The latest patch reshuffled the meta hard, and the new wave of updates makes the previous rankings look almost unrecognizable. This Anime Vanguards tier list 15 sorts every viable unit across Infinite, Dungeon, and Raid so you stop guessing which investments actually pay off. Whether you are rebuilding around the newest Mythic, hunting for a reliable farm core, or trying to clear the new Infernal bosses, the picks below are filtered for real performance rather than hype.
Update 15 Meta Snapshot and Tier Criteria
Update 15 lands at a strange inflection point: raw damage ceilings no longer dominate the conversation because every game mode now scales enemy health or shields differently. According to community data, the developers pushed a wave of rebalances that buffed AoE clear speed and shield-stripping passives, while quietly nerfing a handful of single-target nukers that used to define the late game. If you skipped the previous patch notes, this tier list acts as a reset point for your roster decisions.
The criteria below are the same filters I used to build the rankings, so the tiers stay consistent across every game mode rather than drifting based on personal taste.
| Criterion | Weight | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Damage per Second (DPS) | 25% | Core throughput for raid boss phases |
| Survivability | 20% | Determines placement in Infinite wave 40+ |
| Utility / Buffs | 20% | Buff stripping, ATK-up, range extension |
| AoE Coverage | 15% | Dungeon mob waves and Infinite escalation |
| Placement Cost | 10% | Restricts how early a unit can deploy |
| Farm Efficiency | 10% | Yen / gem output per run |
Units in SS and S tiers clear all five of these filters at near-maximum values. A tier units are specialists that dominate one mode but fall behind elsewhere. Anything below that tends to need heavy support or a future buff to stay relevant.
The previous patch's unit ranking had two standout units — Itadori Yuji and Gojo Satoru — sitting comfortably on top, and both remain elite, but their role changed slightly with the Shield Rework that Update 15 introduced. You can compare the older spread in the Anime Vanguards unit ranking guide if you want to see which units dropped several tiers overnight.
Best Units for Infinite Mode
Infinite mode is the stress test that exposes every weakness in your roster, because enemy HP scales almost indefinitely while your deploy slots stay fixed. After Update 15, the meta is shorter-range burst + rapid redeploy rather than the slow turtle compositions that dominated Infinite during the previous patch. The best units for Infinite are now the ones that can pop shields, clear the wave in under ten seconds, and survive a boss rush on wave 30+.
| Unit | Role | Tier | Why It Dominates Infinite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gojo Satoru | DPS / Staller | SS | Domain Expansion wipes clustered waves instantly |
| Sung Jin-Woo | DPS | SS | Shadow extraction scales with enemy density |
| Itadori Yuji | Hybrid | S | Black Flash procs shred shielded elites |
| Killua Zoldyck | Speed DPS | S | Godspeed clears the early game in 3 waves |
| Luffy (Gear 5) | Bruiser | S | Tanky enough to solo anchor position |
| Deku (Full Cowling) | Support | A | Buffs adjacent DPS by 25% ATK |
Sung Jin-Woo is the new king of Infinite for a very specific reason: his Shadow Army summon scales with enemy count, so the longer a run survives, the harder he hits. Pair him with a Yen aura support so you can fund redeploys without burning your gold reserve, and you can realistically push past wave 50 on most banner setups. If you want a more general-purpose ranking, the Anime Vanguards meta tier list breaks down which units are the smartest long-term investments regardless of mode.
Killua's position in S tier is more nuanced. His Godspeed ability has the highest single-target burst in the game, but if the map lacks choke points, his value drops noticeably. On open maps, swap him for a wider AoE option like Tanjiro (Sun Breathing) who was buffed substantially in the latest patch.
Best Units for Dungeon Mode
Dungeon mode has always rewarded AoE cleave and map control, but Update 15's Dimensional Shift mechanic added a new wrinkle: certain rooms now spawn enemies from the edge of the map, rewarding backline pressure and ranged units. The best units for Dungeon are therefore split between frontline wave-clearers and backline snipers who can intercept spawns before they reach your core.
| Unit | Role | Tier | Why It Dominates Dungeon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanjiro (Sun Breathing) | AoE DPS | SS | Cleaves entire rooms in 2 seconds |
| Levi (Ackerman) | Speed DPS | SS | Mobility lets him reposition between rooms |
| Gojo Satoru | Hybrid | S | AoE plus stall makes him flexible |
| Eren (Founding Titan) | AoE Bruiser | S | Massive HP pool anchors the front line |
| Megumin (Explosion) | Burst DPS | A | One-shots boss rooms but slow on trash |
| Gon (Adult Form) | Hybrid | A | Decent AoE with self-buff stacking |
Tanjiro's Sun Breathing form is the textbook example of what the dungeon meta rewards. His cleave hits every enemy in a frontal cone, and Update 15 added a stack mechanic that boosts his damage by 4% per cleared room. By the time you reach the boss, he is hitting roughly 140% of his base DPS without any external support. Pair him with Levi for mobility, and you have a core that handles every floor archetype.
Megumin is a polarizing pick that many players rank higher, but in practice her long cooldown on Explosion means she wastes time on small waves where a faster unit would clear in half the time. She is best reserved for boss-rush dungeon variants where the long wait between casts is less punishing. If you want a broader perspective on the strongest picks across all modes, the Anime Vanguards SS tier units breakdown focuses on which characters clear the damage-per-slot efficiency bar.
Best Units for Raid Mode
Raid mode flips the priority list again: single-target damage, boss-specific passives, and survivability through long phase transitions dominate. The best units for raid are the ones that can maintain a high damage uptime across multiple damage windows, because the bosses in Update 15 introduced a Phase Lock mechanic that punishes downtime harder than any previous patch.
| Unit | Role | Tier | Why It Dominates Raid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sung Jin-Woo | Single-Target DPS | SS | Highest sustained DPS against a single target |
| Gojo Satoru | Hybrid | SS | Survives enrage windows with stalling tools |
| Madara (Ten Tails) | Burst DPS | S | Massive burst in the opening 30 seconds |
| Luffy (Gear 5) | Bruiser | S | Soaks phase-transition damage |
| Yami Sukehiro | Anti-Shield | A | The only budget unit that strips raid shields |
| Aizen (Kyoka Suigetsu) | Support | A | Illusion debuff increases party crit rate |
Sung Jin-Woo tops raid for the opposite reason he tops Infinite: instead of scaling with enemy count, his Shadow Extraction enters a focused single-target mode when only one boss is on the field, doubling his effective DPS. Combined with Luffy's damage soak during phase transitions, this duo clears the new Infernal raid boss in roughly 2:45 on average, according to community data from the top guilds.
Madara's Ten Tails form is a more volatile choice. He hits the hardest opening burst in the game, but if the boss transitions to phase two before the burst window closes, he falls behind because his sustained damage lacks the consistency of Sung Jin-Woo or Gojo. Reserve him for raids with a long phase one or a short enrage timer.
For players running on a tighter budget, Yami Sukehiro is the most underrated raid support in the game. His Dark Cloak ability strips raid-specific shields that the other top-tier DPS units cannot pierce, making him a near-mandatory slot for Infernal-level raids even if his raw damage is mediocre. The buff stacking from Aizen also multiplies the entire party's crit rate by roughly 18%, which is a non-trivial damage boost over a long raid.
Best Farm Team Compositions
Farming in Anime Vanguards is less about raw damage and more about yen-per-minute efficiency and reliability across long sessions. The best farm team focuses on a few core principles: high uptime, low placement cost, and the ability to clear infinite-mode early waves on full auto so you can run multiple sessions without babysitting each one.
| Team Slot | Recommended Unit | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Main DPS | Sung Jin-Woo | Self-sufficient wave clear |
| Support 1 | Itadori Yuji | Hybrid damage + tank |
| Support 2 | Deku (Full Cowling) | ATK buff aura |
| Aura | Broccoli (Sanrio collab) | +15% yen per wave |
| Flex | Killua Zoldyck | Burst for boss waves |
This composition works because every unit pulls weight in a different part of the run. Sung Jin-Woo handles the trash waves, Itadori tanks the elites, Deku keeps the DPS numbers high with his aura, and the Broccoli unit silently inflates your yen income by a meaningful margin. Over a 30-minute farm session, that 15% bonus translates into roughly 20,000 extra yen compared to a non-aura team.
If you are still building up your roster, the Anime Vanguards yen farm guide goes deeper into the per-unit income numbers and explains why the Broccoli aura is the single most impactful farm investment in the game right now. The numbers above come from community testing, so they may shift slightly after future patches, but the Sung Jin-Woo + Deku core has been a top farm setup for two consecutive updates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the single best unit in the Anime Vanguards tier list 15?
Sung Jin-Woo is the strongest overall unit because he tops both Infinite and Raid mode, which together represent the majority of the game's endgame content. His Shadow Army scales with enemy count in Infinite and converts to a single-target burst during raid phases, giving him unmatched versatility. He is also viable in the best farm team compositions for passive income.
Which units are the best for Infinite mode specifically?
Gojo Satoru and Sung Jin-Woo are the best units for Infinite because they combine AoE clear, high survivability, and self-buffing passives that scale with run length. Killua Zoldyck is a strong S-tier alternative for maps with tight choke points where his Godspeed burst can reset the entire wave. Avoid slow single-target units in Infinite past wave 30.
What changed in Update 15 to affect the tier list?
The major change was the Shield Rework, which buffed shield-stripping passives across the roster and nerfed several legacy single-target nukers. AoE clear and survivability now matter more than raw burst damage, so units like Tanjiro (Sun Breathing) climbed several tiers while older hyper-carry picks dropped.
Is there a reliable budget farm team for new players?
Yes. A team built around Killua Zoldyck, Deku (Full Cowling), and a free Broccoli aura support is the most efficient Anime Vanguards best farm team for new players. All three units are accessible without rolling the gacha repeatedly, and the team can auto-clear Infinite wave 25, which is the sweet spot for safe passive farming.
Where can I see the full unit roster and base stats?
The Anime Vanguards full unit list compiles every released unit along with base stats, banner origin, and recommended placement cost. It is a useful reference when comparing units that did not make the top tiers of this list.