Charge-and-spin tank who knocks enemies into each other to break formations
TankRoamDeals physical
Akai opens fights with Headbutt's knock-up, then commits Heavy Spin — a slow-immune, mostly CC-immune spin that knocks enemies back and chains collisions into each other, scattering an enemy formation instead of just holding one target. Tai Chi's shield-on-cast lets him tank poke while setting up the charge.
Difficulty
Easy
Specialities
GuardCrowd Control
The core combo of Headbutt into Heavy Spin is straightforward to execute, though repositioning with Headbutt's cast-again during the spin takes practice to use well.
Beaten by
94 hard
Strong into
2
Best duos
6
Builds
2
At a glance
Damage
5 of 10
Durability
8 of 10
Crowd Control
8 of 10
Mobility
6 of 10
Utility
6 of 10
Rated against the whole roster, not against their own class.
When Akai is strong
Attributes
Damage
5
Durability
8
Crowd Control
8
Mobility
6
Utility
6
Strengths
Heavy Spin's chain-collision knockback can disrupt an entire enemy formation off a single well-placed charge
Casting Headbutt during Heavy Spin lets him reposition mid-engage without losing the spin's damage or immunity
Heavy Spin cleanses debuffs and grants slow immunity, making him hard to peel off once he commits to an engage
Tai Chi's on-cast shield gives him real survivability through poke phase before he ever engages
Weaknesses
Heavy Spin can still be stopped by Suppression or Morph effects, removing his only real engage tool outright
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
Skills
Max Headbutt first for the cooldown and reliable engage range, then Body Slam, taking the ultimate at every level it's available.
Passive
Tai Chi
Buff
Akai gains a 25 (+5% Total HP) shield for 4 seconds on each skill cast and can marks enemy heroes and Creeps hit by his skills. Akai's Basic Attacks deal 25 (+5% Total HP) extra Physical Damage to mark enemies.
Always active — no cooldown
What the terms mean(2)
Shield
Special HP is preferentially deducted when taking damage. The shield with shorter duration or lower points is usually preferentially deducted when multiple shields are stacked.
Notes
The duration and absorption of the shield are refreshed upon s
Skill 1
Headbutt
MobilityCC
Akai charges in the target direction, dealing 300–400 (+50% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to enemies along the away. If Akai hits an enemy hero during this process, he'll knocks them airborne for 0.5 seconds and be able to roll in the Joystick's direction once. Akai can cast Headbutt during Heavy Spin to quickly adjust his position.
Cooldown
13s
Mana
70 → 120
What the terms mean(2)
Blink
Movement ability that can pass through obstacles.
Movement Speed
Movement Speed on the battlefield. Usually Calcu
Skill 2
Body Slam
AOE
Akai smashes the ground with his body, dealing 270–420 (+6% Total HP) Physical Damage to nearby enemies and slowing them by 45% for 2 seconds.
Cooldown
7s
Mana
70 → 95
What the terms mean(1)
Physical Damage Skill
Deal Physical DMG to enemies. Triggers Spell Vamp.
Ultimate
Heavy Spin
CCAOE
Akai removes all debuffs on him and spins for 4 seconds, gaining Slow Immunity while continuously dealing 200–450 (+100% Extra Physical Attack) Physical Damage to nearby enemies and knocking them back. Enemies heroes knocked back will knock back other heroes they collide with during the process. Akai also gradually increases his Movement Speed to 70% over the duration. This skill can only be interrupted by Suppression and Morph effects.
Cooldown
40s
Mana
120
Signature combo
Headbutt (knock-up on hit) → Body Slam → Heavy Spin, using Headbutt's reposition during the spin to chase stragglers who scattered from the initial knockback.
Akai builds
Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.
Standard Initiator
5,770g total
Default roam pick for opening fights and disrupting enemy positioning.
Petrify's short stun window is enough to force a follow-up teammate combo but not to solo-lock a target — pair it with an ally's burst rather than expecting to win the fight alone.
Swap in when needed
Antique Cuirass — Against skill-combo fighters or burst mages punishing his engage.
Dominance Ice — 40 Physical Defense and Lifebane's anti-heal against the attack-speed marksman he has to reach with Heavy Spin.
Guardian Helmet — Against heavy single-target burst that tries to delete him before he engages.
Immortality — As insurance when he's the primary engage and dying ends the fight.
Akai Standard Initiator build: Tough Boots, then Dreadnaught Armor, then Queen's Wings, then Brute Force Breastplate.
Sustain Frontline
6,740g total
Against poke-heavy lineups that whittle him down before he can reach engage range.
Because the shield is flat and doesn't scale with items, its relative value drops in the late game — it's strongest as a laning-phase and early-mid-game defensive tool.
Swap in when needed
Athena's Shield — Against burst magic damage in the poke phase.
Cast Headbutt while Heavy Spin is active to instantly reposition onto a fleeing target without breaking the spin
2
Follow a landed Headbutt knock-up immediately with Body Slam so the AoE slow catches the airborne target on the way down
3
Bait out enemy suppression or hard CC before committing Heavy Spin — it's the only thing that can interrupt it
4
Use Heavy Spin's knockback to scatter a grouped enemy team before your own team's AoE ultimates land, rather than just holding one target
Akai — common questions
Is Akai good for beginners?
Yes. His core combo of Headbutt into Heavy Spin is simple to execute and forgiving compared to skillshot-heavy tanks like Atlas or Khufra.
What is the best build for Akai?
Tough Boots into Dreadnaught Armor, Queen's Wings, and Brute Force Breastplate covers durability, sustain, and damage scaling. Add Antique Cuirass against skill-combo fighters.
Which heroes counter Akai?
Diggie's Time Journey cleanses Heavy Spin's knockback instantly, Cyclops's Star Power Lockdown pins him down before he can start the spin, and Alice's Control Immunity ultimate ignores it entirely.
What emblem should Akai use?
Tank emblem with Vitality for HP, Tenacity for damage reduction when low, and Concussive Blast for extra burst on his engage basic attack.
