Anime Crusaders Tier List (March 2026) Expert Guide

Updated by Sunny Kaushik
February 3, 2026
Gaming

If you are looking for the definitive Anime Crusaders Tier List, Best Units to Use! [UPD 3.5], you have come to the right place. Update 3.5 has shaken up the meta significantly, introducing new Mythical units that completely redefine how we approach both Story Mode and the challenging Infinite Abyss. I’ve spent the last few days testing every single unit, analyzing the patch notes from the official Discord, and grinding the new content to bring you the most accurate rankings available for 2026.

Whether you are a Free-to-Play (F2P) player or a whale (high spender), knowing where to invest your Gems and Trait Rerolls is crucial. In this guide, I won’t just give you a list; I’ll explain why specific units are S-Tier, how the new “Bleed” mechanic works, and which hidden gems you might be sleeping on.

Quick Overview: The Best Units in Update 3.5

Before we dive into the deep end, here is a quick snapshot of the absolute best units right now.

Unit Name	Rarity	Best Trait	Role	Why It’s Top Tier
Celestial Goku (New)	Mythical	Godly	AoE DPS	Massive range buff in hotfix; clears waves instantly.
Void Swordsman	Mythical	Cosmic	Single Target	Highest burst damage against bosses in Update 3.5.
Spirit Detective	Legendary	Angelic	Hybrid/Support	Best F2P unit; incredible value for cost.
Cyborg Ninja	Mythical	Inferno	DoT/Bleed	Dominates Infinite Abyss with the new Bleed effect.
Time Mage	Legendary	Master	Crowd Control	Essential for late-game stalling mechanics.

Anime Crusaders Tier List (UPD 3.5)

This tier list is based on a combination of raw DPS (Damage Per Second), utility (crowd control, buffs), cost efficiency, and performance in the hardest current content: Infinite Abyss (Level 100+).

S-Tier: The Meta Definers

These units are the best of the best. If you have them, you use them. They define the current meta of Anime Crusaders.

1. Celestial Goku (Mythical)
Introduced in Update 3.5, Celestial Goku was good at launch, but after the January 21st hotfix on the Discord, he became a god. The developers increased his range by 2 tiles, which allows him to hit almost any path on most maps.

Strengths: Insane AoE damage, full-screen ultimate ability.
Weaknesses: High deployment cost; requires a “Godly” trait to shine.
My Take: He is the new king of AoE. If you rerolled for the 3.5 banner, this is your prize.

2. Void Swordsman (Mythical)
While Celestial Goku handles the crowds, Void Swordsman handles the bosses. His damage scaling is exponential based on how many enemies are near him, but his attacks focus solely on the strongest enemy (Boss) in range.

Strengths: Highest single-target DPS in the game. Great with “Cosmic” trait for extra crit chance.
Weaknesses: Useless against mob waves (slow attack speed).
My Take: Essential for Raid Bosses and Infinite Abyss bosses.

3. Spirit Detective (Legendary)
This might be controversial because he is a Legendary unit, but for F2P players, he is arguably better than some Mythics. He has a “Spirit Gun” attack that pierces through enemies, applying a slow effect.

Strengths: Cheap to place, pierces armor, slows enemies.
Weaknesses: Lower HP than Mythic tanks.
My Take: The best budget unit in the game. Max him out first.

4. Cyborg Ninja (Mythical)
Update 3.5 introduced status effects like “Bleed” and “Burn.” Cyborg Ninja is the master of Bleed. This effect deals damage over time (DoT), which ignores defense—crucial for high-armor enemies in the new world.

Strengths: Bleed effect bypasses enemy armor, high speed.
Weaknesses: Falls off slightly against enemies immune to Bleed.
My Take: A must-have for the new Infinite Abyss mode where armor values are sky-high.

A-Tier: Excellent Choices

These units are powerful and reliable. They might lack the broken utility of S-Tier or are slightly harder to build, but they will carry you through almost all content.

Flame Hashira: Still a top-tier AoE unit, though slightly outclassed by Celestial Goku now. Great if you don’t have the new banner unit.
Pirate King Luffy: Fantastic tank and DPS hybrid. His “Conqueror’s Haki” stuns enemies in a wide radius. Excellent for crowd control.
Ice Sorceress: Provides heavy slowing and freezing. Vital for survival in modes where DPS isn’t an issue but management is.
Thunder God: Great single-target electric damage that chains to nearby enemies. Good middle-ground between Void Swordsman and AoE units.

B-Tier: Niche & Situational

These aren’t bad units; they just have specific roles or require heavy investment to compete with A and S tiers.

Ninja Duo: Decent DPS, but their hitboxes are weird. They often miss fast-moving enemies.
Dark Magician: Good early game, but his damage falls off a cliff in Story Mode Chapter 7+.
Robot Protector: A pure tank. In Anime Crusaders, pure tanks are less valuable than tanks that do damage (like Pirate King Luffy). Use him only if you are dying instantly.

C-Tier: Early Game Only

Use these to get through the first few chapters, but replace them as soon as possible.

Swordsman (Basic): The starter unit. No special abilities.
Archer: Low damage, useful only for the very first levels to get some range.
Brawler: High health but no damage. useless once enemies have high DPS.

D-Tier: Avoid

Do not waste your Gems or Trait Crystals on these.

Slime King: Joke unit with almost no utility.
Wooden Dummy: literally used for testing, not combat.

Deep Dive: Advanced Strategies for Update 3.5

Now that you know who to use, let’s talk about how to use them. The meta has shifted from “Raw Damage” to “Status Synergy.”

The “Bleed” and “Burn” Synergy

With Update 3.5, simply having high damage isn’t enough. The new enemies have massive health pools and armor. This is where Cyborg Ninja (Bleed) and Flame Hashira (Burn) come in.

I recommend running a team composition that focuses on applying these status effects constantly.

Comp Idea:
1. Frontline: Pirate King Luffy (Stun/Tank)
2. Mid-Range: Cyborg Ninja (Apply Bleed)
3. Backline: Celestial Goku (AoE Cleanup)
4. Support: Time Mage (Slow enemies to let Bleed/Burn tick longer)

This setup melts high-health enemies because the Bleed/Burn damage is calculated independently of your hit damage.

Trait Selection Guide

One thing I noticed competitors often miss is the importance of Traits. Putting an S-Tier unit with a trash trait is a waste of a slot. Here is my priority list for traits in 2026:

Godly: Increases all stats (Damage, Range, Cooldown) by 20%. The best trait in the game.
Cosmic: High Crit Rate and Crit Damage. Essential for Single Target DPS units like Void Swordsman.
Angelic: Provides healing or shield to nearby units. Great for Supports.
Inferno: Adds Burn effect to attacks. Good for utility.

Pro Tip: Do not waste your Trait Crystals on B-Tier units. Save them for your S-Tier Mythicals. The stat boost from a high-tier trait scales with the unit’s base stats, so it provides way more value on a Mythic than a Legendary.

Infinite Abyss Strategy (Level 100+)

The Infinite Abyss is the endgame content right now. It’s无尽. Here, Range is King.

I cannot stress this enough: Use Celestial Goku.
In Infinite mode, enemies spawn in clumps from multiple lanes. Units with short range (like Brawler or Ninja Duo) will fail because they can’t target enemies fast enough before they cross the finish line. You need units with global or near-global range.

Positioning: Place your units in the center of the map if possible, or at the highest elevation point to maximize range.
Economy: Don’t drop all your units immediately. Save Gems for upgrades. Leveling a Unit to Level 3 (Tier 1 upgrade) is often better than placing two Level 1 units.

Free-to-Play (F2P) vs. Pay-to-Win (P2W)

I know many of you are F2P, and that is completely viable in Anime Crusaders. You just have to be smarter with your resources.

Best F2P Team Comp:

Main DPS: Spirit Detective (Legendary) – You can get him from the standard banner easily.
Farmer: Gem Farmer Unit (if available in current event) or Gold Farmer units. Economy wins games.
Crowd Control: Ice Sorceress.
Secondary DPS: Thunder God.

P2W Advantage:
If you spend money, you are essentially buying time. The “Celestial Goku” unit saves you about 2 minutes per level compared to using “Spirit Detective.” However, once you max out the F2P units, the gap closes significantly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid In 2026

I see so many players making these errors, especially with the new Update 3.5 mechanics. Avoid these to climb the ranks faster.

Ignoring the “Bleed” Mechanic: Some players are still trying to brute-force armored enemies with pure damage. It’s too slow. Start using Cyborg Ninja or units with armor-breaking capabilities.
Over-Upgrading Support Units: Supports are great, but they don’t need to be Level 4 or 5 early game. They exist to buff your damage dealers. Put your gold into your DPS units first.
Not Checking the Discord: The meta changes weekly. A unit might be S-Tier today and D-Tier next week after a nerf. (Like the “Demon King” nerf in late 2025). Always stay updated.
Bad Positioning: Placing ranged units right next to the spawn point is a waste of their range. Place them at the end of the path or in the center to maximize the time they are shooting.

Community Insights and Official Resources

To keep this article fresh and accurate, I always cross-reference with the community. Here is what the community is buzzing about right now regarding the Anime Crusaders Tier List, Best Units to Use! [UPD 3.5]:

Reddit Consensus: Most users on r/AnimeCrusaders agree that while Celestial Goku is strong, he is “overrated” for early story levels because of his high cost. They suggest using him only for Challenge Mode and Infinite.
Discord Dev Chats: The developers hinted at a “Balance Patch 3.6” coming late March. This patch is rumored to nerf “Stun” mechanics to prevent AFK farming. If you rely heavily on Pirate King Luffy, be aware of this potential change.
Wiki Data: The Wiki has updated the damage formulas for the new “Bleed” effect. It apparently ticks faster based on the attack speed of the unit that applied it. This makes Cyborg Ninja even better because he has high attack speed!

FAQ’s

What is the best unit in Anime Crusaders Update 3.5?

Currently, Celestial Goku is the best unit overall due to his massive AoE range and damage after the hotfix. For single-target boss damage, Void Swordsman is the king.

Is the Spirit Detective still good in 2026?

Yes, absolutely. Spirit Detective remains an S-Tier unit for F2P players and even holds his own in late-game Infinite modes due to his armor-piercing shots and slow effect.

How do I get Celestial Goku?

Celestial Goku is a limited-time unit typically found in the Update 3.5 Banner. You can summon him using Gems. His drop rate is approximately 0.5%, making him very rare.

What traits should I aim for?

The best traits are Godly (all-rounder stats) and Cosmic (crit focus). For support units, look for Angelic or Master traits.

Does the “Bleed” effect stack?

Yes, according to the official Discord, the Bleed effect introduced in Update 3.5 does stack up to a certain cap. Using multiple units that apply Bleed (like Cyborg Ninja) is a viable strategy.

Who is the best unit for Infinite Mode?

Celestial Goku is generally considered the best for Infinite Mode because of his range. However, you need a team that can support him until you can afford his high deployment cost.

Are Legendary units better than old Mythical units?

Sometimes. A maxed-out Spirit Detective (Legendary) with a good trait can outperform an outdated Mythical from the first year of the game (like the original Demon King). Always check the tier list!

How often is this tier list updated?

We update this tier list whenever a major patch drops or when the meta shifts significantly. The last update was for [UPD 3.5] in March 2026.

Conclusion

The Anime Crusaders Tier List, Best Units to Use! [UPD 3.5] is all about adapting to the new mechanics. If you stick to the old meta of just pure single-target damage, you will struggle in the new Infinite Abyss.

Focus on acquiring Celestial Goku and Cyborg Ninja if you can, but don’t despair if you are F2P—Spirit Detective and Time Mage are incredibly powerful when used correctly.

Remember to bookmark this page and check back often. With the developers hinting at Patch 3.6 around the corner, the meta could shift again soon. Good luck, Crusaders! I’ll see you on the leaderboards.