PROs:
- Good AR
- Ranged Hard breaching
- Stun grenades + 3 speed
CONS:
- Low ammo (21) & high recoil AR
- Small wall holes than Thermites
- Not beginner-friendly
Hibana
Offensive operator
Hibana R6 Siege operator is one of only three attackers capable of breaching through reinforced surfaces.
Hibana specializes in opening hatches and Mira’s Mirrors due to the nature of her utility.
She is a good operator for more advanced players as her gadget requires map knowledge, as well as game sense and experience to utilize properly in all circumstances.
Besides being a Hard breacher, Hibana offers good fragging potential.
Organization
SAT
Availability
DLC Y1S4
Armor Rating
Light
Speed Rating
Fast
Biography
A Nagoya native, Imagawa traveled the world to perfect her skills and technique. She is specialized in paramilitary techniques gained by training with the SAS, FBI SWAT, and GIGN, to name a few. From her diverse training, she acquired a rare tactical versatility, which includes a proficiency in tubular (bus, train, and airplane) assaults.
The daughter of a local butcher, Imagawa was inspired by her family to practice Kyūdō from a young age. This long range weapon marked her entry in martial arts by perfecting her assessment of multiple factors a once while carrying precise, controlled, and fluid motions.
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Her area of expertise is to gain entry in high-risk areas. During her studies at the National Police Academy, she gained the nickname Hibana due to her improvised explosive devices and brilliant leadership skills on the field. Fluent in seven languages and lethal with any weapon, Imagawa was recruited by the Aichi Prefectural Police Department Special Unit, where her diverse techniques and charisma allowed her to move up the ranks quickly
Operator guide
Detailed information on how to play Hibana R6 Siege operator
Caption title
Utility
What is the utility?
In Rainbow Six Siege Hibana is a Hard breacher – one of four available operators in the game who can fill in this role.
Hard breaching means being able to create an opening in a reinforced wall or hatch.
She has access to the X-Kairos launcher equipped with 18 pellets. X-Kairos is a ranged breaching tool, detonated remotely by Hibana. Since the Y5S4 update, Hibana can fire pellets in 3 modes displayed below.
X-Kairos firing modes:
6 pellets (2x3)
4 pellets (2x2)
2 pellets
This change further advances Hibana’s biggest advantage over other Hard Breachers in Rainbow Six Siege – flexibility.
Since breaching reinforced hatches requires only 4 pellets to be detonated, Hibana could theoretically open now 4 hatches on her own!
Since breaching reinforced hatches requires only 4 pellets to be detonated, Hibana could theoretically open now 4 hatches on her own!
In case 3 or fewer pellets successfully explode, only holes are created in the hatch.
On the other hand, just one pellet detonated on Mira’s Mirror will eradicate it.
Once deployed, X-Kairos charges cannot be removed from the surface and will remain passive until activated by Hibana.
Fusing takes longer (5 seconds) than the Exothermic charge of Thermite (3 seconds).
How to use utility?
Mechanically:
Pressing the ability button equips the launcher.
The default firing button will shoot the currently selected charge where the crosshair is placed. Once placed, charges will remain on the surface until detonated by Hibana R6 operator (pressing ability button) or destroyed.
Aiming Down Sight shows the exact area where charges will be placed, which helps with aiming precisely.
Pressing fire mode change (“B” button on PC) will now change the firing mode of the X-Kairos launcher between 6, 4, and 2 pellets.
Where should you use your charges depends on multiple factors, such as:
- Team composition
Operator selection plays an essential role in indicating optimal usage of Hibana’s utility.
The main factor from a roster perspective is the number of Hard breachers available.
In case your team has:
1 Hard breacher (Hibana)
Focus on the vital wall(s) or hatch(es)2 Hard breachers – Thermite + Hibana
By default, Thermite should focus on opening walls, while Hibana on hatches.2 Hard breachers – Maverick + Hibana
By default, consider your situation as if you were the sole hard breacher. Maverick’s breaching capacity is limited from the perspective of the size of openings he can create.3 Hard breachers
Such a scenario gives enormous flexibility and can often be overkill from a breaching perspective.I would recommend approaching this option as two hard breachers, with Maverick being Breach support.
Objective
Each objective has its own strong and weak points. For some objectives, you may need to focus mainly on:
- opening hatch(es) to create a significant advantage for your teamExample:Chalet – Kitchen and Trophy Room
- while on others you should open multiple walls to limit defenders optionsThis applies to all objectives based on the top floor as hatches cannot be reinforced (besides crazy runouts)
- in other cases, you will need to split your efforts into both hatches and walls for optimal usage of utilityExample:Chalet – Wine Cellar and Snowmobile RoomBorder – Custom Inspection and Supply Room
Tactics
Last but not least, how you use your X-Kairos will depend on your plan of attack, as well as defenders‘ actions and their plan of defense.
We recommend discussing the plan as early as possible as it may impact your:
- spawn point
- preparation phase drone placement
- building approach route
priorities for the first minute or two during the action phase
Additionally, consider what defenders are doing when deciding on where you are going to use X-Kairos.
Example:
Defenders brought Kaid, who electrified hatches and your team has no counter available. Switch your plan to other reinforcements and adjust accordingly.
Watch out for Bandit/Kaid tricking!
Hibana R6 operator’s charges are more susceptible to active Breach denial (Bandit tricking) due to longer fuse time and inability to remove utility once placed.
Therefore, scout area first and only then place your utility. Drone the other side of the wall/hatch and see if they are not trying to fool you into setting charges.
In case opponents do so you should ask teammates for distracting/kill breach denial operators.
Pay attention to X-Kairos charges placement!
Try to place multiple charges close to each other as placing them too far may result in leaving a piece of wall between. Such an obstacle will then prevent you from traversing through your opening, often rendering it redundant.
Take advantage of range breaching capability!
Your X-Kairos charges can be detonated remotely from a distance, so why not take advantage of it to:
avoid risk while breaching
In a few cases, Rainbow Six Siege Hibana can open reinforcement without even being inside the building, which may lower the risk of being killed while fulfilling her role.An example here is Kitchen hatch in Clubhouse – you can rappel outside of a window and open hatch from there, avoiding being killed by C4 from below.create long angles
Ranged breaching allows you to create long angles with minimal exposure to defenders.Example: opening east wall of Archives (leading to Offices) from Eastern external balcony – gives angle from East of the map to the back of Armory Lockers
Interactions
SYNERGIES
Opening reinforced walls and hatches is often a difference between win and loss, thus supporting hard breachers should be the main objective of the team from the beginning of the round.
Depending on utility capabilities, individual operators will be able to support Hibana more than others.
Main Hard breachers support operators:
-
Hard-breacher best friend. Dispatches electronics including Bandit’s shock wires, Mute’s Jammers, and Kaid’s Electroclaws.
-
TwitchDestroys electronics by zapping with her drones, but is usually a less reliable option due to drone requiring a line of sight on utility.
Situational support options:
-
SOFT-breachersAble to open an angle if the ceiling or floor is partially destructible.Such opening allows the direct angle to destroy batteries or jammers, prevent „Bandit tricking” or even get a kill on Bandit/Mute.
-
Capable of scanning and shooting defenders’ gadgets through penetrable floor, ceiling, or wall.
-
Frag grenadesOperators with Frag grenades can throw a grenade through drone holes if holes are next to a reinforced wall.
-
Can use his firebolts to prevent „Bandit tricking” for walls placed next to the drone hole.
Counters:
Hard breachers are designed to counter mainly reinforced walls and hatches, which is a vital aspect of winning rounds on the attacking side.
Beside reinforcements, Hibana is capable of countering:
- Mira‘s WindowsFrom available Hard breachers, Hibana is the best at opening Windows thanks to the range of X-Kairos.
- Jäger‘s ADSADS intercepts X-Kairos, and each pellet is counted as a projectile. Therefore, Hibana can “burn ADS” very efficiently in rare situations where her utility is not needed for opening walls or hatches.
Countered by:
X-Kairos charges are hard-countered by :
- Bandit’s Shock wireBattery connected to reinforced wall destroys Hibana’s charge.
- Mute’s jammersBlocks charges without destroying them. Charges can be detonated once Jammer has been destroyed.
- Kaid‘s ElectroclawNewest breach denial addition to Rainbow Six Siege roster. Kaid adds a possibility to electrify two hatches, destroying affected charges
How to play -
Hibana R6 Siege
Playstyle
SUPPORT
As a support operator, you are not expected to be the first attacker engaging with enemies. Instead, play a bit more cautiously until your role is fulfilled and utility has been fully used.
The best way to utilize support operator from the beginning of the action phase in R6 Siege is to avoid getting spawn peeked while approaching the objective building. I highly recommend jumping on a drone for an initial 5-10 seconds and re-check your entry point.
Most of the spawnpeeked deaths can be avoided by this step alone… Seriously!
I highly recommend for support operators to aid their entry fragging teammates by droning for them to feed with invaluable intel about defenders’ position.
Droning for others is not flashy and won’t show on the scoreboard. However, it is one of the essential aspects differentiating consistently victorious squad and a random group of people where everyone plays for themselves.
Playstyle on the attack in Rainbow Six Siege is flexible and in fact fluid. Every operator turns eventually into fragger, once necessary tasks are completed, and utility has been used.
Therefore, you can play more aggressively and go fragging once:
- entry to the building has been made
- your team has established sufficient map control
- you have used your utility
Please note that Hibana is very good at fragging as:
- she is a three-speed operator
- has good AR capable of dispatching defenders quickly
- has access to Stun grenades
Difficulty
HARD
- Utility vital to the team’s success
- Mechanically more difficult than Thermite
- Requires advanced map knowledge
- High recoil on Type-89 (AR) and low ammo count in magazine
Loadout guide -
Hibana R6 Siege
Available options
Primary weapons
Secondary weapons
Universal gadgets
Breaching charge
Charge allows opening a hole in unreinforced walls, hatches and barricades.
Also usable on penetrable floors to create a new angle.
Stun Grenade
Temporarily blinds enemies facing grenade in radius during detonation.
Loadout suggestion
Loadout choices are an individual aspect, and rarely there is a “go-to” loadout in R6 Siege.
Sight choices are purely personal and depend on the player’s playstyle, map, even objective & specific role.
Please treat the below suggestion as what it is – our preferences.
We encourage you to experiment to find your setup.
Remember, just because something works for someone else, does not mean it has to and will work for you!
Suggested loadout:
| Primary weapon | Barrel | Grip | Scope |
| Type-89 | Flash hider | Vertical grip | 1.5x scope |
| Secondary weapon | Barrel | Grip | Scope |
| P229 | Muzzle brake | N/A | N/A |
| Gadget |
| Stun grenade |
Why such loadout?
PRIMARY WEAPONS
From primary weapons, Hibana R6 operator has access to AR Type-89 and shotgun Supernova.
Supernova is, in our opinion the worst shotgun in Rainbow Six Siege due to inconsistency in killing the power at close range.
On top of that, I do not recommend using shotguns on the attack as most of the encounters will take place in a range higher than optimal for shotguns.
I have mixed feelings about Type-89. It has good killing power, with 40 damage per bullet in the optimal range, while having a reasonable fire rate of 850 RPM. Downsides, however, are quite significant: high horizontal recoil and low ammunition count per clip (21).
I recommend using Type-89 with 1.5x scope or ACOG (2.5x) as Hibana will challenge defenders often at the range, especially considering her ranged breaching utility.
Unless, of course, you are a player who prefers 1x sights in general. Sights are an extremely personal aspect, so choose what suits you best!
In regards to barrel attachments, I suggest using a flash hider as recoil on the weapon is hard to control when spraying regardless of the chosen barrel. Type-89 pulls hard horizontally, to the point that the compensator does not help all that much.
Due to the high recoil of the gun and the role of Hibana, we always go with a vertical grip on Type-89 to help with severe recoil.
SECONDARY WEAPONS
Before recoil changes, everybody and their mother ran Bearing 9. In the current stage of the game, Bearing 9 sees significantly lower usage due to high recoil, which makes it unusable in other modes than burst. If you decide to run SMG as secondary, we suggest to pick a flash hider and try to spray as little as possible.
My secondary weapon choice is, however, P229.
Previously unused at all, this pistol offers great damage per bullet (50) with virtually non-existent recoil when equipped with muzzle brake — my favorite pistol as of Y3 end.
UNIVERSAL GADGET
For universal gadget selection, I almost always choose stun grenades. Grenades can come very handy when pushing defenders. They can also be useful for burning ADS on-site to help the team with using their utility.
If your team does not have any soft breacher, then we would suggest picking breaching charges.
Community Videos -
Hibana R6 Siege
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