Mita Santaro build, teams and tier

Overview

One of the most peculiar characters in our roster – and not just because of his design – Mita is a mix of an evasion tank and a buffer, a strange combination made weirder by how he obtains his buff. First, he applies a debuff called Illusion to enemies, making the next attack they do on Mita auto-dodged by spending some stamina. Each dodge grants Mita 1 stack of Energize, and at 3 stacks of Energize his secondary attack changes to a homing pitch that grants an attack point buff (and a support point buff if you have his passive 2). The buff decays over time, losing a stack periodically. Because he needs ramp-up time to buff and his tanking is a bit more awkward than other tanks, Mita can feel out of place on a team.

Primary Attack

A quick 3-stage melee chain. Nothing too impressive, but not bad for a tank.

Secondary Attack

If Mita has fewer than 3 stacks of Energize, he throws a fast ball at the enemy. It’s decent damage/break, but otherwise unremarkable. If he has 3 stacks, he throws a pitch that locks onto the nearest ally, applying 5 stacks of Inspire, which is Mita’s main reason for existing. Inspire can grant a massive attack buff if his support is high. With passive 2, it also gives +10–50 support points, very nice for Tsuruko and Iroha.

Counterattack

A deflect counterattack (no effect on non-physical). You won’t use it often if you’re auto-dodging, but if you pilot Mita, it’s helpful for extra break once you’ve tossed your buff.

Strategy Skill

Mita throws a ball that homes onto enemies, marking them with Illusion. Illusion works like the Attention debuff and lets Mita auto dodge (spending some stamina) when that enemy attacks him. Each auto-dodge grants Mita +1 Energize stack, which he needs to pitch his secondary as a buff.

Ultimate Skill

Costs 2 Tension Bars. Mita tosses a ball at a target, which morphs into a black hole, pulling in enemies and damaging them 4 times. Great for mobbing but not worth it over other ults in single-target fights.

Chain Skill

A bog-standard chain skill.

Combos (If Operating)

Use strategy skill frequently to maintain Illusion on enemies. Once you hit 3 stacks of Energize, use your secondary to buff your teammate(s). Otherwise, mix in primary and secondary attacks to hurt enemies when they’re not attacking you.

Tips

1. Mita’s strategy skill homes in on any enemy that hasn’t been hit yet, letting you cluster them in multi-target situations.
2. If an enemy’s about to hit, strategy skill right before impact to reapply Illusion and auto-dodge simultaneously (takes timing).
3. Remember you need stamina to auto-dodge! Don’t assume Illusion alone will save you.
4. Position yourself so the buff goes to the correct DPS. His T3 dupe makes this easier.
5. You can always counterattack if you want faster breaks.

Potential

• Fighting Instincts: +14%,14%,28% Primary, +36% Secondary, +10% Counter, +40% Strategy, +200 Ult, +240% Chain.
• Survival Instincts: +10% HP, +10% Def, +100 Stamina.
• Coordination: +20 support per point.
• Passive 1: +6.66% per rank (max +33.33%) ult pull radius.
• Passive 2: +2 support points (up to +10) per Inspire stack. That’s +10–50 support at rank 1–5.

If you run him with Tsuruko/Iroha (passive 2), max his Passive 2 for that sweet support buff. Otherwise, max Coordination to increase the attack buff’s strength, then dump leftover points in Survival Instincts for stamina.

Dupes

• T1 (Hallucination): 25% chance Illusion won’t be removed after an auto-dodge. Helpful vs multi-hit moves, but not reliable.
• T2/T4 (Innovation/Evolution): +2/+3 Potential Gems. Good if you want more potential.
• T3 (Shooting Star): When Magic Pitch No 2—Inspire hits a party member, it’ll bounce to the nearest other member if close enough. Massive QOL, letting you buff two allies at once.
• T5 (Battle Cry): Each Inspire stack lasts +2 seconds. Hugely impactful – that 2-second extension can mean an extra big hit from your DPS.

Operating Character

If you’re not comfortable with countering or dodging, Mita’s a decent pick to pilot. His strategy skill, timed well, can keep him in a permanent auto-dodge state. He deals enough break damage to serve as a sub-breaker. His buff can be powerful, especially with dupes letting it affect two allies. AI Mita is acceptable but not optimal. You’ll have to ensure your intended buff target is closest to him.

Conclusion

Mita is tough to justify right now, as bosses die quickly enough that you rarely need a dedicated tank or buffer. However, he can do both, though Todoroki generally outshines him. In the specific buff niche Mita offers, he stands out (though Gotanda passive 2 can also provide a comparable attack buff at the cost of tension).