The Flying Kato Set is a six-piece light armor set in Nioh 3 built around Ninjutsu mastery and agility. Named after Kato Danzo — a Sengoku-era ninja famous for his illusionist feats — the set rewards players who lean into Shadow Arts, backstab tactics, and elemental damage. Its set bonus is called Master of Illusion, and every piece in the set carries that as a fixed special effect regardless of rarity.
Quick answer: To activate the Flying Kato Set bonuses, you need at least 16 Constitution and 15 Skill. Pieces drop from the boss Kondo Isami, as well as from Mezuki, Ryomen Sukuna, and Nuribotoke encounters across the world map. The forging recipe unlocks automatically at the Blacksmith after progressing into the Bakumatsu chapter — it is not a traditional smithing text drop.
Flying Kato Set Pieces
The full set consists of five armor pieces and one weapon. All six share the same stat activation requirement of 16 Constitution / 15 Skill, and each carries the fixed special effect Master of Illusion.
| Piece | Slot | Weight | Toughness | Physical Res. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Kato's Mask | Head | 0.8 | 17 | 1.2 |
| Flying Kato's Robes | Torso | 1.6 | 34 | 2.4 |
| Flying Kato's Gauntlets | Arms | 0.8 | 17 | 1.2 |
| Flying Kato's Waistguard | Legs | 1.2 | 26 | 1.8 |
| Flying Kato's Greaves | Feet | 0.8 | 17 | 1.2 |
| Swift Hawk | Weapon | — | — | — |
The Swift Hawk weapon scales with Strength, Skill, and Intellect, and has 67 Break and 25 Block. With all five armor pieces equipped, the set totals just 5.2 weight and 111 Toughness — extremely light, which keeps your equipment weight ratio low and your dodge speed fast.
Master of Illusion Set Bonuses
Equipping more pieces from the Flying Kato Set progressively unlocks stronger bonuses. The full six-piece bonus grants life recovery on every Ninjutsu hit, which is a significant sustain tool for Ninja Style builds.
| Pieces Equipped | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 2 | Ninjutsu Gauge Charge +15.0% |
| 3 | Shadow Arts Damage +10.0% |
| 4 | Spirit Force Charge (Backstab) +8.0% |
| 5 | Elemental Damage +10.0% |
| 6 | Life Drain (Ninjutsu Hit) B+ |
The two-piece bonus alone is valuable for any build that relies on Ninjutsu tools, since faster gauge recovery means more frequent use of throwing weapons, poisons, and Shadow Arts. The four-piece backstab bonus pairs naturally with stealth-oriented play, while the five-piece elemental damage increase benefits elemental Ninjutsu and weapon buffs alike.
Full Set Resistances
As a light ninja set, the Flying Kato armor offers minimal physical protection and zero resistance to fire, water, and lightning. Its defensive strengths lie in Wind Damage Reduction and Poison Resistance, both totaling 26.0 across all five armor pieces. Paralysis Resistance is 0.0 across the board, so you'll want accessories or other buffs to cover that weakness if you're heading into paralysis-heavy encounters.
Where to Farm Flying Kato Set Pieces
Individual armor pieces and the Swift Hawk weapon can drop from several bosses and Yokai throughout the game. The most reliable source is Kondo Isami, who has a random chance to drop any piece from the set upon defeat.
Beyond Kondo Isami, three other enemies also drop set pieces:
- Mezuki appears in multiple map locations and is one of the more common sources early on.
- Ryomen Sukuna can be found in at least two separate map zones.
- Nuribotoke drops pieces as well, though its spawn locations are more limited.
If you're trying to complete the set quickly, repeatedly fighting Kondo Isami or farming Mezuki across its various spawn points tends to be the fastest approach.
How to Unlock Forging at the Blacksmith
The Flying Kato Set does not use a traditional smithing text that drops from enemies. Instead, the forging recipe appears automatically in the Blacksmith's crafting menu after you reach a specific point in the story. Players have reported the recipe unlocking after defeating Takasugi Shinsaku in the Bakumatsu chapter, though some believe it may be tied to completing the three swords quest for the Blacksmith, which restores her memories of smithing texts from Hide.
The exact trigger remains somewhat debated among players, but the consensus is that progressing into Act 3 and the Bakumatsu era is the key requirement. You won't find a smithing text item in your inventory — the recipes simply appear in the forge menu once the condition is met.
Once unlocked, forging individual pieces requires Leather Platelets, Leather Cord, Lacquer, Iron Platelets, and Gold. Material costs scale significantly with rarity. At Exotic rarity, each material requires 50 units, and the gold cost reaches roughly 110,000 per piece.
Rarity and Special Effects
Every piece of the Flying Kato Set always carries the Master of Illusion fixed special effect, which counts toward the set bonus. On top of that, each piece rolls additional random special effects depending on its rarity tier.
- Common grants one random special effect.
- Uncommon and Rare both grant two random special effects.
- Exotic can grant up to three random special effects.
- Divine rarity adds a Divine Grace to the piece, provided it isn't already part of a set bonus — which means Divine-rarity Flying Kato pieces will not receive a Grace since they already belong to the Master of Illusion set.
Base Defense values scale upward with rarity, though the exact numbers vary per drop.
Lore Behind the Set
Kato Danzo was a historical ninja active during the Sengoku period, originally from Hitachi province. He studied ninjutsu under Fuma Kotaro and served powerful daimyo including Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin. His reputation as an illusionist — reportedly swallowing a cow whole and making flowers bloom on a fan — earned him the "Flying Kato" alias. In the Nioh series, he first appeared as a character and mini-boss in Nioh 2, wielding a sword and various Ninjutsu arts while serving as the protagonist's teacher. The Flying Kato Set in Nioh 3 continues that legacy, with the in-game description noting the black leather attire was designed for maximum range of motion during even the most vigorous movements.
The Flying Kato Set is one of the strongest dedicated Ninjutsu armor options in Nioh 3, and its extremely low weight makes it a natural fit for players who want to stay in the lightest equipment bracket. If you're building around Shadow Arts, backstabs, or elemental Ninjutsu, farming Kondo Isami and pushing into the Bakumatsu chapter to unlock forging should be near the top of your priority list.