In Octopath Traveler 2, Ochette will need to choose between Mahina or Akala at the start of her tale. Find out the advantages of each companion and which companion best suits your playstyle!

Should You Choose Mahina or Akala?

We Recommend Picking Mahina

The choice between Mahina and Akala boils down to the playstyle you prefer.

However, we highly recommend Mahina at the start of Ochette's tale as she can capture other monsters as her ability and many of the capturable monsters available within Chapter 1 have weapon skills, so it is preferrable to have a wide coverage by having a companion that can reveal elemental weakness and captured monsters that can reveal weapon type weakness!
Ochette Profile: Story, Job, and Path Actions

Choose Mahina for Elemental Weakness Skill

Malamaowl	Skills and Abilities ・Attack an elemental weak point ・Arcane Blade

Malamaowl, also known as Mahina, is an owl that you can pick at the start of Ochette's tale.

Pick Malamaowl if you want to have a companion that reveals an elemental weakness of an enemy. Later on the story, Ochette will rename Malamaowl to Mahina.

Choose Akala for Weapon Weakness Skill

Akala	Skills and Abilities ・Attack a weapon weak point ・Finishing Blow

Lajackal, also known as Akala, is a jackal that you can pick at the start of Ochette's tale. Lajackal is stronger than Malamaowl in terms of damage.

Pick Lajackal if you want to have a companion that reveals a weapon type weakness of an enemy. Later on the story, Ochette will rename Malamaowl to Akala.

Can You Choose Both?

No, Players Can Only Pick One Companion

Players are only allowed to choose one companion to bring on their journey. Once your decision has been made, you cannot bring the companion that you didn't pick.
List of Missables and One-Time Events

Who Will You Pick Between Mahina and Akala?

Who did you find cute between Akala and Mahina? Did you pick based on what they are capable of, or did you choose based on how cute they are? Let us know below in the comment section!
Answer in the Comments!

Octopath Traveler 2 Related Guides

Octopath Traveler 2 Tips and Tricks

All Tips and Tricks
Day and Night Cycle Guide	Boat and Canoe Guide
Travel Banter Guide	How to Fast Travel
What to Do at Taverns	All Radar Icons Explained
Should You Choose Mahina or Akala?	How to Restore Reputation
Nuts Guide	Trophy and Achievements
Crossed Paths Guide	Missables Guide
Ship Guide and Features	True Ending Guide
Is There New Game Plus?	100 Percent Completion Guide
Drinking the Forbidden Elixir	How to Learn Limb from Limb Skill
Tier List and Best Guides
Best Weapons to Use	Best Secondary Jobs
Best Party Setup	Best Support Skills
Best Starting Character	Best Concoction Recipes
Best Character Tier List
Farming Guides
Money Farming Guide	JP Farming Guide
Octopuff Traveler Farming	Cait Farming
Jerky Farming Guide	Cait and Octopuff Differences
EXP Farming Guide
Location Guides
All Divine Weapon Locations	All Black Market Locations
All Guild Locations	All Altar Locations
Inventor Item Locations	All Gramophone Locations
All Legendary Arms Locations
Path Action Guides
Path Actions Explained	Best Items and Weapons to Steal
Best Monsters to Capture	Best NPCs to Allure
Best Skills to Learn from Challenges
Battle and Combat Guides
Break and Boost Guide	All Latent Powers Explained
Combat Bonuses Guide	How to Increase Encounter Rate
Status Effects and Buffs Explained	All Stats and Attributes
Controls and Settings
Difficulty Settings Guide	Recommended Settings
How to Skip Cutscenes	Basic Controls and How to Save
How to Transfer Demo Save Data