I still remember the night the April 2025 Brawl Talk dropped. I had my phone in one hand, a snack in the other, and zero expectations beyond a new season and maybe a few skins. Then the words Ultra Legendary appeared on screen, and I froze. Was this really Brawl Stars? A new rarity, a dual-form ninja, a MOBA mode, and a sushi-powered event all in one update? Looking back now in 2026, that reveal still feels like one of the wildest turning points I have seen in the game.

The First Ultra Legendary: Kaze Stole My Attention

The moment Kaze appeared, I knew my gems were in danger. She is the first Ultra Legendary Brawler, and she is not just another pretty face. Kaze is a deadly ninja and Kenji’s wife, with a dual identity that lets her switch instantly between Geisha and Ninja forms. Each form has its own weapons and abilities, which means she is basically two Brawlers in one. How often does a mobile game make me feel like I am unlocking an entire roster slot instead of one character?

In her Geisha form, Kaze uses bladed fans with a Strike Spot. Hitting enemies inside that area deals extra damage and triggers special effects. Her Super, Fan Storm, covers an area, reduces enemy visibility, and punishes anyone who tries to escape. Her Star Powers can slow enemies hit in the weak spot or remove ammo from Brawlers caught in the storm. Her Geisha Gadget enhances her Ninja side, giving movement speed or invisibility after switching.

Her Ninja form is just as scary. She throws shurikens that deal more damage at close range, perfect for finishing off targets. Her Super lets her dash through enemies and mark them, and after a short delay those marks explode with extra damage. One Star Power makes defeated marked enemies deal area damage, while the other triggers all effects when switching to Ninja form with a 50 percent longer duration. Her Ninja Gadgets enhance her Geisha side with healing or a dash on switch. The best part? Unlocking a Star Power, Gadget, or Hypercharge for one aspect automatically unlocks it for the other. That design choice made me respect the update even more.

Jae-yong, the Karaoke God

I did not expect to love a karaoke singer, but Jae-yong won me over. He is not Ultra Legendary, yet his kit is packed with personality. He has two distinct main attacks that throw piercing projectiles. In Party Mode he heals teammates, and in Work Mode he deals less damage but grants speed boosts to himself and allies. His Super, Mix It Up, switches modes and triggers a bonus like instant healing or temporary mobility.

His Star Powers are The Crowd Goes Mild, which speeds up nearby teammates, and Extra High Note, which boosts attack damage after piercing a target. Weekend Warrior deals area damage and temporarily increases main attack damage, while Time For a Slow Song slows enemies around him and leaves a trail of slowing paperwork. Would I have guessed that paperwork could be a weapon? No, but Brawl Stars made it work.

Battle for Katana Kingdom: Wasabi, Sushi, and Chaos

The Battle for Katana Kingdom event was a four-part, four-week story. Kenji experiments with a new sushi recipe, something goes wrong, and suddenly Brawlers gain Wasabi Powers. There were 60 powers in total across four spicy flavors: 20 Hot, 15 Extra Hot, 15 Crazy Hot, and 10 Inferno. These only worked in Wasabi modifier modes, which made every match feel like a tiny chaos experiment.

Sushi Rolls became the event currency, and each roll contained up to eight sushi rewards. Those rewards included Wasabi Powers, Hypercharges, Star Powers, Gadgets, skins, Brawlers, Coins, Bling, Power Points, Credits, Pins, Sprays, and Icons. I earned rolls through daily wins, free rewards, special quests, daily contests, Club events, and the Shop. Every week introduced a new way to earn them, which kept me checking back.

Each sushi piece fed the Sushi Meter, and the meter unlocked more rewards as it filled. The exclusive Oni Kenji Hypercharge Skin was only available through that meter during the event. Mega Buffet was a reskinned Mega Pig event where my Clubmates and I received four tickets daily for a week. Every win added a point to our Club’s Sushi Buffet, and milestones gave free Sushi Rolls until the event ended.

New Modes That Changed My Routine

Samurai Smash was a 5v5 or 3v3 mode where teams fought Samuraibots and each other for points. Each Samuraibot had a unique attack and was hostile to both sides, so I never knew whether to focus the enemy team or the angry robot in front of me. Oni Hunt let me team up with two other players to defeat a hypercharged demon Kenji. Completing five difficulty stages each day gave seven days of rewards, including sushi rolls.

Brawl Arena was the MOBA mode coming in the June season. It had in-game power leveling, towers, bot waves, a jungle full of bots, and the Kaiju, which gave a team-wide buff when defeated. Each match lasted around five minutes. Did I ever think I would play a mini MOBA inside Brawl Stars? No, but I was ready.

Daily Contests pitted me against 10 players on a leaderboard. Finishing in the Top 8 earned sushi, which made every small victory feel useful.

Skins, Hypercharges, and Season Highlights

The Katana Kingdom season launched on May 1 with Kasa-Obake Piper as the Brawl Pass skin, plus Yokai Piper and Tsukumogami Piper as Chromas. The season also brought Cursed Kenji, Tanuki Sprout, Wanderer Grey, Shukuteki Tara, Shinobi Ash, and Tengu Angelo. The Crush the Kaiju season arrived in June with Shin Edgar as the Brawl Pass skin, Drift Edgar and Masked Edgar as Chromas, and skins like Intergalactic Griff, Kaiju Clancy, Tokusatsu Colette, Monstro Mico, and Mecha Finx with Crimson Tyfinx and Mecha Chief Finx.

The update also added eight new Hypercharges. I made a quick table to keep track:

Brawler	Hypercharge	What It Did
Gus	Spooky Pop	Dropped spirits in all directions, damaging enemies and healing teammates
Lily	Germinate	Bounced off walls with her Super and pulled enemies into the Shadow Realm
Clancy	Recall of Duty	Made Super paintballs pierce enemies and return for extra damage
Ember	Oil Spill	Increased oil area and kept it burning for three seconds
Willow	Psychic Safety	Prevented damage while mind controlling an enemy
Kaze	Ancient Energy	Added damage over time in Fan Storm and faster Ninja dashes
Griff	Tax Rebate	Multiplied banknotes at max range and made them pierce the environment
Kenji	All You Can Eat	Pulled enemies to the center of his Super and repositioned his return point

There were also 29 Gem skins like Firecracker Wizard Mike, Whisked Meg, Kansai Dragon Bull, Secret Surgevice, Sandcaste Ash, Bandito Lou, Sunflowerosa, Grombin Hood, Fruity Kaze, and Jammin’ Jae-yong. Witch Mandy arrived as a Supercell ID Reward, and Street Shade supported Brawl Esports teams. Brawl Esports even came to America for the first time with DreamHack Dallas from May 23 to 25.

Quality-of-Life Changes and Final Thoughts

Equipped Gadgets now display a Gadget Icon with a cooldown timer, and a fully charged Hypercharge shows a purple indicator. Those small changes made matches easier to read. The skin giveaway around Brawl Talk was a nice bonus too.

So, would I go through the Katana Kingdom chaos again? Absolutely. From Kaze’s dual identity to the Wasabi Powers, the Sushi Meter, and the Brawl Arena MOBA experiment, this update felt like Supercell threw everything at the wall and somehow made it stick. In 2026, I can still say it was one of the most memorable Brawl Stars moments I have experienced.