What Akai is bad at
- Heavy Spin can still be stopped by Suppression or Morph effects, ending his 4-second knockback window the moment it matters
- Headbutt requires a clean read on enemy positioning; a missed charge burns his primary gap-closer on cooldown
- Low personal damage output compared to other tanks means locked-down targets often survive if teammates don't follow up fast
- Short effective engage range forces him to commit early, giving ranged heroes time to punish the approach
Every counter below works by pressing one of these.
Hard counters to Akai
Pick one of these and the matchup is decided before the fight starts.
AliceTank · MageHardThrone of Ruin grants Control Immunity, so neither Headbutt's knock-up nor Heavy Spin's knockback can lock her down, and her Blood Banquet sustain heals through his poke.
EsmeraldaTank · MageHardFrostmoon Shield keeps stacking a shield she converts straight into HP, and her own damage ignores shields entirely, so Tai Chi does nothing for Akai while Headbutt and Body Slam barely dent her.
CyclopsMageHardStar Power Lockdown immobilizes Akai for up to 2 seconds before Heavy Spin is up, and Cyclops's Planets Attack poke chips him down before he ever closes the gap.
DiggieSupportHardTime Journey cleanses Heavy Spin's knockback off the entire team the instant it lands, undoing the engage outright, and Auto Alarm Bomb slows his approach on the way in.
Soft counters
Favourable, but Akai can still play around them.
KarrieMarksmanSoftLightwheel Mark turns every fifth hit into true damage scaled off Akai's Max HP, so stacking defense doesn't save him, and her range lets her shred him from outside Headbutt's dash distance.
HanabiMarksmanSoftHer long attack range and Petal Barrage's bouncing blades punish any prolonged approach, and Ninjutsu: Equinox makes her control-immune while shielded, so Headbutt's knock-up doesn't stick.
BalmondFighterSoftBloodthirst restores 20% of his Max HP on every hero kill and 5% on every minion or creep, and Lethal Counter's true damage scales with the target's lost HP, punishing Akai once his shield-on-cast runs dry.
CiciFighterSoftBuoyant Bounce's double leap slips past the tight aim window Headbutt needs to land, and Yo-Yo Blitz's per-hit Max-HP damage chews through the HP he stacks.
BaxiaTankSoftBaxia Mark cuts a flat amount off every instance of damage, which blunts Heavy Spin's stream of small ticks more than anything else, and Baxia-Shield Unity keeps pace with Akai's engage.
Items to build against Akai
You cannot always change your pick. You can always change your fourth slot.
Antique CuirassReduces the attacker's physical damage on every skill hit, directly punishing Akai's skill-based Headbutt, Body Slam and Heavy Spin combo.
Tough BootsCuts the duration of Body Slam's slow, making it easier to walk out before Heavy Spin closes in.
Guardian Helmet1820 flat HP is the biggest raw health pool in the game, enough to walk out of Heavy Spin's four seconds of chip, and Recovery refills it before he can charge again.
Do not pick these into Akai
Heroes whose own counter list names Akai — these matchups go the other way. A red dot marks a hard counter.
Why Akai works
Common questions
Who counters Akai in Mobile Legends?
Alice, Esmeralda, Karrie, Hanabi, Balmond all beat Akai. Alice is the hardest counter: Throne of Ruin grants Control Immunity, so neither Headbutt's knock-up nor Heavy Spin's knockback can lock her down, and her Blood Banquet sustain heals through his poke.
What items should I build against Akai?
Antique Cuirass: Reduces the attacker's physical damage on every skill hit, directly punishing Akai's skill-based Headbutt, Body Slam and Heavy Spin combo. Tough Boots: Cuts the duration of Body Slam's slow, making it easier to walk out before Heavy Spin closes in. Guardian Helmet: 1820 flat HP is the biggest raw health pool in the game, enough to walk out of Heavy Spin's four seconds of chip, and Recovery refills it before he can charge again.
What is Akai's biggest weakness?
Heavy Spin can still be stopped by Suppression or Morph effects, ending his 4-second knockback window the moment it matters