Anime Expeditions has three documented Archetypes: Physical, Magical and Psychic. An Archetype classifies a unit and its damage into a broad combat group. It sits beside the unit’s Element, not in place of it. A stage can refer to one field while an enemy or modifier refers to the other, so read both icons before changing your team.
The current community Wiki describes Physical and Magical as groups with dedicated buffers. Psychic is designed as the neutral Archetype: the overview says it remains undebuffed in stages, but intentionally has no designated buffer. Treat those statements as a current system snapshot. The live stage card and unit panel remain the final check after an update.
Open an interactive Archetype guide
Select a card to open its full visual roster, documented buffer interactions, team-building checklist and player FAQ.
Physical
24 documented unit and form entries
Open Physical guide →
Magical
27 documented unit and form entries
Open Magical guide →
Psychic
3 documented unit and form entries
Open Psychic guide →
Quick comparison
Physical
Documented identity: Physical Archetype damage.
Dedicated range buffer: The Hero applies a damage buff to Physical units in range. Its page says the effect increases by 5% each upgrade, but does not state a base percentage in the passive line.
Roster shape: 24 entries spread across Neutral, Dark, Flame, Terra, Light, Gale and Farm element labels, plus The Hero with no listed element.
Magical
Documented identity: Magical Archetype damage.
Dedicated buffers: Forbidden Teacher buffs Magical units in range and is listed as increasing by 5% each upgrade. Shadow (Divine) has a timed global Magical damage buff through Shadow Realm.
Roster shape: 27 entries across Dark, Hydro, Storm, Flame, Gale, Light and Neutral, plus Forbidden Teacher with no listed element.
Psychic
Documented identity: Psychic Archetype damage.
Neutral rule: the Archetype overview says Psychic remains undebuffed in stages and intentionally has no designated buffer.
Roster shape: Toy Maker, Puppet and Puppet (Telekinetic). A small roster means account availability matters more than theoretical flexibility.
Archetypes and Elements are two separate fields
Archetype is the broad damage family. Element is the second label paired with it. For example, the current indexes place Hollow under Physical while its Element page lists it under Flame. Crow appears under Magical and Dark. Puppet appears under Psychic and Light. These are not contradictions: each unit can carry one label from each system.
When a stage says “Physical,” do not search only for a Neutral or Flame icon. Match the Physical icon. When a stage says “Dark,” open the Elements guide and match Dark even though those units can belong to more than one Archetype. If the interface names both a buff and a resistance, check both fields before deciding which carry to deploy.
The reference overview says Archetypes can interact with inherent stage buffs or debuffs and enemy weakness or resistance. It does not publish one permanent Physical-versus-Magical-versus-Psychic triangle. Never assume Physical beats Magical, Magical beats Psychic, or Psychic beats Physical unless the current stage explicitly says so.
Documented Archetype buffers and values
The Hero · Physical
Passive: Hero Blessing.
Reference wording: applies a damage buff to all Physical units within range and increases by 5% each upgrade.
Do not derive: the checked passive line does not publish the starting percentage, so this guide does not invent a final total.
Forbidden Teacher · Magical
Passive: Teacher Blessing.
Reference wording: applies a damage buff to all Magical units within range and increases by 5% each upgrade.
Placement decision: the beneficiary must be within range; verify the current radius and stacking behavior in your server.
Shadow (Divine) · Magical
Ability: Shadow Realm, unlocked on Upgrade 7.
Reference values: 25% damage buff to all Magical units for 30 seconds, 60-second global cooldown; the page marks Auto-Use true.
Live check: confirm the current ability text, activation timing and interaction with other buffs.
Psychic
Design note: no designated buffer is listed.
Stage behavior: the overview describes Psychic as remaining undebuffed in stages.
Boundary: that sentence does not prove immunity to every enemy effect, stun, resistance or future modifier.
How to choose an Archetype for a run
Start with the stage information. If it names an Archetype buff, debuff, weakness or resistance, copy the exact word. Next, open your candidate unit’s current form and confirm the matching icon. Base and evolved forms are separately listed in the reference indexes, so do not rely on a remembered base form when you are deploying an evolved one.
Then compare real team jobs. An Archetype match cannot replace an opener, sufficient lane coverage, boss damage, control or economy. Physical has the broadest variety of low-rarity and economy entries in the current index, while Magical contains the largest documented roster and two named buff routes. Psychic has only three entries, so its neutral stage behavior does not guarantee that your account has the right cost curve or role.
For a buff-centered team, check positioning and timing. The Hero and Forbidden Teacher are range-based buffers, so place beneficiaries inside their current radius. Shadow Realm is timed; use the live cooldown display to align it with a boss or difficult wave instead of assuming the buff is permanent. Test one change at a time on the same stage so you can tell whether the Archetype match actually fixed the run.
Common Archetype mistakes
- Treating Archetype and Element as alternate names for the same system.
- Importing a rock-paper-scissors chart that the Anime Expeditions reference pages do not document.
- Assuming every Physical unit is melee or every Magical unit attacks at long range.
- Calculating a final The Hero or Forbidden Teacher buff without a published starting value.
- Treating Shadow Realm’s 25% timed buff as always active.
- Reading Psychic’s “undebuffed in stages” description as immunity to every enemy mechanic.
- Forgetting that unit availability, form, cost and attack pattern can matter more than the label.
Archetypes FAQ
How many Archetypes are in Anime Expeditions?
The checked community Wiki documents three: Physical, Magical and Psychic. Their linked indexes list 54 names and forms in total.
Which Archetype is best?
There is no supported universal winner. Use the stage rule, enemy information, available unit forms and team role. Psychic has a documented neutral design, but its roster is much smaller and has no designated buffer.
Does Physical beat Magical?
The checked Archetype pages do not publish that permanent matchup. Follow only the weakness, resistance, buff or debuff displayed by the current stage or enemy.
Can Archetype buffs stack?
The reference pages identify the buffs, but the checked text does not fully define stacking across multiple copies or different sources. That requires in-game testing after the latest update.