Mizusumi Aya and Kokardi Preview

With the global launch of Etheria: Restart right around the corner, players are being treated to an early preview of two new Animuses: Mizusumi Aya and Kokardi.

These characters have appeared in the in-game archive ahead of any formal banner announcement, suggesting they’ll be available sooner than expected—possibly alongside existing banners like Plume and Yeli.

Let’s break down both characters’ kits and examine their strengths, roles, and where they might fit in your teams.

Element: Hollow
Role: Support/Utility
Speed: 120

Mizusumi Aya is a support-style Animus built around cleansing, turn meter boosting, and reducing cooldowns. While her base speed is a bit low compared to other top-tier supports, her skill set brings high utility and team-wide support.

Skill 1: Single-Target Damage + Cooldown Chance

Aya deals 240% damage to a single target and has a 25% chance to reduce all ally skill cooldowns by one turn. While this chance isn’t guaranteed, it adds value over time, especially in longer fights.

Passive: Debuff Cleanse + Healing

At the start of each of her turns, Aya removes one debuff from all allies and heals them for 15% of their max HP, but only if a debuff is successfully removed. This makes her effective against crowd control-heavy teams, especially if she takes her turn early. However, her value diminishes against enemies that apply multiple debuffs at once, such as Plume, Kazuyo, or Oboro.

Ultimate: Massive Turn Meter Boost + Cooldown Reduction

Her S3 is a powerful 40% turn meter boost to all allies, which is one of the largest in the game. It also reduces all ally animus and shell skill cooldowns by 1 turn. If a unit dies, the cooldown of this skill is reduced by 2 turns; and if it’s already available, Aya gains 80% turn meter instantly. While the revive trigger mechanic is more useful in PvP than PvE, the core strength here is the AoE turn boost and skill cycling.

Summary

Mizusumi Aya excels as a support cleanser and turn accelerator, particularly in modes where turn control and cooldown management are essential. Her passive cleanse may not be enough to fully counter top PvP control comps, but her utility makes her a strong pick for content like Ethernet Rally or select PvP matches. However, her healing is minor and entirely tied to debuff removal, limiting her role as a primary healer.

Element: Reason
Role: AoE Damage / Self-Buffer
Speed: 118

Kokardi is a Reason-element damage dealer who introduces a new stacking mechanic called Calamity Flame, which boosts his true damage output and provides buffs to the entire team. His kit revolves around indirect HP-scaling damage and tempo control.

Skill 1: Calamity Flame Stack Builder

Kokardi deals 240% single-target damage and gains 1 stack of Calamity Flame. Each stack increases the true indirect damage of his Flame Strike, scaling by 1.5% of the enemy’s max HP (capped at 20% of Kokardi’s ATK). The stacks cannot be dispelled and max out at 16.

Passive: True Damage, AoE Nukes, and Team Buffs

Kokardi cannot be targeted while allies are alive (unless he’s under control effects). With Calamity Flame active, critical hits deal extra true damage based on the enemy’s HP. Every two of his turns, he automatically deals 300% AoE damage, increases all allies’ turn meter by 20%, and grants a 2-turn crit rate buff—a powerful passive that brings both damage and momentum to his team.

Ultimate: AoE Burst and Stack Ramp

His S3 applies crit rate to himself, then deals 360% AoE damage, boosts his own turn meter by 35%, and grants 3 Calamity Flame stacks. While the multiplier is average for AoE DPS, the stacking mechanic gives him higher scaling potential over time.

Summary

Kokardi is a self-scaling AoE nuker with turn manipulation and unique true damage mechanics. While his early turns may feel underwhelming, he builds momentum fast and brings considerable utility via crit rate buffs and team turn meter boosts. He is especially valuable in fights that allow him to stack and survive—making him a potential powerhouse in mid-to-late PvE waves or longer PvP battles.

Kokardi is the standout pick here, offering high long-term damage potential and passive team support that fits both PvP and PvE comps. His stacking mechanic offers a new layer of gameplay not seen in other DPS units.

Mizusumi Aya, while not as flashy, can provide strong support value with cooldown reduction and turn meter boosts. Her passive cleanse and healing are useful, but she’s not a game-changing unit unless you lack solid support options.

Both characters add depth to the roster, but Kokardi looks to be the meta-changer of the two. If you’re limited on resources and can only target one unit, Kokardi is the safer bet for widespread utility and long-term value.