I remember the moment my team lost a raid because one unit refused to pull its weight. You feel the floor drop under your strategy, and suddenly every pull, every evolution, every gem spent looks like a bet. If you want to stop gambling on characters, read this like a field manual.
I’m the person who tests comps in private Discord servers and reads the Reddit threads so you don’t have to. I’ll tell you which units carry matches, which ones are stopgaps, and the little decisions that separate a farm run from a failed raid.
At a crowded drafting table players point to single units and whisper predictions.
The list below ranks every unit by passive strength, damage ceiling, utility, and team fit. Treat S+ as the characters you want on every banner and D as the benchwarmers you sell for XP. Replace lower-tier units when a stronger option appears instead of pouring resources into them; evolution is where characters truly scale.
| Tier | Units |
|---|---|
| S+ | Shadow (Divine), 8th Sword (Berserk), Puppet (Telekinetic), Cursed Student (True Love), Toy Maker |
| S | Crimson (Brother), Flame Emperor (Reincarnate), Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1), Lady Giant (Envy), Elf Mage (Unleashed), Ramen Guy |
| A | String Demon (Awakened), Reaper (Released), Hollow (Blaze), Forbidden Teacher, The Hero, True Saint (Holy) |
| B | Greed, Ice Queen, Water Princess, Scissor |
| C | Stone Alchemist, Ice Mage, Bounty Hunter, Corps Captain, Demon Cyborg, Nen Hunter |
| D | Curly Brow, Kid Assassin, Reishi Archer, Thunder Shinobi, Rubber Boy, Carrot |
At the practice arena you learn two things fast: one pull doesn’t win a season, consistency does.
I ranked units by three criteria: passive team impact, peak damage potential, and flexibility across Story Mode, Infinite, and endgame raids. Traits and equipment nudge characters up or down, but the list focuses on base passives and stat ceilings so you can plan long-term investments.
What is the best DPS unit in Anime Expeditions?
Shadow (Divine) is the single most reliable damage engine. Its Shadow Realm passive buffs all Magical allies by 25% while spawning permanent spirits that keep pressure on lanes. Shadow is a lighthouse in a storm: it steadies entire teams and forces opponents to answer it or lose control.
Which is the best support unit in Anime Expeditions?
Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1) sits at the top of support roles because its Slow and Stagger effects multiply your team’s time-on-target. Pair it with long-cast Mythics and your DPS windows widen dramatically. For economy or meta discussions, check community tools like Discord spreadsheets, Reddit tier threads, and Moyens I/O’s guides for build examples.
Which Anime Expeditions unit should beginners prioritize?
True Saint (Holy) is the safest early investment: easy to obtain, simple to slot into teams, and it increases the damage enemies take with almost no setup. Early on, pair it with Ramen Guy or Stone Alchemist for steady income—Ramen Guy’s +50% Yen gain effectively accelerates your resource curve (think of it as the difference between small weekly gains and noticeably faster upgrades, roughly worth an extra €0.50 per clear at common rates).
S+ Tier Units
These are the characters you prioritize when they appear on a banner. I treat them as permanent roster cores unless you’re chasing a specific comp.
- Shadow (Divine): 25% buff to Magical allies plus permanent spirit summons that keep applying pressure across waves.
- 8th Sword (Berserk): Passive chip damage and a Berserk Mode that explodes its damage, range, and attack speed once conditions are met.
- Puppet (Telekinetic): Auto-targeting of dangerous enemies and a summoned doll that acts as a second, low-effort carry; Puppet is a Swiss army knife for boss fights.
- Cursed Student (True Love): Builds Bleed stacks and follow-up attacks that melt high-health targets while summoning Bat Spirits for extended encounters.
- Toy Maker: Summons toys that control lanes and create consistent, scalable damage across modes.
S Tier Units
S units require slight setup or pairings but are still long-term investments. If you lack a Mythic carry, these will carry you through hard content.
- Crimson (Brother): Delayed explosion mechanics and lingering damage pools that dominate clustered spawns.
- Flame Emperor (Reincarnate): Superior spread damage via Burn mechanics and firewalls that define pathing.
- Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1): Slow and Stagger are the backbone of effective crowd control supports.
- Lady Giant (Envy): Rock Chunks and a transformation that boosts multiple stats for frontline reliability.
- Elf Mage (Unleashed): Arcane Charges build into heavy area damage over time.
- Ramen Guy: Economic engine that accelerates access to expensive upgrades and evolution mats.
A Tier Units
A units are dependable and frequently slot into both farming and raid teams when higher-tier options are unavailable.
- String Demon (Awakened): Cocoon stuns plus follow-up strings balance control and offense.
- Reaper (Released): Scales as the stage lengthens with permanent damage and crit buffs.
- Hollow (Blaze): High damage against burning targets; pairs best with Flame Emperor.
- Forbidden Teacher: A reliable aura that buffs Magicals inside its range.
- The Hero: Scales physical teams via stacking damage bonuses.
- True Saint (Holy): Simple, effective debuff that makes enemy HP pools easier to chew through.
B Tier Units
Useful as situational plugs. Don’t invest heavily unless they fit a planned comp or you lack alternatives.
- Greed: Boss-specialist with extra single-target damage.
- Ice Queen: Freeze and bonus damage versus weakened enemies for targeted slow-control.
- Water Princess: Shields that block debuffs, improving survivability in certain fights.
- Scissor: Stacking damage against the same enemy—good for long single-target fights but slow to scale.
C Tier Units
Starter units that ease early progression but are outclassed quickly. Use them until a better pull appears.
- Stone Alchemist: Early income generator but loses to Ramen Guy for long-term farming.
- Ice Mage: Basic slow control useful pre-Salmon Sorcerer.
- Bounty Hunter: Straightforward damage with little mechanical upside.
- Corps Captain: Steady attacks but lacking late-game scaling.
- Demon Cyborg: Basic physical DPS without extra team value.
- Nen Hunter: Adequate early-game but fades against tougher stage mechanics.
D Tier Units
Short-term guildmates at best; replace them early to avoid wasted resources.
- Curly Brow: Basic starter damage that doesn’t scale into Epic or Mythic stages.
- Kid Assassin: Low output makes it obsolete quickly.
- Reishi Archer: Placeholder DPS without notable utility.
- Thunder Shinobi: Good initial damage but poor long-term scaling.
- Rubber Boy: No standout passive to separate it from other Rares.
- Carrot: Minimal offensive or team contribution; prioritize replacing it.
At a speed-run leaderboard people argue about frame-perfect timings and which carry got the most help.
Here’s the DPS-specific ranking if your goal is raw damage and single-target dominance. Use this when building raid teams or when you need one unit to carry a lane.
| Tier | Units |
|---|---|
| Meta DPS | Shadow (Divine), 8th Sword (Berserk), Puppet (Telekinetic), Cursed Student (True Love), Crimson (Brother), Toy Maker |
| DPS | Flame Emperor (Reincarnate), Lady Giant (Envy), Elf Mage (Unleashed), String Demon (Awakened), Reaper (Released), Hollow (Blaze), Greed, Ice Queen, Scissor |
| Ignore | True Saint (Holy), Bounty Hunter, Corps Captain, Demon Cyborg, Nen Hunter, Curly Brow, Kid Assassin, Reishi Archer, Thunder Shinobi, Rubber Boy, Carrot |
At a practice match you notice the team with better support lives longer and wins more consistently.
Support choices alter how fast your DPS spikes and how survivable your comp is. Below are the units that matter most when you’re tuning synergies rather than raw numbers.
| Tier | Units |
|---|---|
| Meta Support | Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1), Puppet (Telekinetic), Shadow (Divine), Forbidden Teacher, The Hero |
| Support | String Demon (Awakened), True Saint (Holy), Toy Maker, Ice Queen, Water Princess, Ice Mage, Ramen Guy, Stone Alchemist |
| Ignore | Greed, Scissor, Bounty Hunter, Corps Captain, Demon Cyborg, Nen Hunter, Curly Brow, Kid Assassin, Reishi Archer, Thunder Shinobi, Rubber Boy, Carrot |
I monitor tier shifts through player-run spreadsheets on Discord, trending threads on Reddit, and roundups from sites like Moyens I/O and GamePress. If you’re tracking meta movement, save a few pulls for banners that rotate in true carries—don’t spend everything chasing cosmetics or one-off units.
Which unit are you building around this week and why?