Anime Expeditions builds its tower defense around 33 collectable units drawn from parody versions of popular anime characters. Each one sits in one of six rarities and carries a passive that decides whether it works as a damage carry, a crowd controller, a buffer, a summoner, or an economy pick. Knowing what every unit does before you spend Gems, Trait Crystals, or evolution materials saves you from investing in the wrong fighter.
Quick answer: The six rarities run Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, Exclusive, and Secret. Secret and Exclusive units come from evolution and events rather than the banner, Mythics form the core of most end-game teams, and rarity alone does not tell you a unit’s role — read its passive first.
How rarity maps to how you get a unit
Where a unit comes from matters as much as its rarity. Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythic units all appear through summoning, while the two rarest tiers do not show up on any banner.
- Secret units are unlocked only through evolution, which can take hours of grinding.
- Exclusive units come from special events, Battle Pass rewards, tournaments, or limited-time activities.
- Mythic, Legendary, Epic, and Rare units are pulled from the Beginner, Standard, and Mini banners using Gems and Beginner Path tickets.
Gems are the main summoning currency. The summon screen supports single and 10x pulls, shows current drop rates through the Rates button, and tracks a Legendary pity at 20 summons and a Mythic pity at 50 summons.
Secret units
These are the rarest fighters in the game and sit at the top of the meta. Both are obtained through evolution rather than the banner. Shadow leads crowd control while dealing heavy damage, and 8th Sword provides some of the highest sustained DPS for late-game runs.
| Unit | Passive |
|---|---|
 Shadow (Divine) | Shadow Realm transforms the map and gives all magical units a 25% damage buff. Divine Spirit can stun the unit, but it summons a minion that does not despawn and deals the same damage. Winged Spirit summons winged minions every 5 seconds. |
 8th Sword (Berserker) | Enemies in range take 5% of the unit’s current damage every second. When stunned, it fires a follow-up attack. After 25 takedowns it enters Berserk mode, raising damage, SPA, and range. |
Exclusive units
Exclusive units are event and progression rewards, so they are harder to collect than standard banner characters. Toy Maker stands out for its summon-based blocking, Crimson works as a strong DPS pick, and True Saint is the most beginner-friendly of the three and tied to the Beginner Path.
| Unit | Passive |
|---|---|
 Crimson (Brother) | Marks regular enemies with a crimson mark that explodes after 5 seconds. The explosion leaves a crimson pool that deals extra damage. Also performs piercing crimson attacks. |
 Toy Maker | Summons toys along the path that deal damage, gain speed, and hit with AoE attacks. |
 True Saint (Holy) | Inflicts the True Saint Mark, dealing 10% damage to marked enemies. |
Mythic units
Mythics are the backbone of most end-game teams. All nine appear on the Beginner Banner featured pool. Cursed Student is one of the strongest DPS picks thanks to its attack-copying passive and Bleed synergy, Elf Mage delivers consistent AoE, and Lady Giant offers massive raw damage through its transformation. Salmon Sorcerer is the standout controller.
| Unit | Passive |
|---|---|
 Cursed Student (True Love) | Every third regular attack triggers a follow-up copying the closest unit, dealing 100% of its own damage plus 40% of the nearest unit’s. Every 20 Bleed stacks in range summons a Bat Spirit (up to 3). |
 Elf Mage (Unleashed) | Builds arcane charges on regular attacks. Once the threshold is reached, charges reset and increase arcane spell damage through follow-up attacks. |
 Flame Emperor (Reincarnate) | Applies Burn that spreads to the 3 nearest enemies and can summon a wall of fire that damages enemies passing through. |
 Hollow (Blaze) | Deals extra damage and induces flames when a burning enemy stops in range. Attacking enemies that already have Burn deals more damage. |
 Lady Giant (Envy) | Gains Rock chunks on regular attacks. At 4 chunks it fires a follow-up dealing 100-125% damage. Can transform into a giant to raise damage, SPA, and range. |
 Puppet (Telekinetic) | Applies a puppet mark to the strongest enemy in range and can summon a doll that deals damage relative to its health. |
 Reaper (Released) | Gains permanent damage and critical chance buffs after attacking. Can lower SPA by 5% for 20 seconds and use Mirage Step to relocate anywhere. |
 Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1) | Applies a 20% Slow through its upgrades. When an enemy comes within 50% of its range, it applies Stagger for 2 seconds. |
 String Demon (Awakened) | Every 6 regular attacks it traps enemies in a cocoon that stuns; breaking it deals 100% of the original damage. String attacks also fire follow-ups. |
Legendary units
Legendary units bring the support and utility roles that stay useful long after you unlock Mythics. The Hero buffs Physical carries, Forbidden Teacher buffs Magical ones, and Ramen Guy is the go-to farm pick for extra Yen during waves.
| Unit | Passive |
|---|---|
 Ice Queen | Freezes the target, stopping movement and actions for 2 seconds. Deals 20% more damage to enemies below 20% health. |
 Greed | Deals 20% more damage to the Boss enemy type. |
 Forbidden Teacher | Applies a damage buff to all magical units in range, increasing by 5% each upgrade. |
 Ramen Guy | Selling this unit returns only 10% of its cost, but it increases Yen earned from kills by 50%. |
 Scissor | Each consecutive regular attack on the same enemy raises damage by 5%, up to 20%. |
 Water Princess | Grants a shield to the nearest unit that breaks after blocking a debuff. The shield regenerates after 15 seconds. |
 The Hero | Applies a damage buff to all physical units in range, increasing by 5% each upgrade. |
Epic units
Epic units are early-game workhorses that help you clear Story content before stronger rarities take over. Ice Mage keeps a place a little longer than the rest thanks to its movement slow.
| Unit | Passive |
|---|---|
 Stone Alchemist | None listed. Named among the game’s economy farm picks. |
 Bounty Hunter | None listed. |
 Ice Mage | Reduces enemy movement speed by 0.5 for 5 seconds. |
 Demon Cyborg | None listed. |
 Nen Hunter | None listed. |
 Corps Captain | None listed. |
Rare units
Rare units are starter fighters meant to carry new players through the opening Story stages while they build Gems toward higher tiers. Thunder Shinobi and Reishi Archer put out the most reliable early damage of the group.
| Unit | Passive |
|---|---|
 Curly Brow | None listed. |
 Kid Assassin | None listed. |
 Reishi Archer | None listed. Performs well in early Story maps. |
 Thunder Shinobi | None listed. Reliable early damage. |
 Carrot | None listed. |
 Rubber Boy | None listed. |
Building a team from these units
A balanced six-slot team usually wants one cheap opener, one wave-clear carry, one boss or scaling carry, one control unit, one buffer or damage amplifier, and one flexible slot. The flex can turn into an economy unit for Story, a second boss killer for Raids, or extra control for a Tournament.
Check damage types before copying any team. The Hero only buffs Physical units, while Forbidden Teacher only buffs Magical units, so pairing the wrong buffer with a carry wastes the slot. Hollow becomes far stronger when another unit keeps Burn active, and Cursed Student wants reliable Bleed plus a strong copy target beside it.
Save Trait Crystals for units that stay in your main team rather than temporary fillers. A single well-upgraded carry backed by a Slow or damage buff clears more than several under-leveled placements, so concentrate your battle currency before spreading out. The roster, banners, and balance shift over time, so recheck the in-game Rates and unit panels after any update.
