Itsuki

Weapon: Mirage Falchion 

• Itsuki’s Mirage Falchion suits this build’s intended playstyle perfectly, granting him a considerable in-combat buff to his Attack and Defense stats simultaneously (maximum of +7) in the Enemy Phase based on the number of foes that have already acted. The boost to his Attack is particularly valuable for a couple of reasons: it pairs well with healing Specials (as greater damage results in improved sustainability) and helps him more reliably land OHKOs against incoming foes (which helps him maintain Mirage Falchion’s maximum effect with much more consistency). 

• Like all other Falchions, Mirage Falchion comes with built-in dragon effectiveness as well, a useful attribute that lets him more easily cut down foes that may have otherwise proved troublesome given dragon units’ typically high prevalence and durability. 

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Noontime / Sol

• A healing Special is crucial to Itsuki’s success as a defensive tank (especially when utilizing him as a “supertank” for use in Aether Raids) as it allows him to quickly recover any HP he may have lost from incoming offensive pressure; this helps ensure his ability to engage in consecutive rounds of combat as relying on raw defensive stats alone will not always work. 

• If provided with some form of accelerated cooldown support (namely via Brave Lucina’s refined Geirskögul or Infantry Breath), Noontime is ideal as it will then activate on every counterattack -- otherwise, Sol should be taken to not waste Special charges. One also has the option of pairing Sol with Special Spiral in Itsuki’s B slot to ensure its activation on every counterattack without having to rely on the aforementioned support, though this comes at the cost of requiring some ramp up. 

Passive A: Distant Counter 

• Distant Counter is ideal to maximize Itsuki’s versatility and expand on the breadth of foes he can handle, granting him the coveted ability to counterattack against ranged opponents. Furthermore, this also lets him make the greatest use of his surprisingly strong mixed bulk.

Passive B: Null C-Disrupt / Special Spiral

• Null C-Disrupt is a fantastic skill that helps Itsuki break through the common (but ever frustrating) counterattack-negating property of Dazzling Staff, Firesweep, and other similar skills entirely, which can prove extremely useful in Aether Raids due to the prevalence of such skills in enemy team compositions. 

• Alternatively, should one find Null C-Disrupt unnecessary or if it is simply unavailable, one can equip Itsuki with Special Spiral to let him consistently activate Sol on each counterattack without being reliant on support from skills like Brave Lucina’s refined Geirskögul or Infantry Breath to do so; however, do keep in mind that using Special Spiral does require that Itsuki activate Sol once by himself to start the chain, meaning that such support remains greatly appreciated to speed up the process. 

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Def Smoke / Flexible

• Smoke skills boast great synergy with defensively-oriented setups such as this one, allowing him to weaken multiple foes simultaneously through their debuffs to easily take them down in subsequent rounds of combat. Pulse Smoke is a phenomenal choice if using Itsuki in Aether Raids to quickly dismantle Infantry Pulse setups, but Def Smoke is also a great option to build upon his damage output.

Sacred Seal: Mirror Stance / Fierce Stance 

• Mirror Stance is Itsuki’s ideal choice to enhance his OHKO capabilities while also supplementing another of his key stats in the Enemy Phase. Fierce Stance may also be taken should one wish to focus solely on heightening his raw damage output as much as possible.

Weapon: Mirage Falchion 

• Mirage Falchion is Itsuki’s ideal choice of weapon for this build as the Attack boosts it provides help him achieve OHKOs with much greater consistency; while the various accompanying boosts to his physical resilience don’t really get much use here, Mirage Falchion’s dragon effectiveness is rather useful as it all but ensures his immediate victory against such foes. 

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Glimmer / Moonbow / Miracle 

• Specials with a short cooldown are preferred to let Itsuki frequently activate them. Of those available to him, Glimmer is ideal as it has immense synergy with this build’s focus on heightening his firepower, though Moonbow is a solid alternative option to augment Itsuki’s performance against bulkier opponents. 

• Although it lacks the potency of a standard damage-dealing Special, Miracle remains a worthwhile consideration to make here to grant Itsuki an additional layer of depth in the form of some much-needed survivability -- even with Vantage, taking damage isn’t always avoidable and Miracle helps prevent this from resulting in Itsuki’s death. 

Passive A: Distant Counter

• Distant Counter is once again recommended to improve upon Itsuki’s versatility as a unit and enable him to readily handle a wide variety of threats through the ability to counterattack against ranged opponents, remaining crucial to his performance. While he can function without it, his overall functionality will suffer tremendously.

Passive B: Vantage 

• The centerpiece of this build, Vantage is a simple but powerful B slot skill that lets him fully exploit his high raw damage output, letting him act before his opponents in the Enemy Phase upon reaching its HP threshold. However, although this skill is undeniably effective, it’s not without counters -- remain cautious when facing against opponents equipped with the Hardy Bearing seal or skills like the Hoshidan Summer weapons.

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Def Smoke / Flexible

• Smoke skills boast great synergy with defensively-oriented setups such as this one, allowing him to weaken multiple foes simultaneously through their debuffs to easily take them down in subsequent rounds of combat. Pulse Smoke is a phenomenal choice if using Itsuki in Aether Raids to quickly dismantle Infantry Pulse setups, but Def Smoke is also a great option to build upon his damage output.

Sacred Seal: Fierce Stance / Brazen Atk/Spd / Brazen Atk/Res / Brazen Atk/Def

• Any seal that increases Itsuki’s Attack can be used here. Fierce Stance is the most effective (and consistent) of those available, carrying no other prerequisite conditions other than simply being attacked, but any of the Brazen seals that boost Attack currently available may also be taken to bolster his potency at lower levels of health.

Weapon: Mirage Falchion 

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Noontime / Ignis / Bonfire / Luna / Sol

• Itsuki’s choice of Special here is largely dependent on his choice of A slot skill. If making use of a Breath skill in her A slot (or if provided with some sort of Breath support), Noontime is a fantastic option that will consistently activate on each counterattack for consistent healing, though Ignis may also be considered should one prefer to elevate Itsuki’s damage output instead. 

• Otherwise, if using any other type of A slot skill (or if sources of Breath support are unavailable), Moonbow or Luna may be taken to improve the quality of Itsuki’s matchups against bulkier foes. Bonfire is another notable option that scales nicely with this build’s focus on heightening his physical resilience. Should one wish to grant him greater sustain, Sol is a noteworthy candidate that can activate relatively frequently that provides a good amount of healing. 

Passive A: Fierce Breath / Steady Breath / Steady Stance 4 / Atk/Def Solo / Sturdy Stance 

• Breath skills are a classic choice for most infantry physical tanks and Itsuki is no exception, granting him a solid +4 boost to a specific stat and the ability to activate his Special at a much faster rate; while relatively simple, this translates to a massive boost to his combat prowess. Of those currently available, Steady Breath and Fierce Breath are recommended due to their favorable stat boosts. 

• In exchange for losing out on faster Special activations, Steady Stance 4 offers a much greater boost to Itsuki’s Defense stat than any other A slot skills available (+8 upon being attacked) and also comes packed with a built-in Guard effect to boot. This combination of effects allows Itsuki to mitigate a significant amount of damage from incoming physical threats, making it a prime choice. 

• Otherwise, any skill that builds upon Itsuki’s key stats such as Atk/Def Solo, Sturdy Stance, and Atk/Def Bond can be taken here. 

Passive B: Lull Atk/Def / Lull Atk/Spd / Null Follow-Up 

• Lull skills are powerful choices to let Itsuki pierce through incoming foes regardless of how much support they have and simultaneously apply crucial in-combat debuffs to crucial stats. Lull Atk/Def is ideal to further develop his damage output and tankiness, but Lull Atk/Spd may be something to consider should one favor a more defensive option. 

• Null Follow-Up is another incredible option that allows him to break through the effects of skills like Wary Fighter that would otherwise hamper his effectiveness greatly, as well as instantly shut down a great number of threats who rely on follow-up attacks from their weapons or skills to function properly. 

Passive C: Def Smoke / Atk Smoke / Flexible

• Smoke skills boast great synergy with defensively-oriented setups such as this one, allowing him to weaken multiple foes simultaneously through their debuffs to easily take them down in subsequent rounds of combat. Def Smoke is recommended to boost Itsuki’s damage output even higher and subsequently allow him to more consistently maintain Mirage Falchion’s maximum effects, but Atk Smoke is also good to directly diminish incoming offensive pressure. 

Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Close Def / Steady Stance / Atk Smoke 

• As Itsuki’s base Speed is far too middling to rely on to regularly double opponents, the Quick Riposte seal is his best choice, guaranteeing his follow-up attack in the Enemy Phase. However, if this skill is already being used as his chosen B slot skill, any seal that supplements his defensive capabilities (such as Close Def, Steady Stance, and Atk Smoke) against other melee units are recommended instead.