This Anime Vanguards tier list is a current decision aid, not an official developer ranking. It compares established Update 14 units under the 14.5 Holy Retribution window and keeps the five official 14.5 additions provisional where comparable full-build evidence is still limited. Always match a recommendation to the mode, unit form, trait, stats, Familiar, Memoria, and source available to your account.
Current role board
The names above reflect public lists checked on September 2, 2026. They are not a complete roster and should not be read as exact ordered grades across every mode.
How the tiers are judged
General investment value includes early deployment, upgrade curve, late scaling, placement efficiency, useful ability uptime, mode coverage, and realistic acquisition. A unit rises when it solves more than one job without requiring an unavailable team. A specialist can remain the best answer to a particular mechanic even if it sits below a general carry.
DPS comparison uses the full attack cycle, area, target count, cost, and realistic build rather than the largest hit. Support comparison uses team gain, uptime, range, stacking, and slot cost. Control comparison accounts for immunity. Farm comparison uses payback time.
Pick a tier for your mode
Story favors accessible units with a smooth curve. Infinite favors long scaling, sustainable economy, global effects, and repeated boss handling. Raids and Dungeons prioritize their current mechanics, elements, cleanses, or special targets. Worldlines can reverse an element comparison through weather. PvP and Gauntlet use their own rules and should not inherit a Story ranking.
Before investing, write the target: “clear Lunar Bridge Floor 9,” “reach the next Worldlines milestone,” or “stabilize Story Act 6.” The best unit is the one that solves that target at a cost your account can finish.
Handle the new 14.5 units
The official changelog proves the five names, elements, and sources, but launch-week rankings can overvalue perfect showcases. Compare each new unit at the same evolution, trait quality, stats, Familiar, Memoria, support, and spent Yen as an established unit.
Do not transfer rare stats or consume the only good trait until multiple runs show an improvement. Dungeon and Worldlines units can also require long source grinds. Acquisition cost belongs in an investment tier even if combat ceiling is high.
When not to follow the board
Keep an existing lower-ranked unit when it clears reliably, has a finished build, or fills a mechanic the higher name cannot. Do not replace a support merely because a damage list omits it. Do not chase an unavailable event unit while ignoring an accessible evolution.
Use Best Teams for complete compositions, Support Units for utility, and Unit Stats to reproduce a comparison.
Tier List FAQ
Who is the safest current general recommendation?
History’s Strongest appears at or near the top of several public 14.5-window comparisons, but the recommendation remains community judgment and depends on access and build.
Are the newest units ranked?
They are listed as provisional here. Their identities and sources are official; final mode placements need comparable current builds.