Kusarigama Stats: What Actually Matters
The Kusarigama weapon appears across the Nioh series (Nioh, Nioh 2, and the newly released Nioh 3, out February 2026), and the stat priorities carry over between games because the weapon scales the same way: primarily on Dexterity, with Skill as the secondary damage stat since it also boosts Ninjutsu and Onmyo magic that pair naturally with a fast, mobile weapon.
Core Stat Priority
- Dexterity first. This is the Kusarigama’s primary damage-scaling stat in every game it appears in. Pump this before anything else if your build is Kusarigama-focused.
- Skill second. Skill increases both weapon damage and your Arts/Ninjutsu proficiency, which matters more for Kusarigama than most weapons because its best combos weave in ninja tools.
- Ki-related stats over raw defense. Kusarigama play leans on hit-and-run mobility and evasion rather than tanking hits, so Heart (Ki) and Body (Ki flow) generally serve the weapon better than stacking Stamina/defensive stats.
Nioh 3: Kusarigama Ninja Build
In Nioh 3’s new open-field structure, a Kusarigama Ninja build leans on high Skill for Arts Proficiency Power and Ninjutsu Power, with survivability coming from evasion and Ki discipline rather than raw defensive stats. If you’re building around elemental damage with talismans, prioritize Magic first for extra Yin slots, then move points into Skill so Ninjutsu like Shrapnel Bomb and Fire Shuriken hit harder.
Nioh / Nioh 2: Kusarigama Fundamentals
In the original Nioh and Nioh 2, the same Dexterity-first, Skill-second priority holds. Skills to prioritize on the Kusarigama skill tree include a forward-propelling opener move to start combos (it closes distance while dealing damage) and a ninja-tool skill for chip damage between melee exchanges, plus an evasion-focused skill to make the most of the weapon’s mobility-first design.
Practical Build Notes
- Because Kusarigama damage comes from chaining light attacks into Martial Arts combos, Ki efficiency during those chains matters as much as raw stat totals — don’t neglect Heart/Ki stats entirely in favor of pure Dexterity/Skill.
- If your playstyle mixes in Ninjutsu heavily (bombs, shuriken, buffs), Skill pulls double duty and can be worth prioritizing nearly as high as Dexterity rather than strictly second.
- A weapon with reduced Ki consumption on its quick attacks is a strong early-to-mid-game pick for Kusarigama users, since it offsets the Ki cost of constant mobility and combo chaining.
- Respeccing stats is generally available in these games via a shrine or equivalent NPC, so it’s safe to commit early to Dexterity/Skill and adjust later once you’ve settled on Ninjutsu vs. pure melee emphasis.
Bottom line across the series: Dexterity and Skill are the two stats that actually move Kusarigama damage. Everything else is about supporting the weapon’s mobile, combo-and-evade playstyle rather than tanking hits.