If you have been grinding summons in Anime Origins and wondering which units deserve your hard-earned gems, this breakdown of the anime origins s tier units will save you hours of trial and error. The current meta rewards players who invest in the right damage dealers early, because wave clear speed and boss burst potential determine how far you push in Story Mode, Infinite Mode, and Raids. We are ranking every relevant unit across S, A, B, and C tiers with exact stats, ability details, and placement logic so you can build a roster that actually clears endgame content. Get the latest community-verified rankings below, updated for the August 2026 patch cycle.
Why the S Tier List Matters for Your Progression
Understanding which units sit at the top of the meta is not just about bragging rights — it directly affects your resource allocation and team composition strategy. When you spend gems on summons, every duplicate and evolution material counts, so knowing the anime origins s tier units before you pull prevents wasted investments that stall your account for weeks. The gap between an S tier carry and a C tier filler is enormous in practice, often representing a 300-500% damage difference on the same wave, which means players who ignore tier lists hit walls that smarter summoners simply walk through.
The community has been actively testing the current roster since the last major balance patch, and the consensus rankings have shifted noticeably from the launch meta. According to player reports across the official Discord and dedicated Roblox communities, the top performers share several traits: high base damage multipliers, strong evolution paths, and abilities that either clear large groups or stun bosses at critical moments. Units that lack these qualities fall behind regardless of how much you invest in their upgrades, which is why we track the tier list so closely.
How We Ranked Every Unit
Our ranking methodology combines three data sources: official stats from the Roblox game page, community testing results shared by top players, and our own verification runs across different game modes. Each unit was evaluated on four criteria: raw damage output, ability utility, evolution scaling, and versatility across Story, Infinite, and Raid content. We weighted boss-killing potential slightly higher than wave clear because late-game stages punish teams that cannot burst down elite enemies quickly.
The tier list below reflects the current patch as of August 2026, and we will update it whenever the developer ships balance changes. Keep in mind that some units perform better in specific modes — a unit that shines in Raids might struggle in Infinite Mode due to different enemy compositions. We note these situational strengths in each unit entry so you can make informed decisions based on your preferred content.
S Tier Units: The Current Meta Carries
Madaro (Edo Tensei) vs Valcrad (Unleashed): S Tier Boss-Killing Math
The gap between these two S-tier boss killers is narrower than most tier lists suggest. Madaro's Heaven Splitter deals 500% damage, while Valcrad's Coffin Trap stuns bosses for 7 seconds. In a Raid boss fight with a 60-second enrage timer, Valcrad's stun effectively adds 7 seconds of free DPS for your entire team—roughly a 13% damage window increase. Madaro compensates with raw burst, but requires precise timing to land Heaven Splitter during the boss's vulnerability phase. For solo progression, Madaro edges ahead; for coordinated Raids, Valcrad's utility wins.
Hill Placement for Vegita (Super): The 3-Tile Overwatch Rule
Vegita (Super) is the definitive hill unit, but placement determines whether it carries or underperforms. Position it exactly 3 tiles back from the main lane's edge—this maximizes its hill range coverage while keeping it outside ground-unit aggro range. In Story Mode's narrow canyon maps, this placement lets Vegita cover two intersecting lanes simultaneously. Compare this to Aneko (Queen), whose AoE ground attacks require frontline placement; Vegita's hill advantage means it takes zero chip damage across all 20 Story Mode stages, preserving its HP for boss waves where its damage output matters most.
The S tier represents the absolute best anime origins s tier units that define the current meta. These are the units you build your team around, the ones that make difficult content feel manageable and carry you through the hardest waves. If you pull any of these, prioritize them for evolution and trait rerolls because they will remain relevant for multiple patches.
Madaro (Edo Tensei) sits at the very top of the current rankings, and for good reason. This ground unit boasts a massive 500% damage multiplier on its Heaven Splitter ability, which cleaves through groups of enemies while dealing respectable single-target damage to bosses. Players report that Madaro alone can hold a lane through wave 40 in Infinite Mode when properly upgraded, making it the single best ground DPS unit in the game right now. Its evolution path is straightforward, and the unit scales exceptionally well with attack speed buffs from support units.
Cursed Lover (Pure Love) is the other standout S tier pick, offering a completely different playstyle focused on ability spam. Its Love Beam ability deals 300% damage and the unit stores up to four abilities at once, allowing for devastating burst windows that melt boss health bars. The four stored abilities mechanic means you can chain activations back-to-back, which is particularly effective in Raids where boss fights demand high burst damage within short windows. Community testing shows that Cursed Lover outperforms most other units in single-target scenarios, making it the premier boss killer in the current meta.
Valcrad (Unleashed) rounds out the top three with its unique Coffin Trap ability that stuns bosses for a full 7 seconds. While its raw damage is slightly lower than Madaro or Cursed Lover, the utility of a 7-second boss stun cannot be overstated — it creates massive damage windows for your entire team and effectively neutralizes the most dangerous enemy on the field. Players who run Valcrad report significantly smoother clears on boss-heavy stages because the stun allows other units to unload their abilities without interruption.
| Unit | Role | Key Ability | Damage Multiplier | Best Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madaro (Edo Tensei) | Ground DPS | Heaven Splitter | 500% | Infinite Mode |
| Cursed Lover (Pure Love) | Boss Killer | Love Beam (4 charges) | 300% | Raids |
| Valcrad (Unleashed) | Support/DPS | Coffin Trap (7s stun) | 250% | Story Bosses |
A Tier Units: Reliable Performers Worth Investing In
Cursed Lover (Pure Love) Stored Abilities: The 4-Slot Rotation Strategy
Cursed Lover's Pure Love form is the only S-tier unit with 4 stored abilities, each with a 300% Love Beam multiplier. The advanced rotation: fire two Love Beams to clear trash waves, save the third for a boss's approach, and hold the fourth as an emergency interrupt. This contrasts sharply with Goju (Honored One), whose Time Stop offers crowd control but no stored burst. In Infinite Mode wave 40+, Cursed Lover's stored abilities let you pre-load damage before a boss spawns, effectively doubling your opening burst compared to units with single-use actives.
A tier units are the backbone of most successful teams. While they do not quite match the raw power of the S tier, they offer excellent value and fill specific roles that round out your roster. These units are absolutely worth investing in, especially if you are missing the top-tier carries or need specialized coverage for different game modes.
Bon (Purgatory) brings a unique support angle with its ability to buff food drops, which accelerates your economy and lets you upgrade your main carries faster. While this might sound niche, the snowball effect of faster upgrades cannot be underestimated in longer game modes. Players who run Bon report reaching max upgrades on their primary DPS units several waves earlier than teams without this support, which translates to significantly better wave clear performance.
Starku (Primordial) is the nuke option for players who want massive burst damage on a cooldown. Its ability deals devastating damage to everything on screen, making it excellent for clearing emergency waves or finishing off bosses that are about to leak. The long cooldown is the main drawback, so positioning and timing become crucial — you need to save Starku's ability for the moments when it matters most rather than using it on cooldown.
Goju (Honored One) offers the coveted Time Stop ability, which freezes all enemies on the field for a few seconds. This is an incredibly powerful crowd control tool that pairs well with any team composition, giving your DPS units free damage windows while enemies stand still. The utility of Time Stop makes Goju a flexible pick that fits into almost any strategy, and its decent base stats ensure it contributes damage even when the ability is on cooldown.
| Unit | Role | Key Ability | Utility Value | Best Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bon (Purgatory) | Support | Food Buff | Economy acceleration | Infinite Mode |
| Starku (Primordial) | Burst DPS | Screen Nuke | Emergency clear | Story Mode |
| Goju (Honored One) | Crowd Control | Time Stop | Enemy freeze | All modes |
B and C Tier Units: Situational Picks and Avoidable Traps
The B and C tiers contain units that range from situational to outright disappointing. Understanding which anime origins b tier units can still find a place in your roster, and which anime origins c tier units are traps, will save you from wasting resources on units that will never perform at a competitive level.
B tier units like Noroto (Linked) and Tojei (Sorcerer Killer) offer decent performance in specific scenarios. Noroto provides solid consistent damage with no major weaknesses, making it a fine filler unit while you hunt for better options. Tojei specializes in boss damage and can hold its own in Raid content, though it lacks the burst potential of the S tier boss killers. Vegita (Super) deserves special mention as one of the anime origins best hill dps units — its hill placement ability lets it attack from elevated positions, which can be strategically valuable on maps with terrain advantages.
C tier units are where you find the anime origins worst units that should be avoided unless you are collecting for completion. Aneko (Queen) has an AoE ability that sounds good on paper but suffers from low damage multipliers and poor scaling. Shinaru (Butterfly Dance) looks flashy but delivers underwhelming numbers in practice, and community testing consistently places it near the bottom of damage charts. Yoto rounds out the disappointing picks with mediocre stats across the board and no standout abilities to justify its slot.
| Tier | Unit | Main Issue | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | Noroto (Linked) | No standout ability | Fine filler, replace later |
| B | Tojei (Sorcerer Killer) | Limited boss burst | Situational Raid pick |
| C | Aneko (Queen) | Low damage multipliers | Avoid unless collecting |
| C | Shinaru (Butterfly Dance) | Poor scaling | Not worth investment |
| C | Yoto | Mediocre everything | Skip entirely |
Ground DPS vs Hill DPS: Placement Strategy Guide
Understanding the difference between ground and hill placement is essential for maximizing your team's damage output. The anime origins best ground dps units and anime origins best hill dps units serve different purposes, and knowing when to use each type can dramatically improve your clear times. Ground units typically offer higher raw damage but are vulnerable to ground-based enemies, while hill units attack from safety but often have lower damage ceilings.
Madaro remains the king of ground DPS with its 500% Heaven Splitter, and its placement flexibility makes it the safest investment for most content. The unit's cleave damage hits multiple enemies in an arc, which means it handles both wave clear and boss damage effectively. Players who position Madaro at chokepoints report the best results, as the arc damage catches enemies funneling through narrow passages.
For hill DPS, Vegita (Super) stands out as the premier choice among the anime origins best hill dps units. Hill placement offers the advantage of attacking over walls and obstacles, which can be crucial on maps where ground units get blocked by terrain. The tradeoff is that hill units generally deal less damage than their ground counterparts, so you need to balance your team composition accordingly. A common strategy is running two ground DPS units for raw damage and one hill unit for coverage on maps with complex terrain.
Team composition tip: Start with one S tier ground DPS unit like Madaro, add a hill unit like Vegita for map coverage, then fill remaining slots with support and utility units. This balanced approach handles most content without over-committing to a single strategy. For players who want to dive deeper into placement mechanics and team building, our ground units guide covers optimal positioning strategies in detail.
How to Build a Team Around S Tier Units
Building a team around the anime origins s tier units requires more than just slotting in your best damage dealers. You need to consider ability synergies, upgrade priorities, and trait combinations to maximize your overall output. The difference between a team that simply has good units and a team that truly synergizes can be massive in practice.
Start with your carry: Your S tier unit should be the first one you upgrade to max level, because its damage output will carry you through the majority of content. Madaro and Cursed Lover both scale exceptionally well with levels, and every upgrade point translates into meaningful damage increases. Do not spread your resources thin across multiple units — focus on getting your carry fully upgraded before investing in the rest of your team.
Add support units: The best teams pair their carries with support units that amplify damage or provide utility. Bon's food buff accelerates your economy, which indirectly boosts your carry's upgrade speed. Goju's Time Stop creates free damage windows that let your carry unload abilities without interruption. Valcrad's boss stun serves a similar purpose, locking down dangerous enemies while your DPS units focus on clearing the field.
Consider trait synergies: Traits can dramatically alter a unit's performance, and the right trait combination can push an A tier unit into S tier territory. Our trait tier list breaks down which traits matter most for each unit type, and we recommend checking it before spending trait rerolls. Some traits provide flat damage bonuses, while others offer attack speed or ability cooldown reductions — the best choice depends on your unit's role and your overall team composition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best anime origins s tier units right now?
The current S tier consists of Madaro (Edo Tensei) with its 500% Heaven Splitter, Cursed Lover (Pure Love) with four stored Love Beam charges, and Valcrad (Unleashed) with its 7-second boss stun. These three units define the meta and should be your priority targets when summoning.
How do I get S tier units in Anime Origins?
S tier units come from the summoning system, with higher rarity units having lower pull rates. Save your gems for rate-up banners when possible, and consider rerolling your account if you are early in progression. The official Anime Origins Roblox page provides details on the current summon rates and available unit pools.
Which units should I avoid investing in?
The anime origins worst units include Aneko (Queen), Shinaru (Butterfly Dance), and Yoto — all C tier picks with poor damage multipliers and weak scaling. Avoid spending evolution materials or trait rerolls on these units unless you are collecting for completion purposes.
Are hill DPS units worth using?
Yes, the anime origins best hill dps units like Vegita (Super) provide valuable map coverage that ground units cannot match. Hill placement lets you attack over obstacles and terrain, which is crucial on certain maps. However, hill units generally deal less damage than ground DPS, so balance your team accordingly.
How often does the tier list change?
The meta shifts whenever the developer releases balance patches, typically every few weeks. Major updates can introduce new units or rework existing ones, like the recent SS-tier additions of Madaro (Edo Tensei) and Cursed Lover (Pure Love). Check the community Discord for early patch notes and updated rankings.