Update 2.5, also called Absolute Dream, dropped four new units into Anime Expeditions on September 7, 2026, and it shook up the top of the meta without replacing the existing Secret carries. Silver Falcon, 5th God Hand, Iron Wolf (Struggler), and Eclipse Hunter (Savior) all arrived at once, and three of the four immediately slotted into top-tier territory. Here is what the strongest units in the current meta actually do, and which ones deserve your Trait Crystals first.
Quick answer: Build Sovereign (Djinn) as your main boss killer, add 5th God Hand, 8th Sword (Berserk), Prodigy (Rage), Lightning God (Overcharged), or Shadow (Divine) for wave damage, then run Silver Falcon and Kitsune as your buff supports and put the Unbound trait on your single-placement carry.
Meta units in Update 2.5 by role
Rankings in this game come down to how much a unit does on its own, since there are still relatively few deep synergies. Damage type (Physical, Magical, Psychic), element, and status effects matter more than rarity alone.
| Unit | Type | Main job |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereign (Djinn) | Storm Physical | Boss killer, chains, freeze |
| 5th God Hand | Dark Psychic | Scaling carry, lane control |
| 8th Sword (Berserk) | Neutral Physical | Raw AoE damage |
| Prodigy (Rage) | Light Physical | AoE carry after transform |
| Lightning God (Overcharged) | Storm Magical | Scaling damage, stuns |
| Shadow (Divine) | Dark Magical | Summoner DPS, magic buff |
| Head Captain (Char) | Flame Physical | Infinite burn stacking |
| Iron Wolf (Struggler) | Dark Physical | Bleed, ground pools |
| Silver Falcon | Light Magical | Team damage buff |
| Kitsune | Flame Magical | Attack speed and SPA buff |
Best boss killers: Sovereign (Djinn) and 5th God Hand
Sovereign (Djinn) is the single most complete unit in the game right now. A maxed placement lands at 3,164 Damage, 4.0 SPA, and 27.43 Range, which works out to roughly 791 DPS before any passive fires. Run three placements and you are already sitting near 2,373 raw DPS on paper.
The passives are where he pulls ahead. Lightning Djinn attaches five chains at 20% Damage each to every regular attack, and against a single target all five land on that target. When a boss walks into range, Nine-Tailed Fox Djinn stays active alongside it and adds another 50% Damage, pushing capped regular-attack output toward about 7,119 DPS. Djinn’s Judgment then fires a 75% strike plus three more chains every seven seconds, applying Freeze repeatedly and leaving a permanent 15% Slow behind. A maxed placement costs ¥43,200, which is cheap for that output.
5th God Hand is the new Secret with the most interesting scaling. He starts at 682 Damage, 6.5 SPA, and 14.5 Range on a single placement, and every third regular attack drops a Distortion that lasts 10 seconds. Enemies that walk into it vanish from the map for two seconds, stop moving entirely, and take 50% of his current Damage.
Survivors get Mark of Fate for five seconds and feed his Fated Meter, which caps at 35. Each marked enemy in range gives him 2.5% Damage and 1% Range while taking 5% more damage from him, and every meter stack raises Distortion damage by 5%. At 35 stacks, everything in range takes 100% of his current Damage per second for five seconds before the meter resets. He needs cash and time to ramp, so keep upgrading him through the wave rather than parking him at a low level.
Best units for clearing waves
8th Sword (Berserk) posts the highest raw damage numbers in the game as a full AoE unit. His passive chips at everything nearby, he cleanses stuns on himself the moment they land, and his follow-up attacks permanently cut enemy movement speed by 15%. Once he hits his takedown requirement and enters Berserk Mode, his damage, range, and attack speed all jump.
Prodigy (Rage) hits every third regular attack with heavy AoE and deals extra damage to anything already suffering a status effect. Building his Rage Meter triggers Rage Unleashed, which adds 25% Damage and a 75% boost to his area damage. He also refreshes damage-over-time effects on hit, so he pairs well with burn and bleed units.
Lightning God (Overcharged) runs on a Voltage Meter that builds from electricity-based stuns and scales his electricity damage by up to 300% at 60 stacks. On top of that he summons storm clouds that pick random targets, spreads electricity between enemies, and stacks lightning strikes. It takes a few waves to spool up, but the ceiling is high.
Shadow (Divine) covers damage and utility in one slot. His Wing Spirit and Wolf Spirit summons act independently and keep attacking for the whole match, and Shadow Realm converts the entire battlefield, rewinding enemies backward while handing every Magical unit a 25% damage boost. If your team leans magical, he is close to mandatory.
Burn and bleed units that scale the longer a run goes
Head Captain (Char) applies Burn the moment enemies step into his range, and Shielded enemies take an extra stack that can Pierce. His Burn stacks with no cap, building toward a 150% damage increase, and his skeleton summons sit on the path as traps that add their own AoE Burn plus permanent damage increases. He is the cleanest partner for any unit that benefits from status effects.
Iron Wolf (Struggler), the new Dark Physical Secret, applies bleed and leaves Crimson Spills on the ground whenever an enemy dies in his range. Those pools merge with one another, growing in size and damage as the wave goes on. He rewards placements at chokepoints where kills stack up in the same spot.
Best support units: Silver Falcon and Kitsune
Silver Falcon is a Secret support rather than a carry. He raises base damage by 10%, adds another 1% per upgrade, and boosts damage for Physical and Magical archetypes. That makes him a flat upgrade to almost any lineup, since he does not care which carry you happen to own.
Kitsune targets the strongest unit in her range and cuts its SPA by 25% while raising its attack speed by 25%. She builds Skill Points to repeat that buff, and her ultimate refunds all Skill Points, drops her own SPA by 15%, and gives every unit in range 35% more Damage for 30 seconds. Place her so that her range covers your main carry, not the lane.
Tip: On the economy side, Ramen Guy increases Yen earned from defeated enemies by 50%, which is what lets you afford full upgrades on expensive Secrets before the late waves.
Mythics worth building if you have no Secrets
Carrot (Unleashed) sits between DPS and support. He builds Fighting Spirit through Critical Attacks and transforms at 30 stacks, gaining 15% Damage and a 20% Critical Damage boost. Instant Relocation teleports friendly units around the map for follow-up attacks and a temporary damage boost, which is why he combos so well with Vegetable (Prince) and 8th Sword (Berserk).
Puppet (Telekinetic) marks dangerous enemies automatically, summons a doll that adds damage with no extra setup, and rewinds enemies back down the path. He can be run as a damage dealer or as pure support depending on the trait you give him.
Bioinsect (Final Form) is the most divisive pick in the current meta. He summons mini bioinsects and can absorb Mecha 17 and Mecha 18 to reach his Perfect Form, which steadily increases Range and AoE size during a match, and his Bio Gel provides crowd control. His raw damage is behind the top carries, so he earns his slot through utility rather than DPS.
Best traits to roll for your carries
Traits change unit power more than equipment does, and one of them is far ahead of the rest. Unbound is the default target for any main damage dealer that can function on a single placement.
| Trait | Effect | Use it on |
|---|---|---|
| Unbound | +350% DMG, -5% SPA, +10% Range, single placement | Your main carry |
| Primordial | +35% DMG, -15% SPA, +20% Range | Any multi-placement DPS |
| Forsaken | +35% Crit Damage, +35% Crit Chance, +10% Range | Crit-scaling units |
| Draconic | +20% DMG, +50% DoT Damage, -10% Cost | Burn and bleed units |
| Investor | +25% Money Farm Income | Farm units |
Because Unbound locks a unit to one placement, it is wasted on units that want three copies on the map. Sovereign (Djinn) gains from multiple placements, while 5th God Hand is already capped at one, which makes him a natural home for it.
Placements for the three new Secrets are still settling as players put more hours into them, and Eclipse Hunter (Savior) currently trails the other three additions. If you are deciding where to spend limited rerolls and upgrade materials right now, a Sovereign (Djinn) core with one scaling AoE carry, Silver Falcon or Kitsune for buffs, and a farm unit to fund the upgrades covers nearly every stage in the game.
