A surprise addition to the character roster of Age of Calamity, Kohga brings some much-needed comedy to the otherwise bleak and serious nature of the majority of other characters available to the player. While he's not on the same level of uselessness as Tingle in the original Hyrule Warriors, he is quite clearly the joke character of Age of Calamity.
Unlike Tingle, Master Kohga can actually get things done on the battlefield and doesn't flail around wildly trying to deal insignificant damage while Link clear's the room in a matter of seconds. That being said, he is still a joke character and falls short of being great in several key areas.
11 Playstyle
10
Kohga's main goal on the battlefield is to make you laugh while you play as him, as the majority of his attacks and combos are not so stupid that they aren't effective, but will always bring a smile to your face. His main gimmick is his with his tantrum meter, which fills with each strong attack combo performed until it is full, where you will be prompted to either cast a powerful guardian beam-like attack or lose control of Kohga for a few seconds while he flails around on the ground. For the most part, he is somewhat similar to Zant from the original Hyrule Warriors, in that his meter mechanic is easy to mess up but can be quite powerful when done right.
9 Strong Attack
While stationary, Kohga will simply eat a banana when his strong attack is used, while he will perform a leaping attack if he is sprinting. After eating a banana, Kohga can fill his tantrum meter without being forced to use his beam attack, though you can manually use this attack after eating a banana if you don't want to wait for the effects to wear off. After upgrading this move, Kohga will also summon Yiga clan members to defend him, making him a lot less susceptible to damage while he is snacking.
8 Special Attack
Although it's not terrible, Kohga's special attack will have him perform a slashing attack in a wide band around him, which should be great in theory, but it is a very short-ranged attack that can miss enemies that are even just a few paces away from him.
Kohga's special isn't the worst, as it is almost impossible to miss your target if you are locked on to a boss or mini-boss, unlike several other special attacks, it lacks the range that would make it stand out among other similar special attacks, as it functions almost identically to Impa's Great Sword special from Hyrule Warriors.
7 Basic Combo String
One of Kohga's many failings is how bad his basic combo string is. While it is effective against single targets and small groups, it has a distinct lack of moves that swing in wide arcs propel him forward. Instead, like the cowardly big banana he is, he will hang back and perform several ranged attacks at the end of his combo string. While this keeps him out of danger, it also means you have to actively chase down enemies rather than naturally following them in the process of attacking like most other characters. The best use of his basic combos is against hordes of Bokoblins or Lizalfos, otherwise it is much more efficient to use his strong attack combos.
6 Strong Attack Combos
Although not technically as bad as Tingle's combos in Hyrule Warriors, Kohga's strong attacks also lack the punch you really want from them and function more as a way of building his tantrum meter than dealing damage. The one upside his combos have is in his second and fourth combos, as they allow Kohga to move freely around the battlefield while dealing consistent damage in the process. The fourth combo also has the added bonus of filling Kohga's tantrum meter instantly once it is complete, but the more efficient way to do this is with his third combo, which fills it most of the way but can be finished off with a quick first combo instead.
5 Weak Point Drainer
Despite all of Kohga's failings, he may have one of the best and most efficient weak point drainers in the game. Although all of his basic and strong attack combos are pretty bad at dealing with weak point gauges, his beam attack is another thing entirely and is capable of tearing through entire weak point gauges in seconds by itself. This one attack means that Kohga may be one of the better boss killers in the game without using Stasis to stun lock enemies, as it is pretty easy to fill his tantrum meter fairly quickly.
4 Sheikah Runes
Kohga's Sheikah Runes, while not terrible, are definitely not the best in the game. His Cryonis and Magnesis Runes are fairly stock standard, though his Bomb Runes aren't half bad as they hit in a wide AOE attack. However, Kohga is severely let down by how bad his Stasis Rune is.
Not being able to dodge cancel out of a Stasis Rune's attack is bad enough, as it is what usually allows a character to deal significantly more damage than they would if they remained locked in that moveset, but Kohga is actually frozen alongside his target under Stasis. While it is funny to watch Kohga get beaten up by his minions, it is far less useful in battle than it should be.
3 Defending
As a member of the Yiga clan, the majority of which are nimble, ninja-like warriors, it makes sense that, despite his build, Kohga can dodge with the best of his minions. Unfortunately, unlike Terrako, Kohga can't block and use his beam attack at the same time, meaning he is likely to take free chip damage from enemies while he is locked in place. Thankfully, Kohga's high mobility combo attacks mean that he is able to run around the battlefield fairly quickly to avoid enemies while also dealing decent damage to them.
2 Weapon Modifiers
Unfortunately, even though a few of Kohga's combos have him in the air, either being held up by Yiga Bladesmen or rolling around on a spike ball, these don't benefit from the Midair Attack Damage modifier to help give him a bit more damage output. The best modifiers for Kohga are the ones that are good on just about everyone: Normal Attack Damage, Attack Speed, Attack Range, and Damage per 100 KOs.
1 Unique Action
Pretty much the only reason to pick Kohga over other similar characters, such as the significantly better Impa and Maz Koshia, is because of his unique action. While is standard attacks leave little to be desired, his beam attack is good enough that he is worth bringing into any mission with multiple big boss enemies, such as Lynels, Hinoxes, or Blight Ganons. This beam does, unfortunately, suffer from a lack of range despite its power and is far less useful as a sweeping attack, despite the fact it otherwise functions the same as Skull Kids second combo and Volga's third combo in Hyrule Warriors.