Kaiken
| Kaiken | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Melee Weapon |
| Type | Throwable |
| Weapon | Knife |
| Headshot | +150% |
The Kaiken is a long Japanese knife that works both in the hand and as a throwing blade. Its built-in bonus raises the damage of its melee attacks, so it hits harder up close than a plain knife. The Kaiken works best in a Cool build that mixes stabs with thrown kills. The in-game line jokes that it is what a swordsmith makes when there is not enough steel left for a katana. It is also the base knife for the Iconic blade Nehan. Melee weapon sellers and enemies supply the Kaiken through most of the main story.
Combat
As a throwable weapon, the Kaiken can be thrown at a target. A thrown knife comes back to V on its own after a short recovery time. Knives hit hardest from stealth. The Cool perk Killer Instinct raises knife damage while V is out of combat. A first throw at an unaware target therefore hits hardest.
In the hand, the Kaiken's melee bonus makes each slash hit harder. V can throw it, get close and finish the target with the same weapon. Its cuts can cause Bleeding, and blade mods can make that Bleeding stronger.
How to Get Kaiken Guide
- Buy the Kaiken from a melee weapon seller.
- Loot it from enemies who carry one.
- Buy the crafting spec and craft it at the crafting bench.
Kaiken Map Location
The map shows Coach Fred in Little China, one of the melee weapon vendors that sell it.
Kaiken map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Compatible Mods
8 weapon mods are compatible with Kaiken.
| Name | Image | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Airstrike | 
|
Raises crit chance and crit damage for midair attacks |
| Boomerang | 
|
A headshot kill with a thrown weapon can return it at once |
| Cyclone | 
|
A sprint attack opens unlimited combos with stacking attack speed |
| Javelin | 
|
More armor penetration with melee, doubled on throws |
| Pax | 
|
Makes the weapon non-lethal, more damage outside combat |
| Severance | 
|
Hits to the head or limbs of a weakened enemy can dismember and kill |
| Silencio | 
|
More crit chance and crit damage when crouched and undetected |
| Zero-G | 
|
More effective range, thrown weapons fly straight |
Crafting Spec
The spec lets V craft Kaiken in the crafting menu. Every spec in the game is listed on the Crafting Specs page.
The table shows what crafting Kaiken costs at each tier.
| Tier | Components |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 30 Tier 1 components |
| Tier 2 | 30 Tier 2 components |
| Tier 3 | 30 Tier 3 components |
| Tier 4 | 30 Tier 4 components |
| Tier 5 | 30 Tier 5 components |
Upgrades
The Kaiken improves by swapping to a higher-tier copy. Shop stock and loot keep up with V's level. A crafted Kaiken is identical to a bought one of the same tier. Its crafting spec lets V make a new knife at V's current tier.
Character Builds
The throwing perks are in the Cool tree. Scorpion Sting shortens the recovery time of throwables. It also makes crits, headshots and weak-spot hits poison the target. Juggler cuts recovery time further and boosts headshot damage with thrown weapons. It can also reset every throwable's cooldown after a thrown kill. Pay It Forward gives the next throw a large damage bonus after a knife is picked up from an enemy. Sleight Of Hand adds crit damage each time Juggler triggers. Style Over Substance makes every throw a guaranteed crit while V slides, dodges or crouch-sprints. Finisher: Act Of Mercy adds a finisher for knives and axes that restores Health.
For cyberware, Stabber adds crit chance with blades and throwables. Handle Wrap gives a burst of crit chance with throwables after equipping or throwing one. Its mod slots take blade and throwable mods. Boomerang gives a chance for the knife to return at once after a headshot kill. Zero-G removes gravity from the throw and adds range. Javelin adds armor penetration, and the bonus doubles on throws. Bleedout raises the crit chance of Bleeding damage.
Select a Build
The build opens from stealth and removes a few targets before the fight starts. Headshots and crits with thrown knives bring the knife back to hand through Juggler. When the character is detected, the Sandevistan or Kerenzikov slows time to finish the enemies who spotted it.
Attributes: Body 18, Reflexes 20, Technical Ability 20, Intelligence 3, Cool 20.
The perks, cyberware and weapon mods for this build are listed below.
| Name | Image | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Painkiller | 
|
Body 4 | Slow Health regeneration in combat |
| Adrenaline Rush | 
|
Body 15 | More Health and the Adrenaline Rush mode |
| Feline Footwork | 
|
Cool 4 | Faster and safer while crouched |
| Killer Instinct | 
|
Cool 4 | More damage with knives, axes and silenced guns before combat |
| Gag Order | 
|
Cool 4 | A quick hit after being spotted delays detection by others |
| Scorpion Sting | 
|
Cool 9 | Thrown crits and headshots apply Poison |
| Neurotoxin | 
|
Cool 9 | Poison also blinds and stops sprinting |
| Parasite | 
|
Cool 9 | Health back from thrown crits and headshots |
| Accelerated Toxin Absorption | 
|
Cool 9 | Strong attacks and throws on poisoned enemies deal a burst of Poison |
| Corrosion | 
|
Cool 9 | Poison works on mechs, robots, drones and turrets |
| Ninjutsu | 
|
Cool 15 | Sprint while crouched |
| Creeping Death | 
|
Cool 15 | Health, Stamina and speed from kills while hidden |
| Vanishing Act | 
|
Cool 15 | Optical Camo turns on while crouch-sprinting |
| Juggler | 
|
Cool 15 | Thrown headshots and crits return the weapon at once |
| Sleight Of Hand | 
|
Cool 15 | Crit Damage stacks each time Juggler triggers |
| Finisher: Act Of Mercy | 
|
Cool 15 | A thrown weapon Finisher that heals |
| Pay It Forward | 
|
Cool 15 | Big melee hit after picking up a thrown blade |
| Pounce | 
|
Cool 15 | Finishers from range after a throw |
| Style Over Substance | 
|
Cool 20 | Guaranteed crits when throwing on the move |
| Slippery | 
|
Reflexes 4 | Harder to hit while moving fast |
| Dash | 
|
Reflexes 9 | Unlocks the Dash and makes it cheaper |
| Air Dash | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Dash in midair |
| All Things Cyber | 
|
Technical Ability 9 | Stronger cyberware stats |
| License To Chrome | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | Stronger cyberware, more armor and a Skeleton slot |
| Ambidextrous | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | A second Hands cyberware slot |
| Edgerunner | Technical Ability 20 | Cyberware past the capacity limit for a small Health cost |
| Name | Image | Slot | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Mamba | 
|
Circulatory System | More damage against poisoned enemies |
| Kerenzikov Boost System | 
|
Frontal Cortex | Stronger Kerenzikov with free shooting Stamina |
| Mechatronic Core | 
|
Frontal Cortex | More damage against drones, robots and mechs |
| Handle Wrap | 
|
Hands | More crit chance with throwables |
| Shock Absorber | 
|
Hands | Less recoil |
| Optical Camo | 
|
Integumentary System | Near invisibility for a few seconds |
| Defenzikov | 
|
Integumentary System | Mitigation after Kerenzikov ends |
| Kerenzikov | 
|
Nervous System | Slows time when aiming during a slide or dodge |
| Stabber | 
|
Nervous System | More crit chance with Blades and throwables |
| Militech Apogee Sandevistan | Operating System | Slows time by 85% with crit bonuses | |
| Dense Marrow | 
|
Skeleton | More melee damage |
| Spring Joints | 
|
Skeleton | Stronger Mitigation |
| Name | Image | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Zero-G | 
|
Longer throws on a straight path |
| Slice 'Em Up | 
|
Enemies are easier to finish after a kill |
| Bleedout | 
|
Bleeding damage can crit |
Notes
- Nehan is the Iconic variant of the Kaiken.
Weapon Categories
All Melee Weapons
Every melee weapon is listed below. The Iconic weapons come first, then the standard ones.
Iconic Melee Weapons
| Name | Image | Weapon | Headshot | Armor Pen | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agaou | 
|
Axe | +125% | 25% | Dogtown |
| BFC 9000 | 
|
One-Handed Club | Rancho Coronado | ||
| Baby Boomer | 
|
Two-Handed Club | 25% | ||
| Baseball Bat x-MOD2 | 
|
Two-Handed Club | Dogtown | ||
| Black Unicorn | 
|
Katana | 25% | ||
| Blue Fang | 
|
Knife | +150% | Badlands South | |
| Butcher's Cleaver | 
|
Knife | 25% | Coastview | |
| Byakko | 
|
Katana | 25% | Little China | |
| Caretaker's Spade | 
|
Hammer | 25% | Corpo Plaza | |
| Claw x-MOD2 | 
|
Axe | |||
| Cocktail Stick | 
|
Katana | 25% | Japantown | |
| Cottonmouth | 
|
One-Handed Club | 25% | Japantown | |
| Crowbar | 
|
One-Handed Club | |||
| Cut-o-Matic x-MOD2 | 
|
Chainsword | Dogtown | ||
| Errata | 
|
Katana | 25% | Arroyo | |
| Fang | 
|
Knife | +50% | ||
| Gold-Plated Baseball Bat | 
|
Two-Handed Club | 25% | North Oak | |
| Gwynbleidd | 
|
Sword | |||
| Headhunter | 
|
Knife | +150% | West Wind Estate | |
| Jinchu-Maru | 
|
Katana | 25% | Japantown | |
| Murphy's Law | 
|
One-handed Club | 50% | Dogtown | |
| Nehan | 
|
Knife | +150% | Arasaka Waterfront | |
| Sasquatch's Hammer | 
|
Hammer | 75% | Coastview | |
| Satori | 
|
Katana | 25% | Arasaka Waterfront | |
| Scalpel | 
|
Katana | 25% | Northside | |
| Sir John Phallustiff | 
|
Blunt | 25% | Kabuki | |
| Stinger | 
|
Knife | +150% | Badlands East | |
| Tinker Bell | 
|
One-Handed Club | 50% | Badlands East | |
| Tsumetogi | 
|
Katana | 25% | Japantown | |
| Volkodav | 
|
Machete | 25% | Dogtown |
Standard Melee Weapons
| Name | Image | Weapon | Headshot | Armor Pen | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball Bat | 
|
Two-Handed Club | 25% | ||
| Chef's Knife | 
|
Knife | +150% | ||
| Claw | 
|
Axe | +125% | 25% | |
| Cut-O-Matic | 
|
Chainsword | 50% | ||
| Electric Baton Alpha | 
|
One-Handed Club | Rancho Coronado | ||
| Electric Baton Beta | 
|
One-Handed Club | 50% | ||
| Electric Baton Gamma | 
|
One-Handed Club | 50% | ||
| Hammer | 
|
Hammer | 25% | ||
| Kaiken | 
|
Knife | +150% | ||
| Kanabo | 
|
Two-Handed Club | 25% | ||
| Katana | 
|
Katana | 25% | ||
| Knife | 
|
Knife | +200% | ||
| Kukri | 
|
Machete | 25% | ||
| Machete | 
|
Machete | 25% | ||
| Neurotoxin Knife | 
|
Knife | +150% | ||
| Punknife | 
|
Knife | +150% | ||
| Razor | 
|
Machete | 25% | ||
| Steel Pipe | 
|
One-Handed Club | 25% | ||
| Tire Iron | 
|
One-Handed Club | 25% | ||
| Tomahawk | 
|
Axe | +125% | 25% |