S PSY Lightning

Herrscher of Thunder

Raiden Mei

TierB
RolesDPS
Release4.1

Herrscher of Thunder is Mei's S-rank PSY-type Lightning katana user from v4.1. She marks enemies with Narukami's Mark, fills her Herrscher Charge for devastating Shinzan Strikes, and rides her thunder dragon during her Ultimate. Her v5.8 Divine Key, Seven Thunders of Retribution, brought her back to the meta for a long time, but Lunar Vow: Crimson Love has since replaced her and she has no Astral Ring: an outdated yet still serviceable Part 1 Lightning DPS.

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Herrscher of Thunder

Lightning DPS

Weapons

Seven Thunders of Retribution: Narukami BiS
S
Best in slot: the PRI-ARM version of her Divine Key, with the biggest buffs and the same time-stop and dragon mechanics.
Herrscher of Thunder's PRI-ARM: on other katana users, its active is a Lightning slash that inflicts Paralyze Trauma, and it grants +45% Total DMG against enemies of a countered type.
Seven Thunders of Retribution: Rumble
A
A must-have (Marisa Impact): big buffs, Herrscher Charge recovery, time-stop on Ultimate entry and Finisher. Sold in the Battle Pass Reserve Works since v8.4, and as a Divine Key it also gives +10 ATK to every Valkyrie.
Herrscher of Thunder's Divine Key: +30% Total DMG against countered types, the active can be used on her dragon and chains into Finisher, and the whole Ultimate pauses all timers.
Domain of Sanction
S
Her original PRI-ARM (BBS universal pick): Narukami's Mark and Herrscher Charge on the active, +45% Lightning DMG, but no time-stop.
Herrscher of Thunder's original PRI-ARM (from Key of Castigation): an invincible Lightning slash, +45% Lightning DMG and +20% Total DMG after the active; on her it applies Narukami's Mark and chains into Shinzan Strike.
Key of Castigation
A
Her original katana from the Exchange Shop, the base of Domain of Sanction.
Herrscher of Thunder's original katana: a Lightning slash and +35% Lightning DMG; on her, the active applies Narukami's Mark and refills Herrscher Charge.

Stigmata

Handel T Top
Handel M Middle
Handel B Bottom
Best in slot (Marisa Impact, BBS): the G4 set is craftable in the Foundry, and her 125-SP Ultimate triggers its 35% Lightning vulnerability.
Set effects
2pHigh Baroque Maestro set. Lightning DMG +30%; casting the Ultimate triggers every equipped piece's effect.
3pThe on-field teammate gains a 20% Total DMG Multiplier, and spending 60/120 SP at once makes all enemies take 10%/35% more Lightning DMG for 20s.
Wang Zhenyi T Top
Handel M Middle
Wang Zhenyi B Bottom
G3 Wang Zhenyi top and bottom with Handel M, all craftable (Marisa Impact).
Set effects
2pMoonwatcher set. Total DMG +25%, and +30% Lightning DMG for 12s after entering the field.
3pWeapon skills and Ultimate deal 25% more Lightning DMG; on Fischl, a QTE during Mitternacht gives the team and summons +45% Total DMG for 20s.
2pHigh Baroque Maestro set. Lightning DMG +30%; casting the Ultimate triggers every equipped piece's effect.
3pThe on-field teammate gains a 20% Total DMG Multiplier, and spending 60/120 SP at once makes all enemies take 10%/35% more Lightning DMG for 20s.
Darwin T Top
Darwin M Middle
Darwin B Bottom
Budget Lightning set while you craft Handel: +40% Lightning DMG and Paralyze Trauma when hit.
Set effects
2pEntering the field gives +20% Lightning DMG; taking a hit disables it for 10s and inflicts 3 Paralyze Trauma on nearby enemies.
3pLightning DMG +20% and Move Speed +20%; the 2-piece bonus is only disabled after 2 hits.

Stat targets

  • Stigmata affixes: ATK on every piece
  • Always pair the Ultimate entry and the Finisher with the weapon active when using Seven Thunders
  • Keep Narukami's Mark up on every enemy: it feeds both damage and Herrscher Charge

Talent priority

Special ATK
Ultimate
Passive
Basic ATK
Evasion
Leader

Where to get her: War Treasury (Ancient Willpower since v8.5) and Dorm Supply; Seven Thunders in the Battle Pass; G4 Handel in the Foundry (Marisa Impact, official notes). Marisa Impact recommends farming Herrscher of Sentience first from the War Treasury; unlock her later for Elysian Realm first-clear rewards.

Teams

Recommended teams

Part 1 Lightning (Lunar Vow + Herrscher of Truth)

Herrscher of Thunder
Lunar Vow: Crimson Love
Herrscher of Truth

Lunar Vow: Crimson Love is the current Part 1 Lightning support, and Herrscher of Truth brings Elemental Breach, SP and time-stop (Marisa Impact). No Astral Ring: a Part 1 team for older content and events.

Classic Lightning team

Herrscher of Thunder
Fallen Rosemary
Azure Empyrea

Her original 2020 team: Azure Empyrea triggers Fallen Rosemary's QTE, Rosemary lays her Runes, Stain of Trickery and +35% Elemental DMG, then Herrscher of Thunder comes in. Budget-friendly since both supports are in the Dorm Supply or War Treasury.

Guide

How to play

Narukami's Mark and Herrscher Charge

  • Basic ATK SEQ 5, Combo ATK, Ultimate Evasion, QTE and Ultimate apply Narukami's Mark for 15s: marked enemies take up to 40% more Lightning DMG from her, and every hit on them adds bonus damage to all marked enemies and restores Herrscher Charge (starts at 200, max 600).
  • Evading during Basic ATK SEQ 1-3 does not break the combo.
  • At full Herrscher Charge, hold [ATK] after a Basic or Combo ATK for Shinzan Strike (1,050% ATK of Lightning DMG plus Falling Thunder on every marked enemy).
  • Her Ultimate Evasion Blitzlocks enemies (2s) and can be followed by a charge that gathers them.

Ultimate: Amaterasu's Ride

  • For 125 SP, she rides the dragon for up to 15s with 80% damage reduction: tap [ATK] for Barrage, hold it for Bombard (drains Herrscher Charge, Blitzlocks and paralyzes). Tap [ULT] again (after 12s) or switch out for the Finisher (1,400% ATK and a 4s Time Fracture); switching out saves the Finisher for her next entry.
  • With Seven Thunders of Retribution, the whole Ultimate pauses all timers, she can use the weapon active while riding and instantly chain the Finisher, and the dragon stays on the field to keep bombarding.

Rotation (Marisa Impact)

  1. Attack until the Herrscher Charge gauge is full → Combo ATK (Shinzan Strike). Repeat until you have SP for the Ultimate.
  2. Weapon active → Ultimate.
  3. Weapon active again → Ultimate Finisher.
  4. Combo ATK, then repeat steps 1-3 as soon as the weapon and SP are ready.

Her leader skill gives the team up to 28% Total DMG and PSY-type teammates up to 70 initial SP; teammates on standby also recover 10% of the SP she gains. In the Elysian Realm, start with the Narukami Ego signet, add Tsukuyomi for speed and SP, and use Lightning Empress (or Azure Empyrea once you have enough SP regen) as support.

Strengths

  • Seven Thunders of Retribution gives her time-stopping Ultimates and a lingering dragon, and it is obtainable without gacha (Battle Pass Reserve Works).
  • Strong crowd control: Blitzlock, Paralyze Trauma and gathering.
  • Great leader skill for PSY teams (Total DMG and initial SP), and SP sharing with her teammates.
  • Easy to unlock from the War Treasury (Ancient Willpower) and the Dorm Supply.

Weaknesses

  • No Astral Ring, and Lunar Vow: Crimson Love has replaced her as the Part 1 Lightning DPS.
  • Really wants ranks and Seven Thunders to be usable (Marisa Impact).
  • SP-hungry: her Ultimate costs 125 SP.
  • Her best supports come from gacha banners, and Herrscher of Truth is not currently obtainable (Marisa Impact).

Notable dupes · Rank

S3
Solid upgrade

Leader skill upgrade: team Total DMG +28% and PSY-type battlesuits start with 70 bonus SP.

SS
Solid upgrade

Every hit of Bombard deals 25% more Lightning DMG.

SSS
Solid upgrade

The Ultimate Finisher restores 400 Herrscher Charge and the next Shinzan Strike keeps refilling it: a much faster loop back to Shinzan Strike.

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Updated September 26, 2026 · Version 9.0
Sources & references
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