Interactive role ranking
Anime Expeditions unit tier list
Filter the current community-wiki order by combat job or search for a unit. Positions run from left to right inside each role; they do not compare units that perform different jobs.
39 ranked entries
The wiki team’s five strongest overall picks in its current snapshot.
Dark Mage Role position #1 Open unit guide → 
Shadow Role position #2 
8th Sword Role position #3 
Crow Role position #4 Open unit guide → 
Puppet Role position #5 Damage-focused choices, ordered within the DPS role.
Dark Mage Role position #1 Open unit guide → 8th Sword Role position #2 Shadow Role position #3 Crow Role position #4 Open unit guide → 
Elf Mage Role position #5 Puppet Role position #6 
Razorjaw Role position #7 Open unit guide → 
String Demon Role position #8 
Lady Giant Role position #9 
Cursed Student Role position #10 
Crimson Role position #11 
Reaper (Released) Role position #12 
Hollow Role position #13 
Flame Emperor Role position #14 Flexible picks valued for tools beyond straightforward damage.
Cursed Student Role position #1 
Cursed Immortal Role position #2 Open unit guide → String Demon Role position #3 Hollow Role position #4 Reaper (Released) Role position #5 
Toy Maker Role position #6 Units ranked for helping the rest of a team perform.
Puppet Role position #1 
Forbidden Teacher Role position #2 
The Hero Role position #3 Shadow Role position #4 Crow Role position #5 Open unit guide → 
Water Princess Role position #6 Units ranked for slowing, stopping or repositioning enemies.
Salmon Sorcerer Role position #1 Shadow Role position #2 Puppet Role position #3 Razorjaw Role position #4 Open unit guide → 
Ice Queen Role position #5 String Demon Role position #6 8th Sword Role position #7 
Ice Mage Role position #8 No ranked unit matches this search and role.
Order checked against the Anime Expeditions Wiki Tier List on July 28, 2026. Live balance, traits, equipment and mode rules can change.
Use this Anime Expeditions tier list to answer a specific team-building question, not to find one unit that supposedly wins every stage. The interactive ranking below follows the current order on the Anime Expeditions community Wiki: Top 5, DPS, Utility, Support and Crowd Control. Within each row, positions run from left to right. A unit appearing in several rows is being recognized for more than one job.
The portraits identify the units used by the ranking. They do not promise that a base unit, evolved form or limited variant is currently obtainable. Four cards link to deeper unit guides already available on this site; other cards remain quick-reference entries until their facts can be documented without guesswork.
How to use the interactive tier list
Start with the role your team is missing. Select DPS when enemies survive because the team lacks damage, Crowd Control when dangerous waves need to be delayed, Support when an established carry needs help, or Utility when the problem is more specialized. Use Top 5 as a shortlist only after deciding which role must be filled.
The search box filters every visible row by unit name. The numbered badge on each portrait is that unit’s position in the selected Wiki row. It is not a universal power score, a summon probability or a damage multiplier. If you filter for one unit and see it in multiple rows, compare how much of your loadout is already covering those jobs.
Do not read across different roles as if the numbers were equivalent. First place in Support does not automatically replace third place in DPS. Each row answers a different question, and the correct choice depends on your stage, current inventory, upgrade budget and party.
What each role means
Top 5
The current Wiki snapshot places Dark Mage, Shadow, 8th Sword, Crow and Puppet in its Top 5, in that order. This is the fastest overview of the editors’ strongest general recommendations. It is still not a five-unit team recipe. Several of these units overlap in damage, control or support, so copying all five can leave an account without an affordable opener, required counter or economy plan.
DPS
The DPS row compares units mainly for dealing damage. Its current order begins with Dark Mage, 8th Sword, Shadow and Crow, then continues through the remaining damage candidates shown below. Use this row when a timed wave or boss survives after your positioning and upgrades are already reasonable.
Damage rankings are especially sensitive to investment. A portrait does not reveal Trait, Equipment, Potential, evolution state, upgrade cost or support coverage. Compare units under the same conditions before spending scarce reroll or evolution materials.
Utility
Utility covers tools that are valuable beyond straightforward personal damage. The current row starts with Cursed Student and Cursed Immortal, followed by String Demon, Hollow, Reaper (Released) and Toy Maker. A utility unit can rank lower on a damage chart while solving a stage mechanic more reliably.
Read the live ability text before choosing. “Utility” is a broad editorial role, not one confirmed in-game statistic. The useful tool may depend on timing, target rules, map layout or interaction with another unit.
Support
The Support row currently orders Puppet, Forbidden Teacher, The Hero, Shadow, Crow and Water Princess. These choices should be judged by what they add to the team rather than by isolated damage. A support that improves the correct carry or stabilizes the correct wave can be more valuable than another expensive attacker.
Before investing, confirm who receives the benefit, its range or trigger, whether similar effects stack, and whether the target mode changes any relevant rule. Those details can change and must be checked in the live experience.
Crowd Control
The Crowd Control row currently starts with Salmon Sorcerer, Shadow and Puppet, followed by Razorjaw, Ice Queen, String Demon, 8th Sword and Ice Mage. These units are considered when enemy movement or actions need to be interrupted, delayed or manipulated.
Crowd-control value depends heavily on enemy resistance, immunity, cooldown rules and the exact effect applied. A high placement on this row does not guarantee that every boss or special enemy can be controlled. Check the stage information and use the Effects guide when you need to distinguish a slow, stun, freeze, rewind or mark.
Build a team from roles, not portraits
Begin by describing the failure in one sentence: “early waves leak,” “the boss survives,” “the team cannot afford its upgrades,” or “a special enemy ignores my plan.” This produces a useful shortlist. Opening the tier list without a failure condition usually encourages unnecessary summoning.
Keep a dependable early-wave answer, one main damage plan and enough support or control for the target stage. Add a second damage profile when enemy properties make that necessary. Avoid filling every slot with costly top-ranked units; a lineup that cannot reach its important upgrades is weaker than a balanced team of accessible choices.
Owned units deserve priority in the comparison. A lower-ranked option that is already evolved, affordable and familiar can solve a wall immediately. A higher-ranked limited unit that your account cannot obtain is not a progression step.
Compare two units fairly
Choose one repeatable stage and record its difficulty, party size and modifiers. Keep position, supporting units and upgrade budget as similar as possible. Run the current choice more than once, then replace only that role with the challenger.
Record the first leak, the point at which the lane becomes stable, the boss result and whether the clear is repeatable. Note the Trait, Equipment, Potential and evolution state beside each result. If the challenger only wins with stronger gear or a rare Trait, that requirement belongs in the conclusion.
Do not use total damage alone. Support and Crowd Control should be evaluated by team outcomes; Utility should be evaluated against the mechanic it is meant to solve. DPS comparisons should separate ordinary-wave damage from boss-phase performance when those jobs differ.
Best approach for new and F2P players
New players should use the list to identify future goals while protecting current progression. Keep resources until a unit proves useful in repeatable content. An accessible opener and a stable farming route usually improve an account faster than chasing every Top 5 portrait.
Check current obtainment before planning around any unit. Banner pools, limited availability, evolution materials and events can change. Never assume that a unit shown here is available today. The beginner guide and F2P progression guide explain how to build around what the account already owns.
Rerolling should come after role testing. First prove that the unit fixes a real team problem in its ordinary state, then consult the Traits hub and improve it deliberately. Spending every Trait Crystal on a popular portrait can delay several parts of the account at once.
When the ranking can become stale
Any balance patch, new evolution, new unit, Equipment interaction or mode-specific rule can change the order. A ranking can also shift when players discover a better placement or support combination without a formal patch. Recheck the source date before making an expensive decision.
The interactive order is intentionally separate from live numerical stats. This prevents a changing damage, cooldown or probability value from being presented as permanent. Where exact values matter, use the in-game panel and record the update in which you checked them.
If the Wiki order changes, compare the revised row with your account test rather than automatically rebuilding the team. A stable clear remains useful even when a community position moves.
Common tier-list mistakes
- Treating the Top 5 as a complete loadout instead of a shortlist.
- Comparing a Support position directly with a DPS position.
- Assuming the portrait proves an evolved form or current availability.
- Ignoring placement and upgrade costs when copying an endgame team.
- Ranking Support, Utility or Crowd Control by personal damage alone.
- Testing one unit with better Traits or Equipment than the other.
- Spending rare materials before confirming the target role.
- Selling an owned specialist because it is absent from one community row.
Tier list FAQ
Who is the best unit in Anime Expeditions?
The current Wiki snapshot places Dark Mage first in both Top 5 and DPS, but that does not establish one universal best unit. Puppet leads Support, Cursed Student leads Utility, and Salmon Sorcerer leads Crowd Control. Choose the leader for the role your team actually needs.
Is this an official developer tier list?
No. It follows the Anime Expeditions community Wiki’s maintained ranking. The Wiki describes roles as reasonable interpretations of mechanics rather than officially disclosed classes. The live Roblox experience remains the authority for unit behavior.
Why does one unit appear in several rows?
Some units contribute to several jobs. Repeated placement can signal flexibility, but it does not mean one copy replaces every specialist or that all of its jobs are equally strong in every mode.
Are the positions based on exact stats?
The reference ranking does not publish a calculation that turns live stats into one universal score. This page therefore preserves the visible order without inventing damage values, probabilities or weights. Exact performance requires in-game testing.
Should I reroll Traits for a Top 5 unit?
Only after confirming that the unit is obtainable, fits your intended role and improves a repeatable result. Then choose a Trait goal using current in-game text instead of copying an old screenshot.