Anime Expeditions Tier List

Update 0.5 limited unit snapshot

The four placements below are community research leads, not an official balance order.

• Crow (Black Fire): S-tier watchlist for reported boss damage, Black Fire damage-over-time, and shield pressure.
• Dark Mage (Sovereign): S-tier watchlist for broad magical damage and Freeze control.
• Razorjaw (Hunter): A-tier specialist for reported critical scaling, Stagger, and path-focused burst.
• Cursed Immortal (Black Sun): B-tier situational pick whose clone and damage-over-time value appears more route-dependent.

Best DPS units

These placements emphasize reported damage mechanics and scaling conditions rather than copied stat totals.

• 8th Sword (Berserk): strongest long-wave research lead because takedowns reportedly build permanent in-stage damage; expensive and slower to reach full value.
• Shadow (Divine): summon-based damage plus rewind and Magical-team support; high ceiling, but Secret acquisition and long cooldowns raise the investment cost.
• Cursed Student (True Love): copies a nearby ally and scales through follow-ups; powerful with the right formation, but dependent on another strong unit.
• Elf Mage (Unleashed): cycles line, circle, and full-area spells; strong wave coverage, but needs repeated attacks to reach later Arcane effects.
• Lady Giant (Envy): reported high Giant-form output with wall utility; the form also attacks more slowly, so timing and trait choice matter.

Best support units

Support value is measured by how much a unit improves the rest of the squad, not by personal DPS.

• Puppet (Telekinetic): reported damage-amplification mark plus rewind control; best research lead for boss-focused team value.
• Shadow (Divine): reported Magical damage buff during Shadow Realm while still contributing summons and control.
• Forbidden Teacher: reported scaling damage buff for Magical allies; lower-rarity role option when the team is caster-heavy.
• The Hero: reported scaling damage buff for Physical allies; use only when enough of the deployed team benefits.

Best crowd control units

Control rankings depend on stage immunity, path layout, application cooldowns, and whether the team can exploit the extra damage window.

• Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1): clearest dedicated Slow and Stagger specialist in current reports.
• String Demon (Awakened): Cocoons enemies and rewards a team that can rapidly supply the required hits.
• Puppet (Telekinetic): rewinds enemies while also increasing incoming damage on a priority target.
• Shadow (Divine): combines rewind and summon-based Stun, but its cost is harder to justify for control alone.

Best beginner units

No current banner cost or obtain rate is verified, so this is a role-first shortlist rather than a promise that these units are easy to obtain.

• Use one dependable damage dealer before chasing a perfect six-unit roster.
• Keep The Hero or Forbidden Teacher when their team-wide buff matches your carry's damage type.
• Keep Ice Queen or Salmon Sorcerer when Story leaks are caused by insufficient control rather than insufficient headline DPS.
• Do not discard Ramen Guy solely for lower damage; economy can matter more than another unfinished carry in long stages.

Best farming units

Ramen Guy is the only tracked unit with a clearly reported dedicated economy role. Donbori is reported to increase Yen from kills, while Capital Lock reduces the amount recovered when selling him.

• Deploy an economy slot only when the stage lasts long enough to repay its placement and upgrade cost.
• Do not call Ramen Guy universally best until kill credit, stacking, placement limits, and real payback time are tested.

What each tier means

The letters describe research priority, not a promise that every higher-tier unit beats every lower-tier unit in every stage.

• SS: the submitted ranking's strongest watchlist. These units have reported mechanics with high damage, support, control, or scaling potential, but still need normalized testing.
• S: strong reported specialists or carries with meaningful conditions such as transformation, charge time, ally dependence, or stage fit.
• A: useful role pieces that can solve a roster gap without being treated as universal endgame answers.
• B: narrower research leads whose value depends more heavily on current stats, upgrades, and stage rules.
• C and D: low-priority entries in the supplied ranking, not instructions to sell or feed a unit before its kit and current balance are checked.

Why rankings can move

A tier can change without a unit's name changing. Balance updates can alter Damage, SPA, Range, costs, placement limits, status immunities, summon pools, evolution access, or equipment interactions. A new stage can also reward a previously narrow control, wall, economy, or damage profile. Recheck the current client before using this list for a large Gem, trait, or evolution decision.

How to compare two units on your account

Use the same stage, comparable levels, equivalent upgrade investment, and the same trait and equipment assumptions. Record whether the run failed to waves, a boss timer, currency, placement coverage, or an immunity. The better unit is the one that fixes the measured failure at an acceptable cost; a damage screenshot from a different build or setup is not a fair comparison.

Ranking methodology

Checked July 26, 2026. A unit rises when multiple sources describe a repeatable role that helps a real stage problem: damage, amplification, control, blocking, or economy.

• Compared reported passives and active abilities across Pro Game Guides, BloxInformer, Beebom, Treyex, and Destructoid.
• Did not import exact DPS tables because Damage, SPA, Range, costs, equipment, and traits were not normalized in one build.
• Penalized dependence on rare acquisition, long setup, equipment, allied units, or narrow stage conditions.
• Kept source conflicts visible instead of selecting the most favorable number.

Changes after the latest update

The July 26 revision adds Crow (Black Fire), Dark Mage (Sovereign), Razorjaw (Hunter), and Cursed Immortal (Black Sun). No official numerical balance log was available, so their placements remain provisional until same-build testing or developer-controlled stats can support stronger conclusions.

FAQ

Is S watchlist the same as verified best DPS? No. Should every team use six DPS units? No; control, amplification, and economy can solve different failure points. Can a lower-rarity unit be useful? Yes, when its buff or control directly supports the current team. When will rankings become confirmed? After same-build stats, costs, placements, traits, equipment, and stage results can be compared.

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