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What’s worse, players can bury upgrades into teammates that really don’t bring much to the table. Different styles of play will have different values in Dodgeball Academia, so going with the hot hand should be just fine. But for players that want to field their best lineup, there is certainly a census in the community of who that entails.
5 Mina
Mina’s damage isn’t too shabby, but she’s held back by some fundamental flaws. Her standard lightning attacks are among the best, right there in line with Otto’s. As the first teammate in the group, gamers will wish they knew how much better it gets after she’s in the party.
Her counter gives balls back to the enemy which is already a huge problem because she needs to keep as many balls as possible to charge her balltimate lightning attack. It’s very hard to aim and only deals one strike per ball held. Additionally, enemies are permitted to dodge the attack while she is using it and the range makes it almost impossible to hit more than one opponent at a time.
4 Suneko
Suneko suffers from the same counter issue that Mina does. It can be a good amount of damage to shoot a ball right back, but generally speaking, it’s better to hold onto the ball and deal damage with a well-timed or charged throw. She can charge her counter for extra damage, but it’s not enough to compensate for giving a ball away.
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Aside from it being better to throw a soft or fast ball, she is a decent support pal since her focus ability grants strength to the entire team. Doing so comes at the expense of defense, though, so in tougher matches, this is more of a liability than an asset.
3 Kyabo
One of the best things about Dodgeball Academia is discovering teammates as the game goes along. No character on the team gets an arc quite like Kyabo. He’s a mixed bag of skills in a very literal sense as a few of his abilities give him a boost to random attributes.
This unpredictability makes him hard to rely on consistently. He hits like a truck, which is great, but he’s probably better suited for a healing role. Just be careful as his focus ability drains his own life in order to heal his team.
2 Shoy
Only one teammate can rival Otto’s damage and that is Shoy. Her balltimate, Tornado, is capable of wiping out an enemy team with a single blow. She can catch and dodge, which are both desirable moves when it comes to the core set.
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Her focus ability decreases the speed and strength of an enemy, destroying their offensive and defensive advantages. If Otto goes down, Shoy steps up without missing a beat, fulfilling the role as primary damage-dealer with ease.
1 Balloony
Some players don’t mind eating between each match to get back to 100% health. That’s fine and all, but it’s time-consuming and boring for most. Plus, this doesn’t solve the problem of consecutive opponents stepping up to attack.
This is where Balloony shines as he’s able to heal both with his balltimate, Heal Circle, and his focus. If Otto or any other teammate gets binged up, simply make a quick swap to Balloony and he’ll have everybody topped off in short order. He’s the ultimate sidekick and that’s all Otto really needs.
Dodgeball Academia was released on August 5th, 2021, and is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One.
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