This tier list is up to date with the latest Anime Vanguards anniversary update 9!
Anime Vanguards continues to evolve with Update 9.0, marking the game's first anniversary! This tier list includes all characters, featuring the new Anniversary units, trading system, and meta-defining characters. With over 200 units now available, choosing the right ones for your lineup is more important than ever.
All Units Ranked in Anime Vanguards - Tier List
As you may have noticed, the best units in Anime Vanguards are evolved ones. But, thanks to more complex characters and their passives, even some B-tier units can be helpful in certain situations (mainly in Story mode). That said, here's a list of all Anime Vanguards units ranked from best to worst.
| Tier | Units |
|---|---|
| God | DIO Over Heaven (God), Hellkiller, Hollowseph, Rideon vs Samuel, Senator, Shero, Thunder |
| SS | Brolzi Super (Wrathful), Gujo (Infinity), Iscanur (Pride), Koguro (Unsealed), Lord Friezo (Emperor), Monkey King (Awakened), Rogita, Song Jinwu and Igros, Sprintwagon, Sukono, The Falcon (of Light), The King (Apostle), The Struggler (Rampage), Wolf (Resurrection), Yehowach (Almighty) |
| S | Ackers (Ken), Al (Good), Ali, Alocard (Vampire King), Arin (Rumbling), Astolfo (Rider of Black), Aurin (Nuclear Giant), Boo, Brisket (Yo-yo), Byeken (Ronin), Chaso (Blood Curse), Choy Jong En, Dark Mage (Evil), Dawntay (Jackpot), Deruta (Hunt), Diogo (Alternate), Divalo (Requiem), Eizan (Aura), GG (Possessed), Gear Boy (Hungry), Giant Queen (Founder), Goblin Killer (Trapper), Haruka Rin (Dancer), Hei (Black Dragon), Isdead (Romantic), Jag-O (Volcanic), Jin Mori, Julias (Eisplosion), Kazzy (Queen), Legendary Super Brolzi, Lfelt (Love), Mechamar, Newsman (Forecast), NotGoodBoy (Free), Priestess, Quetzalcoatl, Regnaw (Rage), Reimu (Shrine Maid), Riner (Reinforced Giant), Rom and Ran (Fanatic), Saber (Black Tyrant), Sakuya (Time Maid), Slime (King), Soburo (Contract), Song Jinwu (Monarch), Sosuke (Storm), The Smith (John), The Witch, Todu (Unleashed), Tuji (Sorcerer), Vermillion, Vigil (Power), Yomomata (Captain), Zak (Ape Giant) |
| A | Akazo (Destructive), Cha-In (Blade Dancer), Emmie (Ice Witch), Foboko (Hellish), Friran, Gilgamesh (King of Heroes), Hercool (and Mr Boo), Igros (Elite Knight), Itaduri, Kempache (Feral), Lilia and Berserker, Medusa (Gorgon), Mohato, Noruto (Six Tails), Obita (Awakened), Renguko (Purgatory), Rohon (Adult), Roku (Dark), Roku (Super 3), Sosuke (Hebi), Sukono (base), Tengon (Flashiness), Vogita Super (Awakened) |
| B | Agony, Alligator, Bean, Blossom, Dodara (Explosive), Giro (Ball Breaker), Goi, Grim Wow, Inamuki, Ishtar (Divinity), Itochi, Johnni (Infinite Spin), Kinaru, Kinnua, Kiskae (Scientist), Medea (Witch of Betrayal), Nazuka, Orehimi (Faith), Oryo (Antithesis), Valentine (Love Train) |
| C | Genas, Genitsu, Inosake, Karem (Chilled), Kokashi, Lethal Bee, Octopus, Okorun (Turbo), Pickleo, Pweeny (Boxer), Saiko (Spirit Medium), Stone Lee, Zion (Burdelyon) |
| D | Gaari, Luffo, Mimi (Psychic), Noruto (base), Roku (base), Rukio, Shinzi, Sosuke (base) |
Related: Anime Vanguards Codes
Best Ranked Characters in Anime Vanguards (Update 9)
Not all Mythical units are great, and not all Rare and Epic units are trash. That's especially true for Sprintwagon, a money unit that you'll cherish and love till the end of time or until a better farm comes along.
With that in mind, here are the best-ranked units in Anime Vanguards, along with all their details and why you should add them to your lineup.
Got Tier - Most Dominant Units
| Unit | Rarity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DIO Over Heaven (God) | Secret | + OP! Time-stop mechanic, which is perfect for boss fights. + Fantastic damage |
| Shero | Exclusive | + Extremely high DPS |
| Hollowseph | Exclusive | + One of the best hybrid units, as it combines damage output and support powers |
| Thunder | Exclusive | + Fast attack speed + Excellent AoE damage |
| Hellkiller | Exclusive | + High-risk, high-reward Sacrifice ability is often a difference maker |
| Senator | Exclusive | + Strong support and DPS hybrid. |
| Rideon vs Samuel | Exclusive | + Dual-unit mechanics grant massive versatility and exceptional damage scaling + Is great at AoE and single-target damage. |
SS Tier
| Unit | Rarity | Description |
| Sukono | Secret | + Massive bleed/burn potential + Scales endlessly with kills, + Ignores damage reduction. |
| Brolzi Super (Wrathful) | Vanguard | + Crit-focused + Full AOE + Inflicts Rupture, which disables regen permanently - Slower SPA compared to other top units |
| The Falcon (of Light) | Secret | + Ignores enemy damage reduction and + Crowd control - significantly slows enemies |
| Koguro (Unsealed) | Vanguard | + Has a high-mobility teleport mechanic, allowing it to reposition - Requires micromanagement |
| Yehowach (Almighty) | Secret | + Deals double attacks to the last enemy in his range (2x DPS) + Status effects immunity |
| Iscanur (Pride) | Vanguard | + Extremely high DPS + Powerful Burn damage. - Slow to reach full potential |
| Song Jinwu and Igros | Secret | + Powerful buffs + Gains mana from defeated enemies |
| The King (Apostle) | Secret | + High single-target burst damage (use for Bosses) |
| Rogita | Secret | + Can slow waves significantly + Great DPS |
| The Struggler (Rampage) | Secret | + High DPS + Inflicts Bleed – High early upgrade cost |
| Gujo (Infinity) | Secret | + Massive AOE damage + Strong buffs, + Fantastic DPS |
| Monkey King (Awakened) | Secret | + Gets buffs for each different group in your team (Note: Replaced by Wolf (Resurrection) in Update 8.5) |
| Lord Friezo (Emperor) | Secret | + Places minions to buff its attacks and range. |
| Wolf (Resurrection) | Secret | + Guaranteed Crit damage to marked units + Slow – Needs a good Trait to reach damage potential. |
| Sprintwagon | Epic | Must-have farm unit! Give you extra money each round. |
S Tier Units
| Unit | Rarity | Description |
| The Smith (John) | Mythic | + Get damage buff if the enemy has more HP than John has damage. Excellent against bosses. |
| Giant Queen (Founder) | Secret | + Buffs all Giant allies by +40% damage, mandatory for AoT teams. |
| Arin (Rumbling) | Secret | + Massive AOE stun and damage when paired with Giant Queen, great for crowd control and wave clearing. |
| Alocard (Vampire King) | Secret | + Inflicts high bleed damage over time. + Synergizes well with other debuffs. + Provides sustained DPS in long battles. |
| Divalo (Requiem) | Cosmic | + Damage boost vs. bosses. + Increases DPS with bonus damage for each slowed enemy. + Gets guaranteed dodges. |
| Eizan (Aura) | Secret | + Immune to all kinds of status ailments and CC. + Huge DPS output. + Sends back mobs. |
| Choy Jong En | Secret | + Best DoT DPS outside of God Tier + Potent mix of AOE and single-target damage over time. |
| Kazzy (Queen) | Mythic | + Versatile support/DPS unit + Dual modes (Undying/Necro) |
| Yomomata (Captain) | Secret | + Amazing DPS thanks to Burn DoT; + Turns mobs into summons, overwhelming enemies with allies. |
| Boo (Evil) | Secret | + Removes status effects and debuffs. + Turns enemies into candies + Stuns enemies |
A Tier Units
| Unit | Rarity | Description |
| Renguko (Purgatory) | Exclusive | Powerful burn effect that doubles damage |
| Ackers (Ken) | Secret | Strong titan transformation abilities |
| Emmie (Ice Witch) | Exclusive | Excellent crowd-control thank to Freeze |
| Gilgamesh (King of Heroes) | Exclusive | Immune to status ailments and provides strong burst damage |
| Kempache (Feral) | Mythic | Great DPS with strong AOE, useful for clearing large groups despite the self-stun drawback after special attack. |
| Sukono (base) | Secret | Has the powerful bleed/burn synergy Requires significant investment to evolve |
| Hercool (and Mr Boo) | Mythic | Solid support/DPS hybrid Increases farm output |
| Igros (Elite Knight) | Secret | Massive AOE and good basic DPS output |
| Foboko (Hellish) | Exclusive | Freeze + SPA reduction combo, can cleanse ally debuffs. |
B Tier Units
| Unit | Rarity | Desription |
| Alligator | Epic | Provides a DPS/SPA boost in "Infinite Spin" mode, decent single-target, but often outpaced by modern secrets. |
| Orehimi (Faith) | Mythic | Provides a permanent DMG increase to allies and reduces the cost. There are better, more efficient options out there, though. |
| Valentine (Love Train) | Secret | Unique damage/range stacking with hits and status immunity, but too slow to scale |
| Giro (Ball Breaker) | Mythic | Consistent AOE with the ability to reduce enemy status duration |
| Johnni (Infinite Spin) | Mythic | Provides a DPS/SPA boost |
| Medea (Witch of Betrayal) | Mythic | Bonus damage vs nullified enemies |
C Tier Units
| Unit | Rarity | Key Strengths/Reason for Tier |
| Karem (Chilled) | Exclusive | Weak freeze utility; units like Emmie or Isdead perform the CC role much better. |
| Genitsu | Mythic | Mediocre damage and scaling; requires too much investment for minimal return in high-level content. |
| Kokashi | Mythic | Outdated support/utility; its buffs are too small to justify a slot over any A or S-Tier support unit. |
| Pweeny (Boxer) | Exclusive | Pure single-target unit with low damage ceiling; poor wave clear. |
| Zion (Burdelyon) | Mythic | Viability heavily diminished due to changes in elemental meta and the introduction of stronger AOE units. |
D Tier Units
The D-tier units are weakest units in Anime Vanguards. They are not worth investing on, and provide lackluster value to your lineup and have much better alternatives available for use.
| Unit | Rarity | Description |
| Noruto (base) | Rare | Extremely low base stats; its evolved form (Six Tails) is viable, but the base is useless. |
| Roku (base) | Rare | Low damage and poor AOE; must be immediately evolved or discarded. |
| Mimi (Psychic) | Epic | Very low damage and unreliable CC. |
| Gaari | Mythic | Outclassed DPS that is too slow to upgrade and lacks a strong meta mechanic. |
| Shinzi | Rare | Complete lack of scaling and utility in modern content. |
Update 9 Anniversary Update Details
Update 9.0 is the biggest anniversary celebration yet, introducing:
- 13 New Units, including DIO Over Heaven (Secret rarity, 0.02% drop rate)
- Trading System for Level 50+ players (Limited Units, Vanguards, Secrets, Exclusives, Mythics, skins, familiars, and more)
- Legacy Blitz Anniversary Dungeon with 9 unique stages culminating in a boss fight against the Developers.
- Anniversary Banner featuring 1 Secret and 6 Exclusive units obtainable with Cake Slices currency
- Serialization System for Shiny Gods (0.5% chance)
- Battle Pass Season 8 with Senator and Rideon vs Samuel
Best Team Comps (Update 9.0 Meta)
God Tier Meta Team
- DPS: DIO Over Heaven (God) + Sukono + The Falcon (of Light)
- Support: Senator + Hollowseph
- Farm: Sprintwagon
F2P Infinite Mode Team
- Core: Song Jinwu and Igros + Yehowach (Almighty) + Eizan (Aura)
- Support: Giant Queen (Founder) + Choy Jong En
- Farm: Sprintwagon
Boss Rush Team
- DPS: The King (Apostle) + The Struggler (Rampage) + Brolzi Super (Wrathful)
- Support: Giant Queen (Founder) + Arin (Rumbling)
- Farm: Hercool and Mr Boo
Giant Synergy Team
- Core: Giant Queen (Founder) + Arin (Rumbling) + Ackers (Ken)
- Support: Riner (Reinforced Giant) + Zak (Ape Giant)
- Farm: Sprintwagon
Anime Vanguards Units FAQ
Summon on the Anniversary Banner using Cake Slices earned from Legacy Blitz Dungeon. The drop rate is 0.02%, so expect to need many pulls. Consider purchasing Anniversary Bundles for additional Cake Slices.
Use Cake Slices (not gems) for Anniversary Banner. Save gems for future exclusive banners since Anniversary units may not return.
Monarch trait is best for most DPS and support units as it provides massive buffs to summoning and damage output.
Serialization is a new progression system for Shiny Gods introduced in Update 9.0. Shiny Gods have a 0.5% chance to become serialized, adding additional enhancement layers.
Birb is the best familiar in Anime Vanguards if you're looking to improve the unit's damage output. Specific units have optimal familiars (like Gujo's Glasses for Gujo, Sukono's Finger for Sukono).
While unobtainable units won't return to Anime Vanguards via summons or shops, you can still get them via trading.
Now that you know more about the Anime Vanguard tier list for units, check out the Anime Vanguards Traits Tier List on Pro Game Guides!
Nebojša Prijić is a Managing Editor at Pro Game Guides with over 25 years of experience in journalism, screenwriting, and copywriting. He previously worked as Editor-in-Chief of Maxim Serbia magazine and the IGN Adria website. Nebojša is an old-school gamer who loves real-time strategies, shooters, and RPGs, but most of all, he plays Roblox and mobile games with his son. He remembers the first Diablo, PC games on a single floppy disk, and playing Mortal Kombat on the keyboard.