EPISODE 4 DECISION TOOL

Coupé or Sonar? Interactive Cut Decision Tool

Compare both heroes with exact stats, simulate how each choice plays across every remaining shift, and see the story consequences before you make the cut.

Verified game data· verified 2026-07-21

Quick answer

The cut is permanent and hits at the start of Episode 4. Keeping Coupé gives you a slot-position striker (+1 to +3 Combat or Mobility) and a far easier Episode 8 boss fight. Keeping Sonar gives you an injury-immune Mega Bat form and higher Intellect coverage, but turns Episode 8 into one of the hardest fights in the game. Run the simulator below against your own roster to see which hero your squad actually needs.

When the cut happens

The cut happens at the start of Episode 4. From Shift 4A onward the Z-Team drops from eight heroes to seven: six core members (Flambae, Golem, Invisigal, Malevola, Prism, Punch Up) plus whichever of Coupé or Sonar you keep.

Your squad stays big

Later in Episode 4 the team also recruits either Waterboy or Phenomaman, bringing the late-game roster to eight — so the cut never shrinks your squad below seven.

No take-backs

The decision is permanent for the rest of the playthrough. The fired hero leaves the shift roster entirely and returns in Episode 8 on the opposing side.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Coupé

Coupé

Ballet assassin · positional striker

Combat4
Vigor0
Mobility3
Charisma0
Intellect3
Total10
  • En Pointe Starter

    On calls with more than 2 slots, Coupé gains +1 Combat if placed in the first slot and +1 Mobility if placed in the second.

  • En L’air

    Coupé flies to call locations, greatly reducing travel time.

  • Pirouette

    If Coupé is sent on a call that fails, she will reattempt it.

  • À la Seconde

    If placed in the first slot, Coupé now gains +3 Combat. If placed in the second slot, she now gains +3 Mobility.

Synergy: Punch Up — Unlockable synergy that raises success chance when paired: +5% / +10% / +15% by level.
Rivalry: Coupé and Punch Up are also listed as rivals — their pairing is volatile until the synergy is built.
Sonar

Sonar

Harvard bat · shape-shifting all-rounder

Combat2
Vigor0
Mobility2
Charisma3
Intellect4
Total11
Two forms: after each call, Instincts swaps Sonar into Mega Bat form — Combat 4 / Vigor 3 / Mobility 2 / Intellect 2 — until the next call.
  • Instincts Starter

    Sonar transforms after returning from a call. His Intellect swaps with Combat and his Charisma swaps with Vigor until the next call.

  • Bat Shit

    In Mega Bat form, Sonar is immune to injuries and his resting time is reduced by half.

  • Strong Back

    If transformed, Sonar flies to call locations, greatly reducing travel time. He also carries non-flying heroes.

  • Talk Shit

    When in Hybrid form, if Sonar is sent on a call that fails, he will talk his way out of it and reattempt the call.

Synergy: Malevola — Unlockable synergy that raises success chance when paired: +5% / +10% / +15% by level.
Rivalry: Sonar and Malevola are also listed as rivals — their pairing is volatile until the synergy is built.

Stat Shape Overlay

Success in Dispatch is about covering the five axes of a call — shape matters more than totals.

Late-Game Shift Simulator

We run every call from Episode 5 to Episode 8 against both possible rosters using verified level-1 base stats and the exact success model. The numbers below are the best team the simulator could field for each version of your squad.

Your Episode 4 recruit:
ShiftCallsKeep Coupé — avg bestKeep Sonar — avg bestGuaranteed (74%+)
Episode 5 · Shift 5A1176%80%8 vs 8
Episode 5 · Shift 5B1681%89%13 vs 14
Episode 6 · Shift 61769%73%9 vs 10
Episode 7 · Shift 71580%81%11 vs 11
Episode 8 · Shift 8A1760%63%5 vs 5
Episode 8 · Shift 8B2375%75%15 vs 15
Episode 8 · Shift 8C2179%81%14 vs 16
Overall12074%77%75 vs 79

Simulator verdict

Keeping Sonar wins 6 of 7 late-game shifts on best-team average (3% overall edge), with 79 guaranteed-success calls vs 75. That is the dispatch-side picture — weigh it against the Episode 8 boss fight below.

Story Consequences

Fire Sonar, keep Coupé

Episode 8 boss: Powered Sonar
Easy
  • Slow, telegraphed sonic attacks with long charge-up windows
  • Not personally invested — he is only working with the Red Ring for money
  • Pre-fight dialogue is mostly complaints and comic relief
  • Coupé stays on the roster for every remaining shift (Episodes 4–8).
  • Unlocks a silent infiltration route option during the Episode 6 covert mission.
  • Professional tone in team banter; tactical advice that flags traps.
  • Later story beats track the DefeatSonar and ForgiveOrForget_Sonar flags.

Fire Coupé, keep Sonar

Episode 8 boss: Powered Coupé
Extreme
  • Lightning-fast combos with minimal telegraphing — widely considered the hardest fight in the game
  • Deeply personal vendetta: she takes being fired as betrayal and targets Robert directly
  • Cold, threatening pre-fight dialogue — no comic relief
  • Sonar stays on the roster for every remaining shift (Episodes 4–8).
  • Sonic detection lets the team locate enemies through walls in Episode 6.
  • Comic relief and buddy-cop banter that balances the darker late-game story.
  • Later story beats track the DefeatCoupe and ForgiveOrForget_Coupe flags.

Made Up Your Mind?

Save your decision — the Roster Planner will automatically plan around it.

Plan teams with this roster →

What Other Players Chose in Episode 4

Dispatch does not publish the Coupé/Sonar cut split in its recap statistics, but it does track these other Episode 4 moments — here is how players handled them.

The Interview Brainteaser

Two ways through the Episode 4 brainteaser — find the real answer or laugh it off — and how each approach landed:

Solved it honestly47%
Joked through it — landed26%
Joked through it — flopped17%
Tried honestly, missed10%

The Stray Kaiju

What players did with the stray kaiju creature:

Adopted it40%
Returned it37%
Lost it23%

Saving Small Businesses

How often players saved the small businesses:

Failed to save them81%
Saved them19%

See every tracked player statistic across all eight episodes →

Coupé vs Sonar FAQ

Should I cut Coupé or Sonar in Dispatch Episode 4?

For easier dispatch gameplay, keep Coupé: her En Pointe ability adds +1 to +3 Combat or Mobility on calls with 3+ slots, and keeping her makes the Episode 8 boss (Powered Sonar) much easier. Keep Sonar if you want his injury-immune Mega Bat form and Intellect coverage — but be ready for the Powered Coupé fight, one of the hardest in the game.

Is the Episode 4 cut permanent in Dispatch?

Yes. The fired hero leaves your shift roster for the rest of the playthrough (Shifts 4A through 8C) and returns in Episode 8 on the opposing side. There is no way to re-hire them in the same run.

Who is on the roster after the Episode 4 cut?

Six core members always stay: Flambae, Golem, Invisigal, Malevola, Prism, and Punch Up. Your kept hero (Coupé or Sonar) is the seventh, and from Shift 4B your Episode 4 recruit (Waterboy or Phenomaman) becomes the eighth.

What are Coupé and Sonar's exact base stats?

Coupé: Combat 4, Mobility 3, Intellect 3 (Vigor 0, Charisma 0). Sonar day form: Combat 2, Mobility 2, Charisma 3, Intellect 4 (Vigor 0). After a call, Sonar transforms into Mega Bat form: Combat 4, Vigor 3, Mobility 2, Intellect 2.

Does the cut change the Episode 8 ending?

It changes who you fight and which resolution flags exist. Firing Coupé leads to the extremely difficult Powered Coupé boss and the DefeatCoupe / ForgiveOrForget_Coupe flags; firing Sonar leads to the much easier Powered Sonar boss and the DefeatSonar / ForgiveOrForget_Sonar flags.

Keep Reading

Full Coupé vs Sonar guideRoster-aware team plannerWhat other players choseEpisode 4 choices guide
Quick answer

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Interactive Coupé vs Sonar cut tool: exact stats and abilities, a late-game shift simulator for both rosters, and every story consequence — pick who to...

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Interactive Coupé vs Sonar cut tool: exact stats and abilities, a late-game shift simulator for both rosters, and every story consequence — pick who to...