Epic Seven Setsuka Hero Build

Setsuka is the Fire 5-star Thief released in September 2026 as part of the meta shift toward evasion and bruiser compositions. While traditional Thieves focus on cleave and speed, Setsuka is built as an evasion/bruiser DPS that punishes teams that rely on landing attacks. Her S2 passive grants the entire team +30% Evasion, and whenever any ally evades an attack, Setsuka counterattacks. This creates a feedback loop against cleave teams: the more the enemy attacks, the more Setsuka hits back. The E7Baron guide calls her “the Thief that makes cleave players regret their draft.” She sits at SS-tier RTA on the Propelrc September 2026 tier list for this reason.

Her kit is unusual for a Thief in that she does not want Speed set or a traditional opener build. She wants Evasion set, HP/Defense bruiser stats, and teammates that also dodge. Pair her with other evasion-stack heroes and the enemy cleave becomes a self-destruct button. Her S3 is a single-target nuke that grants her an extra turn on a critical hit, which lines up with her bruiser playstyle — she does not need to go first, she needs to survive the first wave and then punish.

Why Setsuka matters in the 2026 meta

The Epic Seven RTA meta in September 2026 rewards teams that survive the initial cleave and punish the follow-through. Three factors make Setsuka essential in the current draft:

1. Teamwide +30% Evasion on S2 — the entire team becomes harder to hit against Attack/Crit teams
2. Counterattack on any ally evade — the more the enemy cleaves, the more Setsuka retaliates
3. Extra turn on S3 crit — bruiser-style finishing power without needing to be a speed opener

For players facing heavy cleave metas, Setsuka is the answer. For players running bruiser compositions, she is a priority pick that scales with the team’s survival.

Video guide

Skill kit

S2 — Shadow Dance (passive)

Grants the caster and all allies 30% Evasion. When any ally evades an attack, Setsuka counterattacks the attacker. This is the core mechanic: evasion tanks become damage dealers. The counterattack triggers on every evade, including counterattack evades from other allies. Skill-ups increase the evasion grant and counterattack damage.

S3 — Blazing Edge (4-turn, +3 souls)

Single-target attack that grants an extra turn on a critical hit. Damage scales with the caster’s Attack. Soulburn reduces the cost; skill-ups raise the damage and crit chance. The extra turn mechanic makes her a finisher rather than an opener — she waits for the enemy to commit, then deletes the carry.

S1 — Flame Slash (no cooldown, +1 soul)

Single-target Fire attack with a chance to burn. The burn provides additional damage over time. Most players treat S1 as filler until S3 is available, but the burn chance makes it relevant in extended matches.

Stat priority

Setsuka is an evasion/bruiser Thief. The stat priority is HP%, Defense%, Evasion %, Crit chance %, Attack%.

• HP%: primary survivability for bruiser role. Target 15,000+ effective HP.
• Defense%: secondary survivability to pair with evasion.
• Evasion %: maximizes the S2 passive synergy. Target 60%+ with full evasion set.
• Crit chance %: enables the S3 extra turn. Target 85%+ with crit set.
• Attack%: damage scaling for S3 nuke.

Artifacts: Aurius is the premium bruiser artifact for the damage share. Elbris works for extra turn cycling. Daydream Joker is wrong for Setsuka — she is not a Hunt DPS.

Skill-ups

S3 first — Blazing Edge is the finisher kit with extra turn on crit. +6 minimum for the crit chance and damage spike. S2 next — Shadow Dance passive is the teamwide evasion core. S1 last — Flame Slash is filler burn.

MolaGora budget: +6 minimum on S3 for the extra turn reliability. +3 on S2 for evasion boost.

Team fit

Setsuka fits evasion/bruiser compositions in RTA. She pairs well with other evasion-stack heroes who trigger her counterattack.

Counters to Setsuka

• Effect Accuracy teams — Basar, Landy, Seaside Bellona apply debuffs that check evasion
• Immunity openers — Diene, Fallen Cecilia prevent debuffs and protect against the counterattack chain
• AoE damage — AoE ignores evasion and punishes the bruiser stack

Cross-link checklist

Setsuka is the September 2026 SS-tier evasion/bruiser Thief. The RTA tier list covers her draft position. The Arena guide details bruiser compositions.