Hotori Build Guide: 1.0 Phase 2 Limited S-Rank Sole Time-Stop Unit, Acting Outside of Time, Triple Defense Penetration

Key answer: Hotori (潯) (sometimes translated “Firebird”) is the 1.0 Phase 2 limited S-rank sole time-stop character — element Cosmos, Arc type Solid, JP CV Shizuka Itō, owner of the Eibon antique shop + former Anomaly agent. Her banner is the Bright Moon Special Pickup, 2026/05/13-06/03. Strongly recommended — triple defense penetration (signature Arc 12% + set 25% + A6 30%) + the Blossom reaction keeps dealing damage during time-stop, a kill switch for high-HP abyss Bosses. 0 Eidolons is already playable; A6 + A1 are the game-changing breakpoints.

Red hair, an oil-paper umbrella + longsword (the umbrella-blade), and a time-stop power — Hotori is the limited S-rank headliner of 1.0 Phase 2, the only time-stop character, hailed across the community as a “must-pull for the version” and the “Witch of Time”. This guide lays out her time-stop mechanic, gear, Eidolons, recommended teams, and build path all in one place.

1. Character Basics

Field	Details
Chinese name	潯 (official) / 火鳥 (Firebird) (some Chinese guides) / Hotori (English) / surname Tsukinoki / 月斧
Rarity	S-rank limited (1.0 Phase 2)
Element	Cosmos (light element)
Weapon type (Arc)	Solid
Weapon look	Oil-paper umbrella + longsword (the umbrella-blade)
Role	Sub-DPS / time-stop burst / buffer-type secondary damage (Sub-DPS + Support)
Birthday	12/20
JP CV	Shizuka Itō
KR CV	Lee Ji-hyun
CN CV	TBC (defer to in-game)
Faction	Eibon antique shop / E.T.D. special unit
Background	Antique shop owner, last survivor of the Tsukinoki / 月斧 family, former high-ranking agent of the Bureau of Anomaly Control (BAC), close personal friend of Director Alphard, gets scammed chasing bargains, drowns her sorrows in drink, wields the “time-stop” power, deeply connected to the butler Adler, and can never win at rock-paper-scissors with anyone (because she stops time to change her hand)
Partner	Daffodill (Daphnir)
Banner	Bright Moon Special Pickup / Solo Drinking Under the Hazy Moon (2026/05/13–06/03), running alongside the limited Arc “Marching Beyond Time”

2. Skill Kit (Core Mechanics)

Unique Resource: Non-Closed Timepiece

• Cap of 120 energy, passively charging 6 points per second (accumulates on-field / off-field / out of combat)
• ≥ 60 → can cast E (Switch skill); = 120 → can cast Q (time-stop Ultimate)
• Both the Ultimate and E have no cooldown and no traditional Ultimate energy cost — they only consume Timepiece
• The Timepiece hand “rewinds” as it is spent

E Skill — Present Replay (Switch)

• Consumes 60 Timepiece, deals 7 hits of Cosmos damage in an area
• ⭐ Records up to 3 of allies “support / switch skills” within 5 seconds (each ally is recorded only once)
• While Present Replay is active, the Timepiece keeps rewinding
• Even when it ends early after a full set of recordings, it still rewinds a fixed amount

Q Skill — World’s Tide (Ultimate) ⭐ Time-Stop Core

• Triggers at full 120 Timepiece, deals 10 hits of Cosmos damage in an area
• ⭐ Freezes time across the whole field (only Hotori can act, no character swaps allowed)
• Cleanses time-control debuffs on herself and grants immunity to time control during the freeze
• ⭐ Replays all previously recorded skills once (maximizing output)
• During the freeze, build combo with umbrella-blade auto-attacks; after 10 hits, a Finisher triggers for finishing damage
• Time-stop ends once the hand finishes rewinding or after the Finisher fires

Auto-Attack Mechanic

• Umbrella-blade combo string, build combo during time-stop → 10-hit Finisher
• Used for support repositioning at other times; the bulk of her damage is concentrated in the time-stop burst window

Key Passive Keywords

• Resets her own / the field-wide time anomalies
• ⭐ The “Blossom” reaction keeps outputting during time-stop (crucial for Blossom teams)

Core identity: although she is classed as a “Sub-DPS”, in practice she is a “field-wide time-stop + whole-team damage compression window” — squeezing the entire teams damage into a single frozen frame and detonating it.

3. Eidolon (Awakening) Priority

Eidolon	Name	Effect	Rating
A1	Switch Flower Shadow	During time-stop, each recorded “support / switch skill” grants Hotori +12% damage (up to +36%)	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Must-pull T1
A2	Fading Memory	During time-stop, Hotori deals a flat +20% damage	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong unconditional buff
A3	Fleeting Gaze	Restores energy after finishing E and completing recordings; at most once every 60 seconds	⭐⭐ Weakest in practice
A4	Scattered Relics	+10 Timepiece each time the team kills an enemy, up to 3 times; resets after Q	⭐⭐⭐ Convenient for clearing trash mobs
A5	All-Seeing Eye	When only 1 enemy is on-field, the whole team deals +15% damage to it (lost when Hotori is off-field)	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Incredible team buff in Boss fights
A6	Flow of Time	Ignores 30% DEF during time-stop	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strongest Eidolon

Eidolon Priority (Abyss / Boss focus)

A6 > A5 > A1 > A2 > A4 > A3

• 0 Eidolons is playable: the core mechanic is fully intact, and the time-stop window is already the strongest in the version
• A1 has the best value: a single Eidolon to V1 significantly boosts her damage
• A6 is the game-changer: 30% DEF ignore + Arc DEF penetration + set DEF penetration = three layers of penetration active at once, a kill switch for high-HP abyss Bosses

4. Best Gear

⭐ Arc: Marching Beyond Time (BiS signature Arc)

Stat	Value
Base ATK	570 at max level
Sub-stat	Crit Rate 24%
Passive	ATK +16%; each time an ally uses a “support / switch skill” gain 1 stack of Wastetime (max 3); when Hotori casts Q she consumes all Wastetime → Q burst damage +24% (each stack adds +8%); consuming a full 3 stacks → an extra +12% DEF ignore for 3 seconds
Source	Limited S (same banner, 2026/05/13–06/03)

⭐ A 100% match for Hotori’s recording mechanic — the perfect signature Arc.

Alternatives

Rank	Arc	Notes
1	Detonate the Field (standard S)	Q triggers the burst immediately, no prerequisites, no recording needed, great for a quick free-to-play start
2	Fluff of Fearlessness (S-rank)	Stacks ATK + Crit Rate after Q, a general-purpose Sub-DPS Arc
3	Rain Over the World (S-rank)	A general all-rounder pick
F2P	Hethereau’s Keeper	Boss drop, the best F2P option, but it comes from the hardest instance

Gear (Gear set): Lost Radiance 4-piece (BiS)

Pieces	Effect
2-piece	Cosmos damage +10%
4-piece	Ignore 25% of the enemy’s DEF after Q, lasting 20 seconds (stacks with the signature Arc and A6 for three layers)

Alternative: Lost Radiance 2 + Shadow Creed 2 — a 2+2 dual-effect stopgap; Shadow Creed adds crit or damage.

Triple Defense Penetration (the abyss godkit)

Source	Penetration
Lost Radiance 4-piece	25%
Marching Beyond Time signature Arc (full 3 Wastetime stacks)	12%
A6 Flow of Time	30%
Total	67%

⭐ This is exactly why Hotori is a kill switch against high-HP abyss Bosses.

Stat Priority

Slot	Priority
Main stats	Crit DMG / Crit Rate → Cosmos DMG% → ATK%
Sub-stats	Crit DMG > Crit Rate > ATK% > Energy Recharge

Go Crit DMG for the Sub-DPS line; Energy Recharge is also fine for a support build.

5. Recommended Teams

Team 1 — Blossom Time-Stop Team (BiS / T0) ⭐ Highest damage in the version

Hotori + Nanally + Sakiri + Esper Zero (or Jiuyuan)

• Nanally: Main DPS / Blossom main reaction
• Esper Zero: swaps in for instant energy charging
• Sakiri: all-purpose healer-support
• Logic: during time-stop the Blossom flowers keep dealing damage, effectively giving Nanally double DPS
• Currently the consensus highest-damage team in the version

Team 2 — Mono Light Blossom

Hotori + Esper Zero + Jiuyuan + Nanally (or Sakiri)

• Jiuyuan: pulls enemies together, enhances Blossom flower coverage
• Suited to maps with many trash mobs

Team 3 — F2P / Bridge Comp

Hotori + Esper Zero + Haniel + Mint

• All obtainable at launch + Sakiri is a launch giveaway
• Mint / Haniel add survivability and damage
• Damage trails behind, but the time-stop window still detonates

Team 4 — Fadia Boss Kill

Hotori + Nanally + Sakiri + Fadia

• A5’s single-target +15% team buff works perfectly
• A hard counter for single-Boss abyss floors

Rotation Key Points

1. Mint/Esper Zero/Sakiri open with support skills → Hotori E records (up to 3)
2. Wait for Timepiece to fill to 120
3. Swap to Hotori → Q starts time-stop → replay recordings + 10-hit Finisher combo
4. On Blossom teams, the "flowers" keep producing damage throughout

6. Build Priority

1. Character level → 80 (ascension cap)
2. Skill upgrades: Q > E > Auto-Attack > Passive
3. Max + ascend the Marching Beyond Time Arc (excellent value signature)
4. Lost Radiance 4-piece → roll Crit DMG sub-stats into place
5. Eidolons (if resources allow): A6 > A5 > A1

7. Should You Pull?

Strongly Recommended ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• The only time-stop character in the version, a completely irreplaceable mechanic
• Triple defense-penetration stacking = a kill switch for high-HP abyss Bosses
• Time-stop + continuous Blossom triggers: Nanally owners see their returns doubled
• Mechanical uniqueness + character charm (the shop owner) = a long-term investment unit

Eidolons vs Signature Arc Trade-off

Budget	Recommendation
Under 90 pulls	Pull the character (0 Eidolons), use “Detonate the Field” for the Arc
90-180 pulls	Character + signature Arc (the Arc has better value than Eidolons)
180+ pulls	Character + signature Arc + V1 (A1 is a game-changer)
Whales	Go straight to V6 (an uncapped Sub-DPS)

F2P Trade-off

• No signature Arc → Detonate the Field / Hethereau’s Keeper → damage trails by about 25-35%
• But the time-stop mechanic itself is still the strongest in the version — just getting the character means you are already 80% there

8. Community Memes / Reception

• “Za Warudo!” (the JoJo Dio time-stop meme)
• “You can never win rock-paper-scissors against Hotori” — because she secretly stops time to change her hand (official character lore)
• “The Shop Owner” — her universal community nickname
• “Witch of Time” — an affectionate name from Bahamut forum users
• “Must-pull for the version”, “detonates the whole team’s output with time-stop”, “best Sub-DPS” — the mainstream verdict
• Three-way consensus of T0 / S+ Tier from Prydwen / Icy Veins / Kaiden
• “The Support-DPS paradox” — overseas communities describe her as “compressing the whole team’s offense into a single frozen frame and detonating it”
• Her fan-ship with Adler (the butler) is blowing up on TikTok

Related Guides

• Signature Weapons (Signature Arcs) Complete Guide — full comparison including Marching Beyond Time
• Gear System Complete Guide — the Lost Radiance set
• Nanally Complete Build Guide — the core partner of the Blossom time-stop team
• Elemental Reaction System — the Blossom reaction mechanic
• Team-Building Primer — the Blossom time-stop team structure
• NTE Voice Actor Lineup — Shizuka Itō’s notable roles

FAQ

Hotori (Hotori / Firebird) data compiled from public sources including Prydwen, Kaiden.gg, Icy Veins, Mobalytics, Game8, GameWith, Sportskeeda, TheGamer, Fandom Wiki, 4Gamers, HN, LDPlayer, enjoyGM, oslink, Bahamut, and others. Some skill multipliers and CN CV info are still pending; defer to in-game values.