Anime Zero turns each dungeon run into a race to delete rooms of enemies and a boss at the end. The weapon you equip, which the game also calls a unit or character, decides how quickly that happens, and you can carry two at once and swap between them mid-run. The Shadow Monarch update reshuffled the top of the board, adding two new units and rebalancing i-frames across several kits.
Quick answer: Shadow Monarch, Flame Director, and Cataclysm are the strongest units right now. Pair any two of them and roll the Deadeye or Supernova trait.
Anime Zero units tier list
| Tier | Units |
|---|---|
| S (Meta) | Shadow Monarch, Flame Director, Cataclysm |
| A | Mochi Commander, Cursed King, Immortal Sovereign |
| B | Dragon Eclipse, Divine Emperor, Lights of Divinity |
| C | Kings Gambit, Rubber Man, Twisted Agony |
| D | Cosmic Warrior, Thunder Prodigy |
Shadow Monarch is the game’s most reliable choice. Its M1s and all skills grant invincibility frames, letting you keep attacking as boss moves pass you by. Monarch Path increases damage with each level gained during a run; Igris accompanies the unit in every mode, and its final stage boosts M1 range and damage. You can obtain it from the Nightmare-exclusive Shadow Gate raid.
Flame Director (Hu Tao) supplies the burst damage in the meta duo. Skill 2 puts her into a 20-second mode, doubling her damage and improving her movement speed and dash range; the cooldown is 40 seconds. Only Hu Tao benefits from this effect, so changing to another unit won’t transfer it, and critical hits have no effect on her burn damage. She is obtained through the Spirited Away raid.
Cataclysm completes the top tier, bringing rapid attacks, potent multi-tick skills, and short cooldowns for Story and Endless. A recent buff raised its ultimate’s damage from 440 to 650. Unlike Cursed King, it has no dependable i-frame protection, making careful timing more important against aggressive bosses.
Mochi Commander (Katakuri), Cursed King, and Immortal Sovereign are A-tier picks. During Skill 1’s cooldown, Katakuri can deploy three turret casts to keep dealing damage between attacks; he is available from Zenda’s banner. For raw damage, Cursed King is the strongest unit outside LYTH, combining quick slashes, area fire, domain control, and its own i-frames. The update reduced the skill i-frames on both Cursed King and Immortal Sovereign.
Dragon Eclipse, Divine Emperor, and Lights of Divinity are solid B-tier progression units that handle Story and Endless but leave gaps against raid bosses. The C tier (Kings Gambit, Rubber Man, Twisted Agony) and D tier (Cosmic Warrior, Thunder Prodigy) are early pulls worth keeping only until something stronger arrives. A fully evolved lower-tier unit can still carry you while you chase the raid rewards.
Anime Zero traits tier list
| Tier | Traits |
|---|---|
| S (Meta) | Deadeye, Supernova, Ferocity, Sniper |
| A | Fortune, Overkill, Razor Focus |
| B | Hunter, Power 3, Swift 3, Focus 3 |
| C | Vitality, Power 2, Swift 2, Focus 2 |
| D | Power 1, Swift 1, Focus 1 |
Deadeye gives +20% damage, +5% crit chance, and +50% crit damage, which makes it the best choice for longer modes where crits compound. Supernova wins when you are speedrunning or farming levels as fast as possible. Both roll at around 0.01%, so they are rare pulls. Ferocity and Sniper are the next-best damage options, and Fortune is the one to chase if you care more about drop rates than raw output. The numbered Power, Swift, and Focus traits are filler you reroll away as soon as a meta trait appears.
Anime Zero accessories tier list
You equip one accessory in each of four slots — back, head, face, and neck — so these rankings reflect value within a slot rather than against each other.
| Tier | Accessories |
|---|---|
| S (Meta) | Blast Archer Wings, Blast Archer Crown, SunGlasses, Capsule Scarf |
| A | Light Admiral Cloak, Dark Captain Wings, Flame Pirate Hat |
| B | Panther Hollow Mask, Wind Spirit Wing |
| C | Diva Headphones, 8th Brigade Fire Hat, Kitsune Mask |
| D | Lost Monarch Protection Ring, Gentleman’s Top Hat |
Blast Archer Wings are the best back piece, giving 16% damage alongside 10% drop rate, so they work for both combat and farming. Blast Archer Crown leans harder into damage with 20% damage, 7% drop rate, 7% cooldown reduction, and extra health, making it the head slot pick once your farming is mostly done. SunGlasses fill the face slot for crit rate, and Capsule Scarf is the only neck accessory, which is why it sits in the top loadout despite modest stats. Accessories are crafted from resources you earn clearing dungeons and stages, not rolled.
Best Anime Zero build after the update
The strongest setup pairs Shadow Monarch with Flame Director, leaning on Monarch’s i-frame safety and Hu Tao’s doubled-damage burst to one-shot bosses. Cataclysm is a strong substitute in either slot if you have not pulled both raid units yet.
- Units: Shadow Monarch + Flame Director (swap in Cataclysm as a third option)
- Trait: Deadeye for long runs, Supernova for fast farming
- Accessories: Blast Archer Wings (back), Blast Archer Crown (head), SunGlasses (face), Capsule Scarf (neck)
- Titles: Dragon Eclipse for damage and drops, plus Flame Director or Cursed King
How to get units and current codes
Most units come from summoning at the Arsenal using spins and Lucky Spins, with Lucky Spins raising your odds of a higher rarity. Shadow Monarch and Flame Director are the exceptions, earned from the Shadow Gate and Spirited Away raids. Lucky Spins shift the odds noticeably at the top end — Mythic jumps from 3.1% to 7.8%, and the rarest LYTH tier rises from 0.005% to 0.01%.
Codes are the fastest way to stock up on spins and rerolls. These are active now: 50KCCU, SORRYFORZEDELAY, and UPDATETWO. Redeem them in the in-game Shop menu, and know that UPDATETWO only works once you reach level 50. A valid code confirms with your spin or reroll balance ticking up right after you hit redeem.
How these rankings were decided
Rankings account for room-clearing reach, boss damage against a single target, options during cooldown downtime, and i-frame survivability. Investment is also considered, with units assessed at comparable evolution levels, traits, and accessories. A unit’s position within its tier isn’t a claim of a quantified damage advantage.
This ranking reflects the Shadow Monarch update, which went live on October 8, 2026. Tier lists are subjective by nature, and balance patches or new raid units can move these placements, so treat the top pairs as the current target rather than a permanent verdict.
