Anime Defenders Tier List
All 35 meta-relevant units in one ranked list, each with the rarity, role and passive the wiki publishes for it. The ladder is ours; the unit data is not, and this page keeps the two apart on purpose.
All 35 meta-relevant Anime Defenders units, ranked SS to B: Celestial Tyrant, Expert Sharpshooter, King Of Dragons, Shadow Dragon (Unlocked) hold SS. The Anime Defenders wiki does not publish an SS–B ladder — it flags 21 of these units META and leaves 11 more in its GOOD class. This ladder is our mapping of that classification; every rarity, element, role and passive below is wiki-sourced.
How this ladder is built — and what the wiki actually publishes
Our synthesis — the wiki publishes META/GOOD, not SS–BRead this before the tiers. The ordering below is ours, not a ranking the game or its wiki publishes anywhere.
The Anime Defenders Fandom Tier List classifies units as META or GOOD within each role — Hill/Hybrid, Ground and Support — measured against the Infinite / Traitless baseline. It never puts them in an SS-to-B order. Almost every search for an Anime Defenders tier list wants that order, so we build one, and here is the exact rule:
| Tier | Wiki class | Our rule | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| SS | Wiki META | Our cut of the META class — the Ancient-rarity pick and the stat-leading Infinite carries. | 4 |
| S | Wiki META | Every other unit the wiki flags META. | 17 |
| A | Wiki GOOD | Units the wiki flags GOOD, minus the ones we pull down to B. | 11 |
| B | Our bucket | Economy, budget and off-meta picks — including anything that has dropped off the wiki Tier List entirely. | 3 |
- Sourced: every unit name, rarity, element, role and passive description. These come from the wiki Tier List page (last edited May 15, 2026), cross-referenced against individual unit pages and re-verified on August 5, 2026.
- Ours: the SS–B ordering. SS is a cut we make inside the META class, and B is a bucket the wiki has no equivalent of. SS and S together are precisely the 21 units the wiki flags META, so you can collapse our ladder back into its classification at any time.
- Not here:damage-per-second figures for every unit, drop rates, banner odds, and the element effectiveness multipliers. The wiki publishes DPS on some units and not others, and we do not fill the gaps with estimates — where a note quotes a DPS number, that unit's page published one.
- Tier placement moves with balance patches. This is a judgement about a live game, not a measurement, and it should be read that way.
The ladder — all 35 units
Each tier header repeats which wiki class it maps to, so you never have to scroll back to check what a badge means.
The only Ancient-rarity meta pick and the best support/control unit in the game. "Heavenly Freeze" freezes every enemy in range for 10s and applies 50% Fear (frozen enemies take +50% damage). Evolves from Divine Tyrant via the Blood Chalice. Wiki META Support.
The premier Infinite DPS carry. 50% crit chance and +50% crit damage at max, plus "Huge Bullet Blast" (500% damage over 10 hits in a cone, 30s cooldown). One of the highest true-DPS units on the wiki tier list.
The meta Fire AoE carry and the evolved form of Flame Dragon God. Burn deals 100% damage over 5 ticks, and its "Burn Amplification" passive doubles burn — devastating on grouped waves. Wiki META Hill/Hybrid.
The best pure-buff support. "Otherworldly Power" gives allies in range -15% attack cooldown and +25% range for 20s (80s cooldown, 50s maxed) — offense and support at once. Evolved form of Shadow Dragon. Wiki META Support.
Meta in both DPS and Support roles. Burns for 25% over 5 ticks and its "Burn Amplification" buffs allied burn +50% in range — the core enabler of burn teams.
Full-AoE burn carry. Burn 30% over 6 ticks; at upgrade 10 it adds Bleed (30% over 6 ticks) and 15% Fear. Also a strong secondary support. Wiki META Hill/Hybrid.
Heavy bleed AoE — 100% over 4 ticks, scaling to 175% over 7 ticks at max, in a huge circle. ~13.5K DPS including bleed. Wiki META Hill/Hybrid.
Meta in DPS and Support — a 2.5s Freeze:Stun in a big circle AoE plus solid damage (DPS ~6,340). Excellent for locking down waves while still contributing kills.
Summons creatures infused with 200% of his damage and self-heals 2% HP per soul consumed. Wiki META Ground — great for holding a lane on his own.
"Dark Atomic Punishment" hits for 3000% damage over 25 hits in a full AoE (120s cooldown) — the premier boss/wave nuker. Wiki META Ground.
Very high DPS and very high range with a huge line AoE. Its unit page is one of the most recently updated (July 2026), so it reflects the current patch. Wiki META Ground.
Evolved form of Poseidon. 30% Freeze:Slow at all upgrades (5s at upgrade 8) with full-AoE damage (DPS ~6,728). Wiki META Ground and a strong support.
Huge-AoE burn carry — 60% burn over 4 ticks in a large circle. Wiki META Ground.
Insanely high single-target/AoE DPS in a big circle. Wiki META Ground.
"Confusion" — every 3rd attack makes enemies walk backward for 5s in a full AoE, effectively resetting waves. Meta in both Ground and Support.
"Fiery Sacrifice" grants units in range +70% damage while it burns enemies 90% over 9 ticks. Wiki META Support — one of the best team-damage amplifiers.
Cheap, reliable crowd control — a 2s Freeze:Stun in full AoE. Low personal DPS (~2,712) but the freeze value keeps it meta. Wiki META Support.
"Bleed Amplification" buffs allied bleed +50% in a big circle — the bleed-team counterpart to Dragon Mage. Wiki META Support.
The premier stat-buff support. "Melodic Rhapsody" gives all units in range +30% damage, +15% range, -10% cooldown and -15% cost for 40s (60s cooldown). Wiki META Support.
Applies "Cursed" — enemies take +20% damage — in a full AoE on placement. A clean damage-amp debuffer. Wiki META Support.
40% Slow at all upgrades (4s at upgrade 10) in a huge circle — strong area control. Wiki META Support.
Burn 40% over 4 ticks and loses 0.2% cooldown per assist (capped at -30%), ramping up over a run. Wiki GOOD Hill/Hybrid.
"Sunshine!" adds +1% damage per wave (capped +100%), so it scales into long Infinite runs. Huge-AoE burn. Wiki GOOD Hill/Hybrid.
15% Fear at all upgrades plus the "Titan's Swordfall" nuke at upgrade 9, full AoE. Good in both Hill/Hybrid and Support.
Burn 60% over 6 ticks plus 20% crit chance and +50% crit damage in a cone. Wiki GOOD Hill/Hybrid.
Bleed 75% over 5 ticks and "Vampire Horde" summons 14 allies for extra board coverage. Wiki GOOD Hill/Hybrid.
30% Freeze:Slow (5s at upgrade 11) in a huge circle with solid damage. Good in Hill/Hybrid and Support.
The base form of King Of Dragons — Burn 30% over 3 ticks in a medium circle. Perfectly usable while you work toward the evolution. Wiki GOOD Hill/Hybrid.
"Galaxy Smash" at upgrade 10 hits 250% over 5 hits in a massive circle, with full AoE otherwise. Wiki GOOD Ground.
40% crit chance (+50% damage on crit) in a full AoE — a spiky but strong Ground DPS. Wiki GOOD Ground.
35% Freeze:Slow (2s) at upgrade 10 with very high range and full AoE. Wiki GOOD Support.
"Veteran Blessing" gives nearby units +20% range on a cooldown that shortens over time. Wiki GOOD Support.
The main economy unit — generates income and its "Soul Capture" slows all enemies while granting extra currency per soul (max 10 per use). Not a carry, but funds your board. Wiki GOOD Support (utility).
The best budget damage buffer — "Play Rockstar" gives units in range +20% damage for 20s (40s cooldown, non-stacking). A cheap Legendary that holds a slot early. Wiki GOOD Support.
Fast chain-lightning attacks that once cleared grouped waves, but it no longer appears anywhere on the current wiki Tier List — it has fallen out of the meta. Fine for early progression, not for endgame Infinite.
The same units, the way the wiki files them
Wiki role classificationRoles are the axis the wiki actually ranks on, and a unit can sit in more than one — the hybrids are counted in each family they belong to. If you are filling a specific slot rather than chasing the best unit overall, these boards answer the question better than the ladder does.
Hill / Hybrid
132 SS · 4 S · 7 A · 0 B
- Expert SharpshooterSS
- King Of DragonsSS
- Dragon MageS
- Golden AdultS
- Radiant MonarchS
- Agent GarciaS
- Demonic HarbingerA
- Solar OverlordA
- The Cursed Knight (Unlocked)A
- Bionic Machine (Full Power)A
- Dracula (100%)A
- Demon King (Peak)A
- Flame Dragon GodA
Ground
90 SS · 7 S · 2 A · 0 B
- Abyssal WardenS
- Dark RevenantS
- Skull VindicatorS
- Poseidon (Sea Sovereign)S
- Shadow MasterS
- Sage (Deity)S
- Elf SaintS
- Prime LeaderA
- Cursed Berserker PaladinA
Support
182 SS · 10 S · 4 A · 2 B
- Celestial TyrantSS
- Shadow Dragon (Unlocked)SS
- Dragon MageS
- Agent GarciaS
- Poseidon (Sea Sovereign)S
- Elf SaintS
- Crimson PhantomS
- Ice Dragon QueenS
- The Demon OverlordS
- Stage DivaS
- Grand Jadefire KnightS
- Donut MasterS
- The Cursed Knight (Unlocked)A
- Demon King (Peak)A
- The Rift Sorcerer (Awakened)A
- Legion Veteran (Max)A
- Pink Demon MageB
- Pink RockstarB
Thunder God — this unit is in no role family because it is not on the current wiki Tier List at all. Shown here rather than dropped, so a unit you may already own does not simply vanish.
Rarity is not the ranking
Counted from the list aboveRarity spread
- Ancient1 unit · 1 META
- Exclusive7 units · 5 META
- Secret14 units · 7 META
- Mythic12 units · 8 META
- Legendary1 unit · 0 META
Listed highest-first in the order this dataset's rarity type declares. The top rarity accounts for 1 of 35 units while Secret is the largest group at 14. The 3 units in B span 2 rarities, and Mythic also appears in the META class above — the same rarity sits at both ends of the list.
Elements the wiki records
Blood (2), Frost (2), Light (2), Magical (2), Soul (2), Basic (1), Fire (1), Martial (1), Mystic (1), Wind (1).
Only 15 of the 35 units carry an element in our dataset — the other 20 have no element recorded on the pages we sourced, and we leave that blank rather than guessing. We also do not publish an element effectiveness chart: the multipliers are not on the page this list is built from, and a matchup table is exactly the kind of thing that is worthless if it is wrong.
Evolutions decide more than rarity does
Named on the unit pages4 of the units above are evolved forms, and in every case the evolution is the meta-relevant version. That is the single most actionable thing on this page: if you own a base form, the materials are worth more than the next summon.
Base forms marked "not on this list" are absent because the wiki Tier List does not classify them — not because they do not exist in game.
Why this page has no Anime Defenders codes
Codes source unvalidated since December 2024This is a statement about a source we will not use, not a code list.
The only public source of Anime Defenders codes is the game's Fandom Codes page, last edited December 19, 2024, and that page states on its face that the codes it lists have not been validated as working. We used to republish it, which meant serving Christmas 2024 codes as live. We removed that page and we are not bringing it back. The unit data on this page comes from a different wiki page that is still being edited, which is the only reason this tier list exists at all.
The same 35 units by role and rarity, plus what this cluster does and does not cover.
The other big anime tower-defense game we cover — different units, different wiki, actively maintained codes.
Questions about the ranking
What is the best unit in Anime Defenders?
4 units hold SS on this list: Celestial Tyrant (Ancient, Support / CC); Expert Sharpshooter (Mythic, DPS (Hill/Hybrid)); King Of Dragons (Mythic, DPS / AoE (Hill/Hybrid)); Shadow Dragon (Unlocked) (Exclusive, Support). Their passives are quoted in full in the SS block above, straight from the wiki. They are not interchangeable — between them they cover control, single-target damage, AoE and buffing, so a strong board runs one of each rather than several copies of "the best". Putting these 4 above the rest of the wiki's META class is our judgement, not a ranking the wiki publishes.
How is this Anime Defenders tier list ranked?
The Anime Defenders Fandom Tier List does not publish an SS-to-B ladder. It classifies units as META or GOOD within each role — Hill/Hybrid, Ground and Support — against the Infinite / Traitless baseline. We map that onto the ladder searchers actually want. SS and S together are exactly the 21 units the wiki flags META, with SS reserved for the 4 we judge meta-defining inside it — the Ancient-rarity pick and the stat-leading Infinite carries. A is the 11 units we leave in the wiki's GOOD class. B is our own bucket, holding 3 economy, budget and off-meta picks. Collapse SS into S and you are back to the wiki's own classification.
Does the Anime Defenders wiki publish its own tier list?
Yes — at https://animedefenders.fandom.com/wiki/Tier_List, last edited May 15, 2026, and we re-verified it against individual unit pages on August 5, 2026. What it publishes is a META/GOOD split per role, not a ranked ladder, which is why the two look different. If you only want the wiki's own view, read the role boards further down this page: those are its classification, unrearranged.
What rarities do the meta units come from?
Across the 35 units here: 1 Ancient, 7 Exclusive, 14 Secret, 12 Mythic, 1 Legendary. Rarity is not the ranking — Ancient is the scarcest tier on the list and only 1 unit holds it, while the largest group is Secret. What decides placement is which class the wiki puts a unit in, and evolved forms outrank their own base forms far more reliably than rarity does.
Should I evolve my units in Anime Defenders?
For these 4 chains, yes — the evolved form is the meta-relevant one every time: Divine Tyrant into Celestial Tyrant (SS), Flame Dragon God into King Of Dragons (SS), Shadow Dragon into Shadow Dragon (Unlocked) (SS), Poseidon into Poseidon (Sea Sovereign) (S). Flame Dragon God still holds A on its own, so it is usable while you gather materials — the other base forms are not on this list at all.
Is Thunder God still good in Anime Defenders?
No, not for endgame. Thunder God no longer appears anywhere on the current wiki Tier List, which is why we place it in B rather than leaving it off: an explicit "this fell out of the meta" is more useful than silence. Its chain-lightning attacks still clear early Story waves fine, but do not sink materials into it for Infinite.
Where are the Anime Defenders codes?
We do not publish them. The only public code source for this game is the Anime Defenders Fandom Codes page, last edited December 19, 2024, and it states on its own face that its codes have not been validated as working. We removed our codes page rather than keep republishing an unmaintained list. The unit data on this page comes from a different wiki page that is still actively edited, which is why the tier list stayed.