Nori Brawl Stars: Complete Guide, Best Build & Tips (July 2026)

Nori is here — the 105th brawler and one of the most story-significant releases Brawl Stars has ever had. As the child of Kenji and Kaze, Nori is the first brawler born inside Starr Park, and arrives as a Legendary Assassin built around a completely new fishing mechanic. This guide covers who Nori is, how to unlock it, how the kit works, the best early build, the strongest modes and its clear weaknesses. Because Nori launched in July 2026, everything here is based on early community impressions — there is no reliable win-rate sample yet, so treat every recommendation as preliminary until the meta settles. See the live Nori page and the full Nori build for daily updates.

Who Is Nori? (Kenji & Kaze's Child)

Nori is a young ninja-fisher and, lore-wise, the child of Kenji and Kaze — making Nori the first brawler ever born inside Starr Park rather than recruited into it. That heritage shows in the design: the agile blade-and-hook playstyle nods to Kenji, while the fox-spirit accents and mask echo Kaze. Mechanically, Nori is a Legendary Assassin with high mobility, but instead of a simple dash it uses a fishing hook to reposition, making it feel closer to a hybrid skirmisher than a pure diver.

How to Unlock Nori (Nori Box Event)

Nori is released through a launch event featuring the Nori Box — a special drop tied to the July 2026 update. Like previous Legendary launches, the boxes have an increasing chance to grant Nori as you open more of them, and opening 20 Nori Boxes guarantees the brawler if you have not already pulled it. You can gather boxes through the event's free progression track and by completing the limited-time quests, or accelerate the process with Gems if you want Nori immediately. If you would rather wait, Nori will also become available through the normal Starr Road / Legendary drop pool after the launch window closes.

The Fishing Mechanic Explained

Nori's main attack, Fishing Fury, uses a charged ammo bar similar to Hank or Angelo. A quick tap fires a short arc slash for close-range trades; holding the attack charges a hook that latches onto a wall or an enemy and pulls Nori toward it, dealing damage to anything it passes through; and a full charge lets Nori vault straight over walls. Every hit catches a fish, up to a maximum of 10, and those fish fuel the Super. Catch of the Day sends Nori underwater for one second before surfacing with a giant fish that deals area damage and consumes every stored fish — each fish adds +5% size and +4% damage, so a full 10-stack Super is a potential team-wipe. The whole kit rewards banking fish through aggression, then cashing them in at the perfect moment.

Best Gadget & Star Power (First Impressions)

Early community consensus points to Gonna Need a Bigger Net as the standout gadget: a net that roots enemies for 1.25s and deals 800 damage gives Nori the lockdown it needs to secure a fish or land a full Super, and it doubles as a self-peel tool against divers. Sushi Snack (eat up to 3 fish to heal 1000 HP each, 12s cooldown) is a strong situational alternative for sustain-heavy lanes, but it competes with your Super economy. For the Star Power, Big Haul (recover 3 fish when your Super hits enemies) is the natural pick because it feeds the exact loop the kit is built around, letting you chain Supers far faster. All of this is preliminary — the meta can and will shift, so check the Nori build page for the current data-backed recommendation.

Best Modes for Nori

Based on the first analyses, Nori looks strongest in modes that reward mobile skirmishers who can reposition and pick off isolated targets. Gem Grab suits the hook's ability to threaten the mine and disengage safely; Hot Zone rewards the area-damage Super for contesting the circle; Bounty benefits from Nori's ability to snipe low-value picks and escape with the hook; and Knockout lets a well-timed Catch of the Day swing an entire round. Nori is more map-dependent than a first-pick carry, so treat it as a flex that shines when there is cover to hook off and space to reset. Cross-reference the current rotation on the tier list before locking it in ranked.

Nori's Weaknesses & Counters

Nori's biggest weakness is raw durability against sustained pressure. Like most assassins, it folds to heavy tanks that can eat a hook and punish the follow-up, and it especially struggles against crowd control. Brawlers like Gale, Gene and Otis can pull, push or stun Nori out of its combo before the fish stack pays off, turning an aggressive dive into a wasted Super. Long-range control that denies the approach also gives Nori trouble. Play it patiently: use the hook to reposition rather than to force fights, keep your Super for punishing overextensions, and avoid diving into a team that still has its crowd control available. For the full matchup breakdown, see the Nori counters page.

Quick Takeaway

Nori is a genuinely fresh Legendary: a fishing-assassin with a resource loop no other brawler has. Unlock it through the Nori Box (20 boxes guarantee it), start with Gonna Need a Bigger Net and Big Haul, and play it as a mobile flex in Gem Grab, Hot Zone, Bounty and Knockout while respecting tanks and crowd control like Gale, Gene and Otis. Remember that these are launch-window impressions — no real win-rate data exists yet — so revisit the Nori guide, build and counters as the meta develops.