Anime Expeditions Tier List: Best Units After Update 4
Our Anime Expeditions tier list after Update 4 Hollow Ascension: Prodigy, Shadow, Puppet, 8th Sword and Dark Mage are the best units in early November 2026.
The best units in Anime Expeditions right now are Prodigy (Rage), Shadow (Divine), Puppet (Telekinetic), 8th Sword (Berserk) and Dark Mage (Sovereign). Those five form the top of our Anime Expeditions tier list for the Roblox tower defense game as of early November 2026, after Update 4: Hollow Ascension went live in late October. The five Update 4 units sit in a separate provisional row until their kits settle. If you’re short on summons, Toy Maker is free and Puppet plus Bioinsect is the best value pairing in the game.
One heads-up before the table: Anime Expeditions uses parody names for its anime characters, and many units have an evolved form in brackets. We use the evolved names because that’s the version you’ll be fielding at endgame.
Key takeaways
How this Anime Expeditions tier list works
Rankings are our opinion. They’re built from unit descriptions and patch coverage since the game’s July 2026 launch, cross-checked across several community guides, then weighed on three things.
1. Endgame value in Raids, Expeditions and Tournaments. Story stages count least.
2. Team lift: a support that boosts four units can outrank a carry that only boosts itself.
3. Access: Secrets are hard to pull, so a strong Mythic you can actually get earns credit.
Evolved forms, sensible upgrades and a fitting trait are assumed. A unit sitting at base level with a bad trait will play a tier lower. We haven’t listed exact damage stats, because guide sites disagree on numbers and the game rebalances often.
The full tier table
Here’s where every unit we could verify across multiple sources lands. Units added in Updates 2 and 3 that we couldn’t confirm by name aren’t listed rather than guessed.
| Tier | Units | Why |
|---|---|---|
| S | Prodigy (Rage), Shadow (Divine), Puppet (Telekinetic), 8th Sword (Berserk), Dark Mage (Sovereign) | Carry or enable every mode |
| A | Vegetable (Prince), Crow (Black Fire), Cursed Student (True Love), Bioinsect (Final Form), The Drink (Juicebox), Elf Mage (Unleashed), Carrot (Unleashed) | Top-end in the right team or element |
| B | Lady Giant (Envy), Razorjaw (Hunter), String Demon (Awakened), Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1), Crimson (Brother), Toy Maker, Cubert | Useful support or sub-DPS |
| C | Flame Emperor (Reincarnate), Hollow (Blaze), Reaper (Released), Cursed Immortal (Black Sun) | Niche; replace when you can |
| Provisional | Traitor (Illusion), Black Heart (Revived), Wolf (Revived), Reaper (Frenzied), Noble Captain (Vibrant) | Update 4 units; ranked once upgrade data settles |
S tier: the units to summon for
These five show up at the top of almost every community list since their release, and their kits explain why.
Prodigy (Rage)
The Secret from Update 1.0 and the strongest pure carry in the game on paper. He hits everything in range with follow-up bursts, and his damage climbs with each status effect stacked on an enemy. That makes him better, not worse, as your roster grows.
Shadow (Divine)
Summons Shadow Spirits that stun enemies and help keep him alive. Stun uptime is gold in Raids, where one leaked boss can end a run.
Puppet (Telekinetic)
A rewind support with real damage attached. Guides report Puppet has the highest damage stat in the game, which matters because Bioinsect copies it (more on that below).
8th Sword (Berserk)
A rage-style carry who gets stronger the more kills he racks up. Long fights favor him, so he shines in Expeditions and late Raid waves.
Dark Mage (Sovereign)
Ice damage with regular Freeze and Frostbite, plus damage over time. Steady, low-maintenance DPS that hasn’t needed newer units to stay relevant.
A, B and C tiers in brief
Below S, team composition decides almost everything. A unit that’s B in one comp can be A in another.
Vegetable (Prince), A: crit-driven damage that snowballs with allies’ crits and follow-ups. Excellent in a crowded team, weaker alone.
Crow (Black Fire), A: Black Flame damages shields on every tick, so he’s your answer to shielded bosses. Very hard to pull.
Cursed Student (True Love), A: the best Bleed unit, and a great early Evo target.
Bioinsect (Final Form), A: mirrors part of the strongest nearby unit’s damage and adds stuns and slows.
The Drink (Juicebox), A: marks enemies to boost the team’s follow-up damage. A must for follow-up teams.
Elf Mage (Unleashed), A: magical DPS with a Mana Burn damage-over-time effect.
Carrot (Unleashed), A: the first real Gale-element carry; relocating him forces a free follow-up hit.
Lady Giant (Envy), B: Stone Walls slow enemies and soak damage.
Razorjaw (Hunter), B: a periodic Stagger stun; low base damage holds him back.
String Demon (Awakened), B: strings to the nearest ally for a follow-up hit. Neutral element, so it fits anywhere.
Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1), B: slows on every upgrade; his Evo adds Stagger.
Crimson (Brother), B: Battle Pass unit that increases damage taken by marked enemies.
Toy Maker, B: a summoner that spawns toys across the paths in range. Free.
Cubert, B: drops cubes on allies for chip damage that chains into a stun.
C tier: Flame Emperor’s burn spreads but his raw output is low. Hollow (Blaze) is outclassed by better burn units. Reaper (Released) clones and relocates but rarely earns a slot now. Cursed Immortal (Black Sun) is a unique type with no clear job yet.
Best pairings: our worked example
Tier lists rank units one at a time, but Anime Expeditions rewards combinations. Here are the pairings where the kits, as described in patch coverage, multiply each other.
| Pairing | Why it works | Placement tip |
|---|---|---|
| Puppet + Bioinsect | Bioinsect copies the highest-damage unit in range; Puppet reportedly has the top damage stat | Place Bioinsect so Puppet sits inside his range |
| Prodigy + any status unit | Prodigy’s damage rises per status effect on the target | Put Dark Mage or a burn unit earlier on the path |
| The Drink + follow-up carries | His marks boost team follow-up damage, which Prodigy and String Demon rely on | Cover the same stretch of path |
| Crow + shielded bosses | Black Flame hits shields every tick | Place near the end of the path for boss time |
The logic behind the first row is why we rank Bioinsect in A despite his never attacking on his own. If Bioinsect mirrors even a share of the strongest unit’s output, he converts your best damage stat into a second source of it for one slot. No other unit scales with your roster that directly.
Who should beginners prioritize?
Grab Toy Maker first, since one Tournament match earns her. Then spend summons on the standard banner aiming for any S or A unit, and put your first Evo materials into Cursed Student (True Love) if you pull him. Don’t burn resources chasing Crow; treat him as a bonus.
Check the official Anime Expeditions Roblox page and its linked community channels for the current banner before you roll.
If you also pull in other gachas, our AFK Arena tier list and Cookie Run: Kingdom tier list rank their current rosters.
FAQ
What is the best unit in Anime Expeditions?
Prodigy (Rage) is our pick for the best unit after Update 4. His follow-up bursts hit everything in range, and his damage grows with every status effect on an enemy. Shadow (Divine) is the strongest crowd-control option. Update 4 units could challenge both once players finish testing them.
Are Secrets always better than Mythics?
No. Secrets are rarer, but several Mythics outperform weaker Secrets in real teams. Cursed Student (True Love) and The Drink (Juicebox) earn A tier through Bleed damage and team buffs. Judge a unit by what it adds to your lineup, not by the rarity color on its card.
Why are the Update 4 units provisional?
Update 4: Hollow Ascension landed in late October 2026, and full upgrade data for its five new units wasn’t settled when we published. Ranking them now would be guesswork. We’ll slot Traitor, Black Heart, Wolf, Reaper (Frenzied) and Noble Captain into proper tiers once their kits are confirmed.
New banners will reshuffle this list again. Build pairings instead of chasing names, and your team survives the next update too.
Cassia Fenwick
Cassia Fenwick is a staff writer at Console Alley, covering console gaming from the latest hardware questions to the games players return to for years. Her work moves across news, practical guides, reviews, gaming gear, and the wider culture around games. Whether she is breaking down a new console feature or explaining a mechanic in a familiar favorite, she writes with a straightforward goal: help readers understand what matters and what to do next. She pays particular attention to the small details that shape the playing experience. A controller compatibility rule, a battery-life setting, a difficult-to-find resource, or a change introduced by a game update can make the difference between a frustrating evening and a rewarding one. Her published coverage includes Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 questions, Terraria, Stardew Valley, and The Sims 4, with explanations that welcome readers who may be discovering a game for the first time or returning after time away. Cassia's style is clear, patient, and grounded in practical examples. Rather than assuming readers already know the terminology, she begins with the question at hand, adds the context that genuinely helps, and keeps instructions easy to follow. She is interested not only in how a feature works, but also why its design matters—especially when a small interaction, interface decision, or unexpected mechanic changes how a game feels. Outside her gaming coverage, Cassia enjoys colorful postcards, making books, and noticing the shapes, colors, and details built into everyday objects. That curiosity carries naturally into her writing, where overlooked features and thoughtful design can provide a fresh way to look at a game. Her aim is for every article to be useful on its own: approachable enough for a newcomer, specific enough for someone looking for a quick answer, and enjoyable enough to leave readers with something new to explore.
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