Only a small group of units in Anime Expeditions can change into a stronger second form, and each one demands its own mix of Evolution Sprites, Gold, and a single unique item. The payoff is a permanent stat boost plus a brand-new passive that often decides whether a boss dies or an enemy leaks through your lane.
Quick answer: Open the Upgrades room in the lobby, interact with the Evolve station using the E key, pick the unit, gather or Quick Craft the listed Sprites and its special item, then press Evolve Unit once you have enough Gold. The unit’s form and name change on the spot.
Every evolvable unit, its cost, and its passive
Recipes are tied to a specific unit, so materials cannot be shared across the roster. You pick the unit first, then farm exactly what its recipe lists. Rainbow Sprites are the scarce component in almost every recipe, so treat them as the limiting factor when you decide who to evolve first.
| Evolution | Materials | Passive gained |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow → Shadow (Divine) | 20x Blue, 20x Green, 20x Red Sprites, 3x Rainbow Sprites, 10,000 Gold | Divine Spirit: summons a divine spirit that stuns Shadow for 15 seconds and mirrors its damage to enemies. The spirit cannot despawn, be killed, or be stunned. |
| Crimson → Crimson (Brother) | 20x Red, 20x Pink Sprites, 1x Rainbow Sprite, 5,000 Gold | Piercing Crimson: fires at a chosen point in range for 10 seconds, dealing 7755 of the unit’s damage each second and applying Crimson Mark. |
| True Saint → True Saint (Holy) | 1x Holy Pendant, 5x each of Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Yellow, and Pink Sprites, 1x Rainbow Sprite, 5,000 Gold | Seize: steals 20% of the damage from the 3 strongest units in range for 60 seconds. |
| Cursed Student → Cursed Student (True Love) | 1x Student ID, 20x Blue, 20x Purple Sprites, 1x Rainbow Sprite, 5,000 Gold | Cursed Mimicry: every 3 regular attacks triggers a bonus follow-up. Spirit Bats: every 20 Bleed stacks in range summons a Bat Spirit dealing 15% of current damage per attack. |
| Salmon Sorcerer → Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1) | 1x Salmon, 20x Green, 20x Blue Sprites, 1x Rainbow Sprite, 5,000 Gold | Crumble Away: applies 20% Slow on all upgrades. Plummet: enemies within 50% of range get Stagger for 2 seconds. |
| Flame Emperor → Flame Emperor (Reincarnate) | 1x Burning Fruit, 20x Red, 20x Yellow Sprites, 1x Rainbow Sprite, 5,000 Gold | Wall of Fire: places a fire wall on a path in range; enemies passing through are Burned. |
| Puppet → Puppet (Telekinetic) | 1x Puppet Heart, 20x Pink, 20x Purple Sprites, 1x Rainbow Sprite, 5,000 Gold | Complete Control: rewinds all enemies in range for 2 seconds. |
| Elf Mage → Elf Mage (Unleashed) | 1x Cosmic Magic, 20x Blue, 20x Purple Sprites, 1x Rainbow Sprite, 5,000 Gold | Arcane Magic / Overcharge: attacks build Arcane charges; each reset raises Arcane Spell damage by 5%, powering follow-ups Old Magic, Eruption, and Storm. |
| String Demon → String Demon (Awakened) | 1x Joker of the Nonsensical Pirates, 20x Yellow, 20x Pink Sprites, 1x Rainbow Sprite, 5,000 Gold | String Sync: attaches a string to the nearest unit; on its next attack, strung units perform a follow-up before the string breaks. |
Note: the Evolution menu previews every requirement and the resulting passive before you spend a single material, so you can judge whether a unit is worth the investment first.
How to evolve a unit
E key to open the Evolution menu. Every unit you own that can evolve appears in this list.
You know it worked when the unit’s form and name change immediately, adding the evolved suffix and applying its new passive. If the Evolve button stays greyed out, you are short a Sprite, the special item, or the Gold cost listed for that recipe.
Where to farm Sprites and special items
Evolution Sprites are the shared currency across most recipes, and they drop from active play rather than a single source. You earn them through Story mode, challenges, weekly challenges, mastery stages, Expeditions, and Raids. If you are away from the game, the AFK Chamber passively accumulates some resources over time.
The one-of-a-kind items are locked to their specific unit. The Holy Pendant, Student ID, Salmon, Burning Fruit, Puppet Heart, Cosmic Magic, and Joker of the Nonsensical Pirates each belong to a single recipe, so confirm the exact requirement in the Evolution menu before you commit to a grind. When you are short a common material, Quick Craft can convert what you have without leaving the screen.
Which unit to evolve first
Because materials are limited early on, pour resources into one dependable carry before spreading them thin. Prioritise the unit that appears in most of your winning teams, complete one recipe at a time, and hold your rarest Rainbow Sprites and special items for units you plan to keep long term. Avoid feeding rare items into a unit you intend to replace after your next banner pull.
Evolving does more than raise base stats. Each new passive reshapes how a unit behaves in a wave, from Shadow’s permanent Divine Spirit to Cursed Student’s Bleed-fuelled Bat Spirits, which is why an evolved carry usually clears several modes instead of one narrow stage.
