Hotori Best Build Guide

Last updated: Jun 3, 2026

Introduction

Best guide and build for Hotori from Neverness To Everness (NTE). Hotori is an rarity character from the Cosmos element who performs the Buff role in combat. Their Arc Compatibility is Solid. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of Hotori's best build, including recommended builds and the strongest team compositions and rotations that maximize their potential.

The Boss of Eibon, who doesn't seem to be very sober.

To learn more about Hotori check the sections below. Use the tabs to quickly switch to the kind of information you're looking for.

Update tracker

Last review update

Patch 1

Last major build/calcs update

Patch 1

Last profile update*

Jun 3, 2026

*Profile update means smaller edits to the guide that don't require new calculations.

Kit

Review

Build

Teams & Synergy

Awakenings & Calcs

To learn more about Hotori check the sections below. Use the tabs to quickly switch to the kind of information you're looking for.

Skills

Basic Attack

Misty Moon Style

Basic Attack: Misty Moon Style

Wields her weapon and performs up to 5 consecutive attacks, dealing Cosmos DMG.

Basic Attack: Non-Closed Timepiece

Displays a Non-Closed Timepiece when Hotori is switched in. Rotates its pointer slowly clockwise over time, accumulating energy. Caps the energy the Non-Closed Timepiece can accumulate at 120.

Basic Attack: Rippling Waves

Hold Basic Attack in combat to trigger. Gracefully dashes forward and attacks, dealing 4 instances of Cosmos DMG to an area.

Basic Attack: Crescent

Wields the weapon mid-air and plunges, dealing 1 instance of Cosmos DMG to an area upon impact.
Increases DMG based on fall height, up to 100%.

Critical Riposte: Half Moment

Triggers when using Misty Moon Style after a Critical Dodge. Raises the umbrella to counterattack opponents instantly, dealing 1 instance of Cosmos DMG and reducing Break.

"Finally, someone clueless comes along who actually wants to buy something from the shop, but if it wasn't for Daffodil refusing to budge, hmph — this month's sales wouldn't be a big fat zero.""That little brat, didn't you see what kind of price he was trying to haggle? He's treating our Eibon like we're some charity case! I was being nice not calling Daff over to rough him up!"

Multipliers (Level 1)

Effects

Skill

Present Replay

Requires no cooldown for Present Replay.

Allows Hotori to spend 60 Non-Closed Timepiece energy to cast Present Replay when energy is greater than 60. Deals 7 instances of Cosmos DMG to an area. Records Support Skills and Redirect Skills used by allies for the next 5s, appreciating up to 3 timings per use, with each character recorded at most once.

When Chiz is in the Surplus state, pressing casts Redirect Skill: Pink Paws Priority Principle. Stops recording after the pointer rewinds a certain amount, and continues rewinding a fixed amount if recording completes early. Clears records when entering or leaving battle. Overwrites existing records when using Present Replay again.

Observe and Witness

Multipliers (Level 1)

Effects

Ultimate

World's Tide

Has no cooldown or Ultimate Energy cost for World's Tide.

Allows Hotori to unleash World's Tide when Non-Closed Timepiece energy is fully charged, dealing 10 instances of Cosmos DMG to an area. Draws a katana from the umbrella handle and changes attack mode. Slows surrounding time to near standstill for a period, disabling character switching. Cleanses any received time control debuffs and grants immunity to time control debuffs during Time Stop.

Replays all attacks recorded by Present Replay 1 time and clears the records if any exist. Rewinds the Non-Closed Timepiece pointer continuously during Time Stop. Builds combo stacks with Hotori's Katana attacks, increasing damage per hit. Deals Finisher DMG when combo stacks reach 10. Ends time stop when the pointer rewinds completely or when Finisher DMG is dealt.

Then — proceed toward the predetermined future.

Multipliers (Level 1)

Effects

Support Skill

Shopkeeper's Authority

Time to teach these rude guests some manners. Throws the umbrella, dealing 1 instance of Cosmos DMG to an area.

For Hotori, this is merely a small display of her abilities, but difficult customers who threaten to complain will learn exactly what this humble little shop dares to impose such strict terms.

Multipliers (Level 1)

Passive

Ghost Orchid Crest

Blossom Enhancement: Prevents Vita Bud attacks from pausing during Time Stop.

At least when this proprietress, who can usually chatter on endlessly about every penny, finally quiets down and sits peacefully sipping wine while admiring the moon, you can still notice — she is an elegant and graceful person.

Passive

All Treasures Under Heaven

Increases World's Tide's Finisher DMG Ratio by 100%.

Cheers! Celebrate! Let's — let's celebrate again! My treasures — my precious treasures — they're all mine now! Deal — deal! Hehehe — hic — guard them well — for me — 2×2=4!

Awakening

Awakenings Effects

Flourish

Awakening 1

Increases Hotori's damage during Time Stop by 12% for each recorded Support Skill or Redirect Skill.

Distant Memories

Awakening 2

Increases Hotori's damage by 20% during Time Stop.

Momentary Gaze

Awakening 3

Recovers the energy spent on Present Replay after using it and completing the recording. Triggers at most once every 60s. Interrupts energy restoration if energy is spent during the recovery process.

Scattered Relics

Awakening 4

Grants an additional 10 energy to the Non-Closed Timepiece for every 1 target defeated by the Team while the pointer is not rewinding, up to 3 times. Resets the count when casting World's Tide.

Effects

All-Seeing

Awakening 5

When Hotori is deployed, if there is only 1 enemy on the field, the entire team's damage against that target is increased by 15%. This effect is lost when Hotori is down.

Time Takes Away

Awakening 6

Hotori ignores 30% of the target's DEF during Time Stop.

Resonance Effects

Eternity Shattered

3-Awakening Bonus

Increases the skill level of Misty Moon Style, Present Replay, and World's Tide by 1.

The Ultimate Treasure of Clear Understanding

6-Awakening Bonus

Grants the team 30% ATK while Hotori is on the team and alive.

Life Skills

Life Skill

Treasure Hunt

Level 1: Increases auction items by 1 extra per auction.

Level 2: Grants 1 additional attempt to refresh unpurchased auction items per auction.

Level 3: Increases auction items by 2 extra per auction.

Level 4: Sets the number of attempts to refresh unpurchased auction items to 2.

Level 5: Increases auction items by 3 extra per auction.

Trait - Frozen Snow Ritual

Special Trait

Let the snow fall slower still. Activates time manipulation when Hotori is outside of battle and the Non-Closed Timepiece has accumulated energy greater than 0. Slows the flow of time while holding Basic Attack, causing the surrounding time to approach a standstill. Removes any received time control debuffs and grants immunity to time control debuffs during Time Stop. Rewinds the Non-Closed Timepiece pointer continuously during Time Stop. Prevents Hotori from using other time-affecting skills. Ends Time Stop when the pointer fully rewinds, holding Basic Attack, entering battle, switching scenes, or performing other actions.
Walk alone outside of time, and see the truth of time.

Console

Type III Specialization

Type 1

Increases Cosmos DMG Bonus by 10% for each Type III Module equipped.

Voice Actors

ENG

Lindsay Sheppard

JPN

伊藤静

杜晴晴

이지현

Gallery

Hotori images aren't available yet. They will be added soon!

Pros & Cons

Pros

Her Ultimate has HUGE damage potential makes for a great damage window.
Time Stop pauses the fight timer also, great for Beyond the Rails for example.
Present Replay records your ally skills and fires them again for free inside Time Stop.
She cleanses time control debuffs and grants immunity during Time Stop.
The time stop also works in the Overworld.

Cons

You can’t switch out after using her Ultimate until Time Stop is over.
The recording window for skills can be somewhat tight.

Review

Hotori is a Cosmos character with a very unique time-based mechanic. She relies on something called Non-Closed Timepiece, which is essentially her energy bar for casting her Time Skills. This is an automatic process that builds passively over time whether she is on or off the field, as attacking will not generate any energy. Energy also builds outside of combat.

With your skill Present Replay when you cast it you can record Support Skills or Redirect Skills used by your allies for the next five seconds and can get up to 3 character's moves (once per character). It's worth noting that Present Replay only needs 60 energy to cast while her Ultimate needs the full 120 and they uniquely don't have cooldowns. It's a setup for you to then replay these moves later for a burst and such. Aside from that her skill is also a normal AOE dmg attack.

Her Ultimate is where the replay itself happens and it occurs when your Non-Closed Timepiece energy bar is at max. When activating it, it slows down time and during this Time Stop state, she replays all recorded actions. She also changes her weapon from an umbrella to a katana which essentially boosts her damage. So as all the actions you recorded are replaying you are attacking to deal a whole bunch of burst damage by stacking your combos up to 10 which also ends your time stop. From completely 0 energy, it takes about 20 seconds to fully charge, and another 15 after using Present Replay before you can hit your Ultimate, so around 35 second cycle between bursts.

During the time stop, the fight timer will not move, making it useful for any time-based modes like Beyond the Rails. Not only that, but when her Ultimate replays another character’s skill, it can also repeat that skill’s effect. For example, replaying Hotori (MC)’s skill with her Ultimate will refill the cycle for MC again.

She will also cleanse any received time control debuffs and grant immunity to time control debuffs during Time Stop.

She works great in Blossom teams and should probably be in one, her Blossom Enhancement makes it so that the Vita Bud attacks won't be paused during Time Stop. However, it’s not her only option, and this can be a bit harder to set up than some alternative teams.

She's essentially a burst DPS, whose ultimate locks her on field to deal massive damage herself, but you'll want a strong on-field carry to handle damage outside of her burst windows.

Ratings

Hybrid [A0]

Endgame PVE

Collaboration Disclaimer

For NTE calculations we worked alongside Rivyn Elowen. Any other content such as comments on Arcs, Modules, etc are our own.

Best Arcs (Weapons)

Hotori best Arcs (Weapons) are placed in order of what fits their playstyle the most. Check the comments to get additional context. Also, if you go to the Calculations tab, you will find information about the team setup used for the calculations.

Team 108.91%

Marching Beyond Time

(M5)

Calculations for the M5 version of this Arc.

Team 100%

Marching Beyond Time

(M1)

Hotori's Signature Arc and her best option. Provides ATK, Crit Rate, and an additional ATK% boost. Its passive fits naturally into her gameplan, as casting Present Replay enters Wastelab and since you'll be switching into allies to record their skills anyway, you'll be building Wastetime stacks in the process. Her Ultimate then consumes them all to boost her Ultimate Crit DMG and grant DEF Ignore at max stacks, making it a perfect fit for her burst windows.

Team 97.27%

Fluff of Fearlessness

(M5)

Calculations for the M5 version of this Arc.

Team 94.59%

Fluff of Fearlessness

(M1)

A solid Battle Pass option for many characters. Provides Hotori with ATK and Crit Rate, while also granting a 25%+ ATK boost after using her Ultimate, which is the entire goal of her kit. Since her Ultimate is her main source of damage, this ends up being a solid boost to her burst windows and a good option if you have bought the Battle Pass and decide to pick it. It's a great second option, if you don't have her signature arc.

Team 92.02%

The Rain That Shook the World

(M5)

Calculations for the M5 version of this Arc.

Team 91.63%

The Rain That Shook the World

(M1)

You have to buy this Arc unfortunately, but it's a good option if you have it. While it doesn't provide as much ATK or Crit Rate as her Signature, it still offers an overall buff to her Cosmos damage specifically for her Redirect Skill and Ultimate, which is the most important part. On top of that, it also buffs her Cycle Intensity, which helps support the team by allowing for more Esper Cycles, and gains more value the more often Hotori is involved in Blossom Esper Cycles, making it a stronger pick in Blossom Spam teams with Nanally and Jiuyuan.

Team 93.48%

Hethereau's Keeper

(M1)

F2P alternative, though the boss required to obtain it is no pushover and realistically you won't be obtaining it for a while. Increases Hotori's ATK and damage dealt to Bosses, with Officer Whisker dealing additional damage alongside her based on her ATK. Keep in mind that the damage to Bosses bonus is heavily reliant on stun windows, so you'll want your Ultimate ready during a Break to get the most out of it, otherwise this Arc becomes significantly less effective.

Blow up the Crowd

(M1)

F2P alternative. While Hotori won't benefit from the Psyche DMG-related effects, rendering a decent chunk of this Arc useless, her low field time nature fits well with it, as it increases the active character's ATK while she's off-field and boosts her own damage slightly when on-field. However, it won't boost her personal damage by as high an amount as other Arcs as it's more of a support option.

Day Off

(M1)

F2P alternative. Provides a significant ATK boost, and while Hotori doesn't gain energy the traditional way, this Arc can still support the team in AoE scenarios since obtaining energy can be difficult for a lot of characters. That said, it doesn't function optimally in single target content.

Best Cartridges

Team 100%

Lost Radiance

Best in slot and our main recommendation for Hotori's personal damage. The 2-piece gives her a straight 10% Cosmos DMG boost, and the 4-piece grants 25% DEF Ignore for 20 seconds after using her Ultimate, which is exactly what you want as most of her damage will be coming from her Ultimate burst window anyway. Plus if you even have a single dupe you can pick Time Takes Away (A6), which means you stack even more DEF shred. Speedy Hedgehog is also an option, but since MC will typically be running it in most of her teams, this ends up being the more common and main choice.

Best Stats

Main Stats

Crit Rate > Cosmos DMG % > Crit DMG > ATK %

Sub Stats

Crit DMG > Crit Rate > DMG % > ATK % > ATK

Recommended endgame stats

HP: 20,000+
ATK: 2200+
Crit Rate: 70%+
Crit DMG: 90%+
Universal DMG: 10%+
Cosmos DMG: 60%+

Modules setup

Lost Radiance

(2)

Cosmos DMG +10%

(4)

Ignores 25% of enemies' DEF for 20s after the wearer casts Ultimate. Effect does not stack.

Character Console Trait:

Increases Cosmos DMG Bonus by 10% for each Type III Module equipped.

Required pieces:

II✓

III✓

IV✓

Console GridType: 1

Skill Priority

Passive 1 > Ultimate > Passive 2 = Skill > Support = Basics

Synergies

An essential teammate for Hotori as recording MC's skill with Present Replay and replaying it during Time Stop will trigger another instant Esper Cycle, letting you get another reaction off right in the middle of Hotori's burst window which is a big deal.
As a Cosmos character, MC fits naturally into Blossom teams alongside Hotori, and her Blossom Enhancement ensures Vita Bud attacks keep going uninterrupted even during Time Stop, so you're not losing out on that damage.
Zero is also a good user of Speedy Hedgehog if you're looking to push more personal damage out of Hotori, since they don't need it as much themselves.

Chiz is a decent Sub DPS option in a dual DPS setup alongside Hotori, as she can deal solid damage outside of Hotori's burst windows and doesn't rely on being the sole focus of the team.
That said, the synergy isn't perfect. Hotori can't copy Chiz's enhanced Skill multiple times, and since Chiz's skill cooldown is already very low, the benefit of recording it with Present Replay is pretty limited compared to other teammates. It should be noted that when Present Replay is used, the skill is re-triggered using the Grain value at the moment Hotori triggers it, rather than the value at the time Chiz originally cast it.

Her Ultimate's Paranormal Ace stacks an additional ATK bonus on top of Hootie's buff, and since Hotori packs all her damage into Time Stop, having both buffs active going into her burst window is a big deal.
Her Signature Arc further boosts the active character's ATK while she's off-field.
A strong choice even when there's no opportunity to create an Esper Cycle, making her a reliable support option regardless of what team composition you're running Hotori in.

Provides healing to the team, and since Hotori can record and replay Edgar's skill during Present Replay, you can squeeze out some extra healing during her burst window which is a nice bonus.
As a Cosmos character, Edgar creates additional avenues for the Charge reaction, and his instant Charge refill can fully fill a teammate's Ultimate, though this unfortunately doesn't work with Hotori herself.
That said, MC will likely take the Cosmos slot over Edgar in most team compositions, as they offer more utility and damage, making it hard for Edgar to justify his spot outside of specific situations where healing is necessary.

A core member of Blossom teams alongside Hotori, as her passive Seize the Moment spawns additional Vita Buds and increases their limit on the field to 6, doubling the default limit and significantly boosting how much damage each Blossom proc can put out.
Works naturally as a Sub DPS alongside Hotori since her optimal playstyle is to switch in, use her skill to generate Rose Pact Bullets and Vita Buds, then switch out, which fits perfectly with Hotori's low field time nature.
A strong option for AoE content due to her ability to gather enemies easily with her skill, making Blossom procs hit more targets at once.
In the core Blossom team, Hotori can record and replay MC's skill during Time Stop to keep generating instant Esper Cycles, which means more Blossom procs and more chances for Jiuyuan's Vita Buds and Blossom Enhancement to do their thing. On top of that, replaying Jiuyuan's skill during Time Stop also grants her 4 additional Rose Pact Bullets, adding even more value to her rotation.

Likely the best dual DPS option to run alongside Hotori right now, as Nanally wants more uninterrupted field time than Hotori to get the most out of her burst windows, making them a great fit together. Nanally just deals a lot of damage especially in single target situations against bosses and is one of the best DPS in general right now.
A main component for maximum Blossom damage, as Nanally's Blossom Enhancement fires 10 Vita Pistils with each Vita Bud, which adds up fast in a Blossom focused team, and Hotori replaying skills during Time Stop helps keep those procs going during her burst window.

A decent DPS option when running Hotori as a Sub DPS, as Mint can handle consistent on-field damage during Hotori's downtime between burst windows.
A solid budget option if you don't have access to higher rarity Anima characters like Nanally.
Works well in Blossom teams alongside Hotori, as Mint's Blossom Enhancement expands the AoE of Vita Bud hits, which is useful in multi-enemy fights. Keep in mind though that this has no effect in single target boss fights, so its value depends on the content you're running.

As a Lakshana character, Skia can inflict Remora when paired with Hotori, opening up the Charge reaction. His Remora Enhancement also inflicts an additional Remora when Fang Thrust locks onto a target already in Remora state, adding even more value to his marks in the process.
A solid A Rank substitute if you don't have Hathor, though keep in mind he does require more field time to get the most out of his kit compared to her.

As a Lakshana character, Hathor pairs naturally with Hotori, extending Remora duration to 12 seconds for more Charge procs while also gaining a Crit Rate buff when attacking targets inflicted with Remora through her Remora Enhancement.
Works great in a Charge team since Hotori can record and replay Hathor’s skill during Time Stop to generate more frequent Ultimates, which is a big deal given how Ultimate-reliant Hathor is. Replaying her skill also means you can have a full 6 feathers ready for each Ultimate. Most of Hathor’s DMG comes from her Ultimate, similar to Hotori, and Hotori helps her gets more stacks consistently.

Teams

Blossom Team

This team focuses on generating as many Blossoms as possible through Esper Zero's Instant Cycle ability on their Skill and Hotori being able to repeat this skill during her Time Stop, while Jiuyuan and Nanally both have Blossom enhancements to amplify the damage from each proc.

Gameplay

When Hotori has max energy, spend half to use her Skill and begin recording teammate skills. Within the 5-second window, you are aiming to: Use MC’s skill to fill the cycle bar and Ultimate to proc Speedy Hedgehog, then switch to Jiuyuan and proc Blossom, then switch to Nanally to use her skill and Ultimate. Spend a bit of time on Nanally to use her Underboss follow-up attacks, and by the time her enhanced basics run out, Hotori’s Ultimate should be available to cast. This Ultimate will recast everyone’s skill, dealing more damage from Nanally’s skill and refilling MC’s Cycle bar again. Before the time that Hotori’s ult fills again, you’ll want to swap into Nanally for any Blossom procs to give her additional energy and use Jiuyuan’s Ult and skill. This repeats when Hotori has max energy again.

Charge Team

This team uses Hotori's skill replays to double up everyone's secondary effects, giving Hathor extra stacks, Jiuyuan extra bullets, and generating additional Esper Cycles, while also allowing for Charge procs to feed Hathor extra energy for more Ultimate uses.

Gameplay

When Hotori has max energy, spend half to use her Skill and begin recording teammate skills. Within the 5-second window, you are aiming to: Use MC’s skill to fill the cycle bar and Ultimate to proc Speedy Hedgehog, then switch to Jiuyuan and proc Blossom, then switch to Hathor and use her skill. While waiting for the rest of Hotori’s energy to refill, we can use Jiuyuan’s ult, skill, and attachments. When available, swap back to Hotori and use her Ultimate. This Ultimate will recast everyone’s skill, providing 2 more feathers to Hathor and refilling MC’s Cycle bar again. You’ll want to immediately swap to Hathor and use her Ult and 3 enhanced skills to try to get them into the Speedy Hedgehog buff window from MC's Ult. In the remaining downtime on Hotori’s Ultimate, you can swap between characters to proc charge and fill everyone’s Ultimate again.

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