The Anime Vanguards tier list is the fastest way to figure out which units deserve your gems, your banners, and your limited evolutions this October 2026 patch. With more than seventy playable characters split across collab banners, secret units, and event rewards, picking the wrong carry can stall a Dungeon push by hours. Below you'll find a full SS-to-D ranking, the meta units that define Infinite mode, and three team comps that hold up in the current patch cycle.
Game data, summon rates, and play-mode names in this guide reference the Vanguards: 2nd Anniversary page on Roblox, which lists the game as a gacha-style summoning experience with multiple modes, unit evolution, and co-op play. All numerical judgments below come from community testing and patch-note observations; exact values may shift after future hotfixes, so treat this as a directional guide rather than a contract.
How Anime Vanguards Tier Rankings Work in October 2026
The Anime Vanguards unit tier list splits characters into six bands based on raw DPS output, utility, and how they scale into the late-game modes. SS units are the only picks that reliably solo Infinite waves above stage 30. S units define the meta team shell for most players. A and B tiers are situational, while C and D exist mostly as collection fillers or early-summon stepping stones.
Ranking Criteria Explained
Rankings combine four measurable factors: single-target burst, AoE clear speed, defensive utility (stun, slow, heal), and summon cost efficiency. A unit that hits hard but costs 30 gems per summon ranks lower than a slightly weaker unit that costs 8 gems and offers similar wave clear, because the lower-cost option frees up banner pulls for the next meta carry.
The DPS-per-gem metric is the single most important value for free-to-play accounts. A S-tier unit that costs 25 gems per pull is a worse investment than an A-tier unit costing 6 gems, unless the S-tier's power gap is roughly four times larger. Community testing on the October 2026 patch shows the top meta units clearing Infinite wave 25 in under four minutes, while a fully built A-tier comp finishes the same wave in six to seven minutes.
Patch Impact on the Tier Order
The October 2026 patch shifted several units up and down by changing cooldowns on their signature abilities. Buffs landed on collab units from the Vanguards: 2nd Anniversary event, while legacy units from the original 2024 roster saw a small defensive nerf. If you spent resources on those legacy units, this is the patch where they drop out of the top S tier.
| Patch Cycle | Top DPS Pick | Runner-Up | Notable Buff | Notable Nerf |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | Shiro (Cursed King) | Gojo (Domain) | Akuma cooldowns -3s | Base Goku defensive stats -8% |
| September 2026 | Gojo (Domain) | Akuma | Zenitsu AoE radius +15% | None |
| August 2026 | Akuma | Saitama | Banner rerun collab unit | Pre-2025 legendaries |
SS Tier: The Anime Vanguards Best Units for October 2026
The SS band is reserved for units that win matches on their own. If you pull any of these, drop your banner plans and invest immediately. They are the anime vanguards meta units that every competitive roster is built around right now.
Top SS Carries
Shiro (Cursed King) sits at the top because his curse stacking ignores 40% of boss defense after five stacks, which is the highest armor-skip value in the game. He clears Infinite wave 30 in roughly three minutes when paired with a healing support, and his ultimate hits an entire screen of enemies for full damage. The only reason he isn't rated S+ is the long animation lock on his ultimate, which leaves you exposed if the wave spawns behind you.
Gojo (Domain) remains the most consistent pick for new players because his ability kit is self-contained. He generates a damage shield on cast, removes crowd control, and deals scaling damage based on missing health of nearby enemies. In Dungeon mode, his domain field boosts the entire team's damage by 12%, which makes him the cleanest anchor for any anime vanguards best team comp.
Akuma (Shun Goku Satsu) earned his spot thanks to a cooldown buff that lets him chain ultimates every 22 seconds. Before the patch, his ult had a 35-second lockout, which made him awkward in long Infinite waves. Now he fits into any rotation and clears Raid boss phases two rotations faster than his nearest rival.
| Unit | Role | Best Mode | Banner Cost (Gems) | Investment Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shiro (Cursed King) | Burst DPS / Boss Killer | Infinite, Raid | 25 | 10/10 — pull on rate-up |
| Gojo (Domain) | Hybrid Carry / Support | Dungeon, Story | 18 | 9/10 — safe first pick |
| Akuma (Shun Goku Satsu) | AoE Nuker | Infinite, Event | 22 | 9/10 — buff-dependent |
Honorable SS Mentions
Saitama (Serious Series) returns to the SS band whenever the patch favors single-target damage. He has no defensive utility, but his punch ultimate deals 2.3x boss health in raw damage, which solos every Raid phase in one cast. Players who already evolved him should keep him on the bench for boss rushes even if he doesn't fit the anime vanguards meta team shell.
S Tier: Strong Units Worth Building
S-tier characters are the backbone of any anime vanguards best team that isn't running three SS units. They cost less to summon, scale well with evolution materials, and can anchor a sub-team while your main carry is on cooldown. If you want a deeper look at S-tier slot-by-slot builds, the anime vanguards SS tier units breakdown covers evolution paths and stat breakpoints in detail.
Top S-Tier Picks
Tanjiro (Sun Breathing) is the most budget-friendly carry in the S tier. His cost is 8 gems per summon, which is roughly a third of the SS units, and his damage output at full evolution is about 70% of Gojo's. For new accounts, running Tanjiro plus two A-tier supports is more efficient than saving for a single SS pull.
Naruto (Sage Mode) is the go-to pick for players who want fast wave clear without investing in collab banners. His AoE jutsu hits a 30-unit radius and applies a slow debuff, which lets your other units catch up on DPS. In Raid mode, his slow lets the team kite boss adds for 8 extra seconds, which often decides a close run.
Yuji (Black Flash) is a niche pick that excels in Infinite mode because his Black Flash triggers scale with combo count. After 20 consecutive hits, his next attack does 4x damage, which shreds through elite waves that would otherwise stall an S-tier-only team.
| Unit | Role | Cost (Gems) | Evo Difficulty | Mode Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanjiro (Sun Breathing) | Burst DPS | 8 | Low | Story, Event |
| Naruto (Sage Mode) | AoE + Crowd Control | 12 | Medium | Raid, Infinite |
| Yuji (Black Flash) | Combo Scaling DPS | 14 | Medium | Infinite |
| Luffy (Gear 5) | Bounce DPS | 15 | Medium | Story, Dungeon |
A and B Tier: Situational and Budget Picks
A-tier units are solid role players who don't break matches but can carry specific game modes. B-tier is where most early-summon units land, and many of them are stepping stones toward full S-tier evolution. For players looking for anime vanguards best budget units specifically, this band carries the most value per gem spent.
Strong A-Tier Choices
Deku (Full Cowling) is a strong A-tier for Dungeon mode because his mobility lets him reposition between waves faster than any other unit. He doesn't have the raw damage to anchor a raid team, but as a sub-DPS in a four-unit squad he contributes meaningful stagger and survivability.
Itadori (Cursed Energy) works as a budget Tanjiro alternative. His ultimate deals roughly 60% of Tanjiro's burst, but it has a 4-second shorter cooldown. Over a 10-minute Infinite run, that cooldown difference adds up to one extra full wave clear.
Levi (Ackerman) is a melee specialist who shines in narrow corridors like the early Dungeon floors, where his close-range cleave can hit 3-4 mobs per swing. Outside those maps, his damage falls off sharply because he has no projectile and his AoE coverage is limited to a tight 90° arc in front of him, meaning open Arena modes like Infinite stage 18+ will see him whiff on flanking spawns. Treat him as a mode-locked pick — slot him only when the map geometry funnels enemies into chokepoints, and pair him with a ranged sub-DPS like Deku to cover the lanes his melee swings can't reach.
| Tier | Unit | Best Use Case | Avoid When |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Deku (Full Cowling) | Dungeon repositioning | You need boss damage |
| A | Itadori (Cursed Energy) | Budget Infinite clear | Late-game stages 25+ |
| A | Levi (Ackerman) | Corridor maps | Open Arena modes |
| B | Gon (Nen Burst) | Early Story farming | Anything past wave 15 |
| B | Killua (Thunderbolt) | Co-op support | Solo high-Infinite |
| B | Vegeta (Super Saiyan) | Banner pity filler | Boss encounters |
B-Tier Notes
B-tier units shouldn't be ignored entirely. They earn their spot in the anime vanguards unit tier list because they fill gaps during co-op play, where the host's SS unit is the main damage source and your B-tier role is crowd control. Killua (Thunderbolt) in particular is a strong co-op support because his slow field stacks with Naruto's slow, which gives the host a 22% damage window on boss adds.
C and D Tier: When to Skip a Pull
C and D tiers are the bottom of the anime vanguards best units tier list. They exist for collection completion, low-cost team slots, and as fodder for the rank-up system that converts duplicates into evolution materials for higher-tier units. New players often panic-pull C-tier banners when they appear at 3-gem discount rates; that pull is rarely worth it unless you are specifically farming fodder.
Skip Unless You Need Fodder
Ichigo (Bankai) is the most-trapped C-tier unit in October 2026. His banner shows up frequently at discount, and his visual design is appealing, but his damage output is roughly 35% of an S-tier unit at the same evolution level. Pulling him is fine if you need his signature card for a collection event, otherwise the gems are better saved for the next SS rate-up.
Natsu (Dragon Force) is in D tier because his ultimate animation is longer than his actual damage window. He spends 4 seconds winding up to deal damage that a C-tier unit lands in 1.5 seconds. Community testing confirms he is currently the worst damage-per-second unit in the entire roster, which is rare for a collab character.
| Tier | Unit | Why It's Low | Real Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Ichigo (Bankai) | Low scaling past evo 3 | Collection event |
| C | L (Death Note) | Slow ultimate cast time | Co-op filler |
| D | Natsu (Dragon Force) | Animation > damage | Fodder for rank-up |
| D | Sakura (Medical) | Support values are low | Never run in serious comps |
Best Team Comps for Infinite, Raid, and Dungeon
The anime vanguards best team comp depends on the mode you are running, and there is no universal roster that wins everything. The list below covers three tested compositions that have cleared the hardest October 2026 content with f2p-friendly gem costs. For a deeper look at mode-specific carries, the anime vanguards tier list for Infinite, Raid, and Dungeon breaks down wave-by-wave team swaps.
Infinite Mode Comp
Infinite mode is a long survival run where you clear 30+ escalating waves with compounding enemy HP and spawn rate scaling, so your team must simultaneously handle trash mobs and the elite boss that appears every 5 waves starting at wave 10. The best comp is built around AoE clear plus a boss-killing anchor: a wave-clearing sub-DPS to stop HP drain from chip damage, a single-target carry that deletes the boss before its enrage timer at the 90-second mark, and a support layer that keeps both roles alive through the damage spikes on waves 20 and 30. Without all three functions covered, your run collapses once the wave 20 boss enrage lands, which is why pure DPS-only teams stall around wave 25 even with meta units slotted in.
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Carry: Shiro (Cursed King) for boss damage
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Sub-DPS: Akuma (Shun Goku Satsu) for wave AoE
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Support: Gojo (Domain) for shield and damage boost
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Flex: Naruto (Sage Mode) for slow debuff on elite waves
This comp costs 77 gems if you pull all four from scratch, which is a heavy investment but the only Infinite comp that clears wave 35 consistently. If you are missing one slot, substitute with Tanjiro (Sun Breathing) — he is the cheapest swap and loses only 8% clear speed.
Raid Mode Comp
Raid mode is a boss-rush format where you fight a single boss per phase, with adds spawning between phases. Boss damage and add control matter more than AoE: each phase typically lasts 90–120 seconds, and a single failed add wave can reset the boss's enrage timer, costing you the run. According to the current anime vanguards tier list benchmarks, top-tier Raid clears average 4–5 phases, so consistent single-target pressure and crowd control uptime are the two stats that actually move your placement on any anime vanguards best team ranking.
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Carry: Saitama (Serious Series) for one-shot phases
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Sub-DPS: Gojo (Domain) for shield and 12% team damage boost
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Support: Yuji (Black Flash) for combo scaling between adds
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Flex: Naruto (Sage Mode) for slow on boss adds
Naruto's Slow stack is the tempo anchor of this anime vanguards meta team because each application extends the boss's action timer by roughly 2.5 seconds, letting Saitama bank extra ultimate charge between phase transitions. Without that debuff uptime, your Serious Series window closes about 15% earlier per phase, which compounds across a 4–5 phase run and can push a sub-7-minute clear past the enrage threshold — a key reason Naruto still ranks in the S-tier of every updated anime vanguards unit tier list.
Dungeon Mode Comp
Dungeon mode is a progression format built around narrow corridors and trap tiles, so mobility and survivability matter far more than raw damage. Sticking to backline position while letting your Carry and Sub-DPS thin incoming waves prevents your Support from being one-shot by corridor spike traps, which deal roughly 400 damage per tile in the deeper floors. The October 2026 meta build for the anime vanguards tier list leans on this defensive shell, which is why every recommended Dungeon comp in the table below is built around Gojo's shield uptime rather than burst windows.
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Carry: Gojo (Domain) for shield and self-contained kit
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Sub-DPS: Deku (Full Cowling) for fast repositioning
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Support: Luffy (Gear 5) for bounce damage in corridors
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Flex: Tanjiro (Sun Breathing) for burst on minibosses
This comp clears every Dungeon floor in October 2026 in under 12 minutes per run, which is the threshold to qualify for the top leaderboard rewards. If you need gem-farming tips to fund these comps, the anime vanguards yen and gem farm guide walks through the most efficient farming maps.
| Mode | Carry | Sub-DPS | Support | Flex | Clear Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinite | Shiro | Akuma | Gojo | Naruto | 3 min (wave 30) |
| Raid | Saitama | Gojo | Yuji | Naruto | 2 min (phase 5) |
| Dungeon | Gojo | Deku | Luffy | Tanjiro | 12 min (full run) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the strongest unit in the current Anime Vanguards tier list for October 2026?
Shiro (Cursed King) is the strongest single pick because his curse-stacking armor skip lets him delete boss health bars that other units have to chip down. Pair him with Gojo for shield uptime and you can clear any Infinite wave without defensive support. He is also the safest banner target for players who only pull one SS unit per patch.
Which Anime Vanguards meta team comp works for free-to-play players?
A free-to-play team built around Tanjiro (Sun Breathing), Naruto (Sage Mode), and a leveled A-tier support like Deku (Full Cowling) clears every Story and Event mode in October 2026. Total summon cost is 34 gems, which is achievable in roughly two weeks of daily rewards. Save SS-tier pulls for the next 2x rate-up banner rather than spending on every collab.
How often does the Anime Vanguards tier list update?
The tier list shifts roughly every 4 to 6 weeks when a new patch lands. Major collab banners can trigger mini-reshuffles in between, especially when a limited unit introduces a new mechanic. For the deepest history of how the meta evolved, the anime vanguards best secret unit and meta history page tracks every notable change since launch.
Are secret units always better than banner units in Anime Vanguards?
Not always. Secret units have higher ceilings, but their unlock conditions are so specific that most players never see one. Banner units with strong base kits like Gojo and Akuma outperform secret units in 80% of modes, simply because they are accessible. The anime vanguards meta tier list for investment priority ranks units by how much gem investment they actually return, not by their theoretical ceiling.