Update 10 changed everything. New units, Elemental Towers, and some serious meta shifts. I’ve been grinding this game since October 2025, around 250 hours now, and I’ve tested every unit in both Story Mode and the new Elemental Towers.
This tier list is based on actual gameplay. Not theorycrafting, not copying other lists. I’ve failed enough runs to know what works and what doesn’t.
Quick note before we start: traits matter more than rarity. A Legendary with Damage+ and Attack Speed+ will outperform a Mythic with garbage traits. Use those free rerolls from codes before you invest resources.
Quick Reference
| Tier | Units |
|---|---|
| S+ | Sosuke (Storm), Saber (Black Tyrant), Secret Luffy, Elastic Captain (Evolved) |
| S | Fire Foot (Chef), Tempest Pirate, Skele King (Rock), Vegeta (Ultra Instinct), Gojo (Domain) |
| A | Naruto (Baryon), Ichigo (Vasto Lorde), Tanjiro (Sun God), Rimuru (Demon Lord), Cursed King |
| B | Luffy (Gear 5), Goku (MUI), Eren (Founding), Zenitsu (Godspeed), Most evolved Legendaries |
| C | Base Legendaries, unevolved units, starter characters |
S+ Tier (Meta Defining)
These units break the game. Build your teams around them.
Sosuke (Storm)
Current meta king for a reason.
I pulled Sosuke around hour 100 and my Infinite Mode progress jumped from wave 80 to 140+. His Storm passive hits everything on screen. With perfect traits, he’s clearing entire waves before other units even attack.
Why he’s broken:
- AoE damage that scales infinitely
- Storm passive triggers every 5 attacks
- Debuffs enemy defense by 30%
- Works in every element tower (if you have the right version)
Best traits: Damage+, AoE Range+, Attack Speed+
Placement: Center of your formation. His storm needs to hit maximum enemies.
Saber (Black Tyrant)
The boss killer. When you need single-target damage, nothing comes close.
I use Saber specifically for boss waves in Elemental Towers. Her damage ramps up the longer she attacks the same target. By floor 50+, she’s doing 400k+ per hit on bosses.
Why she’s S+:
- Ramping damage on single targets
- Ignores 40% of boss defense
- Bleed effect stacks infinitely
- Self-buff when killing enemies
Best traits: Damage+, Bleed Duration+, Attack Speed+
Placement: Boss lanes. Don’t waste her on trash mobs.
Secret Luffy
The grind is worth it. Trust me.
Getting Secret Luffy took me 3 weeks. You need to evolve Sanji, Nami, and Brook first, then complete a quest chain. But once you have him? Game changer.
Why he dominates:
- Highest base stats in the game
- Crew passive buffs nearby allies
- Gear 5 transformation doubles damage
- Works in multiple element towers
Best traits: Damage+, Transformation Duration+, Range+
How to get him: Farm Legend Stage Act 4 (EX) for evolution materials. Check our Anime Vanguards Evolution Guide for the full breakdown.
Elastic Captain (Evolved)
The new Update 10 Mythic. Requires 5,000 takedowns to evolve but absolutely worth it.
I’m at 3,200 takedowns right now. The grind is real but the evolved form is insane. His stretching attacks hit multiple lanes simultaneously.
Why he’s S+:
- Multi-lane attacks
- Rubber passive reduces incoming damage
- Scales with enemy count
- Evolution is a massive power spike
Best traits: Damage+, Range+, Attack Speed+
Placement: Intersections where multiple paths meet.
S Tier (Excellent)
Not quite meta-defining but close. These units carry teams.
Fire Foot (Chef)
New Update 10 unit. Fast attacks, fire damage, solid all-rounder.
I pulled Fire Foot on my second 10-pull. His chef evolution adds a food buff that heals nearby allies. Surprisingly useful in longer Elemental Tower runs.
Strengths:
- Fast attack speed
- Fire damage burns through HP
- Chef evolution adds team utility
- Good for Fire Tower
Weaknesses:
- Single-target focused
- Needs support for AoE content
- Evolution materials are annoying to farm
Best traits: Attack Speed+, Damage+, Burn Duration+
Tempest Pirate
Navigator-themed unit with wind/storm damage. Area control specialist.
Strengths:
- Massive AoE
- Slows enemies in range
- Storm synergy with Sosuke
- Essential for Wind Tower
Weaknesses:
- Lower single-target damage
- Expensive to max
- Needs specific team comps
Best traits: AoE Range+, Slow Duration+, Damage+
Skele King (Rock)
Music-themed skeleton. His rock evolution is surprisingly strong.
I slept on Skele King for a week. Then I saw someone use him in Dark Tower and hit floor 80. His music passive buffs attack speed for the whole team.
Strengths:
- Team-wide attack speed buff
- Solid personal damage
- Rock evolution adds stun
- Good for Dark Tower
Weaknesses:
- Buff has limited range
- Needs positioning
- Not a carry unit
Best traits: Buff Range+, Damage+, Stun Duration+
Vegeta (Ultra Instinct)
Consistent damage dealer. Never bad, never broken.
Strengths:
- Balanced stats
- Dodge passive
- Good in all content
- Easy to build
Weaknesses:
- Outclassed by specialists
- No unique mechanics
- Boring but effective
Best traits: Damage+, Dodge+, Attack Speed+
Gojo (Domain)
Domain Expansion is still one of the best abilities in the game.
Strengths:
- Infinity blocks damage
- Domain hits entire screen
- Crowd control king
- Essential for some towers
Weaknesses:
- Long cooldowns
- Needs setup time
- Falls off in very late waves
Best traits: Cooldown-, Domain Duration+, Damage+
A Tier (Great)
Solid units that work in most content. Not meta but definitely usable.
Naruto (Baryon)
High risk, high reward. Self-damage mechanic is tricky.
Best traits: Damage+, Lifesteal+, HP Regen+
Ichigo (Vasto Lorde)
Good burst damage. Transformation is satisfying.
Best traits: Damage+, Transformation Duration+, Attack Speed+
Tanjiro (Sun God)
Demon Slayer rep. Sun Breathing hits hard.
Best traits: Damage+, Burn Duration+, Range+
Rimuru (Demon Lord)
Absorb mechanic is unique. Gets stronger as enemies die.
Best traits: Absorb Rate+, Damage+, HP+
Cursed King
Pre-evolution form of True Cursed King. Still hits 150k with right traits.
Best traits: Damage+, AoE+, Attack Speed+
B Tier (Decent)
Usable but outclassed. Good for early-mid game or specific element towers.
- Luffy (Gear 5) - Evolve to Secret Luffy ASAP
- Goku (MUI) - Solid but boring
- Eren (Founding) - Titan form is cool but impractical
- Zenitsu (Godspeed) - Fast but squishy
- Most evolved Legendaries - Filler until you get better
C Tier (Skip)
Don’t invest resources here unless you have nothing else.
Base Legendaries, unevolved units, and starter characters. They’re fine for clearing early story mode but won’t help in Elemental Towers or late Infinite Mode.
Elemental Tower Picks
Update 10’s Elemental Towers require element-specific teams. Here’s what I run:
Fire Tower
- Fire Foot (Chef)
- Tanjiro (Sun God)
- Ace (if you have him)
Wind Tower
- Tempest Pirate
- Any wind units you have
- Sosuke works if he’s wind element
Dark Tower
- Skele King (Rock)
- Cursed King
- Any dark units
Light Tower
- Gojo (Domain)
- Naruto (Baryon)
- Light-element supports
For full strategies, check our Anime Vanguards Elemental Towers Guide.
Trait Priority Guide
DPS Units
- Damage+ (always)
- Attack Speed+ (consistent damage)
- Range+ (quality of life)
- Element-specific bonuses
Support Units
- Buff Range+ (hit more allies)
- Buff Duration+ (more uptime)
- Cooldown- (more ability uses)
- Cost- (deploy faster)
AoE Units
- AoE Range+ (hit more enemies)
- Damage+ (obvious)
- Attack Speed+ (more procs)
- Slow/Debuff Duration+
Common Mistakes
Chasing rarity over traits. A Legendary with perfect traits beats a Mythic with bad traits. Use your rerolls.
Ignoring element coverage. Elemental Towers require diverse rosters. Don’t put all resources into one element.
Skipping evolutions. Some evolutions are massive power spikes. Secret Luffy, Elastic Captain, Fire Foot Chef. Check evolution paths before investing.
Spreading resources. Focus on 5-6 units per element. Perfect those before touching others.
Following outdated tier lists. The meta shifts every update. This list is current as of Update 10 (December 2025).
Related Content
- Anime Vanguards Codes - Free Trait Rerolls and Gems
- Anime Vanguards Elemental Towers Guide - Best teams and strategies
- Anime Vanguards Evolution Guide - How to evolve every unit
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- Pixel Tower Defense Codes - Another popular TD
