base value of 32 in the current meta where Speed demons are a dime a dozen, performing doubles may prove quite frustrating. 
    • Thus, should stronger damage potential be preferred, Life and Death becomes Kagero’s ace-in-the-hole as it provides a substantial Atk/Spd boost, increases her chances of triggering her PRF’s base effect (which scales off visible Attack), and has its Defense/Resistance detriment largely rectified by her damage reduction.
  • Null Follow-Up is a universally appreciated B skill choice that ensures that Kagero can break through any effects that would otherwise hinder her offensive performance; this pairs exceptionally well in Aether Raids Defense to punish slower tanks that rely on follow-up mechanics. Alternatively, Lulls are solid catch-alls to break through enemy bonuses, and the tried-and-true Desperation always works in a pinch for general gameplay.
  • Her C skill is flexible, though naturally some options are better than others. If wanting to capitalize on her ability to punish defensively-oriented strategies, Smoke skills are a wonderful accompaniment to Kagero’s kit to spread debuffs among enemy groups. Fatal Smoke is rather nasty to completely shut down enemy healing, but Panic Smoke or simple stat-debuffing skills (other than Def/Res Smoke) may also work. 
  • Any Sacred Seal that augments Attack and Speed are natural fits. Life and Death is the prime choice from a damage perspective, but those using Sturdy Impact may get better mileage from in-combat boosts like Swift Sparrow since the focus becomes on maximizing her damage reduction rather than maintaining her base effect. Aether Raids Defense sets can also consider Hardy Bearing as well to negate Vantage threats.

The Lobster Prince WISHES (Aether Raids Offense / Vantage Sweeper)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Broadleaf Fan+ (+Atk)
Alternate: Kagero's Dart (+Eff)
A Close Foil
Alternate: Close Counter
Positional Assist B Vantage 3
Miracle
Alternate: Glimmer
C Pulse Smoke 3
Alternate: Joint Drive Atk
IVs

 +ATK

SHeavy Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Broadleaf Fan+ (+ATK) / Kagero’s Dart (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Miracle / Glimmer 

Passive A: Close Foil / Close Counter 

Passive B: Vantage

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Atk Smoke / Spd Smoke / Joint Drive Atk / Flexible 

Sacred Seal: Heavy Blade / Atk Smoke / Spd Smoke / Solo Skills

  • This build shifts focus from Kagero’s Player Phase combat to that of her Enemy Phase for those who really want to use her in Aether Raids Offense, exploiting her respectable  Attack and access to the Broadleaf Fan to consistently land OHKOs with Vantage. It may not be particularly exciting, but it’s by far her most effective option for the mode; just be mindful of counterattack negation and Hardy Bearing effects. 
  • Stacking multiple sources of Attack enhancements (i.e. ally support, a +ATK IV, Broadleaf Fan with a +ATK refinement) alongside Vantage and an ability that enables counterattacks regardless of distance composes the core of this set; upon losing sufficient HP, she can begin cleanly sweeping through incoming enemies.
    • Since dragonstone users are usually not a notable threat in Defense compositions (with the exception of Seiros during Anima Season), Close Foil is generally Kagero’s best A skill here as it also increases her Attack, but Close Counter works too. Keep in mind that Broadleaf Fan scales off the debuffs on her opponent, so initiating will be required if lacking other ways of applying them. 
    • Those in the lower echelons of Aether Raids who still wish to use her without access to Broadleaf Fan may get decent mileage from her PRF; it admittedly does nothing for her in the Enemy Phase, but its damage reduction does make it pretty easy to set up Vantage by attacking while also spreading the innate Def Smoke of her dagger.  
  • For her Special, Miracle is a nifty utility choice that protects Kagero in instances where taking damage is unavoidable, which would otherwise spell certain death given that Vantage requires low HP and her bulk is horrible to begin with; this is best paired with the Heavy Blade Sacred Seal for quick access. Glimmer is the better option if damage is preferred, though.
  • Pulse Smoke functions perfectly to entirely negate the effectiveness of compositions centered on instant Special activations, though this may not be as useful if you don’t actually run into such teams that often. Atk Smoke and Spd Smoke are great for increased Broadleaf damage (since Def Smoke and Res Smoke are innate to all daggers), but Joint Drive Atk works better if you can already apply Attack/Speed debuffs without taking up a slot in Kagero’s build. 
  • As previously noted, the Heavy Blade Sacred Seal synergizes wonderfully with Miracle to maximize the safety in an otherwise risky strategy, helping Kagero actually have it up by the time she’ll need it. If unnecessary, she can use one of Atk Smoke or Spd Smoke if not already using one in her C slot or a simple stat-booster.

* internal screaming from another failed painting * (AoE Special Activation)

Build by lordhelpme
Kagero's Dart (+Eff) A Life and Death (3 or 4)
Alternate: Heavy Blade 4
Positional Assist B Special Spiral 3
Blazing Wind
Alternate: Blazing Light
C Time's Pulse 3
Alternate: Rouse Atk/Spd 3
IVs

+ATK

SHeavy Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Kagero’s Dart (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Blazing Special 

Passive A: Heavy Blade / Life and Death 

Passive B: Special Spiral

Passive C: Time’s Pulse / Rouse Atk/Spd / Joint Drive Skills / Menace Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Life and Death / Heavy Blade / Hardy Bearing

  • Kagero can also be geared towards utilizing AoE Specials for general gameplay; this requires a bit of set-up compared to fielding a more traditional build, but comes with much higher destructive potential once she gets the chain started.
    • Despite their long cooldowns, such Specials can nonetheless be looped via Special Spiral and Heavy Blade. Through this combination, following their initial activation, Special Spiral will reduce their cooldown to two and since AoE Specials activate before combat, this means she has an actual attack left to make up the remaining charges with Heavy Blade for the next combat.
    • As for which AoE Special to equip, the Blazing archetype (as opposed to Growing) are strongest due to their significantly stronger damage modifier. Blazing Wind and Blazing Light have the most generally useful zones for splash damage, but this is ultimately dependent on personal preference.
  • It’s worth considering that AoE Specials scale their power entirely off visible stats, underlining the importance of heightening Kagero’s actual Attack as much as possible through a +ATK IV and Life and Death
  • Although Life and Death does come with a steep cut to her actual defenses, her PRF’s refinement makes this inconsequential for the most part, though do keep in mind that you usually want it as either her A skill or Sacred Seal – but not both, as the other slot should be filled by Heavy Blade to ensure her looping ability unless cooldown acceleration support is available. This includes means such as Infantry Rush and New Year Velouria’s Renewed Fang.
  • Time’s Pulse is a potent C skill that lessens the amount of initial setup Kagero will need to get her chain started but since it doesn’t have much functionality outside of that, other options include Joint Drive Atk and Savage Blow for improved OHKO consistency.
  • Lastly, if you’re using Heavy Blade as her A skill or have access to support and don’t mind losing out on some damage, Hardy Bearing is a useful Sacred Seal option to eliminate any worry of accidentally falling victim to enemy Vantage effects.

Strengths

Kagero’s Dart

Her appropriately named Kagero’s Dart greatly alleviates the impact of her otherwise horrible overall bulk through an ample 50% damage reduction from her opponent’s first hit during the Player Phase. While this may not be as remarkable as it once was (especially given that her statline is rather dated), this remains a noteworthy boon in Kagero’s favor as it still helps in engaging in continued rounds of combat, combines interestingly with her low HP to enable Wings of Mercy strategies, and remains something normally inaccessible to ranged units — if nothing else, Kagero benefits from it for free as long as she initiates, so it’s ultimately pretty easy to exploit for actual usage. 

As an added bonus, Kagero’s Dart also comes with a subtle +4/+4 Attack/Speed stat boost as its base effect; it is tied to a visible Attack check which makes it a little shaky at lower investment levels, but it’s nice to have when it comes to play and further augments her offensive potential. Pretty solid all around for one of the earliest available dagger units.

Good Attack

Kagero’s base Attack of 35 may not necessarily be the strongest around anymore, but it’s plenty solid to build upon to leverage her PRF’s base effect and for consistent damage output with the necessary investment (i.e. complementary boosts from allies, Dragonflowers, merges, her Resplendent, etc.). 

Infantry Benefits

The infantry class is notorious for its abundance of skills available, and Kagero is no exception among the many who appreciate this benefit. With access to powerful skills like Null Follow-Up, Sturdy Impact, and Special Spiral, Kagero has little issue in capitalizing on the base potential of her PRF and features commendable build flexibility as well. 

Great Availability 

The Honorable Ninja does require a fair amount of investment to keep pace with her contemporaries, but she is fortunate enough to be widely available in the current 3-4 ✰ pool in addition to have been in the game since launch. Thus, at least where merges and acquiring preferred IVs is concerned, Kagero is fairly forgiving in the extents one has to go through to actually accumulate this investment.

Weaknesses

Low Defensive Stats 

Her rather pitiful low defensive values mean that even with the 50% damage reduction from Kagero’s Dart, she’ll still be regularly taking considerable damage from enemy hits. While she can leverage this quality to shine within certain compositions (such as enabling Wings of Mercy), dealing with this for general gameplay where she’ll be expected to engage in subsequent rounds of combat may prove rather irksome. This also renders foes with Enemy Phase Brave effects particularly deadly as her PRF only protects her from their first hit, so such opponents can easily cleave through her remaining health. 

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Dagger

After combat, inflicts Def/Res-3 on foe through its next action.

Dagger users only.
50 2 3
Steel Dagger

After combat, inflicts Def/Res-3 on foe through its next action.

Learns by default at 3 ★
Dagger users only.
100 2 5
Poison Dagger

Effective against infantry units. Infantry foes suffer Def/Res-4 after combat through their next actions.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Dagger users only.
200 2 2
Poison Dagger+

Effective against infantry units. Infantry foes suffer Def/Res-6 after combat through their next actions.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Dagger users only.
300 2 5
Kagero's Dart
At start of combat, if unit's Atk > foe's Atk, grants Atk/Spd+4 during combat. Effect:【Dagger 7】

【Dagger 7】
After combat, if unit attacked, inflicts Def/Res-7 on target and foes within 2 spaces of target through their next actions.
Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 2 14
Available Rearmed Weapons
Arcane Void
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Retribution

Boosts damage dealt to foe by 30% of damage dealt to unit.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
100 3
Reprisal

Boosts damage dealt to foe by 30% of damage dealt to unit.

Unlocks at 4 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
200 2

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Warding Blow 1

If unit initiates combat, grants Res+2 during combat.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
50
A
Warding Blow 2

If unit initiates combat, grants Res+4 during combat.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
100
A
Warding Blow 3

If unit initiates combat, grants Res+6 during combat.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
200
A
Daggerbreaker 1

If unit's HP ≥ 90% in combat against a dagger user, unit makes a follow-up attack and foe cannot.

Inheritable by all units.
50
B
Daggerbreaker 2

If unit's HP ≥ 70% in combat against a dagger user, unit makes a follow-up attack and foe cannot.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
100
B
Daggerbreaker 3

If unit's HP ≥ 50% in combat against a colorless dagger user, unit makes a follow-up attack and foe cannot.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
B

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem Fates

Banners Featured In

Official Hero Artwork