One of the most lethal assassins and quite possibly the deadliest ninja in Mobile Legends is Hanzo. With a strong blend of DPS and burst, this hero is one of the hardest carries in the game. Here’s everything you need to know to get you started playing the Akuma Ninja. 

Overview

Assassins in Mobile Legends usually focus on dealing burst damage. They focus on diving in, killing the enemy carries, and dashing out scot free. Hanzo takes this to the next level by being physically safe while he dives in and deals damage. Not only does he deal burst damage, he has excellent DPS as well and pretty decent crowd control. He has pretty great wave clear and a lot of AoE abilities that make him perfect as a Jungler. 

Despite having all these good things going for him, Hanzo is not without weakness. His biggest weakness is also his biggest strength. His ultimate allows him to astrally project another form to attack his enemies. While this is active, his main body remains a sitting duck and vulnerable to being attacked. If the enemy can somehow find his main body, then Hanzo could easily be killed as he is very squishy. Overall, Hanzo is still a strong pick in the current meta. If you can learn to play around his limitations, then you will be rewarded with a powerful hero that can solo carry games.

Abilities

Hanzo has a pretty unique skill set. He has a total of 6 abilities and most of them deal damage. Mastering his combos and the timing of his abilities is very important when using this hero. 

Passive – Ame no Habakiri

Hanzo gains 2 Demon Blood when a non-hero unit dies near him and 20 Demon Blood when an enemy hero dies nearby.

Instead of Mana, Hanzo uses Demon Blood as his primary resource. Although most of his skills do not need Demon Blood to be used, he does need Demon Blood to use his ultimate and to stay longer in his Demon Pneuma form.

First Skill – Ninjutsu: Demon Feast/Ninjutsu: Demon Thorn

Demon Feast: This skill can only be unlocked after 5 Basic Attacks. This skill will be sealed again if Hanzo doesn’t attack in 6.5 seconds.

Hanzo uses Ame no Habakiri to devour an non-hero unit and digest them over a period of time and gains 10 / 12 / 14 / 16 / 18 / 20 Demon Blood after digesting.

When Hanzo tries to devour the Turtle or Lord, he will only deal 500 / 700 / 900 / 1100 / 1300 / 1500 True Damage to them.

Demon Thorn: This skill will be temporarily unlocked for 6.5 seconds after gaining 5 seals. Hanzo can gain a seal for every Basic Attacks and Ninjutsu: Devastator strike. This skill will be sealed again if Hanzo doesn’t gain a seal within the duration.

Hanzo burrows underground and lunges forward to attack enemies in a line, dealing 300 / 350 / 400 / 450 / 500 / 550 (+100% Total Physical Attack) + 15% / 17% / 19% / 21% / 23% / 25% of the target’s Max HP points of Physical Damage, knocking them airborne. Additionally, Hanzo is temporarily untargetable while burrowing underground.

Hanzo’s first skill depends on what his current state is. Demon Feast is Hanzo’s main jungling ability. It is great for easily clearing camps and obtaining stacks of Demon Blood. It can also be a mini Retribution because it can let you secure objectives like Lord or Turtle. When in his Pinnacle Ninja state, Demon Thorn becomes a good source of crowd control. It knocks up targets in a line while also dealing tons of damage. It can also be a good way to avoid being targeted by potentially lethal damage.

Second Skill – Ninjutsu: Soul Reap/Ninjutsu: Devastator

Soul Reap: Hanzo summons demonic spikes that deal 160 / 200 / 240 / 280 / 320 / 360 (+60% Total Physical Attack) points of Physical Damage immediately.

If this skill hits a target, it will strike again every 0.5 second, dealing 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90 (+15% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to targets in the area and [[slow} until no target is hit or this skill’s duration ends after striking 8 more times.

Every unit hit will grant Hanzo 1 Demon Blood while also slowing them by 40%.

Devastator: Hanzo flies to the target location as Demon Pneuma, becoming untargetable and dealing 80 / 100 / 120 / 140 / 160 / 180 (+50% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to enemies within this area. If an enemy is hit, Hanzo will strike again every 0.3 seconds, until no target is hit or this skill’s duration ends after hitting an enemy 8 more times.

Each hit of this skill will grant Hanzo 1 seal of Ninjutsu: Demon Thorn. Hanzo can cancel this skill by moving, attacking, or tapping this ability again.

Soul Reap is Hanzo’s primary damaging ability. It deals good consistent damage in a large area of effect that also slows targets that pass through it by 40%. Use this for poking enemies or clearing waves to get stacks of Demon Blood. In his Pinnacle Ninja state, this ability turns into Devastator which is the best damaging ability in Hanzo’s kit. The Demon Pneuma is also untargetable while using this ability. It deals great damage and can easily one shot squishy carries. 

Ultimate – Kinjutsu: Pinnacle Ninja

Hanzo gains 25 / 35 / 45 Demon Blood immediately and charges forward as Demon Pneuma, gaining a new set of skills while leaving his body behind.

The Demon Pneuma consumes 10 Demon Blood every second, passes through terrain and has an additional 35% Movement Speed and 30% / 40% / 50% Attack Speed, but its Physical and Magic Defense is reduced by 50% / 42.5% / 35%.

When the Demon Pneuma is killed, Hanzo will return to his body, but he will be stunned for 3 seconds, slowed by 55%, have his Physical and Magic Defense reduced by 100%, and reveal the body’s position for the next 5 seconds for a total self-CC duration of 8 seconds. When the body is killed, Hanzo and the Demon Pneuma will both die.

This ability is what Hanzo is best known for. Kinjutsu: Pinnacle Ninja allows him to astrally project the Demon Pneuma to attack his enemies. In this state, Hanzo gains access to two new abilities. As we’ve mentioned before, this skill works like a double-edged sword; it’s both Hanzo’s biggest strength and greatest weakness. Try to use this ability while Hanzo is in a safe spot so you wouldn’t have to worry about being vulnerable. Additionally, you should learn the perfect timing when to activate Kinjutsu: Pinnacle Ninja so that you wouldn’t waste its potential.

Builds

When it comes to items, there are different build paths you can go for when using Hanzo. You can go with a burst assassin build where you build mostly Physical Attack items so that your skills will deal a ton of damage when you use them. The other, more popular build path is going for some attack speed items to increase Hanzo’s DPS in his Pinnacle Ninja state without sacrificing his strong burst damage. That said, there are two important items that you should always try to incorporate in Hanzo’s build. These core items are Corrosion Scythe and Blade of Despair.

• Corrosion Scythe

+50 Physical ATK

+25% Attack Speed

+5% Movement SPD

Unique Passive – Corrosive: Each time a Basic Attack deals damage to enemies, reduces the target’s Movement Speed by 8% (halved for ranged Basic Attacks) for 1.5s. Stacking up to 5 times.

Unique Passive – Impulse: When each Basic Attack deals damage to enemies, increase Attack Speed by 8%. Stacks up to 5 times. Lasts 3s.

• Blade of Despair

+160 Physical ATK

+5% Movement SPD

Unique Passive – Despair: Attacking enemy units that have HP below 50% will increase the hero’s Physical Attack by 25%. Lasts 2s. (Takes effect before damage is dealt).

These two items increase Hanzo’s effectiveness in battle. Corrosion Scythe gives him attack speed and physical attack plus a bonus slow that helps him stick to his targets better. Blade of Despair, on the other hand, is an item that gives the highest physical attack in the game which without a doubt, benefits Hanzo’s entire kit.

Useful Tips

1. For emblems, always take the Assassin set and go with Killing Spree as your talent. This restores a portion of your health and gives you bonus movement speed whenever you score a kill on an enemy hero.
2. For your battle spell, go with either Flicker or Retribution. If you’re playing in a side lane, go with Flicker as it is the general, all purpose utility spell that adds another layer of mobility in your kit. Meanwhile, if you’re playing in the Jungle, go with Retribution as it allows you to clear camps faster while letting you secure objectives like Lord or Turtle.
3. Hanzo is a very squishy assassin. He is best viewed as a glass cannon hero that can deal massive damage but unable to sustain or absorb damage from the enemies. As such, heroes that can easily burst him down are his biggest counters. Heroes like Gord, Pharsa, Hanabi, Layla, and Karrie all possess kits that can counter Hanzo’s effectiveness.

So there you have it! That’s everything you need to know on how to play Hanzo in Mobile Legends. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite games. Have fun!