When the first teaser for Komano Manato dropped, I felt that familiar rush of excitement I always get when a new Agent is about to enter the Hollows. The silhouette, the fiery aura, the promise of a fresh playstyle—it all pointed toward another must-pull addition to the roster. My mind immediately conjured up visions of a devastating S-Rank Rupture specialist who would reignite my love for Fire teams. Social media was ablaze with speculation, and I was right there with everyone else, eagerly waiting for the full kit reveal. Then the livestream happened. The moment the rank icon appeared, my jaw literally dropped. A-Rank. Not S-Rank. The character who had looked like the next big meta shifter was suddenly positioned as a budget option, and the initial excitement curdled into a mixture of confusion and disappointment that I still can't quite shake off.

I’m going to be honest here: my first impression of his kit was that it felt like a watered-down version of something I’ve already seen. The parallel to Yidhari’s mechanics is impossible to ignore. Both harness their HP to fuel damage, both convert a portion of their bulk into Sheer Force, and both rely on a temporary empowered state to reach their damage ceiling. The problem is that Manato’s implementation seems deliberately restrained in almost every area that matters. He is a Rupture DPS who juggles his health bar, a limited-time Heat gauge called Flame, and a transformation called the Ignited state. In theory, that should create a high-risk, high-reward loop where you dance between self-damage and devastating finishers. In practice, the multipliers are so low that the risk feels like a punishment rather than an invitation to master fluid combat.

Let me break down exactly what we’re working with. Komano Manato’s Core Passive is the foundation of his entire design. Whenever he enters battle, he gains a substantial amount of Sheer Force based on his Max HP, and all of his attacks are considered Sheer damage. Similar to Lucia, he builds Flame points by using different abilities in his rotation. The twist is that once those points reach 100, he enters the Ignited state until his Heat gauge empties. While Ignited, his attacks become visually enhanced, he gains a flat 300 Sheer Force boost, and his Critical Damage increases by 20%. On paper, that’s a respectable steroid, but the path to activating it consistently feels like dragging a blunt sword through thick Corruption.

The Basic Attack sequence is where the HP sacrifice mechanic really kicks in. When used during the Ignited state and above 30% HP, Manato consumes 2.5% of his Max HP per activation to increase his Critical Damage by a massive 60% and skyrocket his Energy Regeneration by 300%. These numbers sound incredible until you realize how fragile he becomes whenever you string together a full combo. The self-damage adds up fast, and without proper healing or shielding, you’ll often find yourself limping into the next phase of a fight just as the boss unleashes a heavy area-of-effect strike.

The Special Attack is where things should get exciting. Manato can trigger the Ignited state directly by holding the button, entering a charging stance that burns up to 10% of his Max HP and instantly restores 100 Flame points. Once the charge completes, he unleashes his EX Special Skill, dealing damage while recovering some of the lost HP. While Ignited, the ability transforms into a plunging slash that deals massive Fire damage and recovers a higher percentage of HP. The setup feels satisfying for the first few runs, but the HP drain in conjunction with incoming enemy damage often forces you to cancel out of the charge earlier than intended, wasting a significant part of the payoff.

Then there’s the Ultimate, which is perhaps the most baffling part of his entire loadout. It deals respectable Fire damage and… that’s about it. No unique mechanic extensions, no party buffs, no reapplication of Ignited. In a roster where Ultimates often serve as the cornerstone of a DPS rotation or provide essential utility, Komano Manato’s simply feels like a bland nuke that exists in a vacuum. You press it when it’s ready, watch the animation, and move on, hoping your supports have already set up enough buffs to make the number look big.

Strangely, the bulk of his damage output comes from an ability you wouldn’t expect to be the star of the show: his Follow-up Assist. When you trigger the assist, Manato teleports in and performs a rapid series of slashing attacks that deal Fire damage. The real kicker is that you can press the button repeatedly to extend the assault, and during this sequence, if his HP remains above 30%, he consumes 5% of his Max HP to gain that same 60% Critical Damage buff and 300% Energy Regeneration. It’s a powerful tool, but tying his primary damage potential to a defensive assist mechanic makes his neutral gameplay feel awkward. You frequently find yourself dodging around, waiting for the perfect assist window, while characters with more straightforward kits are already melting the threat.

Team building opens up another can of frustration. Right now, his best synergies appear to be with Lighter and Orphie, and probably Lucia since she remains a stellar Rupture DPS support. The problem is his Additional Ability, which comes with a painful restriction: it only activates when Komano is paired with another Rupture or Fire Agent in the squad. When his HP drops, the ability then boosts the entire squad’s Critical Damage by 20% for 30 seconds. On its own, that’s a decent party buff, but being forced to build around specific elements just to unlock a core part of his kit makes team compositions feel restrictive. Many players, myself included, had hoped for more flexibility to experiment with anomaly hybrids or mono-physical setups that could leverage his Sheer damage conversion in unexpected ways.

Even with all these criticisms, I have to admit that his animations are honestly pretty phenomenal. The way his blade ignites into a cascade of cinders during the Ignited state, the sharp mechanical sounds that accompany each Follow-up Assist slash, and the raw force of his EX Special plunge all scream top-tier character design. It’s precisely this visual polish that makes his weak numerical tuning feel like such a gut punch. The developers clearly poured love into his presentation, but it’s as if someone forgot to adjust the damage spreadsheet afterward.

Judging by the storm on social media, I’m far from alone in my assessment. Forums were flooded with posts from players who had hoarded Polychrome for months, convinced they were saving for a new male S-Rank Agent who would redefine the Rupture meta. When the A-Rank classification hit, the mood shifted from celebration to collective disbelief. Memes comparing him to stronger standard banner characters spread like wildfire, and more than a few content creators released videos with titles like “Is Manato Already Dead on Arrival?”

There is, however, a sliver of hope that keeps me from completely writing him off. Beta testing cycles have historically led to significant adjustments before an Agent goes live. I’ve seen underperforming kits get last-minute multiplier bumps, energy cost reductions, or even fundamental reworks to their passives. As of now in 2026, with the countdown to his banner still ticking, the developers may yet review the feedback and tweak those critical numbers. A small increase to his base scaling or a reduction in his HP consumption could dramatically shift his viability without breaking the game’s balance.

So what’s my take on this whole controversy? I wanted Komano Manato to be an S-Rank powerhouse so badly that I practically willed it into existence in my head. The reality of his kit leaves me conflicted—I see the sparks of a thrilling, high-stakes playstyle buried beneath layers of cautious balancing. I’ll probably still pull for him because the rule of cool often wins in my heart, and I have a soft spot for characters who ride that edge between self-destruction and glory. But I can’t pretend that I’m not also harboring a quiet bitterness about what could have been. Maybe, just maybe, the final release version will close some of the gap between his stunning animations and his lackluster performance. Until then, I’ll be here, refreshing the patch notes and hoping for a redemption arc.

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