The ultimate Update 0.5 Anime Expeditions Tier List, with the best DPS and support units in the release meta.
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Updated on July 29, 2026: Anime Expeditions Update 0.5 has been out for a few days now, and we’ve thoroughly tested all four new units: Crow (Black Fire) / Itachi, Dark Mage (Sovereign) / Judar, Razorjaw (Hunter) / Grimmjow, and Cursed Immortal (Black Sun) / Zeref. Check out our updated Anime Expeditions Update 0.5 Tier List below!
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Wondering which Anime Expeditions units are the best in the Update 0.5 meta? When it comes to production value and visual presentation, Anime Expeditions, the latest Roblox anime tower defense game, is unmatched, and I can’t emphasize enough how much I enjoy playing it. If you feel the same way, check out my Anime Expeditions Tier List to learn about the current meta and the best team comps.
When it comes to the best units in the Anime Expeditions Update 0.5 meta, rankings mostly come down to how much value each unit provides on its own. There are still relatively few units that truly matter right now, and we are, of course, mainly talking about Mythic and Secret units.
There are some synergies already, but not nearly as many as there will be once the game expands further. For now, each unit in my Anime Expeditions Tier List should be evaluated based on several key factors:
Stats – Core unit stats such as Damage, Attack Speed, Range, Critical Chance, Critical Damage, and more.
Status Effects – Many units apply status effects with their attacks, such as Burn, Freeze, Slow, and Bleed. These can help you clear waves faster, stall enemies, and control the battlefield more effectively.
Attack Type – There are currently three damage types in the game: Physical, Magical, and Psychic.
Element – Most units have an Element, such as Storm, Flame, Gale, Hydro, Dark, Neutral, Terra, Light, and more.
Passives – Most units in the upper tiers of our Anime Expeditions Tier List have several powerful passive abilities that can make all the difference in the right team comp.
S
Anime Expeditions S Tier Units
S Tier is reserved for units that either define the current meta or provide something the rest of the roster cannot replace. The order below weighs performance across short stages, bosses, Raids, Challenges, and Infinite rather than judging units only at maximum ramp.
Anime Expeditions S Tier unit rankings, attributes, status effects, and evaluations
Unit
Evaluation
Shadow (Divine)
SecretDPSDarkMagicalStun / Rewind
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Megumi Fushiguro from Jujutsu Kaisen.
The clear No. 1 unit in the release meta. Shadow compresses carry damage, permanent summons, Stun, Rewind, and team amplification into only one roster slot.
Shadow Realm rewinds the map and gives all Magical units 25% more Damage for 30 seconds, making it equally brutal for boss bursts and emergency wave recovery.
Winged Spirit supplies recurring AoE Stuns, while Divine Spirit functions like an additional permanent carry once summoned.
The two-placement limit and ¥73,900 max cost are substantial, but unlike most expensive units, every part of his kit remains useful in Story, Challenges, Raids, and Infinite.
Puppet (Telekinetic)
MythicDPSLightPsychicPuppet Mark / Rewind
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Gowther from The Seven Deadly Sins.
The best bossing support and the safest second pick after Shadow. Puppet Mark makes the strongest enemy in range take 20% increased incoming damage, multiplying the output of the entire team rather than only Puppet's own DPS.
Complete Control adds a two-second Rewind on a 30-second global cooldown, buying another attack cycle against bosses or pulling a dangerous leak back into the kill zone.
The Doll is primarily an emergency blocker, not a serious damage summon, and Puppet's personal wave clear is below the top carries.
Even with a two-placement limit and ¥57,150 max cost, the near-unreplaceable damage amp keeps Puppet firmly near the top of S Tier.
Crimson (Brother)
ExclusiveDPSDarkMagicalCrimson Mark / DoT
Best Trait:Unbound or Draconic
Inspired by Choso from Jujutsu Kaisen.
The best immediate DPS value in S Tier. At only ¥24,850 to max, Crimson reaches full power far earlier than the expensive Secret carries and needs no external status setup.
Regular attacks plant delayed Crimson Explosions that leave damaging pools, giving him excellent coverage against both clustered waves and targets that survive the initial hit.
Piercing Crimson deals 75% Damage every second for 10 seconds along a selected line while repeatedly applying Crimson Mark, making long lanes and boss pushes his playground.
He stops attacking normally during the channel, so poor timing can lower his DPS, but that is a player problem rather than a kit problem.
Crow (Black Fire)
SecretDPSDarkMagicalIllusion / Black Fire
Best Trait:Forsaken
Inspired by Itachi Uchiha from Naruto.
One of the strongest immediate carries in the game. Crow reaches 475.71 base DPS for only ¥45,775, has three placements, and needs no partner to activate his main damage loop.
Every regular attack applies Illusion for 12 seconds. Broken Mind stores all damage Crow deals to that target, then repeats 25% of the stored amount in a small AoE when Illusion expires, adding delayed boss burst and collateral wave damage.
Searing Flames gives him a premium anti-shield niche: Black Fire damages shields on every tick, while shielded enemies inside his range gain Black Fire stacks. A full Black Fire effect deals 2x damage across 12 ticks over 12 seconds.
His fixed 15 range is restrictive, and both Illusion and Black Fire need time to finish, so fast waves and short stages can waste part of the kit. Even so, the combination of high base DPS, delayed detonation, and shield destruction places Crow near the top of S Tier.
8th Sword (Berserk)
SecretDPSNeutralPhysicalDismembered / Stun
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Kenpachi Zaraki from Bleach.
The strongest pure late-game hypercarry, but also the least practical unit near the top of S Tier. Each takedown grants 1% permanent Damage, up to a massive 100% increase.
Demonic Presence ticks for a percentage of his current Damage inside the inner range, while his teleporting Execution attack periodically Stuns priority targets.
After 25 takedowns, Berserk adds another 20% Damage, faster attacks, and Dismembered on every hit for 15 seconds, turning the kill zone into a meat grinder.
The catch is the ¥92,800 max cost and kill-dependent ramp. He dominates Infinite and long Raids, but Crimson and Puppet contribute more quickly in short content.
Flame Emperor (Reincarnate)
MythicDPSFlameMagicalBurn
Best Trait:Unbound or Draconic
Inspired by Sabo from One Piece.
Wildfire spreads each Burn application across multiple enemies, giving Flame Emperor some of the most reliable hands-off wave clear among the Mythics.
Wall of Fire can manually cover an entire lane with Burn, catching enemies outside his normal targeting pattern and setting up sustained DoT before they reach the main defense.
He is also the unit that makes Burn specialists such as Hollow function consistently, so his value rises further in Flame-focused teams.
His boss damage is steadier than explosive, but the combination of self-contained clearing, status coverage, and synergy makes him an easy S Tier investment.
Cursed Immortal (Black Sun)
MythicDPSDarkMagicalMobile Aura / State Cycle
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Zeref Dragneel from Fairy Tail.
Cursed Immortal does not remain at the placement point; he continuously travels down the lane, carrying his damaging aura through the wave and pressuring far more of the path than a static unit with the same listed range.
Wandering Death lets him pass through enemies without dealing or receiving collision damage, while every aura tick damages all enemies around him. This makes him exceptionally difficult for packed waves to stop and allows all three placements to function as mobile lane sweepers.
At maximum upgrade, his listed Damage is 1,800. Caring State therefore deals 900 Damage per tick across half of his 29 range, while Cold State deals 2,250 Damage per tick inside a tighter quarter-range aura. Because the meter fills by five per second but drains by only two, the harder-hitting Cold State occupies the longer part of a complete cycle.
Each state change also grants 5% Critical Chance, up to 30%. The drawbacks are the ¥78,450 max cost, automatic pathing, and narrow Cold aura, which can reduce contact time on awkward maps, but his mobile one-second AoE ticks and long-mode scaling are too strong to leave in A Tier.
Cursed Student (True Love)
MythicDPSDarkPhysicalBleed Synergy
Best Trait:Unbound or Draconic
Inspired by Yuta Okkotsu from Jujutsu Kaisen.
Cursed Mimicry triggers every third regular attack, copying the closest ally for 100% of Cursed Student's current Damage plus a portion of that ally's Damage. Beside a real carry, the value is absurd.
A three-placement limit gives optimized teams a very high ceiling, but every copy needs careful positioning; parking him beside a buffer or farm unit is premium-grade self-sabotage.
Spirit Bats are a secondary bonus rather than the reason to use him, since they require 20 Bleed stacks in range and only attack a limited number of times.
He deserves S Tier for scaling off two units at once, although the ¥51,850 cost and reliance on a strong neighbor keep him below the more self-sufficient carries.
Promoted to S Tier. Teacher Blessing increases the Damage of every Magical unit in range, with the buff growing by 5% per upgrade. In the current Magical-heavy meta, that is too much value to leave in A Tier.
At only ¥9,800 to max and a four-placement limit, Forbidden Teacher can amplify several expensive carries for a fraction of what another DPS unit costs.
Shadow, Crimson, Flame Emperor, Elf Mage, and other Magical units all scale directly from the buff, making him a core piece of optimized Magical teams.
He contributes nothing meaningful outside that attack type, but specialization is not a real drawback when the units he supports already dominate the meta.
Ramen Guy
LegendaryFarmNo ElementPhysicalYen Boost
Best Trait:Investor
Inspired by Teuchi from Naruto.
Donburi increases Yen earned from enemy kills by 50%, accelerating every deployment and upgrade that follows. No damage unit reproduces that economy swing.
He is effectively mandatory in Infinite and other long modes where the extra Yen has enough waves to snowball into multiple finished carries.
Capital Lock refunds only 10% of his cost when sold, so placement is a commitment, and short stages may end before he repays the roster slot.
Ramen Guy ranks below the combat units because his value is mode-dependent, but as the only top-end farm unit, he remains irreplaceable enough for S Tier.
Toy Maker
ExclusiveSupportDarkPsychicSummons / Blocking
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Sugar from One Piece.
Toy Maker does not attack normally; the single placement continuously sends blockers onto every path covered by his range, creating extra attack time that damage sheets cannot measure.
Later upgrades add faster Toys, death AoE, and mutated summons with 150% increased Health, so his lane control continues scaling into difficult waves.
The ¥48,350 max cost is steep for a non-attacker, and covering multiple routes divides summon Health between them. He is also much less impressive in boss-only encounters.
On favorable Infinite, Challenge, and multi-lane maps, however, no other unit stalls as much ground from one placement, which earns him the final S Tier position.
A
Anime Expeditions A Tier Units
A Tier units are strong enough for endgame content, but each gives up something the S Tier does not: immediate impact, universal team value, cost efficiency, or independence from a specific map and setup. Several can perform like S Tier units inside their ideal compositions.
Anime Expeditions A Tier unit rankings, attributes, status effects, and evaluations
Unit
Evaluation
Dark Mage (Sovereign)
MythicDPSHydroMagicalFreeze / Lightning Arc
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Judar from Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic.
The most versatile of the new A Tier Mythics. Dark Mage combines 337.41 base DPS, two distinct AoE patterns, lane damage, and hard crowd control, although the two-placement limit and ¥65,100 max cost keep the investment substantial.
After every eight regular attacks, Magic Cycle switches between a compact 12-size Circle AoE Ice attack and a much wider 55-size Cone AoE Lightning attack. Entering Lightning Magic also creates an Arc on the path that deals 25% of his current Damage every second to enemies touching it.
Entering Ice Magic grants Freeze on attack. Each enemy hit adds one Frostbite stack, and at 20 stacks, the next hit against a frozen enemy shatters it for 10% additional Damage in a five-range AoE.
The cycle is powerful but slow: at his final 5.4 SPA, eight regular attacks take roughly 43 seconds. Freeze also has a 10-second target cooldown, and Shatter removes the Freeze, so Dark Mage offers excellent mixed utility without the consistency of an S Tier carry.
Razorjaw (Hunter)
MythicDPSNeutralPhysicalStagger / Path Sweep
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez from Bleach.
An efficient A Tier bruiser with excellent lane-wide burst. Razorjaw reaches 318.94 base DPS, costs only ¥43,300 to max, and has three placements, giving him much better practical deployment value than most expensive Mythics.
Every 10 seconds, Roar deals 35% of his current Damage in Full AoE, applies a one-second Stagger, and grants 1% Critical Chance for every enemy hit, up to 25%. Dense waves let him cap the bonus quickly while repeatedly interrupting the entire pack.
Endless Slashes teleports Razorjaw to the base and sends him down the whole path. Each successive slash gains another 10% Damage, making the ability excellent for clearing a developed lane, catching leaks, or ramping through a boss push before he returns to his original position.
The active unlocks only at Upgrade 8 and has a 60-second local cooldown, while boss-only stages build Roar's Critical Chance far more slowly. He is powerful and cost-efficient, but less universally dominant than the S Tier carries.
Elf Mage (Unleashed)
MythicDPSWindMagicalMana Burn
Best Trait:Unbound or Draconic
Inspired by Frieren from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.
The strongest A Tier carry and the first unit outside S. Arcane Magic fires extra 100% Damage attacks at three, five, and seven charges, rotating through Line, Circle, and Full AoE patterns.
Eruption adds Mana Burn, while every completed charge cycle grants 5% permanent Arcane Spell Damage, up to 25%. Long stages give her excellent AoE uptime and scaling.
Three placements at ¥42,650 each can produce huge coverage, but she offers no team buff, hard crowd control, or boss amp.
She is consistent and self-sufficient, just not as run-defining as the S Tier units above her.
Reaper (Released)
MythicDPSLightPhysicalPermanent Self-Buffs
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach.
Adaptation grants 5% Damage and Critical Chance per different enemy type attacked, so Reaper scales naturally on stages with varied enemy rosters.
Critical Tempo converts Crits into up to 15% lower SPA for 20 seconds, creating a clean loop between his permanent Crit scaling and attack speed.
Mirage Step has a 35-second cooldown and gives him rare repositioning flexibility plus a clone, while Mirage Swap provides a built-in Stun cleanse.
At ¥35,600 to max and three placements, he is extremely efficient, but maps with few enemy types cap Adaptation early and keep him out of S Tier.
Lady Giant (Envy)
MythicDPSTerraPhysicalStone Walls
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Diane from The Seven Deadly Sins.
Lady Giant is one of the best-value all-rounders: four placements, only ¥30,000 to max, respectable DPS, and two Stone Walls that automatically refresh lane control.
Every fourth attack throws a bonus rock for 100% Damage, increased to 125% during Giant Form, so her sustained output is better than the base stat line suggests.
Giant Form lasts 25 seconds on a 60-second cooldown and grants 125% Damage plus 50% Range, although the 25% SPA increase makes each attack slower.
She works almost everywhere, but the active downtime and lack of team amplification leave her a step below the elite carries.
Inspired by Himmel from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.
Hero Blessing increases the Damage of every Physical unit in range, with another 5% buff strength per upgrade. Around 8th Sword, Cursed Student, Reaper, or Lady Giant, the slot easily pays for itself.
The four-placement limit and tiny ¥9,800 max cost make him one of the most efficient supports in the game.
He ranks below Forbidden Teacher because the release meta has more top-end Magical cores, not because the Physical buff is weak.
Outside a Physical-heavy setup he is dead weight, so he remains an excellent specialist rather than a universal S Tier unit.
String Demon (Awakened)
MythicDPSNeutralMagicalCocoon / Stun
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Donquixote Doflamingo from One Piece.
Cocoon of Carnage periodically traps hit enemies until the Cocoon takes 10 hits or five seconds pass. Breaking it adds another hit based on String Demon's current Damage.
String Sync can connect up to three nearby allies and generate follow-up attacks based on String Demon's Damage, but each string has a 15-second reapplication delay after breaking.
Fast, multi-hit teams can trigger both passives reliably and make him look borderline S Tier. Slow comps often let Cocoons expire and waste much of String Sync's ceiling.
The three-placement limit is useful, but ¥54,700.5 per maxed copy is expensive for a unit that still needs the right teammates to reach full value.
Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1)
MythicSupportGaleMagicalSlow / Stagger
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Toge Inumaki from Jujutsu Kaisen.
Crumble Away applies a permanent 20% Slow at every upgrade, while Plummet Staggers an enemy for two seconds when it enters the inner half of Salmon's range.
That two-layer control is reliable, requires no status setup, and keeps waves grouped inside Full AoE and ground-effect attacks for several extra cycles.
At ¥29,600 to max with three placements, he is practical in Challenges, Raids, and Infinite, especially around the entrance to the main kill zone.
His own damage is secondary and Stagger is less valuable once a boss is already sitting inside the range, so he is strong support rather than an automatic S Tier slot.
Hollow (Blaze)
MythicDPSFlamePhysicalAustere Flames
Best Trait:Unbound or Draconic
Inspired by Gabimaru from Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.
Hollow converts Burn applications into Austere Flames when he attacks burning enemies or when Burn finishes ticking inside his range, giving Flame teams another layer of follow-up damage.
With Flame Emperor continuously spreading Burn, three Hollow placements can repeatedly cash in those applications and produce excellent sustained damage.
Without an external Burn applicator, a major part of the kit simply does not function. He cannot establish his own ideal damage loop.
That dependency is especially painful at ¥55,150 to max, so Hollow remains a strong specialist rather than a generally recommendable S Tier carry.
True Saint (Holy)
ExclusiveSupportLightMagicalTrue Saint Mark
Best Trait:Unbound
Inspired by Hinata Sakaguchi from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
Regular attacks place True Saint Marks on up to five enemies, and Crits detonate active marks for extra damage. Built-in Critical Chance makes the loop reasonably consistent.
Seize steals 20% Damage from the three strongest nearby allies for 60 seconds, temporarily turning True Saint into a much stronger carry.
The problem is obvious: the active gains power by weakening the units that were already doing the most work. Bad timing can lower total team output rather than improve it.
She has enough damage and burst utility to stay in A Tier, but the awkward trade-off makes her the least reliable unit in these two sections.
So there you have it, that's the reasoning behind my S and A tiers in the Anime Expeditions Tier List. There's no point going through the remaining tiers as those units either don't have any passives or are simply not meta-relevant enough for me to take enough time to write about them, to be honest.
Anime Expeditions Equipment Tier List
This section covers only exclusive gear that is unique to some of the top meta units. In my opinion, these units are simply not complete without the passives and abilities provided by their equipment pieces. If you want a unit to reach its full power and potential, you will need to equip it with the right exclusive gear.
Check out the full list below.
Gear
Best Anime Expeditions Unit Equipment
Unit Equipment in Anime Expeditions does much more than provide a couple of small stat bonuses. Most pieces unlock a unit-defining Equipment Passive, meaning the right gear can fix a unit’s biggest weakness, complete its build, or push an already strong character into the meta.
Anime Expeditions unit equipment bonuses, exclusive passives, and evaluations
Equipment
Evaluation
Webbed Fruit
Exclusive to String Demon (Awakened)
Unit Equipment+1% Range-1% SPA
Equipment Passive: Cocoon of Carnage
Every five regular attacks Cocoons all enemies hit.
Cocooned enemies are Stunned until the Cocoon takes 10 hits or five seconds pass.
Breaking it with 10 hits deals 125% of String Demon’s current Damage.
The Cocoon despawns without bonus damage if it is not broken in time.
Core gear for String Demon. The extra Range and lower SPA both help him cycle Cocoons more consistently.
Fast-hitting teams get the full value by breaking each Cocoon for the 125% burst. Slower comps still get up to five seconds of AoE Stun, but leave a lot of damage on the table.
This is the piece that turns String Demon from a decent Magical DPS into a proper crowd-control carry.
Technique Amplifier
Exclusive to Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1)
Unit Equipment-1% SPA+1% Range
Equipment Passive: Crumble Away
Applies Slow based on Salmon Sorcerer’s current attack.
Explode: 20% Slow.
Blast Away: 35% Slow.
Twist: 50% Slow.
Crush: 65% Slow.
This is why Salmon Sorcerer is such a nasty late-game support. His Slow scales from useful to completely obnoxious as his attack changes.
The Range bonus helps him cover more of the kill zone, while lower SPA improves both his Slow uptime and personal damage.
At 65% Slow, enemies crawl through your DPS ranges. There is almost no reason to run Salmon without this equipped.
Spirit of the Moonblade
Exclusive to Reaper (Released)
Unit Equipment+1% Crit Chance+1% Crit Damage
Equipment Passive: Adaptation
Reaper gains permanent buffs after attacking different enemy types.
Each distinct enemy type grants +10% Damage.
Each distinct enemy type also grants +10% Critical Chance.
Reaper’s main scaling engine. Mixed-enemy stages let him stack Damage and Crit extremely quickly.
The added Crit also feeds Critical Tempo, which lowers his SPA after critical attacks. Once the passives start looping together, his DPS ramps hard.
It is less impressive in short stages or maps with little enemy variety, but in longer content this is easily his best-in-slot equipment.
Promise Ring
Exclusive to Cursed Student (True Love)
Unit Equipment+1% Damage-1% SPA
Equipment Passive: Spirit Bats
Every 20 Bleed stacks accumulated within range summons a Bat Spirit.
A maximum of three Bat Spirits can exist at once.
Each Bat Spirit deals 25% of Cursed Student’s current Damage per attack.
Bat Spirits despawn after performing three attacks.
Excellent in a dedicated Bleed comp, where the Bat Spirits keep spawning and add a steady stream of free follow-up damage.
The lower SPA also helps Cursed Student reach his Cursed Mimicry procs faster, so the base stats are useful even before the bats appear.
Without another unit consistently stacking Bleed, the equipment passive barely exists. Build around it or use Promise Ring as a glorified stat stick.
Hell’s Flower
Exclusive to Hollow (Blaze)
Unit Equipment+1% Damage-1% SPA
Equipment Passive: Radial Flames
When Burn stops ticking on an enemy within Hollow’s range, one Burn application becomes Austere Flames.
Austere Flames deals 85% of Hollow’s current Damage.
Separate Radial Flames instances do not stack with one another.
This equipment supplies one of Hollow’s biggest Burn payoffs, converting expired applications into another chunk of damage.
Pair it with Flame Emperor and Hollow constantly cashes in Burns instead of waiting around for enemies to walk out of range.
It is premium gear in a Burn comp and fairly underwhelming without one. Hollow is a specialist, and Hell’s Flower does not pretend otherwise.
Hair Bells
Exclusive to 8th Sword (Berserk)
Unit Equipment+1% Damage+1% Range
Equipment Passive: Demonic Presence
Enemies within 50% of 8th Sword’s Range take 15% of his current Damage every second.
Equipment Passive: Savage Rebound
Immediately cleanses Stun whenever 8th Sword is Stunned.
Triggers Thunderclap Cut for 125% of current Damage.
All of his follow-up attacks apply Dismembered.
One of the strongest equipment pieces in the game. Demonic Presence turns half of 8th Sword’s Range into a constant damage aura.
The Range stat is especially valuable because it also expands the effective area of Demonic Presence.
Savage Rebound hard-counters Stun mechanics while rewarding the enemy for trying with a 125% follow-up attack.
Hair Bells improves his damage, survivability, crowd control, and consistency. It is basically mandatory once you own it.
Emperor’s Attire
Exclusive to Flame Emperor (Reincarnate)
Unit Equipment+1% Damage+1% Range
Equipment Passive: Wildfire
Whenever Flame Emperor applies Burn, it spreads to the five nearest enemies without Burn.
Emperor’s Attire turns a single Burn application into near-instant coverage across an entire enemy pack.
It massively improves Flame Emperor’s wave clear and makes him the best Burn enabler for units such as Hollow.
The passive matters less against an isolated boss, but the Damage and Range bonuses are always useful.
For general play and Burn comps, this is a clear best-in-slot piece and a major part of Flame Emperor’s S Tier value.
Update 0.5 makes role coverage even more important: Crow supplies dedicated anti-shield pressure, Dark Mage adds dense-wave control and lane damage, Razorjaw brings recurring Stagger plus a full-path sweep, and Cursed Immortal functions as a moving lane unit rather than a normal stationary placement. The teams below use six distinct units and are built around the demands of each mode.
Team-building rule: Preserve the defining interaction first, then adjust the farm, control, or secondary-carry slot around the map. Ramen Guy is a default long-mode pick, not an automatic choice on short stages.
Best Anime Expeditions Update 0.5 team compositions, recommended units, synergies, game modes, strengths, weaknesses, and replacements
Team Comp / Units
Evaluation
Update 0.5 Meta Magical Core
The strongest all-purpose endgame shell, combining Magical amplification, boss damage amp, shield coverage, crowd clearing, and economy.
Update 0.5EndgameRaidMagical CoreShield Coverage
Shadow (Divine)Global Magical buff / Carry
Dark Mage (Sovereign)AoE carry / Freeze / Arc
Crow (Black Fire)Anti-shield / Delayed burst
Forbidden TeacherLocal Magical buffer
Puppet (Telekinetic)Boss amp / Rewind
Ramen GuyEconomy / Faster setup
Core sequence: Apply Puppet Mark, activate Shadow Realm, and let Crow’s Illusion detonation and Dark Mage’s strongest damage cycle land during the same amplified window.
Best for: Raids, Villain Invasion, difficult Story acts, longer Challenges, and any stage mixing dangerous bosses with shielded or tightly packed waves.
How it works: Shadow Realm globally increases the Damage of Magical units, while Forbidden Teacher locally buffs Shadow, Dark Mage, and Crow. Puppet Mark then increases all incoming damage against the strongest enemy, including damage from units that do not share the same attack type.
Matchup coverage: Dark Mage handles dense waves through Magic Cycle, Freeze, and the Lightning Arc. Crow supplies the anti-shield niche and delayed Illusion burst, while Shadow adds summons, Stun, Rewind, and another premium carry in one slot.
Placement: Keep Shadow, Dark Mage, and Crow inside Forbidden Teacher’s range. Puppet only needs reliable coverage of the boss or strongest enemy, and Ramen Guy should be placed where selling him later will not be necessary.
Weaknesses: This is an expensive setup and can feel slow before the main carries reach their defining upgrades. Dark Mage’s forced form cycle and Crow’s delayed detonation also make the damage less immediate than a simple burst lineup.
Replacements: On short stages, replace Ramen Guy with Crimson or Flame Emperor. Salmon Sorcerer is the better swap when leaks and fast enemies are the real problem. If a map has no shields, Crow becomes optional rather than mandatory.
Crow Anti-Shield Challenge Team
A no-farm combat lineup built to dismantle shielded waves while keeping them trapped inside overlapping Magical damage zones.
Dark Mage (Sovereign)Freeze / Lightning lane damage
Flame Emperor (Reincarnate)Burn spread / Wall of Fire
Shadow (Divine)Global buff / Rewind
Forbidden TeacherMagical damage buffer
Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1)Slow / Stagger control
Core requirement: Crow must cover the shielded enemies while Salmon keeps them inside Dark Mage’s Arc, Flame Emperor’s Wall of Fire, and the main Magical kill zone.
Best for: Shield-heavy Challenges, Villain Invasion stages, and modifiers where defensive enemies survive long enough to drag the rest of the wave out of position.
How it works: Crow’s Black Fire repeatedly damages shields and builds pressure on shielded targets. Dark Mage and Flame Emperor clear the enemies surrounding them, preventing Crow from wasting too much time on the rest of the pack.
Buff stack: Every attacking unit in this lineup is Magical, so Shadow Realm improves the entire combat core. Forbidden Teacher adds another local multiplier to the units clustered around the primary lane.
Control layer: Place Salmon near the entrance of the kill zone. Slow and Stagger give Crow more time to cycle Illusion and Black Fire while keeping enemies inside the Lightning Arc and Wall of Fire.
Weaknesses: The team gives up both economy and Puppet’s universal boss amplification. It is also excessive on stages without shields, where a more conventional carry or farm slot produces better overall value.
Replacements: Puppet can replace Salmon when a single boss is the bottleneck. Ramen Guy can replace Flame Emperor on a long stage with a forgiving early game, while Crimson is excellent on a straight lane that rewards concentrated damage.
Austere Flames Burn Engine
A status-focused composition that turns Flame Emperor’s Burn coverage into repeated Hollow damage while Dark Mage supplies independent AoE and control.
Core requirement: Establish Flame Emperor’s Burn coverage before investing heavily in Hollow, and keep burning enemies inside Hollow’s range until his conversion effects trigger.
Best for: Dense Story waves, Expedition routes, long Challenges, and other stages where enemies remain grouped inside one kill zone for several attack cycles.
How it works: Flame Emperor spreads Burn and places Wall of Fire across the path. Hollow converts active or expiring Burn applications into Austere Flames, adding a second damage layer that scales from Hollow rather than from the original Burn applier.
Independent carry: Dark Mage prevents the team from becoming completely dependent on the Burn loop. Freeze, Frostbite, and the Lightning Arc add wave control and lane damage even when Hollow is between conversions or attacking the wrong target.
Support structure: Salmon holds enemies inside the shared Flame Emperor and Hollow coverage, Puppet amplifies the strongest survivor, and Ramen Guy helps fund three expensive evolved Mythics.
Weaknesses: Hollow loses much of his value when Burn coverage is inconsistent. The team also mixes Physical, Magical, and Psychic damage, so neither Forbidden Teacher nor The Hero can efficiently buff the entire lineup.
Replacements: Shadow can replace Dark Mage for stronger global utility and burst. Crow is the better replacement on shield-heavy stages, while Crimson can replace Ramen Guy when the stage is too short for farming to pay off.
Physical Raid Carry Core
A Physical-focused boss team that uses takedown scaling, copied attacks, Razorjaw’s lane sweep, and two separate damage multipliers.
Placement priority: Keep Cursed Student closest to 8th Sword once 8th Sword has accumulated takedowns; Razorjaw can cover a wider section of the lane independently.
Best for: Raids and boss stages that send enough smaller enemies for 8th Sword and Razorjaw to build their permanent or stacking bonuses before the main target arrives.
How it works: The Hero buffs all three Physical carries. Puppet Mark then increases incoming damage to the strongest enemy, giving the lineup a second multiplier that also benefits Puppet’s own attacks.
Carry interaction: Cursed Student copies the closest ally’s attack after every three regular attacks. Once 8th Sword has gained permanent Damage from takedowns, positioning the two together gives Cursed Student a much stronger source attack.
Razorjaw’s job: Roar adds recurring Full AoE damage and Stagger while building Critical Chance from enemies hit. Endless Slashes can then clear an established lane, catch leaks, or cut through a boss push from one end of the path to the other.
Weaknesses: Pure boss stages with few or no adds slow both 8th Sword’s takedown scaling and Razorjaw’s Crit growth. The team also has less sustained blocking than the previous Lady Giant version.
Replacements: Lady Giant can replace Razorjaw when Stone Walls matter more than path damage. Reaper is stronger on enemy-diverse maps, Greed is a simple pure-boss budget option, and Salmon can replace Ramen Guy when early control is more important than economy.
Infinite and High-Wave Scaling
A slow-starting late-game team built around three different scaling systems, global Magical support, crowd control, and long-run economy.
Win condition: Survive the early investment phase, then let 8th Sword, Elf Mage, and Cursed Immortal accumulate separate permanent or repeatable bonuses while Shadow supports the whole map.
Best for: Infinite, long Tournament runs, and extended wave-based content where permanent scaling and expensive upgrades have enough time to outperform immediate burst teams.
Three scaling engines: 8th Sword gains permanent Damage from takedowns, Elf Mage increases Arcane Spell Damage after completed charge cycles, and Cursed Immortal gains Critical Chance as he repeatedly changes states.
Why Shadow fits: Cursed Immortal moves down the lane instead of remaining at his placement point, so a local buffer cannot reliably stay with him. Shadow Realm is global and continues buffing both him and Elf Mage regardless of where Cursed Immortal has traveled.
Control and economy: Salmon protects the static kill zone used by 8th Sword and Elf Mage, while Ramen Guy accelerates a roster with several costly max upgrades.
Weaknesses: Cursed Immortal is highly map-dependent, and his tighter high-damage state can miss enemies that are not close to his route. The comp is also expensive and gives up Puppet’s direct boss amplification.
Replacements: Reaper can replace Cursed Immortal on awkward or split-path maps. Puppet can replace Salmon when boss DPS is the limiting factor, while Toy Maker can replace Ramen Guy after the economy is already established and stalling becomes more valuable.
Wandering Death Long-Lane Core
A dedicated Cursed Immortal lineup that supports his moving aura with global buffs and fixed path hazards rather than static local range bonuses.
Long LaneInfiniteMagical CoreMoving UnitBoss Pressure
Cursed Immortal (Black Sun)Moving aura carry
Shadow (Divine)Global Magical support
Dark Mage (Sovereign)Lightning Arc / Freeze
Flame Emperor (Reincarnate)Wall of Fire / Burn spread
Puppet (Telekinetic)Boss amp / Rewind
Ramen GuyEconomy
Core interaction: Cursed Immortal travels through the lane while Shadow’s global buff follows him; Dark Mage’s Arc and Flame Emperor’s Wall of Fire create stationary damage zones along the same route.
Best for: Long, predictable single-lane maps where Cursed Immortal can remain close to enemies for extended periods and repeatedly pass through packed waves without being stopped by collision combat.
How it works: Cursed Immortal alternates between a wider, safer Caring aura and a tighter, harder-hitting Cold aura while moving. Repeated state changes gradually increase his Critical Chance, making the composition much stronger over time.
Path layering: Dark Mage’s Lightning Arc and Flame Emperor’s Wall of Fire damage enemies at fixed points before or after Cursed Immortal reaches them. This reduces the amount of work his narrow Cold aura must do by itself.
Support choice: Shadow is far better here than Forbidden Teacher because Shadow Realm is global. Puppet marks the strongest enemy for increased incoming damage and can Rewind a boss back into the path hazards.
Weaknesses: The lineup is noticeably worse on short, branching, or awkwardly curved maps. Cursed Immortal cannot be treated like a normal stationary tower, and a poorly aligned route can waste much of the Cold-state aura.
Replacements: Salmon can replace Ramen Guy when enemies separate too quickly. Crow can replace Flame Emperor on shield-heavy stages, while Elf Mage is a safer replacement for Cursed Immortal when the map does not suit a moving unit.
Expedition Payload Control
A defensive multi-lane composition that stacks Toys, Stone Walls, Slow, Stagger, Freeze, Stun, and Rewind to maximize effective attack time.
PayloadHeavy ControlSplit PathsMulti-LaneEconomy
Toy MakerMulti-path blockers
Lady Giant (Envy)Stone Walls / AoE
Shadow (Divine)Carry / Summons / Rewind
Dark Mage (Sovereign)Freeze / Lightning Arc
Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1)Slow / Entry Stagger
Ramen GuyEconomy
Map requirement: Place Toy Maker where his range reaches the routes that need help most, remembering that Toy Health is divided when he covers multiple paths.
Best for: Expedition Payload, leak-prone Story acts, and maps with several paths converging around a central damage area.
How it works: Toy Maker continuously sends blockers onto covered paths, while Lady Giant maintains up to two Stone Walls. These separate delays create several extra attack windows before enemies reach the payload or exit.
Control chain: Salmon slows and Staggers enemies entering the kill zone, Dark Mage adds Freeze and recurring lane damage, and Shadow supplies Stun, Rewind, summons, and the main burst button.
Strength: The team is built around effective attack time rather than raw damage-sheet output. It can stabilize maps where a theoretically stronger six-carry lineup repeatedly leaks on different routes.
Weaknesses: Toy Maker and Lady Giant consume two slots without providing top-tier boss amplification. On a short single-lane stage, the control is redundant and a direct DPS unit clears faster.
Replacements: Razorjaw can replace Lady Giant when a full-path sweep is more useful than walls. Crow should replace Dark Mage when shields are the main mechanic, and Puppet can replace Toy Maker when the stage ends in one difficult boss rather than repeated lane pressure.
No-Secret Magical Progression
The cleanest banner-based endgame team, using three complementary Magical carries with a type buffer, universal boss amp, and economy.
Upgrade order: Establish one functioning carry first, then upgrade Forbidden Teacher only after Dark Mage, Flame Emperor, or Elf Mage can actually convert the buff into meaningful damage.
Best for: Story progression, Challenges, Expeditions, and early endgame accounts that have evolved Mythics but have not obtained Shadow, Crow, or 8th Sword.
How it works: Dark Mage covers control and lane damage, Flame Emperor spreads Burn through dense waves, and Elf Mage provides reliable Line, Circle, and Full AoE follow-up attacks with long-stage scaling.
Support: Forbidden Teacher improves all three carries at once. Puppet adds a universal damage multiplier against the strongest enemy, while Ramen Guy helps pay for a roster with several expensive upgrade trees.
Strength: Unlike the previous mixed Burn progression team, this lineup fully exploits a Magical buffer without giving up boss amp, economy, or independent damage sources.
Weaknesses: It still requires multiple evolved Mythics and is therefore not a true starter lineup. It also lacks Crow’s dedicated anti-shield mechanics and can feel slow on stages that end before the scaling carries complete their cycles.
Replacements: Crimson is the best replacement for Dark Mage if the limited unit is unavailable. Salmon can replace Ramen Guy on short or leak-prone stages, while Crow immediately replaces the least useful carry whenever shields become the central mechanic.
No-Secret Physical Progression
A practical Physical lineup that replaces Secret-level scaling with Razorjaw’s lane pressure, Cursed Student’s copied attacks, and Lady Giant’s walls.
No SecretProgressionPhysical CoreRaid ReadyBoss + Waves
Core interaction: The Hero buffs all three Physical carries, while Cursed Student should be closest to whichever upgraded carry currently has the highest Damage.
Best for: Story progression, Raids with boss adds, Challenges, and accounts that have not obtained 8th Sword.
How it works: Razorjaw handles broad lane pressure through Roar and Endless Slashes, Lady Giant supplies AoE and Stone Walls, and Cursed Student converts the strongest nearby Physical attack into additional follow-up damage.
Support: The Hero buffs all three carries simultaneously. Puppet Mark increases incoming damage to the strongest enemy, helping the team finish bosses without sacrificing its wave-clearing structure.
Placement: Fit the three Physical carries inside The Hero’s range, but keep Cursed Student closest to the intended copy target rather than to The Hero, Puppet, or Ramen Guy.
Weaknesses: Razorjaw builds Crit more slowly on low-density boss stages, and Cursed Student loses considerable value if the wrong ally becomes the closest target. The team also lacks Shadow’s global recovery button and permanent summons.
Replacements: Reaper can replace Lady Giant on enemy-diverse maps, while Greed is a simpler pure-boss alternative. Salmon should replace Ramen Guy when fast enemies are ending the run before the farm slot starts paying for itself.
Important: Cursed Immortal moves down the lane and should not be planned around static local buffs such as Forbidden Teacher. String Demon’s fast-hit Cocoon setup is still viable, but it is more execution- and SPA-dependent than the nine broadly useful compositions above, so it is better treated as a specialist alternative rather than a default best team.
For now, that’s all I have to say about the best units in Anime Expeditions for the release meta. Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed my analysis, feel free to check out some of the other pieces I’ve written in our Roblox guides section.
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About the Author
Nikola Savic
Senior Staff Writer
Nikola is a Senior Staff Writer at Pro Game Guides with over 14 years of experience in gaming and esports journalism. A former editor-in-chief of the Serbian gaming publication Play!Zine and the RUR Esports portal, he has covered games professionally since 2012 across both Serbian and international media (senior editor at GINX Esports and GosuNoob). At PGG, he focuses on Roblox guides and tier lists, with particular depth in anime-inspired action RPGs and horror experiences like Paradox. Having been gaming since the early ’90s, he is a longtime PC gamer, and he brings an RPG and strategy game mindset to evaluating builds, meta picks, and game mechanics.
