MLBB Core
Akai splash art
Tank

Akai

Tank rated 90 magic offense, 90 durability, 30 difficulty in Moonton's in-game data, built around the passive Tai Chi scaling at 5% Max HP.

Akai is a Tank hero in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang who excels at initiating team fights and disrupting enemy formations. This agile panda warrior utilizes his unique abilities to control the battlefield, protect allies, and secure crucial objectives. Master his kit to become an unstoppable force, pinning enemies against walls and creating openings for your team to dominate.

Offense — Physical30
Offense — Magical90
Durability90
Difficulty30

Build guide Matchups & counters

Skills, ratings and recommended gear on this page are read directly from Moonton's official in-game hero data for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang — not scraped from another fan site, and nothing is invented to fill a gap. Data retrieved .

Written by EllieAnth — playing MLBB since 2017 (9+ years), peak rank Mythical Immortal, 1126 stars.

Assessment

Strengths & weaknesses

Akai is a formidable Tank hero with distinct strengths and some notable weaknesses. His primary strength lies in his exceptional durability, scoring 90 out of 100. This high survivability allows him to withstand significant enemy aggression, soak up damage, and remain on the front lines for extended periods, making him an excellent protector for his team.

Furthermore, Akai possesses incredibly potent crowd control. His ability to knock enemies airborne and continuously knock them back with his ultimate makes him a master of disruption, capable of isolating key targets or peeling for his carries. His relatively low difficulty score of 30 also means he is accessible for players to pick up and contribute effectively to team fights.

However, Akai's offensive capabilities are quite limited, with a physical offense score of only 30. While he can deal some damage through his skill scalings, he is not designed to be a primary damage dealer and relies heavily on his teammates to follow up on his crowd control. This also means that if his ultimate is on cooldown, or if enemies manage to avoid his initiations, he can feel less impactful, as his core strength is his ability to displace and control. Mastering his engagements is key to mitigating this weakness.

Kit

Skills

Passive

Tai Chi

Akai gains a 25+5% Total HP shield for 4s on each skill cast and marks enemy heroes and Creeps hit by his skills.
Akai's Basic Attacks deal 25+5% Total HP extra Physical Damage to marked enemies.

  • 25 + 5% Max HP Physical

Getting a Shield on every skill cast makes Akai rathertanky during the early game, as well as provides a lot of opportunities foroutplays. The extra shield makes Akai a very formidable opponent in a 1v1scenario. When jungling, space out the usage of Skill 1 and Skill 2 to allow your shield to tank the damage from the jungle monsters, as Akai's passive shield has an internal cooldown.

Skill 1

Headbutt

Akai charges in the target direction, dealing 300 (+50% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to enemies along the way. If Akai hits an enemy hero during this process, he'll knock them airborne for 0.5s and be able to roll in the Joystick's direction once.
Akai can cast Headbutt during Heavy Spin to quickly adjust his position.

  • 300 + 50% Total Physical Attack Physical

The long-ranged jump allows for a strong engage into the enemy back line, a narrow escape across walls or just a really good ambush. Remember that when enemy's are marked by Blender (with the Froggy symbol floating on their heads) jumping on them will stun them.

Skill 2

Body Slam

Akai smashes the ground with his body, dealing 270+6% Total HP Physical Damage to nearby enemies and slowing them by 45% for 2s.

  • 270 + 6% Max HP Physical

Blender is Akai's poking skill. The projectile explodes upon impact or at maximum range, and has a relatively wide AoE, making it very easy to mark targets. The most important part of this ability is that attacking targets marked by Blender allows Akai to deal extra 5% of Akai's Max HP as physical damage, which is A WHOLE LOT OF FREAKING DAMAGE.

Ultimate

Heavy Spin

Akai removes all debuffs on him and spins for 4s, gaining Slow Immunity while continuously dealing 200 (+100% Extra Physical Attack) Physical Damage to nearby enemies and knocking them back. Enemy heroes knocked back will knock back other heroes they collide with during the process.
Akai also gradually increases his Movement Speed by 70% over the duration. This skill can only be interrupted by Suppression and Morph effects.

  • 200 + 100% Extra Physical Attack Physical

Hurricane Dance is Akai's disruptive skill. Aside from the annoying knock back and wall pinning, Akai is immune to slowdown effects and has increased movement speed during the ULT duration. Akai's ULT also works as a Purify which clears all CC and Stun effects on him.

Items

Oracle

Unique Passive - Bless: Received Shield and HP Regen effects are increased by 30%.

Warrior Boots - Conceal

Active Skill - Conceal: Success

Dominance Ice

Unique Passive - Arctic Cold: Reduces the Attack Speed of nearby enemy heroes to 70% of normal.

Immortality

Unique Passive - Immortal: Revives 2.5s after death, gaining 16% Max HP and a 220-1200 shield (scales with level) that lasts 3s (210s cooldown).

Athena's Shield

Unique Passive - Shield: Upon taking Magic Damage, gains 25% Magic Damage Reduction for 3s (applied before taking damage). Regains this effect 5s after leaving combat.

Guardian Helmet

Unique Passive - Recovery: Regenerates 2.5% Max HP per second (reduced to 0.5% Max HP per second over 5s after taking damage).

Read the full Akai build guide — item order, why each item earns its slot, and how to adapt it

Matchups

Counters

Best ally

Saber

Akai can ULT from behind and push the enemies toward Saber, while Saber can ULT the priority target and finish the job.

Counters

Karina

Akai's ULT will knockback a Karina, preventing them from landing a proper attack or proper engage.

Countered by

Grock

Due to their knockup abilities from ULT. However, these have to be perfectly timed so that Akai's ULT is cancelled.

Understanding Akai's matchups is crucial for maximizing his impact on the battlefield, knowing who he synergizes well with and who he can effectively counter or be countered by.

  • Best Mate: Saber: Akai forms a strong partnership with Saber. Akai can use his ultimate, Heavy Spin, to push enemies from behind towards Saber, creating perfect opportunities for Saber to then use his ultimate on a priority target and secure the kill. This combination ensures key enemy damage dealers are quickly eliminated.
  • Restrains (Counters): Karina: Akai is an excellent counter to Karina. His ultimate, Heavy Spin, is highly effective at knocking back a Karina, preventing her from landing proper attacks or engaging effectively. This disruption can completely nullify Karina's burst potential and protect your team from her dives.
  • Restrained By (Countered By): Grock: Akai can be countered by Grock due to Grock's knock-up abilities. If timed perfectly, Grock's knock-ups can interrupt Akai's ultimate, Heavy Spin, cancelling its disruptive effect. This makes engagements against a skilled Grock more challenging, as Akai loses his primary crowd control tool.

See every Akai matchup explained — who counters Akai, who Akai beats, and how to play each one

In practice

A practical scenario

Imagine a scenario where your team is pushing a lane, and the enemy marksman and mage are positioned together behind their tank. As Akai, you spot an opportunity to initiate a devastating team fight. First, you would use your Skill 2, Body Slam, to poke the enemy frontline and mark them, applying a strong slow and setting up your passive damage. Then, you swiftly activate your Skill 1, Headbutt, dashing past their tank and directly into the enemy marksman and mage. This will knock them airborne, providing crucial crowd control. Immediately after Headbutt, you unleash your ultimate, Heavy Spin. With the enemies pinned against a wall or pushed into your team's damage dealers, you continuously knock them back, preventing them from escaping or retaliating. During this chaos, your passive, Tai Chi, will provide a continuous shield from your skill casts, making you incredibly durable while you disrupt the enemy formation. Your team can then easily follow up on the displaced and CC'd enemies, securing kills and pushing the objective.

Summary

Key takeaways

To master Akai and dominate the Mobile Legends battlefield, focus on these key actionable strategies:

  1. Initiate and Disrupt: Use Headbutt to engage key enemy targets, followed immediately by Heavy Spin to pin them against walls or push them into your team. Prioritize disrupting enemy backlines and protecting your damage dealers with precise ultimate usage.
  2. Maximize Sustain with Passive: Consistently cast your skills to gain shields from Tai Chi, especially when clearing jungle or engaging in extended skirmishes. Build HP-scaling items like Guardian Helmet and Oracle to amplify your passive's effectiveness.
  3. Control the Map with Vision and Ambushes: Utilize Warrior Boots - Conceal to set up surprise engagements or to safely scout enemy positions. Look for opportunities to ambush isolated targets or to initiate fights from unexpected angles.
  4. Adapt Your Defense: Build defensive items like Athena's Shield against heavy magic damage and Dominance Ice against high attack speed heroes. Immortality provides a crucial late-game safety net, ensuring your presence in decisive team fights.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How does Akai's passive, Tai Chi, enhance his durability?

Akai's passive, Tai Chi, grants him a shield based on his total HP every time he casts a skill. This allows him to absorb significant damage and sustain longer in fights. Building items like Oracle further amplifies these shields, making him incredibly tanky.

What is the best way to use Akai's ultimate, Heavy Spin, in a team fight?

Heavy Spin is best used to disrupt enemy formations and isolate key targets. After initiating with Headbutt, activate your ultimate to continuously knock back enemies, ideally pinning them against terrain or pushing them into your team's damage. It also acts as a purify, removing debuffs and granting slow immunity, making you unstoppable during its duration.

Which items are crucial for Akai to maximize his tankiness and team utility?

Items like Oracle are crucial for enhancing Akai's shields and HP regeneration. Dominance Ice reduces enemy attack speed, while Athena's Shield provides magic damage reduction. Immortality offers a vital second life, and Guardian Helmet ensures sustained HP recovery, all contributing to his role as a durable frontline tank.

How does Akai deal with high-damage enemy heroes like Karina?

Akai excels at countering high-damage heroes like Karina due to his disruptive ultimate. By using Heavy Spin, Akai can continuously knock back Karina, preventing her from landing her attacks or engaging effectively, thereby neutralizing her burst potential and protecting his allies.

Does Akai have good mobility for a Tank hero?

Yes, Akai has surprisingly good mobility for a Tank hero, primarily through his Skill 1, Headbutt. This skill allows him to charge in a direction, knock up enemy heroes, and then perform an additional roll, enabling strong engages, quick repositioning, or escapes over terrain.

Keep reading

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