A Look At Akaza
Introduction
As anticipation rises for the rerun of the Demon Slayer Collab, I figured that it may be useful to take a closer look at certain characters behind all the hype so that players can make better informed decisions when the time comes. Today, we take a look at Akaza, who was completely irrelevant on debut but has now become the newest champion of the rainbow playstyle.
Rainbow has surged back into the meta because GungHo has been jacking up enemy defense values to absurd levels to counter brick farming systems (namely Misaka); while monocolor teams struggle, full rainbow teams can use the guard break awakening to great effect. Akaza, in many ways, raises the standard of rainbow teams to the next level. Let’s take a look at how he does exactly that.
Thoughts
| Stat | Lv.99 | +297 |
| HP | 3925 | 4915 |
| ATK | 3296 | 3791 |
| RCV | 145 | 442 |
Akaza猗窩座
Devil / Attacker
Active Skill: (30 ➧ 25) Not Inheritable
For 20 turns, 2x ATK for this monster; For 20 turns, 2x ATK for Devil type; Change to [6555] for the duration of the dungeon
Leader Skill: [4.84/625/1, 75%] [2 fua]
2.2x HP for Devil type; 5x ATK when 6 or more combos; 5x ATK and reduce damage taken by 50% when matching 4 or more colors; 1 additional true damage when matching 4 or more colors
| Stat | Lv.99 | +297 |
| HP | 7025 | 8015 |
| ATK | 30348 | 30843 |
| RCV | 865 | 1162 |
Twelve Kizuki: Upper Rank 3, Akaza十二鬼月上弦の参・猗窩座
Devil / Attacker
Active Skill: (2 ➧ 2) Not Inheritable
For 1 turn, this monster’s damage cap becomes 7,000,000,000; Unlock all orbs; Create 3 Fire, Water, Wood, Light, Dark, and Heal orbs over any orbs
Leader Skill: [6.25/2704/16, 75%] [10M fua]
4x ATK & RCV and 2.5x HP for Devil type; 13x ATK and reduce damage taken by 50% when matching 4 or more colors; 5,000,000 additional true damage when matching 4 or more colors
Well, Akaza certainly got quite the makeover. On debut, Akaza was practically impossible to play because his transform was on a 30T CD and he had exactly 0 
. Well, Akaza still has 0 , but his transform active was reduced to 25T CD and he got massive upgrades to his post-transform form that justify the lack of .
First of all, let us take a moment to stare at the attack stat.
No, I did not accidentally type an extra number to the end of that. Akaza legitimately has over 30,000 ATK. For reference, let’s look at the attack stats of Kurotobi and his most popular template team.
- Kurotobi: 6,349 ATK
- Grannerv: 4,335 ATK
- Yukine: 5,522 ATK
- Vione: 4,364 ATK
- Sekka: 4,353 ATK
While this is a very crude and small sample of cards, we can conclude that one of the current top teams has an average attack stat of about 5,000 ATK. In comparison, Akaza has almost six times that amount, so when we look at personal damage awakenings, we have to factor in the gigantic base stat. A simplistic way to think about it is that Akaza has approximately an extra 
worth of personal damage, which is quite terrifying given that he already has 2 , , and . Given that you play Akaza in a dungeon (which most of the endgame dungeons are, barring certain exceptions like UN3/AUN3), Akaza has a ridiculous personal 8201x ATK multiplier… on a base attack stat of over 30,000 ATK. Don’t forget that Akaza also has three pings and a cap break to 7 billion, which means Akaza can potentially hit up to 21 billion damage.
Simply put, Akaza does damage. He also operates as a consistent rainbow board generator on a 2T CD, so 2 Akaza form a consistent orb generation system for any rainbow team. While this isn’t necessarily new (see Dark Ra Dragon), the combination of damage and orb generation make Akaza a phenomenal endgame engine for rainbow teams.
Weaknesses
Unfortunately, Akaza has some flaws. First and foremost, Akaza has no pre-transform, which makes teambuilding a little more difficult as the subs and equips must carry the full burden of providing enough effective skill boosts to transform Akaza.
Second, Akaza’s leader skill might have some insane multipliers with 5x eHP, 52x ATK, 8x eRCV, and a 5M AFUA, but essentially limits the team to 
only. Typing restrictions have always been the most restrictive ‘type’ (no pun intended) of passive multiplier conditions. Akaza’s leader skill also provides no extra combos, which means that he struggles against high combo shields and cannot activate consistently.
Third, Akaza usually wants void pierce latent, and while eight latent slots allow for 2 
, it leaves the demon vulnerable to bigger delays.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some viable sub options.
Sub Options
Clerics
4 with 
SA and can take an inherit, Kobeni was a chase in the brutal CSM Super Godfest due to her cleric active at 5T CD which also includes a board expand to counter board shrinks. Kobeni also packs a mild punch with 4 and even has 
. Most likely using SA because Akaza needs it but can opt for if needed. Unfortunately, Kobeni is not ; use a typing equip to activate Akaza’s passive multipliers.
0 but can get 2 with SA, Fasca has the rare fixed position lead swap active that enables transform cards to be swapped in as a lead. Fasca’s active then evolves into a respectable full cleric active on 6T CD. Does exacerbate the issue but is irreplaceable when factoring in the lead swap.
6 with SA, can take an inherit, and can add 3 via the skill boost latent, Ceres is a phenomenal stick and also provides 
for rainbow activation. The 
can be convenient when dealing with Barbed Orbs. Unfortunately, Ceres is not ; use a typing equip to activate Akaza’s passive multipliers.
4 with SA and can take an inherit, Christmas Fasca’s fast cleric active on 4T CD also includes a manual board size reset that can override board shrinks. She is also a [7×6 board] lead that can be used for swapping but relies on to do damage, which Akaza cannot consistently activate unless paired with a different lead or swapped into a larger board.
4 via SA and can take an inherit. Halloween Shiranaki’s utility package is pretty crazy, with for augmented recovery, 
for general bulk, and 
for assist void latent utility. Halloween Shiranaki does generate a chunk of 
but Akaza doesn’t care because he can overwrite the board with a set of orbs that guarantee rainbow activation.
2 and a two-turn haste on transform, Christmas Polowne abuses Akaza’s active to constantly activate 
, which effectively reduces her full cleric active from 8T CD to 4T CD. Oh, and that full cleric active on effectively 4T CD also includes a two-turn dual absorb void. Polowne also provides for color coverage but is not ; use a typing equip to activate Akaza’s passive multipliers.
Feygoran has 4 and can technically hold an inherit, but the base active on 11T CD means most inherits are out of reach. However, means that Feygoran’s full cleric active is effectively on a 6T CD. (Unfortunately, an odd number of turns gets rounded up during effective cooldown calculation.) Can do some damage with SA but may want instead depending on the equip.
Absorb Voids
2 and can take an inherit, Sophiesam’s active is a fast dual absorb void on a 4T CD that also includes a burst and recovery buff. Sophiesam also has a ton of for extra healing (most convenient against Barbed Orbs) and has some for assist void latent utility. Can take 
SA for more efficient latent use or 
SA for more bulk and recovery.
Talked about Christmas Polowne earlier in the clerics section, but she is also a wonderful dual absorb void sub on a ridiculous 4T CD.
8 with SA and can take an inherit, Hecate greatly alleviates the issue while also providing for bulk, for potential assist void latent, and a fast dual absorb void active on 4T CD. Unfortunately, Hecate is bindable and not , and a quick search shows only six equips with both and .
4 with SA and can take an inherit, Dark Amlynea also adds a spinner override on top of the dual absorb void active on a fast 3T CD. The pair also have some modest damage potential with 5 
. Get another via SA (at the expense of ) and equip one more to reach 7 for a whopping personal 37367x ATK multiplier! Unfortunately, Dark Amlynea is not ; use a typing equip to activate Akaza’s passive multipliers.
4 with SA and can take an inherit, Red Ryumei brings his trademark fast dual absorb void active on 3T CD and a ton of innate bulk with 4 . The 
is a nice touch, but sadly, Red Ryumei is not ; use a typing equip to activate Akaza’s passive multipliers.
4 with SA, can take an inherit, and can also utilize the skill boost latent, Beach Mariel provides a fast dual absorb void effect on 3T CD and also does some damage with 4 
when she isn’t nuking her own attack with her active. Unfortunately, Beach Mariel is not ; use a typing equip to activate Akaza’s passive multipliers.
4 with SA and can take an inherit, Gilgamesh is certainly quite a decent option given that he is literally free (as every player receives one copy in the tutorial team) yet still packs a dual absorb void active on a respectable 4T CD, multiple full hazard resists, and even some for assist void latent potential. Unfortunately, Gilgamesh is not ; use a typing equip to activate Akaza’s passive multipliers.
Shield Loops
4 with SA and can take an inherit, Denji & Makima mitigates buff dispels with a fast uptime shield loop active on a 5T CD. The duo also packs some punch with 3 
and but also has a nice 
. However, it is the [7×6 board] in the leader skill that puts Denji & Makima over the top, as the duo can be used for lead swapping in a bigger board to address a lack of combos, one of Akaza’s few weaknesses.
4 and can take an inherit, Halloween Chakeol is the quintessential shield loop option that never truly goes out of fashion; she also has and either 
or via super awakening.
4 with SA and can take an inherit, NY Chuan also has a board expand in her fast shield loop active on 5T CD that can be used to counter board shrinks with good timing.
4 with SA and can take an inherit, Halloween Kyori also includes a two-turn color void with her shield loop active on 5T CD that can come in handy at times. The is a nice touch of defensive utility.
A little bit awkward since her transform active with a haste is on a higher cooldown than Akaza’s (which is okay since you can use the haste to charge up Akaza’s post-transform orb generation), Lavril not only shields on a very fast uptime of 4T CD but also provides even more power to the team with a gemstone-style burst based on the awakening. Unfortunately, Lavril is not ; use a typing equip to activate Akaza’s passive multipliers.
Other Options
4 with SA and can take an inherit, Karaku provides counters to two frustrating mechanics with his active package of spinner override and board expand. The time buff in conjunction with the spinner and board expand is also convenient given you probably want more time to take advantage of both.
6 with SA and can take an inherit, Christmas Aljae provides the perfect color coverage to complement Akaza alongside a nice looping spinner with a corresponding time buff. From what I see, Aljae’s spinner can be used as supplemental orb generation to help deal with delays to Akaza. Christmas Aljae also outputs modest damage with 
and 2 .
Only 2 and cannot take an inherit, Raffine Kitty takes some time to reach her final form but does have a to hasten her second transformation. Once in her final form, Raffine Kitty easily deals with spinners and time debuffs and can also pack a punch with her cap break effect, , and 2 (though she probably wants another damage awakening to truly shine in that aspect).
Only 2 and cannot take an inherit, Raffine has quite the slow windup with two transforms but her final form goes crazy with a fast active that overrides spinners, time debuffs, and weakening debuffs for the entire team. Raffine also does some damage after she got a . Might be a bit too slow for some teams but certainly a solid option after the double transform.
6 with SA and can take an inherit, Angel Devil is similar to Karaku in that it counters both spinners and board shrinks. Angel Devil also has quite high damage potential with and 3 .
4 with SA but cannot take an inherit, NY Reeche can be quite useful as she can deal with early damage or color absorb shields, then evolve her active into a fast counter against board shrinks, OE-, and weakening. NY Reeche can also pack a punch with and 3 .
Leader Pairs
While Akaza certainly brings a lot to the table, he does have a few major weaknesses. In particular, the lack of any additional combos via active or leader skills requires either a different leader pairing or a lead swap into a bigger board.
Raffine Kitty is, by far, the most popular pairing for Akaza because the cosplaying cat not only provides those valuable additional combos but also a fat shield to cover against gravity attacks. The spinner is also a nice touch given that Akaza needs a void pierce latent and therefore can only use 2 . Raffine is extremely similar but needs buffs from Japan to arrive to raise her numbers to modern standards.
I have also seen Hikoboshi used for his stellar multipliers and phenomenal four extra combo effect; yes, the fit isn’t as seamless, but the pair only requires a few more tweaks to work out. Remember that Hikoboshi is not ; use a typing equip to activate Akaza’s passive multipliers.
As for swapping, Fasca and Denji & Makima are the engine of choice for lead swapping Akaza into a [7×6 board]. Both provide plenty of additional utility as cleric and shield loop respectively. While Fasca is probably irreplaceable for this strategy, there are definitely plenty of big board lead alternatives for Denji & Makima. If you lack a Fasca, you could throw a leadswap equip on a potential leader pair like Christmas Aljae and rely on the consistency of a bigger board.
Conclusion
Akaza definitely looks exciting at first glance but seems a bit more restrictive than I originally thought. That being said, I will definitely enjoy dusting off a unit that has been in cold storage for over three years to beat up the latest and greatest endgame dungeon, AUN5. It is pretty cool how rainbow has evolved from being completely useless to tactically amazing, and Akaza is just the next step in the evolution of this playstyle.
This also concludes the series of articles on leads from Demon Slayer. Thankfully, GungHo has confirmed the collab rerun we’ve been anticipating for a while, and it looks like Demon Slayer is coming this Monday, so it looks like I didn’t write these long articles only for the collab to be delayed for over half a year.
Let me know if I missed anything in the comments below. Thanks for reading, and as always, good luck and have fun!