Brawl Stars gave a Legendary Brawler a fishing rod and somehow made it terrifying. Nori grapples off walls, yanks himself clean through enemy Brawlers, and stockpiles fish that turn his Super into a screen-eating explosion. He is one of the most mechanically demanding Assassins the mobile brawler has on iOS and Android — and one of the most rewarding once it clicks.
Key Takeaways
- Nori is the 105th Brawler — a Legendary Assassin and the child of Kenji and Kaze.
- His attack, Fishing Fury, charges like a single ammo bar: tap to slash, hold to grapple, max charge to leap over walls.
- Every hit on an enemy catches a fish (up to 10), and those fish directly scale his Super.
- Catch of the Day drops a giant fish for heavy area damage, growing bigger and hitting harder with every fish spent.
Meet Nori — the 105th Brawler
Nori is a Legendary-rarity Assassin with one of the most distinctive backstories in the game. He is the son of the sushi chef Kenji and the ninja-geisha Kaze, which makes him the third piece of the family’s “Sushi Trio” — and, per the game’s lore, the first Brawler ever born inside Starr Park itself. His arrival slotted straight into the Ramen Rebellion storyline, and the mischief fits the character.
Mechanically he inherited a bit of everything: his mother’s mobility, his father’s close-range punish, and a fish-stacking resource system that is entirely his own. He is not a pick-up-and-dominate Brawler. He rewards aim, timing, and knowing exactly when to commit — which is precisely why he has stayed interesting long after launch.
Fishing Fury and the Fish Mechanic
Nori’s main attack charges a single ammo bar (similar to Hank or Angelo), and how long you hold the button determines what you get:
- Tap — a wide close-range slash in an arc, dealing solid damage to anyone next to him.
- Hold — casts the fishing hook. It grapples onto a wall or an enemy Brawler and pulls Nori toward it, dashing through Brawlers and damaging them on the way. The longer the charge, the farther the cast.
- Max charge — Nori leaps clean over walls, which is what turns him from a duelist into a genuine map-traversal threat.
Every time he hits an enemy Brawler with his main attack, he catches a fish. He can hold up to 10 at once, and this is the resource that everything else in his kit runs on. Fish are not decoration — they are the difference between a mediocre Super and a fight-ending one.
Catch of the Day — the Super
Nori dives into a puddle, and after a one-second delay a giant fish erupts from it, dealing heavy area damage to every enemy caught inside. Activating it consumes all his stored fish, and each one makes the blast 5% larger and 4% stronger.
A full 10-fish Super is a completely different attack from an empty one — significantly wider, significantly deadlier, and capable of wiping a grouped team. That one-second delay is the balancing cost, so aim at where enemies are going rather than where they currently stand, and look for clustered targets before you commit.
Best Build
For general use, equip Sushi Snack, Big Haul, Damage, and Shield. Big Haul restores Nori’s fish after a successful Super, while Sushi Snack converts those fish into emergency healing. Use Gonna Need A Bigger Net when rooting one mobile target is more valuable than self-healing, and consider His Mothers Son when constant chase speed matters more than rebuilding fish.
Gear 1 — Damage
Deal 15% extra damage while Nori is below 50% Health.
Why it works: Nori often finishes a dive at low Health, so the bonus helps him secure the elimination before escaping or using Sushi Snack.
Gear 2 — Shield
Gain 900 extra Health as a consumable shield that regenerates after Nori remains at full Health for 10 seconds.
Why it works: The extra protection improves the first committed engage. Use Speed instead on brush-heavy maps or Gadget Cooldown when the selected Gadget is central to the matchup.
Build Options: Gadgets, Star Powers & Hypercharge
Gadget — Sushi Snack
Nori consumes up to three stored fish and heals 1,000 Health for each fish consumed. Its current cooldown is 18 seconds.
When to use it: Choose it for most matches. Heal immediately after a deep engage when Nori still has fish and needs to survive the return damage; do not consume fish at high Health without a clear reason.
Gadget — Gonna Need A Bigger Net
Nori aims a fishing net that roots the first Brawler hit for 1.25 seconds and deals 800 damage. Its cooldown is 20 seconds.
When to use it: Pick it against mobile targets whose dash or speed normally denies Nori’s follow-up. Fire it after forcing out a defensive ability so the root leads to a confirmed attack or team elimination.
Star Power — Big Haul
Nori catches three fish when his Super hits enemy Brawlers.
When to use it: This is the dependable option when Nori uses his Super frequently. A successful engage immediately rebuilds the resource spent on mobility and gives Sushi Snack fuel for recovery.
Star Power — His Mothers Son
Nori gains 20% movement speed for 1 second whenever his main attack hits an enemy.
When to use it: Choose it when short bursts of speed help Nori stay on ranged or evasive targets. It rewards repeated hits but gives up Big Haul’s immediate fish recovery after the Super.
Hypercharge — Master Fisherman
When Nori jumps into the water with his Hypercharged Super, he pulls all enemies inward before dealing area damage.
When to use it: Activate it when two or more enemies are near the landing area or when pulling one priority target out of position can decide the fight. Coordinate with allied area damage so the grouped enemies are punished immediately.
Best Modes, Matchups and Counters
Where he thrives: Nori is genuinely flexible, but he creates the most pressure in Hot Zone and Brawl Ball, where he can lock down a control zone or wall-jump past defenders and collapse on the objective from an angle nobody covered. His wall-leap makes maps with heavy cover a playground.
Who ruins his day: for all that mobility, Nori is badly exposed to crowd control. Brawlers with knockback, stuns, or silences — think Gale, Gene, Otis, Buzz — can cancel a mid-air grapple dash outright. Diving onto a high-burst shotgun tank like Shelly, Bull, or Darryl without your root ready usually ends with Nori on the respawn screen before his Super delay finishes ticking.
Target priority: go after marksmen, throwers, and Support Brawlers first. Avoid committing to durable tanks unless they are already weakened, and always track enemy defensive cooldowns before forcing a deep dive.
Best Teammates
- Wendy — her shields and Planet Protector give Nori a safer place to finish a dive. She can protect him during the vulnerable moment after he commits, while his pull brings an isolated target into the team’s protected area.
- Rosa — her frontline pressure absorbs attention and forces enemies into predictable routes. Nori can attack the exposed backline or pull a fragile opponent toward Rosa for a fast collapse.
- 8-Bit — the Damage Booster helps the team erase a target immediately after Nori pulls it out of position. Because Nori brings enemies toward the team, 8-Bit’s slower movement is less limiting.
- Lou — slows and freezes make Nori’s hook, follow-up slash, and delayed Super easier to connect. Together they are especially effective when fighting around a fixed objective.
Pro Tip
Manage your fish economy — every fish you heal with is a fish your Super does not get. Sushi Snack and Catch of the Day draw from the same pool, so never pop the heal reflexively. Check your fish count first: if you are sitting on 9 or 10, healing costs you very little relative to a maxed Super, but burning three fish from a stack of four guts the blast you were saving for a team fight.
The cleanest sequence is to land your Super on grouped enemies, let Big Haul refund three fish immediately, then spend those on Sushi Snack to survive the follow-up. That loop turns one good engage into damage, healing, and a head start on your next Super — and it is the single habit that separates a good Nori from a frustrating one.
