Picking the right units in Anime Expeditions comes down to three separate jobs: raw damage, team support, and economy. One letter grade cannot fairly compare a boss carry with a buffer or a money unit, so the strongest picks are ranked by role instead. The rankings below assume the named form, useful upgrades, and a trait that matches each unit’s kit.
Quick answer: The best DPS carries right now are 8th Sword (Berserk), Shadow (Divine), Cursed Student (True Love), Puppet (Telekinetic), Elf Mage (Unleashed), and Lady Giant (Envy). Run Unbound on most of them, Forsaken on Elf Mage, and Primordial on Lady Giant.
Best DPS units ranked
These rankings measure damage output with the correct trait and reasonable equipment. 8th Sword holds the highest recorded damage ceiling in the current build, with min-maxed runs pushing past 60k. Shadow sits just behind it and adds utility, so the two are close to even in overall power.
| Tier | Unit | Best trait |
|---|---|---|
| S | 8th Sword (Berserk) | Unbound |
| S | Shadow (Divine) | Unbound |
| S | Cursed Student (True Love) | Unbound (Draconic also good) |
| S | Puppet (Telekinetic) | Unbound |
| S | Elf Mage (Unleashed) | Forsaken |
| S | Lady Giant (Envy) | Primordial |
| A | Soul Reaper (Released) | Forsaken |
| A | String Demon (Awakened) | Primordial |
| A | Toy Maker (with Unbound) | Unbound |
| A | Crimson (Brother) | Unbound |
| B | Flame Emperor (Reincarnate) | Draconic |
| B | Hollow (Blaze) | Draconic |
| C | True Saint (Holy) | Any (don’t over-invest) |
Why the S-tier carries work
- 8th Sword (Berserk): Full-area damage and the highest damage ceiling in the game, with extra payoff from Hair Bells and critical equipment.
- Shadow (Divine): Summon damage plus enemy pushback and a domain that buffs Magical allies, giving it both DPS and support value.
- Cursed Student (True Love): Copies a nearby ally’s attacks, and Bleed stacks generate Spirit Bats. Without Bleed, that Bat output disappears.
- Puppet (Telekinetic): High damage combined with damage amplification, summons, and an enemy rewind. One of the strongest Mythics available.
- Elf Mage (Unleashed): Arcane follow-up attacks scale unusually well with critical chance and critical damage, which is why Forsaken beats Unbound here.
- Lady Giant (Envy): Giant form supplies the damage but slows the attack cycle, so Primordial or attack-speed gear offsets the penalty.
Toy Maker: An A-tier pick only with Unbound
Toy Maker is the big exception on this list. Her one-placement limit makes her far more dependent on a single trait than any other unit. With Unbound, that one placement scales exceptionally well and she surges into A-tier for damage. Without it, treat her as a B or even C option rather than a universal carry.
Why Soul Reaper stays at A
Soul Reaper has excellent crit scaling and can push toward the S border, but its base damage is lower than the top group. The build wants multiple placements, crit equipment, and Forsaken to reach its peak, because more placements mean more self-buffs and clones. For that reason, Unbound is not its best roll despite being the default choice on most carries.
Best support units
Support units decide clears when waves are fast or damage windows are short. Slow, stagger, and cocoon control keep enemies inside your damage, while buff auras raise the output of matching carries. Shadow and Puppet double as hybrid picks that deliver meta damage without giving up a carry slot.
| Role | Unit | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| S Support | Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1) | Massive slow for stalling enemies; a stronger version of Ice Mage |
| S Support | String Demon (Awakened) | Crowd-control and stall passive with linked follow-ups |
| S Hybrid | Shadow (Divine) | Meta damage plus Magical buff and enemy pushback |
| S Hybrid | Puppet (Telekinetic) | Meta damage plus damage amplification and rewind |
| Buff aura | The Hero | Buffs Physical units |
| Buff aura | Forbidden Teacher | Buffs Magical units and pairs well with Shadow |
| Control | Ice Queen | Applies Freeze; strong early support |
| Defense | Water Princess | Protects units from debuffs |
| Control | Ice Mage | Slow, but replaced by Salmon Sorcerer later |
Note: The Hero loses value on a mostly Magical team, so match your buffer to the carries actually sitting inside its aura.
Economy and beginner units
Ramen Guy and Stone Alchemist are the dedicated economy units. Ramen Guy generates battle money, though its exact income values and upgrade breakpoints are not yet consistently confirmed. Only commit to Investor after the unit panel confirms an income skill.
For a new account, start with the Time Chamber unit and lean on Ban (Greed) and Scissor for early damage. Scissor is also listed under the character name Riyo. Fill the rest of your team with stalling Legendary support such as Ice Queen, then swap units by role as stronger Mythics and Secrets arrive. Keep a cheap True Saint (Holy) as an early carry, but don’t pour resources into it since it falls off in the late game.
Units that shift tier by build
Some units move up or down depending on whether their defining condition is met. Before treating a drop as a reroll problem, check the unit’s equipment matchup and placement requirements, since a better item or overlapping lane can fix a run without changing anything else.
- Hollow (Blaze): Needs another fire unit to keep Burn active. Paired with Flame Emperor it is a solid DoT combo; solo it drops to B.
- Flame Emperor (Reincarnate): A decent DoT starter that improves sharply alongside Hollow, but its solo ceiling and cost hold it at B.
- Crimson (Brother): A-tier DoT damage from constant Bleed plus AoE from exploding marks. It works with nearly every trait except Forsaken.
- Cursed Student (True Love): Loses its Spirit Bat output without Bleed being maintained on targets.
Treat balance patches, new equipment, and availability changes as reasons to retest a unit rather than holding onto an old placement. Compare any showcase build against your own form, trait, Potential, equipment, and placement count before copying its ranking.
