Akane Rin, the bartender of StarSign and lead singer of The Whoots!!!!, becomes playable in Neverness to Everness with the second phase of Version 1.4. Hotta Studio has her limited banner opening as soon as the Phase 2 maintenance wraps up. That maintenance is already underway, so the wait is now measured in minutes, not days.
Quick answer: Status is Confirmed. Akane’s banner goes live October 21, 2026, at 03:00 UTC (October 20, 11:00 PM ET) and ends November 10, 2026, at 22:00 UTC.
Release time: October 21, 2026, 03:00 UTC (October 20, 11:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM PT)
Akane banner start and end times by region
The banner opens the moment servers come back from maintenance and stays up for three weeks, the usual length for an NTE banner. It closes as Version 1.4 ends.
| Region | Banner opens | Banner closes |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific (PT) | Oct 20, 8:00 PM | Nov 10, 2:00 PM |
| Mountain (MT) | Oct 20, 9:00 PM | Nov 10, 3:00 PM |
| Central (CT) | Oct 20, 10:00 PM | Nov 10, 4:00 PM |
| Eastern (ET) | Oct 20, 11:00 PM | Nov 10, 5:00 PM |
| UTC / GMT | Oct 21, 3:00 AM | Nov 10, 10:00 PM |
| UK | Oct 21, 4:00 AM | Nov 10, 10:00 PM |
| Central Europe | Oct 21, 5:00 AM | Nov 10, 11:00 PM |
| India (IST) | Oct 21, 8:30 AM | Nov 11, 3:30 AM |
| Singapore (SGT) | Oct 21, 11:00 AM | Nov 11, 6:00 AM |
| Japan (JST) | Oct 21, 12:00 PM | Nov 11, 7:00 AM |
| Eastern Australia | Oct 21, 1:00 PM | Nov 11, 8:00 AM |
Daylight saving time ends in North America and Europe during the banner, so local end times sit one hour earlier on the clock than a straight three-week count would suggest. Eastern Australia moves from AEDT to AEST before the close.
Version 1.4 Phase 2 maintenance window
Maintenance runs five hours, from October 20 at 22:00 UTC to October 21 at 03:00 UTC. You can’t log in while it’s active, and Akane’s banner appears in the game once servers reopen.
| Region | Maintenance starts | Maintenance ends |
|---|---|---|
| PT (UTC-7) | Oct 20, 3:00 PM | Oct 20, 8:00 PM |
| ET (UTC-4) | Oct 20, 6:00 PM | Oct 20, 11:00 PM |
| UTC | Oct 20, 10:00 PM | Oct 21, 3:00 AM |
| CET (UTC+2) | Oct 21, 12:00 AM | Oct 21, 5:00 AM |
| SGT (UTC+8) | Oct 21, 6:00 AM | Oct 21, 11:00 AM |
| JST (UTC+9) | Oct 21, 7:00 AM | Oct 21, 12:00 PM |
Maintenance can occasionally finish early or run long. If the game still shows the Phase 1 banners after the listed end time, servers are most likely still coming back online.
What’s on the Akane Rin banner
Phase 2 is a solo debut. Phase 1 paired its new content with a Lacrimosa rerun, but Akane gets the limited character slot to herself, and no older characters return this half. Her signature Arc, Far Side of the Moon, launches on its own banner at the same time and on the same schedule.
| Detail | Akane Rin |
|---|---|
| Rank | S |
| Element | Lakshana |
| Arc type | Liquid |
| Role | Damage (Main DPS) |
| Signature Arc | Far Side of the Moon |
| Voice actors | Cristina Vee (EN), Ikumi Hasegawa (JP) |
In combat, Akane is a mid-to-long-range fighter. Her four-hit Stringblade combo builds String Energy. Rhythm Wave either tags a single target with an Overtone Mark or, when held, drops a Reverb Field that relays her basic attacks to every enemy inside it. A full bar unlocks Synced Resonance, and her Ultimate, Sonic Boom, puts her into a Solo Cadenza state that opens and closes with large area attacks.
Akane outfits and Phase 2 events
The Phase 2 update also brings a new Akane outfit to the in-game shop. The Pukaland Fest Special Gift Pack, available after the October 21 update, bundles her House Special outfit with 2,000,000 Fons. Her other outfits come from these places:
- Shining Idol: accumulate rolls in the Skin Perks event
- Off The Clock: reach Bond Lv10 with Akane Rin
- Cozy Velvet: bought from the Mall
- Full Metal Rock: bought from the Mall
Several events run during Akane’s banner, and the Beyond the Rails endgame mode also resets with the phase.
| Event | Runs | Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Snap! Golden Crackshot | Oct 21 – Nov 11 | Fons, Floe Cinema Tickets, Annuliths |
| Gold Clash | Oct 26 – Nov 9 | — |
| Puka Lucky Flip | Oct 29 – Nov 11 | Fabricated Dice, Annuliths, Elite Hunter Guide |
| Blackbird’s Invitation | Sep 30 – Nov 11 | Solid Dice, Fons, Annuliths, avatar frame |
You’ll know Phase 2 is live when Akane Rin and Far Side of the Moon replace the Phase 1 banners in the pull menu. From there, you have until November 10 at 22:00 UTC to pull for her before Version 1.4 wraps up.
