Neverness to Everness · S-Rank · Cosmos · Solid
Hotori Guide
The antique shop owner who bends time itself. Hotori is the most technically demanding Esper in Version 1.0 — master her Time Stop rotation and you unlock one of the biggest burst windows in the game, and a unit that grades top-tier in every role: DPS, hybrid and support alike.
Overview
Quick Stats
| Rarity | S-Rank |
| Element | Cosmos |
| Arc Type | Solid |
| Role | Burst Sub-DPS / Support |
| Release | May 13 2026 — Version 1.0 |
| Faction | Eibon Antique Shop |
Ratings
Community read — ZeroLuck tier-vote, Patch 1.0 (live, n=46 votes across roles): DPS SS 4.73/5 (26 votes) · Hybrid SS 5.00/5 (10) · Support SS 4.70/5 (10). She is the only triple-SS character in Patch 1.0 — top-tier in every role with strong sample size in all three (n=26, n=10, n=10). The community is telling you she works anywhere you slot her: solo carry, hybrid replay anchor, or pure off-field skill recorder for someone else's window. There is no wrong build.
Trend: no recent tier shift, stable in the current patch — she has held SS across all roles since the votes started accumulating, no movement up or down in the rolling feed. Watch the live tier list for the current standing.
Strengths
- Massive compressed burst window
- Unique Time Stop mechanic
- Replays ally skills for free extra damage
- Exceptional single-target boss output
- Strong Blossom team synergy (especially with Nanally)
- Scales exceptionally with investment
Weaknesses
- High mechanical difficulty
- Rotation-dependent — weak without proper setup
- Underperforms without strong teammate skills to record
- Heavily reliant on Nanally in the current meta
Gameplay — Non-Closed Timepiece
Hotori's entire kit revolves around a passive gauge called the Non-Closed Timepiece. It appears whenever she enters combat and fills passively at 6 energy per second, capping at 120.
Time Stop
When World's Tide activates, time slows to a near standstill for all enemies. During this window:
- Hotori is the only character active on the field
- All recorded ally skills replay automatically
- Hotori attacks with her katana, building combo stacks
- Reaching 10 stacks triggers a massive Finisher hit
- She gains immunity to time-control debuffs
- Timer pauses — no battle clock pressure during the window
Skills
Upgrade priority
- World's Tide
- Present Replay
- Misty Moon Style
- Chain Skill
Normal Attack
Misty Moon Style
5-hit Cosmos combo. Includes Rippling Waves (hold — 4-hit AoE dash) and the Non-Closed Timepiece passive that accumulates up to 120 energy over time.
Skill
Present Replay
Costs 60 energy. Deals 7 hits of Cosmos DMG and records up to 3 Support/Redirect Skills used by allies in the next 5s (one per character). Rewinds the Timepiece pointer during use.
Ultimate
World's Tide
Requires 120 energy (no cooldown). Deals 10 hits, activates Time Stop, draws the katana, and replays all recorded skills. Build 10 combo stacks to trigger an enormous Finisher hit. Ends when the Timepiece rewinds fully or Finisher lands.
Chain Skill
Shopkeeper's Authority
Throws the umbrella, dealing 1 instance of Cosmos DMG to an area.
Skill scaling — Lv 1 → Lv 11
Real damage ratios (% of ATK) from the in-game codex. World's Tide is by far the biggest jump per book invested — the Finisher alone goes from 300% to 647.7%, and the multi-instance entry hit more than doubles. Present Replay is a distant second because the recorded ally skills are what really pay off, not its own numbers.
| Source | Lv 1 | Lv 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate — World's Tide (entry hit) | 17% ×6 + 130.3% + 44.3% + 261.6% ×2 | 36.7% ×6 + 281.3% + 95.6% + 564.8% ×2 |
| Ultimate — World's Tide (Finisher) | 300% | 647.7% |
| Ultimate — World's Tide (5th Katana) | 8.5% + 221.1% | 18.4% + 477.3% |
| Skill — Present Replay (own hits) | 40% ×6 + 60.1% | 86.4% ×6 + 129.8% |
| Normal Attack — Misty Moon (5th instance) | 24.3% + 45.1% | 52.5% + 97.4% |
World's Tide is the entire damage window: entry hit, 5 katana instances, then the Finisher at 10 stacks. Investing skill levels into World's Tide multiplies every line of that window simultaneously — that is why it sits at priority 1 even above Present Replay (which mostly exists to set up the recording).
Awakenings
Priority order: A6 → A5 → A1 → A2 → A4 → A3. A6 adds 30% DEF ignore during Time Stop — the highest single DPS gain in the list. A5 is the priority for boss content. R1 and R2 (Resonance bonuses) require 3 and 6 duplicate copies respectively — not a realistic target for most players at launch.
A6
Time Takes Away
Hotori ignores 30% of the target's DEF during Time Stop.
A5
All-Seeing
When Hotori is deployed and only 1 enemy is on the field, the entire team deals 15% more DMG against that target. Effect is lost if Hotori goes down.
A1
Flourish
+12% DMG per recorded Support/Redirect Skill during Time Stop. Up to 36% with 3 recorded skills.
A2
Distant Memories
+20% DMG during Time Stop.
A4
Scattered Relics
+10 energy per kill, up to 3 times per cycle. Resets when casting World's Tide.
A3
Momentary Gaze
Recovers the energy spent on Present Replay after the recording completes (60s cooldown). Interrupted if energy is spent during recovery.
R1
Eternity Shattered
3-Awakening Bonus (requires 3 duplicate copies). Increases the skill level of Misty Moon Style, Present Replay, and World's Tide by 1.
R2
The Ultimate Treasure of Clear Understanding
6-Awakening Bonus (requires 6 duplicate copies). Grants all team members 20% ATK while Hotori is on the team and alive.
Best Arc
Cassette Set & Stats
- 2-piece: Cosmos DMG +10%
- 4-piece: Ignores 25% of enemies' DEF for 20s after Ultimate
The 4-piece DEF ignore applies for 20s after each Ultimate, which covers the full Time Stop window. Pairs directly with A6 Awakening (30% DEF ignore).
- 2-piece: HP +10%
- 4-piece: Healing Bonus +20%
Support/sustain-focused alternative only. Substantially weaker offensively — only use if the team critically needs healing.
Stat Priority
Main Stats
- Slot 1ATK%
- Slot 2Cosmos DMG%
- Slot 3CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG
Sub Stats
- Priority 1CRIT DMG
- Priority 2CRIT Rate
- Priority 3ATK%
- Priority 4HP% (setup dependent)
Offensive priority
The Non-Closed Timepiece recharges passively — Energy Recharge is not a stat you can build. Do not chase it on sub stats.
Best Teams
Community-built teams featuring Hotori — browse compositions shared by players, or create and share your own via the team builder.
Recommended Compositions
Time Stop core. Her Skill records up to 3 ally skills for replay inside the Ultimate window — the higher the multipliers of recorded skills, the higher the burst ceiling.
Anima · Plasma. Her Colucci Howling Skill deals 5 instances of Anima DMG, her Colucci Ultimate Technique deals 7 instances — both are dense, high-multiplier skills that replay beautifully in the recording window. Her Fair Duel passive also adds a 60% ATK Anima follow-up on every team Esper Cycle trigger (up to once per 2s), so a Cosmos Esper Cycle from Zero / Hotori fires free damage during Time Stop.
Anima. Her Transform! Super Mint! passive (Blossom Enhancement) expands the Vita Pistils' damage area on hit — feeding more Blossom hits into the Esper Cycle that Hotori's own Ghost Orchid Crest passive (Blossom Enhancement) keeps alive during Time Stop. Mint is the cheapest way to keep the Blossom engine burning across the burst window.
Cosmos · Solid. His A8 Zero Display grants the team +7% ATK for 20s after each Cosmos Esper Cycle trigger, and his A5 Theopneustos adds +15% self ATK on the same condition — both stack directly onto Hotori's recorded Skill + World's Tide window. Mono-Cosmos pairing keeps the Cycle live throughout the rotation.
Same Time Stop core as in Meta Blossom. Jiuyuan's large-scale AoE damage can be recorded and replayed against groups of enemies.
Anima · Solid. Her Lethal Rose Pact groups targets and her A4 Strike to Kill adds +50% DMG Ratio in an AoE on Pact Settlement — the replay during Time Stop hits the bunched pack instead of a single target. Her Seize the Moment passive (Blossom Enhancement) also spawns +1 Vita Bud and raises the cap to 6, feeding the Blossom Esper Cycle that Hotori's own Blossom Enhancement keeps live.
Anima. Same Transform! Super Mint! Blossom Enhancement as in Meta Blossom — wider Vita Pistil damage area means more Blossom hits, more Esper Cycle triggers, more replay value during Time Stop.
Cosmos · Solid. Same role as in Meta Blossom — A8 Zero Display's +7% team ATK and A5 Theopneustos's +15% self ATK both fire on Cosmos Esper Cycle triggers, amplifying every Cyclone of Jiuyuan's AoE and every katana hit Hotori lands during the window.
Optimal Rotation
Charge to 60
Enter combat and let the Non-Closed Timepiece accumulate 60 energy passively. Use Basic Attacks and Rippling Waves to generate energy faster.
Present Replay
Use Present Replay (costs 60 energy). Immediately have all three teammates use their best Support or Redirect Skills within the 5s recording window.
Charge to 120
Continue attacking. The Timepiece accumulates the remaining 60 energy to reach 120 cap.
World's Tide
Activate World's Tide. Time Stop begins — enemies freeze, all recorded skills replay automatically, katana mode activates.
Katana Combo ×10
Execute Basic Attacks in katana mode during Time Stop. Each hit builds a combo stack — reach 10 stacks as quickly as possible.
Finisher
At 10 combo stacks, the enormous Finisher DMG triggers. This is Hotori's peak damage output. Time Stop ends after Finisher lands.
Repeat
Return to step 1. With A3 Awakening, the energy refund after Present Replay speeds up subsequent cycles.
Pre-Farm Materials
Start farming before release day. These are the key resources required for Hotori's skill upgrades and ascension. Plan your ascension →
| Material | Amount |
|---|---|
| Confessional Flower Seed | 86 |
| Lost Whispers | 57 |
| Obscure Whispers | 58 |
| Paradoxical Whispers | 79 |
| Nestling's Longing | 40 |
| Dove's Flutter | 40 |
| Dress Sleeves of Vanity | 32 |
| The Olive Branch | 64 |
| Beetle Coin | 2,273,000 |
Highest priority: Lost Radiance Cassette Set · CRIT substats · Whisper materials · Confessional Flower Seeds
Should You Pull?
Pull if…
- Time Stop is the highlight of Version 1.0 — one of the biggest burst windows in the game
- You have Nanally or plan to pull her — the guide lists her as best-in-slot recorder for Hotori
- You are willing to learn the Present Replay → recording window → World's Tide sequence
- Single-target boss content is your main focus
- You can invest in CRIT substats and the Lost Radiance 4-piece Cassette Set
Skip if…
- You want a Main DPS with no setup phase — the rotation requires Present Replay before every Ultimate
- Your roster has no Blossom supports — the recommended compositions rely on Mint and Zero
- You prefer steady damage over burst — Hotori is built around one window, not sustained output
- Gear investment is a concern — CRIT substats and Lost Radiance are the highest priority farms
Hotori is one of the most powerful and most stylish Espers in Version 1.0. Her Time Stop burst is genuinely unique, and her synergy with Nanally in Blossom teams pushes her to the top of the meta. The skill ceiling is high, but the payoff — a perfectly executed rotation that freezes time and replays an avalanche of damage — is unmatched.
She is a long-term investment. With the right gear and the right team, Hotori will remain a cornerstone of Blossom compositions for patches to come.
Bottom line: a universally top-tier Esper — SS in every role (DPS, hybrid and support). If you can clear the skill ceiling, she is one of the strongest units in the game, full stop.