Anime Vanguards Tier List: The Short Answer
If you only want the headline, here it is: True Shadow Monarch sits at the top of the Anime Vanguards tier list right now. It is the Transcendent evolution of Song Jinwu and Igros, and current community and wiki rankings for Update 15.0, the 2nd Anniversary update, place it ahead of Hollowseph (Pure), Death’s Grasp (Remembrance), Super Vogito, and Archer (Counter Spirit). Those five units form the core of the strongest teams in the game at the time of writing, and any one of them can carry a serious account.
That does not mean every other unit is useless. Far from it. Anime Vanguards rewards a balanced team far more than a single shiny pull. A well-built A-tier unit with the right trait, a proper evolution, and a sensible placement will outperform a neglected S-tier unit in most story stages, raids, and Infinite runs. The gap between tiers is real, but the gap between a unit you have invested in and a unit you have left at level one is much bigger.
This guide ranks units in S, A, B, and C tiers, explains how the ranking was made, and shows you how to use it without wasting gems, trait rerolls, or evolution materials. The meta in Anime Vanguards shifts with every major update, so treat this as a snapshot of the Update 15.0 meta in November 2026, not a permanent verdict. A unit that is dominant today can drop a tier after a balance patch, and a forgotten unit can jump straight to the top after an evolution is added.
More Information: How Often Does a Solar Eclipse Happen? A Simple Guide
What Is Anime Vanguards?
Anime Vanguards, now listed on Roblox as Vanguards, is a tower-defence game built by the Kitawari group. It launched in September 2024 and has grown into one of the most-played anime games on the platform, with more than two billion visits reported by late 2026. You summon anime-inspired units, place them beside a track, and stop waves of enemies before they reach your base.
Each match runs on the same basic loop. Enemies walk along a set path. You spend Yen, the in-match currency, to place and upgrade units. You start with a limited number of placement slots, usually six, and you lose one of your three stocks each time an enemy leaks through. Survive every wave, beat the boss, and you clear the stage.
What keeps players coming back is everything wrapped around that loop. Units come in rarities from Rare up to Mythic, Secret, Exclusive, Vanguard, and Transcendent. Most strong units have an evolved form that changes their stats, abilities, and sometimes their appearance completely. Traits add another layer: random passive modifiers that can turn a good unit into a great one. Add in elements, familiars, Memoria, passives, and team synergies, and team building becomes a proper hobby rather than a five-minute job.
The game also has plenty to do once you finish the story. Story Mode takes you through worlds such as Planet Namak, the first world most players meet. Beyond that there are raids, dungeons, boss rushes, Infinite Mode, Elemental Tower, and limited-time events. Different modes reward different strengths, which is why a single tier list can never tell the whole story. A unit that dominates Infinite Mode because it has huge area damage and long range might be less useful in a raid where single-target boss damage matters more.
How This Tier List Works
A tier list is a ranking, not a rulebook. The tiers used here mean the following:
- S tier: The best units in the game right now. They define teams, clear the hardest content, and stay useful across most modes.
- A tier: Excellent units that can carry most content. They may need the right trait, evolution, or team around them to shine, but they are never a bad investment.
- B tier: Solid, reliable units. Good for story progression, farming, and filling gaps, but they will struggle in the hardest endgame content.
- C tier: Situational or early-game units. Useful while you are learning the game or waiting for a better pull, but do not spend rare materials on them.
Every unit in this list was judged on the same five questions. First, damage: how much does it actually deal across a full match, not just on paper? Second, range and coverage: can it hit enough of the track, or does it only work on one corner of the map? Third, cost: how expensive is it to place and upgrade, and does it earn its slot early enough to matter? Fourth, abilities and passives: does it bring crowd control, buffs, summons, or utility that no other unit provides? And fifth, consistency: does it perform well across story, raids, dungeons, and Infinite Mode, or only in one narrow situation?
Rarity alone does not decide a tier. Some Mythic units outperform Secret units once evolved, and some Secret units are only strong in a very specific team. Archer (Counter Spirit) is a good example. It is a Mythic unit, yet current Update 15.0 rankings place it among the very best units in the game because its evolved kit combines damage, nuking, and support in a way few units can match. Judge the kit, not the colour of the banner.
Evolution matters just as much. In Anime Vanguards, the base form of a unit is often a shadow of its evolved form. A B-tier base unit can become S-tier after evolution, and an S-tier base unit can stay ordinary if you never finish its evolution quest or gather its materials. Where a unit has a clearly stronger evolved form, this list ranks the evolved version and says so.
S Tier: The Best Units in Anime Vanguards
S-tier units are the ones other players build teams around. If you pull one, stop and plan before you spend anything else. These are the units worth your best traits, your evolution materials, and your upgrade priority.
True Shadow Monarch
True Shadow Monarch is the strongest unit in Anime Vanguards after Update 15.0, according to the official wiki tier list and multiple community rankings updated in early November 2026. It is a Transcendent unit, the only one of its rarity in the game at the time of writing, and it comes from evolving the already powerful Song Jinwu and Igros.
What makes it so strong is not one big number. It is the combination. It opens a seventh unit slot, which changes your whole formation. It shares its trait, stats, familiar, and Memoria across the entire team. It has six passives and four abilities, including Monarch’s Domain and Grasp of the Monarch. In practice, that means it buffs everyone else while dealing huge damage itself. It is a carry and a support at the same time, and that is rare in any tower-defence game.
Getting it is a long-term goal, not a lucky pull. You need Song Jinwu and Igros first, then the evolution materials and quest steps to turn them into True Shadow Monarch. Treat it as the endgame target for a serious account, and do not expect to stumble into it in your first week.
Hollowseph (Pure)
Hollowseph (Pure) sits just behind True Shadow Monarch in current rankings. It is an Exclusive unit with the Curse element and a Monarch role, and it is valued for huge, consistent damage and a kit that stays relevant in both boss fights and long Infinite runs. If True Shadow Monarch is the team-wide engine, Hollowseph (Pure) is the hammer: place it well, upgrade it early, and let it do the heavy lifting.
Death’s Grasp (Remembrance)
Death’s Grasp (Remembrance) is another Exclusive unit near the top of the Update 15.0 list. It combines DPS with support, and it was available through the Season 4 Event Pass at tier 50, which makes it a good example of how event rewards can shape the meta. Units tied to an event pass are not always available, so if you missed it, do not chase it at any cost. Focus on the top units you can actually obtain now.
Super Vogito
Super Vogito is one of the most consistent damage dealers in the game. It appears near the top of almost every current tier list, and for good reason: high damage output, strong scaling, and a kit that works in story, raids, and Infinite Mode without needing a very specific team around it. It is the kind of unit you can build a whole account around and never regret.
Archer (Counter Spirit)
Archer (Counter Spirit) is the best value pick at the top of the list. It is a Mythic unit you summon on the Special Banner and then evolve, yet it performs like a top Secret unit. Its kit covers DPS, nuking, and support, which makes it flexible in a way most pure damage units are not. If you are free-to-play or low-spending, this is the S-tier unit to aim for first, because the path to getting it is realistic.
Other S-tier names to know
Below the top five, the S tier stays crowded. Holy Deceiver (Dark), Apathetic Savior (Door), Lizard (Fission), Rummie (Scythe), God Ascended (Anniversary), Seiloshibo (Moon), Wrath (Assault), Rebel Fighter (Gauntlet), and Elastic Captain (Cog 5th) all appear in S tier in current Update 15.0 rankings. Apathetic Savior (Door) deserves a special mention because it carries DPS, utility, support, and crowd-control tags at the same time, with a passive that rewinds enemies and a stacking buff for allies. God Ascended (Anniversary) is a much stronger version of the earlier Above Heaven form, with higher stats, a higher damage limit, and revamped abilities built for crowd control and area damage.
Song Jinwu and Igros, the two units that combine into True Shadow Monarch, are also S-tier in their own right. They summon shadow soldiers that do not consume placement slots, which gives you a self-sustaining army that can tank and deal damage without constant micromanagement. That is exactly the kind of mechanic that matters in late-game content, where placement slots are precious.
A Tier: Excellent Units Worth Building
A-tier units will not always top a damage chart, but they will clear almost everything you put in front of them. Most players will spend most of their time with A-tier units, and that is fine. A well-invested A-tier team beats a half-built S-tier team every time.
Traitless (Vigilante), Senator (Nanomachines), Hellkiller (Slayer), Cat (Stupid), The Falcon (of Light), The Smith (Forged), Savior (Moonless), The Struggler (Rampage), Divine General (Adaptation), and Dawntay (Jackpot) all sit in A tier in current rankings. Savior (Moonless) is a favourite for boss content because its damage scales the longer it attacks the same enemy, and its nuke ability can reach very high damage when fully stocked. Alocard (Vampire King) is another name that appears at or near the top of many lists: it applies Bleed and the Wounded status, deals full area damage from the moment it is placed, and its Vanguard Familiar boosts Wounded damage further while slowing bleeding enemies.
Gujo (Infinity) is a strong A-to-S borderline pick after evolution. It gains a damage boost, a freeze passive, and a reduction to its attack cooldown, which makes it excellent for both story content and long Infinite runs. Ice Queen (Release) belongs in the same conversation: freeze and stun across a wide area, strong crowd control, and a kit that locks waves in place while your damage dealers work.
Demon Leader (Control) is the support unit that holds many top teams together. Her Chains of Control passive reduces placement cost for chained units while buffing Demon Hunter allies, which lets you scale your economy faster than most support units allow. She may not top the damage chart, but she makes everyone else better, and in a game where Yen and placement slots are limited, that is worth more than raw numbers.
Do not overlook God (Above Heaven) either. It deals devastating area burst damage and can erase large waves in a single ability. It is a Secret unit with a very high ceiling, and while newer units have passed it in some rankings, it remains a strong pick for players who already own it.
B Tier: Solid Units for Story and Farming
B-tier units are the workhorses of Anime Vanguards. They will not carry you through the hardest raids on their own, but they will clear story stages, farm gems and gold, and fill gaps in your team while you save for better pulls.
Current rankings place Yuvi (Gauntlets), Thunder (You), Callasuba (Squad), Dot (Nemesis), Rideon vs Samuel (Duel), Investigation Leader (Truth), Phantom Thief (Jester), and Cursed Copycat (Pure) in B tier. Yuvi is worth a closer look because it is available as a Day 1 login reward and can be evolved with a Hex Stone, which makes it one of the best free units in the game for new players. A free unit that can evolve into something genuinely useful is worth keeping.
Chaso, Obita, Roku, Gaara, Igris (Elite Knight), and Vogita also appear in B or A tier depending on the list and the update, which shows how much rankings can vary between sources. That variation is normal. A unit that is B-tier in one list might be A-tier in another because the two lists tested different modes, different traits, or different team compositions. Use the tier as a guide, not a verdict, and pay attention to the role a unit fills.
Economy units deserve a mention here too. Sprintwagon is widely regarded as one of the best farm units in the game because it generates money, which lets you place and upgrade your damage dealers faster. A farm unit will never top a damage chart, but it can decide whether you survive the early waves of a hard stage. If your team keeps falling behind on Yen, a farm unit is often the fix, not another damage dealer.
Starter units such as Luffo, Narutu, and Ichiga sit in this part of the list as well. You choose one of the three when you first start, and all three are Rare units that will quickly be replaced by banner summons. They are essential for clearing the first few acts of Planet Namek, but do not spend rare materials on them. Save your gems, trait rerolls, and evolution materials for units that will still be in your team in a month.
C Tier: Early-Game and Situational Picks
C-tier units are not bad units. They are limited units. They work in the early game, in easy story stages, or in very specific situations, but they fall behind once enemies get tougher and waves get longer.
Gen, Sakura, Shinzi, Sakuro, and the base forms of Roku and Shinzi appear here in many lists. They deal moderate damage, have limited range or utility, and lack the passives that make higher-tier units special. They can still help you learn the game: they teach you placement, upgrade timing, and how different elements and attack types behave. They just should not be the units you invest your rarest resources in.
The most important thing about C tier is what not to do. Do not spend trait rerolls on a C-tier unit hoping for a miracle trait. Do not spend Memoria Shards or evolution materials on a unit you plan to replace next week. Do not level a C-tier unit to maximum before you have a proper carry. Those resources are scarce, and they matter far more on an A-tier or S-tier unit.
There is one exception. If a C-tier unit has an evolved form that jumps it into A or S tier, the ranking changes completely. Always check the evolution before you judge a unit. In Anime Vanguards, the evolved form is often a different unit in all but name, with new abilities, new passives, and a much higher damage ceiling.
Anime Vanguards Tier List Table
The table below summarises the rankings discussed above. It reflects the Update 15.0 meta in November 2026, based on the official wiki tier list and current community rankings. New units added since the last wiki revision are not yet ranked, and the meta will shift again with the next update.
| Tier | Units | Why they rank here |
|---|---|---|
| S | True Shadow Monarch, Hollowseph (Pure), Death’s Grasp (Remembrance), Super Vogito, Archer (Counter Spirit), Holy Deceiver (Dark), Apathetic Savior (Door), God Ascended (Anniversary), Song Jinwu and Igros | Highest damage, best kits, team-defining passives, useful across most modes. |
| A | Savior (Moonless), Alocard (Vampire King), Gujo (Infinity), Ice Queen (Release), Demon Leader (Control), God (Above Heaven), Traitless (Vigilante), Senator (Nanomachines), Hellkiller (Slayer), Divine General (Adaptation) | Excellent damage or utility, strong after evolution, reliable in most content. |
| B | Yuvi (Gauntlets), Thunder (You), Callasuba (Squad), Dot (Nemesis), Chaso, Obita, Roku, Gaara, Sprintwagon, Igris (Elite Knight) | Solid for story and farming, good value, but limited in the hardest endgame content. |
| C | Gen, Sakura, Shinzi, Sakuro, Roku (Starter), Shinzi (Base), Luffo, Narutu, Ichiga | Early-game or situational use only; do not spend rare materials here. |
Read the table as a starting point, then look at your own roster. If you own three A-tier units and no S-tier units, you do not have a bad account. You have a team that can clear most of the game once you invest in traits, evolutions, and sensible placement. The table tells you where to spend first, not whether your account is worth playing.
Traits: The Hidden Tier List
If there is one mechanic new players underestimate, it is traits. Traits are random passive modifiers attached to your units, and they can change a unit’s performance dramatically. A well-traited A-tier unit will often outperform a poorly traited S-tier unit, and community guides repeat that point for a reason.
Monarch is widely regarded as the best overall trait for damage dealers, because it provides a large stat boost. It is also rare, with a reported roll chance of around 0.1 percent and a pity threshold of 1,500 rolls in some guides, so do not expect to roll it quickly. Other strong traits include Ethereal, Deadeye, and Solar, each with its own roll chance and pity threshold. Corruption III and IV are also valued for damage-focused units. The exact chances can change with updates, so check the current trait list in-game before you commit to a long reroll session.
You reroll traits at the Mandra NPC in the lobby. The golden rule is simple: reroll your main carry first, before you touch support or economy units. Get the trait right on your best damage dealer, then move on to your second carry, then to your support. Do not spread rerolls thinly across six units and end up with six mediocre traits.
There is also a timing rule. Do not spend rare trait rerolls on a unit you have not evolved yet if the evolution will change its role or rarity. Evolve first, then reroll. In Update 13.5 and later, evolving a unit also grants its designated Memoria automatically, which removes an old step from the process, but the principle stays the same: finish the unit’s final form before you invest in its trait.
Finally, remember that traits are only part of the picture. A Monarch trait on a unit with poor range, a high placement cost, and no useful passive will still struggle. Traits amplify a good kit; they do not fix a bad one.
More Information: Magellan Outdoors Men’s Relaxed Fit Jeans (2026 Guide)
How Evolutions Change the Rankings
Evolution is the single biggest power jump in Anime Vanguards. A base unit and its evolved form can feel like two different characters. Evolution changes stats, unlocks new abilities, adds passives, and often changes appearance. Some evolutions also change rarity: a Mythic unit can evolve into a Secret or Vanguard unit, which is a huge step up.
The practical advice is straightforward. Before you judge a unit, check whether it has an evolution and what that evolution needs. Some evolutions need specific essence stones, gold, and quest completions. Others need a duplicate unit, a special item such as a Hex Stone, or a long chain of stages. If the evolution is realistic for you, the unit is worth far more than its base tier suggests. If the evolution needs a limited item you no longer have, be honest about that and plan around it.
There is also an important warning that many guides mention: when a Mythic unit evolves into Secret or Vanguard rarity, its Ascensions are removed and do not transfer. Always evolve your unit to its final rarity before spending Ascension materials. Spending those materials early and then evolving is one of the most common ways new players waste resources.
True Shadow Monarch is the best example of evolution changing everything. Song Jinwu and Igros are already strong on their own, but their Transcendent evolution turns them into the best unit in the game, with a seventh slot and team-wide sharing of trait, stats, familiar, and Memoria. No base unit in the game can match that. It is a reminder that the tier list is really a list of evolved forms, not base forms.
Best Units for Beginners
If you are just starting Anime Vanguards, your priorities are different from an endgame player’s. You need units that are cheap to place, easy to upgrade, and useful in the first few worlds. You do not need the rarest unit in the game. You need a team that clears Planet Namak without leaking every wave.
Start with your starter unit: Luffo, Narutu, or Ichiga. Any of the three will get you through the opening stages. Do not worry too much about which one you pick, because all three will be replaced soon. Your first real goal is to clear Story Mode on Normal difficulty, reach account level 10, and unlock the code redemption system and the Secret and Vanguard pools.
As you earn gems, spend them on the Summon Banner. A single Special Banner summon costs 50 gems, or 40 with VIP, according to the official wiki. The published odds are roughly 75.5 percent Rare, 20 percent Epic, 4 percent Legendary, and 0.5 percent Mythic or Exclusive, with a Legendary guaranteed by 50 summons and a Mythic by 400. Those odds are why patience matters. Most of your early pulls will be Rare and Epic units, and that is normal.
For beginners, the best units are the ones you can actually get and evolve. Yuvi is a strong early pick because it is a Day 1 login reward and can be evolved with a Hex Stone. Saber (Black Tyrant) and Slime (King) are also mentioned in beginner guides as useful progression carries, although both are limited units and may not always be available. A good farm unit such as Sprintwagon will help your economy, and any solid Mythic or Legendary damage dealer you pull early should become your main carry until something better arrives.
Your early team should have a clear shape. One economy or farm unit to build Yen early. One cheap early-wave carry to clear the first waves. One main damage dealer to handle mid and late waves. One support or crowd-control unit to slow, freeze, or buff. And one flex slot for whatever your best pull happens to be. That shape will carry you much further than five damage dealers with no economy and no control.
Best Units for Endgame Players
Endgame in Anime Vanguards is a different game. Story stages are behind you. Now you are pushing Infinite Mode floors, clearing raids and dungeons, and trying to beat bosses that punish weak teams. At this stage, raw damage is not enough. You need scaling, control, and synergy.
Your endgame team should be built around one hard carry, two mid-range damage anchors, and a flex support slot. The carry is usually an S-tier unit such as True Shadow Monarch, Hollowseph (Pure), or Super Vogito. The anchors are A-tier units that cover different ranges and elements. The support is often Demon Leader (Control) for economy and buffs, or a freeze unit such as Ice Queen (Release) or Gujo (Infinity) for crowd control.
For Infinite Mode, sustained area damage and cooldown reduction matter most, because waves never stop and your frontline is under constant pressure. Units with wide range, strong area abilities, and passives that scale over time do best here. Savior (Moonless) is a good example: its damage scales the longer it attacks the same enemy, which is exactly what a long Infinite run rewards.
For dungeons, the priority flips toward burst damage and single-target damage, because each room has a finite enemy count and a clear timer. You want units that can delete a tough enemy quickly, not units that slowly wear down a crowd. For raids, debuffs and survivability matter more than raw damage, because every teammate’s contribution scales with the boss’s enrage timer. A unit that applies Bleed, Wounded, or Slow can be worth more in a raid than a unit with slightly higher damage numbers.
Endgame also means paying attention to elements. Units have elements such as Fire, Curse, Cosmic, Blast, and Unknown, and some content rewards matching the right element to the right enemy. You do not need a full team for every element, but you should know which elements your main units cover and where the gaps are.
How to Summon and Reroll Without Wasting Gems
Summoning is the core loop of Anime Vanguards, and it is also where most gems get wasted. The system is simple on the surface: spend gems on a banner, get a random unit. The strategy is in knowing when to pull and when to wait.
First, do not summon on every banner. Banners rotate, usually every hour on the Special Banner, and the featured unit changes. If the current banner has weak units, wait for a banner with S-tier or A-tier units. Your gems will go further if you save them for a good banner than if you spend them the moment you earn them.
Second, understand pity. The game guarantees a Legendary by 50 summons and a Mythic by 400 summons on the Special Banner, according to the official wiki. Secret and Vanguard units are locked until account level 10. Knowing those numbers helps you plan: if you are close to a pity threshold, it may be worth finishing the pulls. If you are far from it and the banner is weak, save your gems.
Third, reroll traits wisely. Save rare trait rerolls and stat chips for fully evolved endgame units. Rerolling a unit you will replace next week is a waste. Reroll your main carry first, then your second carry, then your support. Stop when you get a strong trait for that unit’s role. Chasing a perfect Monarch roll on every unit will drain your resources fast.
Fourth, use codes when they are available, but do not rely on them. Codes are released for updates and events, and they can give gems, trait rerolls, Memoria Shards, and other useful items. Check the official wiki or the game’s community channels for current codes, and redeem them as soon as you can, because many expire. At the same time, do not plan your whole progression around codes. Your steady income from story stages, daily missions, and events matters far more.
Finally, keep an eye on limited units. Exclusive and limited units rotate through event banners and may not return for months. If a limited unit you want is available and you have the gems, it is often worth pulling while you can. If you miss it, do not panic. The meta changes, new units arrive, and a unit you missed will often be replaced by something just as strong in the next update.
Common Mistakes That Hold Players Back
Most Anime Vanguards accounts do not fail because the player pulled the wrong unit. They fail because of a handful of repeatable mistakes. Avoid these and your account will progress faster than most players at the same level.
The first mistake is investing in too many units at once. It is tempting to level every new pull, but resources are limited. Pick one main carry, one second damage dealer, and one support, and invest in those three first. A focused team of three strong units beats a scattered team of six half-built units.
The second mistake is ignoring economy. Players who skip farm units often find themselves stuck on a stage they could beat if only they had more Yen early. A farm unit such as Sprintwagon, or any economy unit that fits your team, can be the difference between clearing a stage and leaking on wave ten. Economy is not boring. It is how you afford the upgrades that win the match.
The third mistake is placing units badly. Range matters. A unit with huge damage but short range is useless if it can only hit one corner of the track. Learn the map, learn where the track bends, and place your damage dealers where they can hit the most enemies for the longest time. Upgrade the units that cover the most track first.
The fourth mistake is rerolling traits too early. As noted above, rerolling a unit before you evolve it, or rerolling a unit you plan to replace, wastes a scarce resource. Evolve first, then reroll, and only on units you intend to keep.
The fifth mistake is chasing the tier list instead of your roster. A tier list tells you which units are strongest in general. It does not tell you which units you own, which ones you can evolve, or which ones fit your team. If you own a strong A-tier unit and no S-tier unit, build around the A-tier unit. Do not leave your account half-built while you wait for a pull that may never come.
The sixth mistake is forgetting that the meta changes. A unit that is S-tier today can drop after a balance patch, and a unit that is B-tier today can rise after an evolution is added. Check the tier list again after each major update, and be ready to adjust. The players who stay strong are the ones who adapt, not the ones who memorise one list and never revisit it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best unit in Anime Vanguards right now?
True Shadow Monarch is ranked as the best unit in Anime Vanguards in current Update 15.0 rankings from November 2026. It is a Transcendent evolution of Song Jinwu and Igros, it opens a seventh unit slot, and it shares its trait, stats, familiar, and Memoria across the whole team. Hollowseph (Pure) and Death’s Grasp (Remembrance) are ranked just behind it, followed by Super Vogito and Archer (Counter Spirit). That ranking reflects the current meta and will change with future updates.
What is the best free unit in Anime Vanguards?
Yuvi is one of the best free units for new players because it is available as a Day 1 login reward and can be evolved with a Hex Stone. Death’s Grasp was available through the Season 4 Event Pass at tier 50, and Rebel Fighter and Apathetic Savior can be earned through Worldlines and Lunar Bridge progression, according to current community guides. Free units will not always match the very top S-tier pulls, but they can carry you through story content and farming while you save gems for better banners.
What is the best trait in Anime Vanguards?
Monarch is widely regarded as the best overall trait for damage dealers, because it gives a large stat boost. It is also very rare, with a reported roll chance of around 0.1 percent. Ethereal, Deadeye, and Solar are also strong traits for damage-focused units, and Corruption III and IV are valued for the same role. The best trait depends on the unit’s role: a damage dealer wants Monarch or a similar damage trait, while a support unit may benefit more from a trait that boosts its utility or survivability. Reroll at the Mandra NPC in the lobby, and prioritise your main carry first.
Should I evolve a unit before rerolling its trait?
Yes, in almost every case. Evolve the unit to its final form first, then reroll its trait. Evolution can change a unit’s rarity, role, and abilities, and when a Mythic unit evolves into Secret or Vanguard rarity, its Ascensions are removed and do not transfer. Spending trait rerolls or Ascension materials before evolution risks wasting them on a form you will not keep. Finish the evolution, then invest in the trait.
How often does the Anime Vanguards tier list change?
It changes with every major update. New units arrive, old units get new evolutions, and balance patches adjust damage, range, cost, and abilities. The Update 15.0 list in this guide reflects the 2nd Anniversary meta in November 2026. After the next numbered update, check the official wiki tier list and current community rankings again before you spend gems or rare materials. A tier list is a snapshot, not a permanent ranking.
Conclusion
The Anime Vanguards tier list for 2026 is clear at the top: True Shadow Monarch leads, followed by Hollowseph (Pure), Death’s Grasp (Remembrance), Super Vogito, and Archer (Counter Spirit). Those five units are the safest long-term investments in the current meta, and any one of them can anchor a strong account.
But the tier list is only the starting point. The players who progress fastest are not the ones with the luckiest pulls. They are the ones who build a balanced team, invest in one carry at a time, evolve before they reroll, keep an economy unit in the team, and adapt when the meta shifts. An A-tier unit with the right trait and a finished evolution will carry you further than an S-tier unit you never upgrade.
Start with what you own. Clear the story, save your gems for good banners, evolve your best units, and check the rankings again after the next update. That is how you turn a tier list into a team that actually wins.
Read Also: 192.168.0..11: What It Means and How to Fix It Fast
