The lobby went silent as the final wave crested. I watched a single misclick turn a sure win into a frantic reroll. You know that cold fizz—the run hinges on one pull and one unit.
Anime Vanguards Tier List Overview
One Friday night I timed three hours of ranked runs and wrote down every unit that actually stopped a leak.
I sifted the meta from Update 12, narrowed the pool to the 50 most seen characters, and split them into damage, utility, and support roles. I’ll tell you who carries games solo, who holds lanes, and who you should be spending gems on when a $4.99 (€5) pull is on the table.
| Tier | Units |
| SS Tier | Demon Leader (Control), God (Above Heaven), Song Jinwu and Igros, Gujo (Infinity), Lich King (Ruler), Rogita (Super 4), Ice Queen (Release), Alocard (Vampire King) |
| S+ Tier | Demon Hybrid (Chainsaw), Demon Leader, Brolzi Super (Wrathful), Conqueror vs Invulnerable, Savior (Rebirth), Diablo (Renacimiento), Shinobi Sage (Friendship), Skele King (Rock), Divalo (Requiem), Teacher (Final Stand), Lord Friezo (Emperor), Quetzalcoatl (Sun God) |
| S Tier | Iscanur (Pride), Pink Villain (Celestial), World Destroyer (Old), Hollowseph (Pure), Okorun (Turbo), Isdead (Romantic), Agony Shinobi (Force), Student (Enraged), Savior (Moonless), Koguro (Unsealed), Renguko (Purgatory), Explosive Demon (Bomb), Cursed Shinobi (Black Flames) |
| A Tier | Deceiver (Monster), Horsegirls (Racers), Igros (Elite Knight), Astolfo (Rider of Black), Ice Manipulator (Admiral), Company Captain (Hybrid), Armored Mage (Requip), Elastic Captain (Pirate), Fastest Shinobi (Flash), Delusional Demon (Blood), Saber (Black Tyrant), Slime (King) |
| B Tier | Warlord (Of the Sea), Fallen Angel (Pistols) |
| C Tier | Manipulator (Spider) |
| D Tier | Gazelle (Zombie), Leo (Fangs) |
Anime Vanguards Tier List Explained
On stream I tracked the builds that won consistently and those that died to one misread of a wave.
I organized the roster by what matters most in each mode — who nukes single targets, who stalls, and who buffs the whole board. Below I walk you through each tier with practical reasons to pick or bench a unit, and I mention community sources like the Anime Vanguards subreddit, Discord theorycraft channels, and creators on YouTube and X whose logs I cross-checked.
SS Tier
SS units are a lighthouse in a storm.
- Demon Leader (Control): The economy-and-buff queen. She shrinks placement cost while gifting Demon Hunters massive damage percentages; pair her with Demon Hybrid for the biggest scaling jump.
- God (Above Heaven): A map-level nuke that rewrites fights; late waves tremble at his presence.
- Song Jinwu and Igros: Frontline spawners that bypass your placement cap—think of them as free bodies that buy time and chip pressure without babysitting.
- Gujo (Infinity): The premium crowd-controller whose domain stop slows and stuns entire packs, buying your carries dozens of precious seconds.
- Lich King (Ruler): Constant minion spawns and an unkillable frontline mean you can funnel gold into carries elsewhere.
- Rogita (Super 4): Boss-melting single-target burst; slot him for fights that hinge on a single giant enemy.
- Ice Queen (Release): Absolute area denial—freezes lanes so your DPS can reset and shred.
- Alocard (Vampire King): High DoT pressure with self-sustain; he turns prolonged fights into attrition wins.
S+ Tier
S+ carries are a razor for bosses.
- Demon Hybrid (Chainsaw): Peak damage potential but needy—best with Demon Leader’s buffs to hit a 130% ceiling.
- Brolzi Super (Wrathful): Ramp-based AoE that becomes ridiculous as games progress; you pay now and reap later.
- Conqueror vs Invulnerable: Armor shredders that demolish tanky threats.
- Savior (Rebirth): A late-game machine; your economy must support its upgrades.
- Diablo (Renacimiento): Compounds AoE damage on clustered waves—perfect for dense maps.
- Shinobi Sage (Friendship): The best pure DPS scaler after Update 12; he elevates ninja comps into late-game monsters.
- Skele King (Rock): Buff engine and crowd control in one package.
- Divalo (Requiem): Time control that lets you dictate enemy positions and pace.
- Teacher (Final Stand): Phase-scaling clutch unit for final-wave chaos.
- Lord Friezo (Emperor): A steady, long-range beam DPS anchor.
- Quetzalcoatl (Sun God): Anti-air and burn—removes aerial threats reliably.
S Tier
S-tier picks are reliable and flexible; they win lanes and hold tempo.
- Iscanur (Pride): Sun-burn carry with timing-based spikes.
- Pink Villain (Celestial): Self-sufficient lane holder with regen.
- World Destroyer (Old): Physical AoE that clears fodder fast.
- Hollowseph (Pure): Smooth early-to-late progression for mixed threats.
- Okorun (Turbo): Speed-based flex who can boss or clear as needed.
- Isdead (Romantic): Cheaper freeze option for stalling waves.
- Agony Shinobi (Force): Mid-game carry that prevents leaks while you build economy.
- Student (Enraged): Rage-based spike damage; timing matters.
- Savior (Moonless): Wide-range AoE that covers map gaps.
- Koguro (Unsealed): Shield breaker who strips defenses quickly.
- Renguko (Purgatory): Line-based DoT that rewards corner placement.
- Explosive Demon (Bomb): High late-game explosive scaling.
- Cursed Shinobi (Black Flames): Spread DoT that shines against long blue waves.
A Tier
A-tier units are solid starters and situational fills.
- Deceiver (Monster): Great early tempo but scales weakly later.
- Horsegirls (Racers): Fast attack tempo for early economy runs.
- Igros (Elite Knight): Rapid slashes and bleeds—excellent early-game DPS.
- Astolfo (Rider of Black): Mobility and repositioning for emergency saves.
- Ice Manipulator (Admiral): Zone control for wide maps.
- Company Captain (Hybrid): Reliable frontline bruiser.
- Armored Mage (Requip): Tactical armor swaps; flexible but not peak DPS.
- Elastic Captain (Pirate): AoE brawler with limited reach.
- Fastest Shinobi (Flash): Cleanup specialist against fast lanes.
- Delusional Demon (Blood): Stackable DoT that loses value in burst-heavy metas.
- Saber (Black Tyrant): Cleave specialist for choke maps.
- Slime (King): Stalling utility for teams missing freeze.
B Tier
B-tier units are useful early steps but feel the pinch against modern rosters.
- Warlord (Of the Sea): Knockback and CC that struggles with late-game DPS standards.
- Fallen Angel (Pistols): Strong single-target damage but no AoE means trouble when waves cluster.
C Tier
C-tier is fine to use while you save for better pulls.
- Manipulator (Spider): Traps and stalling, but the slot pressure is real.
D Tier
D-tier units are emergency holds until a better unit arrives.
- Gazelle (Zombie): Revival gimmick that’s rarely valuable in perfect runs.
- Leo (Fangs): Fun melee brawler but short on the multipliers needed for late waves.
What is the best DPS unit in Anime Vanguards?
I’ll be blunt: Shinobi Sage (Friendship) is the single best DPS pick post Update 12 for most ladder and legend content. If you build a ninja shell around him and manage economy, he outscales nearly everything else.
What is the best support unit in Anime Vanguards?
For raw team-wide impact I pick Alocard (Vampire King) for sustained pressure and sustain. For utility and placement economy, Demon Leader (Control) is the play—you’ll feel the difference in every timed run.
Is Gojo good in Anime Vanguards?
Yes. Gujo (Infinity) is a specialist crowd-controller who becomes a map-stopper when you get his Infinity form. Many Discord guides and YouTube loggers highlight his ability to clutch final waves.
I cross-checked live logs from community testers on Reddit and creator breakdowns on YouTube to avoid one-off bias; you should too if you plan to spend real gems. Which picks are carrying your lobby right now and why?