I froze when the final wave rolled in and my 2,000 Yen unit never spawned. You’d felt that sharp, small rage—the kind that comes from knowing a single tweak could have saved the match. That moment taught me the difference between carrying a stage and watching it slip away.
I’ve spent dozens of raids testing every perk route so you don’t waste gold upgrading the wrong stat first. You and I will treat perks like a toolset: precise, strategic, and always aligned with the units you want to field. Read this once and your future rounds will feel steadier.
A player at an arcade will trade coins for extra lives; in Anime Squadron you trade gold for perks that reshape how a round begins
Perks are permanent upgrades that improve three starting stats: Maximum Yen, Yen Generation, and Base Health. They apply account-wide, so every story stage, raid, and custom match benefits the moment you press play.
Here’s what each perk actually does and how much in-game gold it will cost as you level it up:
- Maximum Yen: Raises the cap on how much Yen you can hold at once. More cap = better chance to deploy 500+ Yen heavy hitters. Each level adds +0.5K Max Yen and costs +0.5K Gold.
- Yen Generation: Increases Yen earned per second during a round. If you lose units quickly and need faster refresh, this stat keeps your economy stable. Each upgrade costs +750 Gold for +15 Yen/s.
- Health: Adds base stock (hit points) so early waves don’t punish you. Each level costs +5K Gold for +1 base stock.
Put simply: perks are a savings account for your match strategy—invest early and your high-cost plays become possible.
| Level | Maximum Yen | Yen Generation | Health |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gold needed: 500 Boost: 500 Yen |
Gold needed: 750 Boost: 15 Yen/ Second |
Gold needed: 5K Boost: 1 |
| 2 | Gold needed: 1K Boost: 1K Yen |
Gold needed: 1.5K Boost: 30 Yen/ Second |
Gold needed: 10K Boost: 2 |
| 3 | Gold needed: 1.5K Boost: 1.5K Yen |
Gold needed: 2.25K Boost: 45 Yen/ Second |
Gold needed: 15K Boost: 3 |
| 4 | Gold needed: 2K Boost: 2K Yen |
Gold needed: 3K Boost: 60 Yen/ Second |
Gold needed: 20K Boost: 4 |
| 5 | Gold needed: 2.5K Boost: 2.5K Yen |
Gold needed: 3.75K Boost: 75 Yen/ Second |
Gold needed: 25K Boost: 5 |
| 6 | Gold needed: 3K Boost: 3K Yen |
Gold needed: 4.5K Boost: 90 Yen/ Second |
Gold needed: 30K Boost: 6 |
Which perk should I upgrade first in Anime Squadron?
If you want to hit high-cost units on turn one, Maximum Yen is the usual first buy. It widens your options and makes rare, expensive units playable instead of aspirational. After you’ve raised the cap enough to field the units you actually want, shift spending into Yen Generation to stabilize income mid-round.
Practical rule: if your goal is to use a 2K+ Yen unit reliably, buy Maximum Yen until you can hold that amount. If your playstyle leans on level-ups and frequent buys, favor Yen Generation sooner.
A friend told me they missed a raid because they hadn’t clicked the perks screen once
Upgrading is simple. Open Perks from the left menu, select the stat you want, and press Upgrade. Every level charges the gold shown; you can farm that gold fast via daily runs, redeeming Anime Squadron codes, and community events on Discord.
Do Anime Squadron perks apply to every game mode?
Yes. Perk upgrades persist across modes—Story, Raid, and PvP variants all benefit. That permanence makes them one of the most efficient places to spend long-term gold, especially if you play multiple modes regularly.
Community channels—Discord servers, Steam discussions, YouTube creators, and Reddit threads—often post short-term code drops and efficient grind routes. Use those and your perk progress accelerates sharply.
A quick tournament observation: teams that win early invest differently than teams that win late
If your play is aggressive and you need one heavy unit to carry a wave, prioritize Maximum Yen first. If you prefer attrition and steady ramp, invest in Yen Generation after the initial cap. If you’re failing before the mid-game because your base tanks out, add points to Health.
Tactical checklist:
- Dream of landing a 2K unit? Ramp Maximum Yen until that amount is reachable.
- Rely on unit upgrades mid-round? Buy Yen Generation to avoid dry spells.
- Facing early wipeouts in Raids? Dump a few levels into Health to buy time.
Perks act as a scaffold for your match plan: build the levels that support what you actually play, not what sounds powerful on paper.
Want to argue whether Yen Gen or Max Yen shapes the meta more—are you willing to defend your pick?