A1
Outstanding Talent
- After activating Combat Skill against a Core Exposed Kaiju, this unit's Ultimate Gauge +30.
Kikoru Shinomiya [The Mission to Be Perfect] is a Slash-type Attacker built around maximizing damage during the Core Exposed state. Her entire kit revolves around exploiting this vulnerability window, making her a high-impact burst DPS when properly supported.
Kikoru can inflict Core Exposed herself, allowing her to both set up and capitalize on one of the game’s most important damage phases. When attacking a Core Exposed enemy, her SPD and damage output increase, enabling her to act faster and hit significantly harder. Her Passive Skill and Ascension (go for A4 at least) effects further amplify her performance during this state, meaning her true potential shines when she’s targeting exposed cores.
Her Ultimate is a single-target attack that becomes even stronger against Core Exposed Kaiju. Although primarily focused on single-target damage, Kikoru remains effective in multi-enemy encounters. Her Passive allows her ATK to increase with each defeated enemy, enabling her to snowball through waves and transition smoothly from clearing weaker foes to bursting down tougher targets.
Tier List Placement: T4 Attacker. While this ranking reflects that there are stronger options available, Kikoru Shinomiya [The Mission to Be Perfect] joined the game around February 2026 and is currently placed at T4 in the Attacker tier — a below-average ranking. While her core design around Core Exposed mechanics is conceptually strong, her reliance on this specific state limits her consistency compared to Attackers who perform well in all situations.
Kikoru’s Spinning Blade Slash is her key damage tool, dealing bonus damage against Core Exposed enemies. Her Dominating Combat Style passive grants her SPD when allies trigger Core Exposed, helping her act faster during these windows. At A4, she gains stacking ATK bonuses for each PLT destroyed, improving her snowball potential.
The main issue with Kikoru is that without Core Exposed, her damage is average at best. She needs a team built around breaking enemy parts or exposing cores consistently, which narrows her team composition options. However, in content where Core Exposed is frequent — such as boss fights with breakable parts — she can perform well and deliver solid burst damage. For general-purpose use, other Attackers in higher tiers offer more flexibility and consistent output.