Masuraos are the agile, physical damage-focused class of EO5, in the vein of Ronin from EO1 and 2. They use katanas, and hit enemies very hard. Much like Ronin, their base race (Therian) have low defensive stats, but unlike Ronin, Masuraos can actually compensate for it quite well on the physical side by equipping heavy armor. Speaking of past agile classes, remember Shoguns from EO3? Remember how their primary gimmick was being able to dual-wield? Masuraos one-up them really hard on that front--their first specialization can equip four katanas at once, completely eschewing armor. Their other specialization borrows heavily from EO4 Snipers, in that its primary focus is a passive that lets skills crit.


Stats

Therian Base


Four Heavens as One Masurao: Multiple katanas, multiple hits
(Full stat table)

Single Peerless Blade Masurao: One katana, crits
(Full stat table)

Basic gist of the stats: Four Heavens as One Masuraos get more TP, STR, and AGI, while Single Peerless Blade Masuraos get more HP, VIT, WIS, and LUC.

Masuraos can equip katanas, and can wear heavy armor and light armor.

Like most non-Earthrun classes, I can't think of any good reclass options for Masuraos. Earthruns are innately more durable, yeah, but the fact that Masuraos can equip heavy armor helps compensate for their lower VIT.


Basic Skills

Katana Mastery
Requirements: None


Increases damage dealt with katanas.

Peerless Demon
Requirements: None


Increases damage dealt based on the number of hits an attack has. One bonus stack is given for every hit of an attack.
Obviously a lot more useful for Four Heavens as One Masuraos. Good luck ever hitting nine stacks, though.


To the Death
Requirements: None


Increases damage dealt when hitting enemies that were also hit by the user on the last turn.
A bit of free damage for a condition that's basically always going to be true in FOE and boss fights. Sure, why not?


Flying Sparrow
Requirements: To the Death level 3
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based cut damage to one enemy. After the target has taken their turn, the user will attack them again for the same amount of damage. If the target acts before the user (really only applies to priority skills), the second hit will not activate. Has a 500% speed modifier and +10 base accuracy at all levels.
A lot of early Masurao skills are kinda boring, and Flying Sparrow is no exception. You'll need to level it up to get a key skill for four sword Masuraos (my shorthand for Four Heavens as One), so...


Armor Penetrate
Requirements: None
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based stab damage to one enemy. Reduces the target's defense against STR-based attacks for a set amount of turns. Has a 75% speed modifier and +5 base accuracy at all levels.
Armor Penetrate's defense debuff is pretty strong at level 10, but the damage isn't that great. Note that it's stab damage, incidentally--you can use Armor Penetrate as okay Chain fodder early on, if you want.


Mist Slice
Requirements: Armor Penetrate level 2
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based cut damage to one enemy. Attempts to inflict sleep on the target. Has no base accuracy modifier at all levels.
Probably the best early Masurao skill, mostly because of the sleep. Sleep's a decent ailment early on, and that high base chance compensates pretty well for Therians not having the best LUC.


Vacuum Blade
Requirements: None
Body parts used: Arms


Deals ranged STR-based cut damage to one enemy. Has no speed modifier and no base acuracy modifier at all levels.
A ranged Masurao skill. Okay, sure, why not. It's actually the second highest damage skill of the Basic Masurao skills, although it only beats Mist Slice by 10%, and it only costs a meager 9 TP at level 10.


Kamaitachi
Requirements: Vacuum Blade level 3
Body parts used: Arms


Deals multiple instances of melee STR-based damage to random enemies. Can hit the same target once at most. Has an 85% speed modifier and no base accuracy modifier at all levels.
The most damaging Basic Masurao skill, but also by far the most expensive--and it's a Falcon Slash/Allslash rebrand. Need some extra firepower in random encounters? Try this I guess.


New Challenger
Requirements: None


Immediately begins a battle. Increases the chance of encountering rare breed enemies. When a battle ends, there is a chance to immediately begin another one.
...Huh. Kind of useful if you want to grind for a specific enemy drop and know what tile to find said enemy on.


Advantageous Position
Requirements: None
Body parts used: Legs


Increases physical attack for the user's row for a set amount of turns. Has a 60% speed modifier at all levels.
Advantageous Position is pretty strong as far as attack buffs go, and it's reasonably cheap. It's worth putting points into, honestly, especially if you have a front line consisting of three people capable of dealing STR-based damage.


Four Heavens as One Skills
Common Passives: HP Up, Phys ATK Up

Multi-Sword Technique
Requirements: None


Lets the user equip multiple katanas. Gives a chance for the user to attack with all of their equipped weapons when using the normal Attack command. Each successive hit deals less damage than the last--the second hit deals 80% damage, the third hit deals 65% damage, and the fifth hit deals 50% damage.
One point in Multi-Sword Technique is absolutely mandatory for doing anything with this specialization, and it is also the only point you need.


Brink of Death Resuscitation
Requirements: HP Up level 3


When the user dies, they have a chance to revive at the end of the turn of their death.
A bizarre interpretation of an endure effect, kind of, sort of--and not one that's very good, either.


Crossing the Sanzu
Requirements: Flying Sparrow level 3
Body parts used: Arms


Chases attacks by enemies and party members for one turn with the user's equipped weapon. The maximum number of chases depends on how many katanas the user has equipped. Any modifiers to the user's normal attacks are applied for Crossing the Sanzu. For example, if the user has a Fire Oil effect, Crossing the Sanzu attacks will be cut+fire. Has a 1000% speed modifier and no base accuracy modifier at all levels.
Behold: a skill that can very easily cheese the game. Remember Warrior Might from EO3? This is that but with an even lesser penalty. Hitting allies might sound bad until you realize that, even with a good katana and high STR, 34% damage is nothing (granted, that is only for level 10, but still). You do need to construct a party that's specifically built for proccing Sanzu as much as possible if you want to really make good use of it (...which should really go without saying), but once you have one, enjoy racking up damage that can reach into the 1000%+ percent range every turn, consistently.


Reflower
Requirements: Crossing the Sanzu level 3


If the user has multiple katanas equipped, they have a chance to use katana skills again.
Treat the chance to use skills again as a damage buff--effectively meaning that a level 10 Reflower with four katanas is a permanent double damage boost. That might just sound like an overpowered passive, but trust me, a Four Heavens Masurao really does need every advantage they can get to justify using a party slot on a character that basically every enemy can one-shot.


Four Gods
Requirements: Kamaitachi level 3
Body parts used: Arms


Deals multiple instances of melee STR-based cut damage to one enemy. The number of hits is equal to the number of katanas the user has equipped. Has no speed modifier and +5 base accuracy at all levels.
Boring, low damage on its own, becomes pretty okay when you proc Reflower with it--level 10 on both skills with four katanas means 720% damage for 10 TP.


Layered Blossoms
Requirements: Kamaitachi level 3
Body parts used: Arms


Deals 2-8 instances of melee STR-based cut damage to random enemies in one row. Can hit the same enemy multiple times. For each katana the user has equipped beyond one, the damage per hit is increased by 25%. Has a 70% speed modifier and -4 base accuracy at all levels.
If Four Gods is the reliable mid-damage skill of the Four Heavens skill tree, Layered Blossoms is the semi-unreliable low-to-high damage skill. When it whiffs, it's really bad (especially given that level 10 costs 21 TP). When you get two 8-hit procs (thanks to Reflower), though, that's 2000% damage for 21 TP. That's not to say that's likely, mind you; assuming each hit amount has an equal chance, you're effectively banking on a 1/36, roughly 2.78%, chance for that.


Hyakkaryouran
Requirements: Four Gods level 3, Layered Blossoms level 3
Body parts used: Arms


Deals multiple instances of melee STR-based cut damage to random enemies. Can hit the same target multiple times. The number of hits is equal to the number of katanas the user has equipped multiplied by the number of enemies. Has a 50% speed modifier and -8 base accuracy at all levels.
The absolute most bizarre way of giving a class a skill for wiping out random encounters. And it's not even okay--it's pretty garbage, since 30 TP for 40% damage per hit is awful, no matter how you slice it.


Tentryuuransei
Requirements: Phys ATK Up level 3
Body parts used: Arms


Deals multiple instances of melee STR-based damage to random enemies. Can hit the same enemy multiple times. The number of hits is equal to the number of katanas the user has equipped. The element of the attack is random, and can be cut, stab, bash, fire, ice, volt, or almighty. Has no speed modifier and -10 base accuracy at all levels.
And to finish off the Four Heavens skill tree, one of the most bizarre attack skills in the game. On the one hand, four katanas plus level 10 Reflower equals 960% damage for 16 TP (assuming each attack hits). On that same hand, random element also means you can maybe hit an enemy's weakness. On the other hand, -10 base accuracy.


Single Peerless Blade Skills
Common Passives: Speed Up, TP Up

Sword God
Requirements: None


Increases damage dealt with critical hits. Gives katana skills a chance to crit. I do not know how the critical hit formula works in EO5, nor do I know what the base chance would be. Note that the crit damage listed here works off the assumption that critical hits deal 150% damage innately, as is the case with past EO games.
The key passive for Single Peerless Blade skills. This thing should be maxed out, ideally, as soon as possible.


Thunder Slash
Requirements: TP Up level 5
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based cut+volt damage to one enemy. Has no speed modifier and no base accuracy modifier at all levels.
A bit of elemental coverage. Well, one element coverage. Damage isn't terribly impressive on its own, but it doesn't require any setup like Helm Divide does, which we'll see in a bit.


Suigetsu
Requirements: TP Up level 5
Body parts used: Arms


For one turn, gives the user a chance to nullify cut, stab, and bash attacks against them and counterattack the source. Each time Suigetsu activates, the chance of it activating on that same turn is reduced by 35%. Any modifiers to the user's normal attacks are applied for Suigetsu. For example, if the attacker has a Fire Oil effect, Suigetsu counterattacks will be cut+fire. Has standard priority. Counterattacks have +20 base accuracy at all levels.
Useful for phys-heavy bosses, especially since level 10 means you'll get two guaranteed counterattacks. If you have a Dragoon, you can combine Suigetsu with Dragon's Roar for extra fun.


Leg Sweep
Requirements: Mist Slice level 3
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based cut damage to one row of enemies. Reduces hit enemies' non-base evasion for a set amount of turns. Has a 120% speed modifier and +50 base accuracy at all levels.
Some multi-target coverage, but mostly intended as a setup for...


Helm Divide
Requirements: Leg Sweep level 5
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based cut damage to one enemy. Ignores the target's resistance to cut damage. Has a 70% speed modifier at all levels.
Big damage, amazingly awful base accuracy modifier. Leg Sweep mostly negates it, but you'll probably still want to inflict blind, paralysis, panic, or leg binds if you plan to make use of Helm Divide.


Sword's Vigor
Requirements: Advantageous Position level 3


When the user hits an enemy with a single-target attack, that enemy's damage is reduced for the rest of the turn.
Eh.


Three-Stage Strike
Requirements: Sword's Vigor level 5
Body parts used: Arms


Deals three instances of melee STR-based cut damage to one enemy. Attempts to bind all of the target's body parts. Has no speed modifier and no base accuracy modifier at all levels.
A bizarre low-damage skill with a very strange gimmick. I'd say avoid it.


Sange
Requirements: Sword's Vigor level 5
Body parts used: Arms


Deals ranged STR-based cut damage to all enemies. The damage is reduced by how many enemies are alive--0.65x for 2, 0.45x for 3, and 0.35x for 4 or more. Critting one target will make the rest of the hits be crits. Has a 90% speed modifier and no base accuracy modifier at all levels.
Multi-target coverage that penalizes you for using it with multiple targets.
Table of Contents