I was just playing the most recently released story maps with Azama on my team. Usually I stay away from healers that buff the stats of the team with their specials because I usually appreciate healers who are specifically good at healing massive amounts of damage. However, I just decided to bring him along since I don't really use him that often and I got to say, he and other healers like him are better than I gave them credit for.
I would always wonder why I would use a healer with DEF if I'm just going to keep him in the back lines anyways, but I then I saw how Azama can just tank a crap ton of hits, build up his special cool down, and buff the entire team with Earth-Balm healing special. It turned out to be a fantastic strategy to keep him on the front lines! His Reconcile can restore the little damage he does take and pain still allow him to inflict damage upon others even with his weak attack power. (I am still personally against the existence of the pain staff) It was during that battle I noticed that Azama is generally a well build character that does the job of def buffing and tanking rather than healing, but just because I saw that he carries a staff, I did not even consider using him in that matter until now.
Have you guys noticed any other strange stat and weapon combination that does another job better than the one you would think that any other person wielding it would be able to do proficiently?