Kenji

Kenji is an assassin, however what makes him unique is the fact that his stats and kit are focused much more heavily on constantly going in than the average brawler of his class. He specializes in applying large amounts of pressure on the field, utilizing his dashes and quick reload speed to approach, and take quick slashes at the opponents. He also has a lot of survivability due to his lifesteal mechanic, second gadget and temporary invulnerability (through super).

Kenji's kit allows him to hold control very reliably, due to the fact that he can safely commit into any squishy laner; Furthermore, his super's fast recharge rate means he gets to easily help other lanes while maintaining his own, making him very difficult to get out of position.

Much like Mortis, his AoE, fast recharge super has great teamwipe potential. Due to it's multitarget nature it chains very well, and having it also heal Kenji's because of the trait makes him punish grouping up very hard.

He does not have many options to deal with Crowd Control though, so staying careful around it is necessary.

His best maps are ones that provide a great amount of cover. Although more open ones (such as Last Stop) do work, it makes it a lot tougher to maintain control in these.

Speed (Situational): Playable on bushy maps, but there are better choices on most.

Health (Effective): Due to Kenji's very aggressive playstyle, shortening the downtime between commits is very useful.

Damage (Effective): Not only does it increase Kenji's damage, it also makes the lifesteal greater.

Shield (Situational): Mostly useful against tough matchups; There are better options otherwise.

Vision (Ineffective): While Kenji's attacks are wide, his range is too short to make good use of this gear, even accounting for his super.

Gadget Charge (Effective): Best gear for Kenji as his second gadget is crucial in utilizing him to the fullest.

The best start you can get is by using your ammo to get up the map early. Due to your high sustain it's not as risky as with Mortis and the positioning benefits are much easier to reap.

Against tough matchups, you should use your dashes for going in-and-out, performing a slash in between those. This allows you to safely fight without risking too much. It's also why you should generally keep your dash ready first, unless you suspect an enemy is trying to engage before you.

In general, it’s important to note that Kenji’s attacks are quite reliant on each other, and you need to utilize both of the attacks well to get good results. The dashes are really good for engaging and positioning yourself, whereas the slashes are what you rely on for dealing damage. A key part of it is the instant unload speed, which allows you to deal very high burst damage by wasting a dash on a wall.

In the early game, you want to try and attack an enemy that's on their own - it's safer that way and it allows you to charge your super without having to die. However, if there are two enemies together that you know can't handle Kenji well, rushing at them is also a good idea.

You should always be aware of your HP - your gadget will allow you to almost instantly be up to fight again, which means you need to be able to time it properly.

There are 4 quirks to your super which are important to understand:

1. You're invulnerable as soon as you throw out your super and you can only take damage again once you come back to your original position

2. Your super's slash directon is NOT random - the first slash goes towards the closest diagonal outgoing from your position and the second one is 90 degrees anticlockwise to that. For an example: throwing your super to the top-right side means that the 1st slash goes from bottom-left to top-right, and the 2nd goes bottom-right to top-left.

3. Using your movement joystick while in your super animation allows you to change the position at which you'll reappear, allowing you to dodge pre-aiming opponents.

4. You are - occassionally - able to pick up Gems with your super!

Kenji, while using his super, is immune to getting hit by DoT (damage over time) effects, such as Byron's, Crow's and Willow's attacks, as well as fire.

He is also immune to Squeak's blobs while in his super.

Due to the fact your hitbox disappears during it, you can also throw your super as a means to dodge powerful supers, such as Buzz's or Pearl's.

Getting knocked back or stunned while performing a dash will force you into a dash for your next ammo. Be mindful of this while approaching enemies with those abilities.

Kenji cannot get lifesteal from non-brawlers, meaning it's good to think twice before engaging into opponents with spawners.

Crow is particularly dangerous for Kenji as not only does he lower his damage, Crow's innate ability further reduces his healing!

Kenji is particularly good with damage buffs since they not only improve his attack, but also his healing. This makes Ruffs a GREAT synergy brawler for Kenji.

Not only can Gus increase Kenji's damage with the Spirit Animal Star Power, but the shield itself makes Kenji an overwhelming threat, giving him more survivability thanks to the high HP boost. Gus's ghosts are also usually placed inside the enemy's terrority, which is where Kenji would normally be when he has the positional advantage. This further improves his sustain.

Brawlers that cover Kenji’s weaknesses are recommended to be played with him; Throwers can counter anti-assassins and anti-tanks can handle, well, tanks. Some of those brawlers, such as Gale and Griff, are also good against spawnables, which is another one of Kenji’s weaknesses.