RAIDOU Remastered Tier List - Best Characters & Builds

Tier List Overview

In RAIDOU Remastered, the defining mechanic that separates a master Raidou Kuzunoha XIV from a struggling demon summoner is the intricate combat synergy between the protagonist, his demons, and their equipped weaponry. While demons provide elemental coverage and passive support, Raidou’s physical damage output is the backbone of virtually every encounter. Therefore, ranking individual demons or standalone stats fails to capture the true meta of the game. Instead, the most accurate and useful way to rank the game's options is by evaluating the best weapon-type builds.

This tier list ranks the dominant weapon builds in RAIDOU Remastered, factoring in raw damage output, combo potential, Crowd Control (CC) capabilities, movement options, and versatility across both standard encounters and brutal boss fights. The remastered version’s tightened controls and unlocked frame rates have subtly shifted the meta, making previously clunky weapon types incredibly fluid, while simultaneously exposing the weaknesses of one-dimensional heavy hitters. Whether you are diving into the Abyssal Labyrinth or pushing through New Game Plus, this guide will dictate which blade you should trust with your life.

S Tier

The Sword Build (Twin Blades & Katana)

The Sword build reigns supreme in RAIDOU Remastered due to a combination of relentless attack speed, excellent hitbox coverage, and unmatched combo fluidity. The remaster’s improved framerate means that the multi-hit properties of swords no longer suffer from input lag, allowing Raidou to seamlessly chain light and heavy attacks into devastating infinite combos.

• Offensive Pressure: Swords generate MAG (Magnetite) faster than any other weapon type because MAG generation is tied directly to successful hits. By utilizing the standard three-hit light combo into a spinning heavy attack, Raidou can quickly cap his MAG gauge, allowing for frequent demon command execution.
• Crowd Control: The Katana’s wide sweeping arc and the Twin Blades' spinning heavy attack naturally cleave through tightly packed enemy formations. When paired with a demon that knows a stun skill like Zan or Marin Karin, Raidou can keep entire rooms stun-locked indefinitely.
• Boss Execution: Against single targets, the Sword build excels at "punish windows." When a boss is knocked down or stunned, the Sword’s rapid hit rate allows Raidou to squeeze every ounce of damage out of a brief vulnerability window—something slower weapons struggle to achieve.

The only drawback is a slightly lower per-hit damage multiplier compared to heavy axes, but the sheer volume of hits completely negates this deficit. If you want the most consistent, safest, and highly rewarding playstyle, the Sword build is the undisputed king.

The Gun Build (Pistols & Rifles)

Historically a niche support weapon, the Gun build has been catapulted into S Tier in the remastered version due to the inclusion of the new "Rapid Draw" mechanic and the smoothed-out aiming reticle. Guns operate on a completely different axis than melee weapons, offering unparalleled zoning and kiting potential.

• Safe Damage: Guns allow Raidou to deal substantial damage from a distance. This is a massive advantage against bosses with devastating point-blank AoE attacks or enemies with high physical counter rates. By kiting around the perimeter of the arena, Raidou can whittle down health bars without ever putting himself in danger.
• Status Infliction: Gun ammo can be infused with elemental bullets or status-altering rounds. Applying Bind, Sleep, or Panic from a distance before moving in for a melee combo completely removes the RNG element of close-range status application.
• Synergy with Demons: The Gun build turns Raidou into a secondary support character. While your demons handle the aggro and elemental breaking, Raidou can safely snipe enemy weak points, paralyze threats, and heal his demons without interrupting his own damage output.

The Gun build requires a slightly higher resource investment (relying heavily on bullet purchasing and MAG management for special shots) but pays dividends in survivability. It is the ultimate build for players who prefer a tactical, methodical approach over brute force.

A Tier

The Spear Build (Lances & Polearms)

The Spear build sits comfortably in A Tier, offering a perfect middle ground between the blistering speed of swords and the heavy staggering power of axes. The defining feature of the Spear is its exceptional reach and its ability to control space.

• Poking Advantage: The Spear’s light attack combo features a rapid forward thrust that allows Raidou to hit enemies from deceptively far away. This makes it incredibly easy to punish enemies that telegraph their attacks with a slight backward lean.
• Anti-Air Capabilities: The heavy attack of the Spear is an upward sweeping strike. In RAIDOU Remastered, many flying demons are incredibly frustrating to deal with using grounded weapons. The Spear’s natural anti-air trajectory makes it the premier melee weapon for dealing with aerial threats without relying solely on demon magic.
• The Charge Weakness: The Spear loses points because its charged heavy attack is a slow, committed lunge that leaves Raidou vulnerable if it misses. In a game where boss attack patterns can be erratic, committing to a slow charge is inherently risky compared to the fluid evasiveness of swords.

Overall, the Spear is a fantastic, reliable choice. It is incredibly forgiving for newer players because the extra reach acts as a built-in safety buffer against enemy melee range.

The Fist Build (Knuckles & Gauntlets)

The Fist build is a high-risk, high-reward playstyle that focuses on sheer, unadulterated burst damage and aggressive parrying. In the remaster, the parry timing window for Fist weapons has been made slightly more forgiving, elevating them from a novelty to a genuinely competitive option.

• Stagger Potential: Fist heavy attacks deal massive poise damage. A single fully charged punch to an unguarded demon will almost certainly knock them down, opening them up for a critical hit or a demon combo.
• The Parry Mechanic: By pressing the heavy attack button at the exact moment an enemy strike connects, Raidou performs a parry. A successful parry completely nullifies damage and staggers the enemy. Mastering this turns Raidou into an unstoppable offensive force, as parries naturally flow into devastating counter-combos.
• Limited Range: The glaring flaw of the Fist build is that Raidou must essentially hug the enemy to deal damage. This means you will be taking risks constantly. Furthermore, fists struggle against large, bulky bosses where hitting their weak points requires more reach than Raidou’s arms can provide.

If you have impeccable timing and prefer a stylistic, aggressive playstyle reminiscent of character action games, the Fist build will carry you through the game with flair. However, its steep learning curve keeps it out of the top tier.

B Tier

The Axe Build (Battle Axes & Kanabō)

The Axe build is the quintessential "slow but strong" archetype. In the original game, axes were highly regarded for their massive damage numbers, but the enhanced speed and aggressiveness of enemy AI in RAIDOU Remastered have caused this weapon type to fall out of favor.

• Raw Damage Numbers: There is no denying that a fully charged axe swing hits like a truck. If you can successfully land a charged heavy attack on a boss's weak point, it will chunk a massive portion of their health bar. Against slow, massive bosses, the Axe feels incredibly satisfying to use.
• Punishable Recovery: The problem lies in the recovery frames. If you miss a charged swing, or if the boss unexpectedly shifts its hitbox during your wind-up, you are left standing still for far too long. In the remaster, enemies will ruthlessly punish this downtime, often leading to Raidou being stun-locked or one-shot by combination attacks.
• Poor Crowd Control: Axes are strictly single-target weapons. Their wide swings are deceptive; the hitboxes are often narrow and focused directly in front of Raidou. If you get surrounded by weaker demons, an axe will leave you swinging at thin air while taking continuous chip damage.

The Axe build is entirely viable if you build your entire team around it—equipping demons with high-level defense buffs, stun spells, and Taunt abilities to keep enemies perfectly still. However, as a standalone weapon type, it requires too much setup to be consistently efficient.

The Blade Combo (Sword + Pistol Mixed Build)

Some players attempt to run a hybrid build, keeping a Sword equipped in the primary slot and a Pistol in the secondary slot to swap between them for versatility. While conceptually sound, the mechanical reality in RAIDOU Remastered keeps this in B Tier.

• Stat Splitting: To make both weapons viable, you essentially have to split your Level Up stat investments between Strength (for swords) and Agility/Intellect (for guns). This means your sword won't hit as hard as a pure Sword build, and your guns won't crit as often as a pure Gun build.
• Animation Lock: Weapon swapping in RAIDOU has a brief, albeit noticeable, animation lock. In the heat of battle, taking the time to sheathe a sword and draw a pistol often results in lost momentum, dropping your combo counter and allowing the enemy to recover from a stun.

It is a fun, flexible way to play through the game on standard difficulties, but when pushed to the hardest content the remaster has to offer, a specialized build will always outperform a hybrid.

C Tier

The Early-Game Whip Build

The Whip is the first alternate weapon type players typically acquire in the game, and it serves as an excellent tutorial tool for learning about Crowd Control and spacing. However, it scales incredibly poorly into the mid and late game.

• Weak Mid-Game Scaling: While the early Whips have great range for their level, the mid-game Whips suffer from low base damage. You will find yourself hitting enemies ten times just to do the damage a Sword can do in three hits, heavily draining your MAG in the process without dealing meaningful damage.
• Inconsistent Hitboxes: The Whip’s heavy attack involves a looping swing that can hit enemies multiple times. However, the remaster's updated physics engine sometimes causes the whip to clip through enemy models or hit geometry in the environment, resulting in "phantom hits" that deal no damage but still drain stamina.
• The Late-Game Exception: It is worth noting that the ultimate, endgame Whip you acquire in the post-game boasts incredible stats and unique paralyze properties. At that specific point, the Whip jumps to A Tier. But for 90% of the game's runtime, it is a subpar choice.

Unless you are specifically doing a themed playthrough, it is highly recommended to ditch the Whip as soon as a decent Katana or Spear becomes available.

How to Use This Tier List

While tier lists are inherently mathematical, built around frame data, damage outputs, and combo multipliers, RAIDOU Remastered is a game that heavily rewards subjective player expression. Here is important context on how to apply these rankings to your own playthrough.

Playstyle Trumps Tier Placement: If you find the slow, methodical rhythm of the Axe build more engaging than the frantic clicking of the Sword build, you should use the Axe. Player comfort and familiarity with a weapon's timing will always yield better results than forcing yourself to use an S Tier weapon you dislike. A tier list identifies the statistical ceiling of a build, but it is your skill that dictates whether you reach it.

Demon Synergy Matters More Than Anything: No weapon build exists in a vacuum. A C Tier weapon can feel like an S Tier weapon if you have the right demon backing it up. For example, if you use an Axe, pairing it with a demon that knows Makarakarn (magic reflect) and Tarukaja (attack buff) completely mitigates the Axe's slow recovery time by ensuring enemies are either buffing you or stunning themselves. Always build your demon comp to cover the weaknesses of your chosen weapon.

Patch Dynamics and Remaster Changes: As of the launch of RAIDOU Remastered, the meta is relatively settled, but future quality-of-life patches could easily shake things up. The developers have shown a willingness to tweak subtle mechanics like MAG generation rates and enemy poise values. If a patch drops that reduces the MAG cost of Gun special ammo, the Gun build could easily become the sole occupant of a tier of its own. Keep an eye on patch notes.

New Game Plus Considerations: The value of defensive options skyrockets in New Game Plus and within the Abyssal Labyrinth. In these high-stakes environments, the B Tier Axe build actually drops further in viability because enemies simply hit too hard to allow for slow swings. Conversely, the A Tier Gun build’s defensive kiting capabilities become arguably more valuable than the S Tier Sword’s raw damage. Adapt your build to the difficulty curve, not just the base game.

Ultimately, RAIDOU Remastered is about mastering the dance between protagonist and demon. Use this tier list as a foundational guide to understand the game’s underlying mechanics, but don't be afraid to experiment. Whether you are sniping demons from the shadows or parrying blows with your bare fists, the best build is the one that keeps you alive and enjoying the vibrant, supernatural streets of the Taisho era.