Passive
Ninjutsu: Trace of Shadow
Buff
Hayabusa's attacks apply a stack of Shadow Mark on hit (up to 4 stacks). Each stack lasts 6 seconds and increases Hayabusa's damage to the enemy by 5%.
Always active — no cooldown
Hayabusa
BTierPhantom-teleport assassin who threatens the whole map at once
AssassinJungleDeals physical
Hayabusa is a jungle assassin who spreads four phantoms across the map with Quad Shadow, then teleports to whichever one sits closest to a kill. Trace of Shadow stacks Shadow Mark on every hit, and Ougi: Shadow Kill consumes those marks for extra burst on his final target.
- Difficulty
- Very hard
- Specialities
- ChaseBurst
Reading the map to place Quad Shadow's phantoms usefully, then teleporting to the right one at the right moment, is one of the highest mechanical ceilings in the game.
- Beaten by
- 92 hard
- Strong into
- 8
- Best duos
- 10
- Builds
- 2
At a glance
When Hayabusa is strong
Attributes
- Damage
- 8
- Durability
- 3
- Crowd Control
- 4
- Mobility
- 9
- Utility
- 3
Strengths
- Quad Shadow's phantom teleport lets him threaten multiple lanes or escape routes at once
- Ougi: Shadow Kill prioritizes and consumes Shadow Mark stacks for guaranteed bonus damage
- Phantom Shuriken restores energy and grants permanent spell vamp as it ranks up
- Extremely hard to pin down cleanly thanks to the phantom dash and teleport combo
Weaknesses
- Very low HP — a single clean CC chain from a landed engage usually kills him outright
- Needs Shadow Mark stacks built up before Ougi does real damage, so a rushed ultimate underperforms
- No hard crowd control of his own, only slows, so he can't lock a target down himself
- Extremely mechanically demanding to use his mobility well under pressure
Skills
Max Phantom Shuriken first for the poke, energy sustain and spell vamp, level Quad Shadow for the mobility, and take the ultimate at levels 4, 8 and 12.
Skill 1
Ninjutsu: Phantom Shuriken
DamageBuff
Hayabusa throws three returning shurikens in the target direction, each dealing 150–250 (+70% Extra Physical Attack) Physical Damage to enemies hit and slowing them by 35% for 2 seconds. Enemies hit by multiple shurikens take only 30% of the damage after the first hit. Hayabusa restores 10 energy for each non-Minion enemy hit. Passive: Hayabusa permanently gains 3%–18% Spell Vamp.
- Cooldown
- 4s
What the terms mean(1)
- Physical Damage Skill
- Deal Physical DMG to enemies. Triggers Spell Va
Skill 2
Ninjutsu: Quad Shadow
MobilitySummon
Hayabusa dashes in the target direction and releases four phantoms that travel in separate directions. The phantoms will remain at the end of their paths or attach themselves to the first enemy hero hit, dealing 130–180 (+30% Extra Physical Attack) Physical Damage and slowing them by 40% for 2 seconds. Hayabusa will immediately stop if he hits an enemy hero during the dash.
Our source cuts this description off mid-sentence — the rest is not shown.
- Cooldown
- 20s
Ultimate
Ougi: Shadow Kill
Burst
Hayabusa blends into the shadows and launches 6 single-target attacks on enemies in the area, each dealing 140 (+75% Extra Physical Attack) Physical Damage. The attacks prioritize enemies with Shadow Mark and each will consume a mark to deal 45–85 (+20% Extra Physical Attack) extra Physical Damage. Does not apply Shadow Mark.
“I, will be Akakage.”
- Cooldown
- 50s
What the terms mean(1)
- Physical Damage Skill
- Deal Physical DMG to enemies. Triggers Spell Vamp.
Signature combo
Phantom Shuriken to mark and slow → Quad Shadow to dash in and spread phantoms → teleport to the closest phantom for the kill → Ougi: Shadow Kill to consume Shadow Mark stacks for the finish.
Hayabusa builds
Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.
Jungle Burst Assassin
8,180g total
Default pick for ganking lanes and picking off isolated targets.
Battle spell
Retribution35s CDA well-timed Retribution on a low-HP objective — a 'smite steal' — can snatch Turtle or Lord away from a team that appeared to be securing it, often the single biggest swing play of the early-to-mid game.
Swap in when needed
Windtalker — 20% Movement Speed for faster rotations between ganks, with Typhoon's proc speeding up camp clears.
Queen's Wings — Survivability when the enemy has a hard CC chain aimed at him.
Blade Armor — Against an enemy crit-reliant marksman punishing his dives.
Sustain Duelist
7,190g total
When the enemy has heavy poke or CC and you need to survive longer to close distance.
Battle spell
Retribution35s CDA well-timed Retribution on a low-HP objective — a 'smite steal' — can snatch Turtle or Lord away from a team that appeared to be securing it, often the single biggest swing play of the early-to-mid game.
Swap in when needed
Wind of Nature — Physical damage immunity plus lifesteal to survive marksman poke while he closes the distance.
Blade of Despair — Late-game damage spike once the game is stable.
Queen's Wings — More survivability for extended skirmishes.
Who counters Hayabusa
The heroes that make this matchup hard, and the mechanic that does it.
SaberAssassinHardTriple Sweep charges onto Hayabusa and holds him airborne through three strikes regardless of how many phantoms he's spread, and there is no teleporting out of it.
EudoraMageHardEudora's Ball Lightning stun and Thunder's Wrath burst punish Hayabusa in the opening exchange before he can safely stack Shadow Mark or reposition.
YinFighter · AssassinSoftYin's own mobility matches Hayabusa's teleport game, and My Turn seals him into a domain where Lieh's stronger skills and bonus defense out-duel him despite the phantom tricks.
Popol and KupaMarksmanSoftKupa keeps chewing on Hayabusa independently of where Popol stands, so a phantom teleport buys separation from one half of the pair at best.
SunFighterSoftSun's Doppelgangers soak the burst while Simian God heals the real Sun off every hit they land, winning an extended duel Hayabusa can't finish in one rotation.
MiyaMarksmanSoftMiya's ultimate grants invisibility and bonus attack speed, letting her vanish from Hayabusa's target lock right as he commits to the kill.
CyclopsMageSoftStar Power Lockdown's sphere homes in and immobilizes for up to two seconds, locking Hayabusa down before he can chain a phantom teleport into a kill.
ChipSupport · TankSoftChip's shield and body-block absorb the burst combo Hayabusa aimed at a squishier ally behind him.
AldousFighterSoftContract: Soul Steal stacks have no cap, so Aldous's enhanced attack eventually outpaces Hayabusa's burst outright in an extended trade.
Items to build against Hayabusa
Tough BootsCuts the slow duration from Phantom Shuriken and Quad Shadow, making it easier to escape before Ougi lands.
ImmortalityThe revive shield survives a fully-stacked Ougi: Shadow Kill that's meant to be a guaranteed burst kill.- Blade ArmorReflects basic attack damage back at him, punishing his reliance on landing hits to stack Shadow Mark.
Hayabusa is strong into
Heroes whose own counter list names Hayabusa — the same matchup, read from the other side.
CecilionMageHardNinjutsu: Quad Shadow's dash and phantoms close distance instantly, and Ougi: Shadow Kill bursts Cecilion down before Bats Feast can even start channeling.
KarrieMarksmanHardNinjutsu: Quad Shadow dashes past the frontline and sticks phantoms to Karrie for a 40% slow, then Ougi: Shadow Kill's six strikes prioritise her Shadow Marks and delete her before her team can peel.
NolanAssassinHardHayabusa's Quad Shadow phantom dash and Ougi: Shadow Kill's six strikes from the shadows outpace Nolan's own dash tools, bursting a low-HP assassin down before he gets a Rift chain going.
NovariaMageHardNinjutsu: Quad Shadow dashes him out of a skillshot and scatters four phantoms in separate directions, so Astral Meteor and Astral Recall's sphere both miss, and Ougi: Shadow Kill bursts her from the shadows.
PharsaMageHardQuad Shadow's phantoms let Hayabusa close from an angle Pharsa isn't watching, and Ougi: Shadow Kill's six strikes delete her out of the shadows.
YveMageHardNinjutsu: Quad Shadow dashes him in and Ougi: Shadow Kill strikes six times from the shadows, bursting Yve down before Real World Manipulation's shield can absorb enough damage.
Who to pair Hayabusa with
Duo partners whose kit completes this one.
HarithMageHarith's phantom clone and Hayabusa's own phantom shadows both confuse enemy target priority, letting either land a burst combo more cleanly.
NatanMarksmanSuperposition and the Reverse-Clone's mirrored volleys open a target's HP bar for Hayabusa's Ougi: Shadow Kill to finish with mark-consuming damage.
GatotkacaTank · FighterGatotkaca's ultimate groups enemies together, letting Hayabusa spread Shadow Mark stacks across multiple targets before ulting.
EdithTank · MarksmanEarth Shatter launches a target airborne from inside Phylax, holding them in place for Hayabusa's phantom teleport and follow-up burst.
UranusTankUranus's sustained tanking soaks the frontline damage while Hayabusa picks off the backline with phantom teleports.
KhufraTankBouncing Ball knocks any enemy blinking past Khufra airborne, and Tyrant's Rage drags the rest into one spot for Hayabusa's Ougi.
EsmeraldaTank · MageFalling Starmoon blinks in and immobilizes the backline, opening exactly the window Hayabusa's phantom teleport wants to land in.
ValentinaMageValentina can copy an enemy engage ultimate to open a second kill window alongside Hayabusa's own combo.
MashaFighter · TankThunderclap lunges onto a target and knocks everyone else back, isolating them for Hayabusa's mark-consuming ultimate to finish.
Lapu-LapuFighterBravest Fighter leaps in and slows by 60% for a full second, holding a target still for Hayabusa's follow-up burst.
Playing Hayabusa well
- 1
Place Quad Shadow's phantoms toward likely enemy positions, not just straight ahead, to maximize teleport options
- 2
Build up Shadow Mark stacks with Phantom Shuriken and basic attacks before committing to Ougi: Shadow Kill
- 3
Use the phantom teleport reactively to dodge a skill shot rather than only for chasing
- 4
Pick off marked, low-HP targets with Ougi rather than opening a fight cold with it
Hayabusa — common questions
Is Hayabusa good for beginners?
No — he's one of the most mechanically demanding heroes in the game, since placing Quad Shadow's phantoms and teleporting at the right moment under pressure takes extensive practice to do consistently.
What is the best build for Hayabusa?
Endless Battle into Malefic Gun and Blade of Despair covers cooldown, penetration, and raw burst; add Windtalker if you need faster Quad Shadow resets or Blade Armor against an enemy marksman.
Which heroes counter Hayabusa?
Saber and Eudora are the hardest matchups — Triple Sweep holds him airborne regardless of his phantoms, and Ball Lightning's stun punishes him before he can safely engage.
How does Hayabusa's Quad Shadow teleport work?
The dash releases four phantoms in different directions; using the skill again teleports Hayabusa instantly to one of those phantom locations and reduces the skill's cooldown, letting him reposition or chase across a fight.
