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Even if Soh has some flashy and alluring combat moves, they’ll need an extra pair of hands to keep the Defilement at bay. By assigning roles to your villagers in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, you can great the best defenses around Yoshiro. However, not all roles are ideal in every situation. After playing through this mythical journey over and over, we’ve decided to rank all villager roles so you can pick the best for all stages. Yet, even if some are at the back of the list, that doesn’t mean they are useless. Ultimately, you can mix and match until you find the right formation to survive the night.
12. Priest
During your first playthrough, the Priest won’t be too useful. It can cleanse toxic pools and even free villagers and Yoshiro after they are possessed. Still, they don’t bring that much to combat, and if you’re fast enough, you can prevent most of the things the Priest cleanses. You could have one or two during the poison swamp stages, but other than that, it is better to bench this role.
11. Thief
The Thief follows into the support category as it doesn’t bring anything to the combat side of things. Still, that doesn’t mean this role isn’t useful. Once you upgrade it, you can have your Thief pick locks and even collect crystals at night. The former is the most important function of the two. Personally, I recommend only upgrading this role until you unlock the lockpicking skill and stop there since it won’t do much for you in most stages.
10. Spearman
The Spearman is described as the “boss-killer” of all villager roles in Kunitsu-Gami, and while that would make it one of the best, it doesn’t. See, a Spearman’s strength relies on its slow yet powerful attacks. Each time they hit an enemy, they can take away a big chunk of their HP bar and even reduce the Resist Gauge, and while that’s great, we figured it’d be easier to create a bunch of Woodcutters that hit faster, are cheaper, and can stun an enemy faster.
9. Cannoneer
The Cannoneer is an excellent ranged villager role that focuses on hard-hitting AoE attacks. This is fantastic on paper, but we realized this role works better on tight stages, such as those in dark corridors or any of the first missions in New Game Plus. If you want a good ranged defender, the Archer is the best by far. Yet, you could bring one Cannoneer to control the enemies, especially in large groups.
8. Marksman
Marksmen suffer from the same thing as Spearmen; however, they are a bit better. Since you’ll position them far from foes, they can be quite useful at killing large targets before they get close. If you fully upgrade this role, the reloading time of their muskets will reduce considerably, thus making them a great choice for the backline. Still, the lack of speed is the only point against them. Other than that, you should always consider having one or two Marksmen in your formation.
7. Archer
As one of the first villager roles you’ll unlock in Kunitsu-Gami, Archers remain the best ranged attackers throughout the game. They are cheap to make, attack extremely fast, and once upgraded, they can even shoot fire arrows or attack twice. Overall, this is one of the best defenders you can make, especially if you’re low on crystals.
6. Ascetic
The Ascetic might not damage enemies, but when it comes to crowd control, it is second to none. Once you fully upgrade this role, you can keep enemies at bay with ease. In certain stages where Soh isn’t playable from the start or when Yoshiro is too close to a Torii gate, place two of these defenders close to the spawn points, and enemies will freeze in place. If you’re using this tactic, remember to place a few Woodcutters and Shamans to protect them.
5. Woodcutter
One of my favorite roles throughout my first playthrough was the Woodcutter. This is the first role you unlock, and initially, it might seem like your run-of-the-mill attacker. That’s not the case. Once you upgrade it, they’ll perform several attacks that deplete an enemy’s Resist Gauge and even chase foes who enter their range of attack. They also hit hard and fast, making them a great choice to overwhelm larger enemies.
4. Shaman
The one and only healer in Kunitsu-Gami is definitely one of the best villager roles you can assign in any match. During the final stages, I ran with two Shamans and put them close to my melee defenders. After a few upgrades, the healing range increases considerably, so you can make an almost unkillable lineup with the right positioning. Remember to place a few villagers to protect them, though, because they have low HP, even with upgrades.
3. Sumo Wrestler
The Sumo Wrestler is a jack-of-all-trades. It has a lot of damage, a huge attack rage, and crowd-control skills, and it is the tankiest of all roles. While expensive, it is a must-have in almost every stage. When I had enough crystals, I always tried to summon at least two of them and place them near Torri Gates. While they won’t defeat all enemies, they are great at slowing foes down. When you summon them, place a Shaman behind them and a Woodcutter next to them so they can chase any stragglers.
2. Sorcerer
One of the biggest surprises in the late-game stages is the addition of Sorcerers. This role doesn’t do anything in combat; it doesn’t even have an attack range. However, they’ll start channeling divine energy, allowing Soh to unleash it in an instant-kill attack. The more Sorcerers you have, the faster this attack will charge. I think this role is quite broken because in some stages I only needed to summon four Sorcerers, a few melee defenders, and that’s it.
1. Ninja
While I’m a full-fledged weeb, I promise this is an unbiased opinion. The Ninja is, undoubtedly, the best villager role in Kunitsu-Gami. This role adapts depending on the enemies. It uses its blade to deal with melee attackers and its kunai to shoot down flying foes. Furthermore, it can teleport across the stage, making it necessary whenever enemies are flooding in from an unprotected place. The only downside is that they tend to stick under the spawn points, which damages them over time. But as long as you have enough rations, it’ll be the only role you’ll need.
Ultimately, Kunitsu-Gami allows you to replay every stage and lets you try different role combinations. If you’re already at New Game Plus, don’t be afraid to experiment with an unconventional formation. Who knows? Maybe the roles we placed here at the back of the list will be more useful for you, and that’s the magic of this game. You can mix and match as you see fit and find the best and flashiest way to defend Mt. Kafuku’s maiden.
