After spending time showcasing every major unit added in Update 12.5, the new meta in Anime Vanguards is starting to become a lot clearer. Some units ended up performing way better than expected, while others looked amazing visually but did not completely live up to the hype once players tested them in actual runs.
This tier list focuses on overall usefulness, including:
- DPS potential
- Utility
- Support value
- Scaling
- Team synergy
- Long-term usefulness in endgame content
Instead of just throwing every character into random “S+” or “Z” tiers, this breakdown focuses more on what each unit actually brings to a team and why they deserve their placement.
A lot of these new units become much stronger when fully optimized with Monarch, Definity, proper Memorials, and Ninjutsu setups, so this list is based closer to their full potential rather than basic unoptimized gameplay.
Anime Vanguards Update 12.5 Tier List – ALL NEW UNITS
Monarch Might Guy
Might Guy is honestly one of the craziest DPS units added in a long time.
At first, some players thought he was just another strong Naruto-themed damage dealer, but once people fully understood his Ninjutsu mechanics and crit passives, it became obvious how broken he really is.
Once his Ninjutsu passive activates multiple times, he gains permanent 100% crit chance. After that, every attack becomes a guaranteed crit while also:
- Ignoring damage reduction
- Bypassing shields
- Dealing bonus crit damage
- Applying burn
- Scaling insanely hard with buffs
His DPS numbers become ridiculous once fully optimized. He attacks quickly, covers large cone AoE after upgrades, and constantly melts enemies during longer runs.
The biggest reason players rate him so highly is because his scaling feels endless once his setup is complete. In optimized teams, he honestly feels strong enough to compete with some of the best DPS units ever added to the game.
Monarch Vanguard Madara
Madara ended up surprising a lot of people.
During early showcases, some players thought he was overrated, but after testing his full kit properly, it became clear that he is one of the most versatile units in Update 12.5.
His biggest strength comes from convenience and utility combined with massive damage.
If Madara is your only Ninjutsu unit, he instantly max upgrades himself on placement. That alone is already insanely valuable in difficult modes where setup speed matters.
On top of that, he also gets:
- Full AoE attacks
- Slumber debuffs
- Nullify application
- Huge map pressure
- Damage amplification
- Massive global ultimate damage
- Strong synergy with debuff teams
He feels less like a pure DPS carry and more like a complete package unit that can do almost everything well.
The fact that he also deals bonus damage against debuffed enemies makes him scale even harder when paired with strong support units.
Kurumi
Kurumi ended up becoming one of the strongest hybrid units in the update.
At first glance, many players treated her like a support unit because of her time stop ability, but her damage output is actually incredibly high once optimized properly.
She combines:
- Time stop utility
- Clone generation
- Strong DPS
- Good scaling
- Excellent Monarch synergy
What makes her so valuable is that she contributes meaningful support without sacrificing damage. Many support-focused units usually fall behind in DPS, but Kurumi still hits extremely hard while helping control enemies.
For difficult endless content or modes where crowd control matters, she becomes extremely useful.
Strong Support and Hybrid Units
Alto
Alto is one of the best support-oriented units added in the update, especially for Curse teams.
She pairs extremely well with Ein and other Curse-based units while also contributing respectable damage herself. Her buffs can dramatically improve damage against marked enemies, and her Memorial effects make Curse compositions even stronger.
What makes Alto stand out is how flexible she feels.
She is not just a pure support unit sitting in the back doing nothing. She still deals solid damage while constantly buffing allies and improving team performance.
For players building specialized Curse teams, Alto is almost mandatory now.
Jiraiya
Jiraiya may not be as flashy as the higher-ranked units, but he is still very solid overall.
He functions as a support DPS hybrid with useful utility including:
- Nullify application
- Strong slows
- Burn damage
- Ninjutsu synergy
- Cone AoE attacks
The biggest issue is simply that the other Naruto-themed units introduced in Update 12.5 are absurdly strong, which makes Jiraiya look weaker by comparison.
Even then, he still performs very well in support-focused compositions and remains useful for difficult content where slows and debuffs matter.
Fruit Eater Is Extremely Underrated
One unit that surprised many players was Fruit Eater, inspired by Turles.
This unit is honestly much stronger than expected.
Once fully stacked, his damage becomes insane, and he also provides slowing effects similar to field-control units like Gojo. Enemies entering his attack area get slowed constantly, which becomes very useful when combined with his large AoE range.
He also scales incredibly well with crit setups and Monarch bonuses.
Many players originally underestimated him because he does not have the same flashy utility as Madara or Kurumi, but his raw DPS output is honestly terrifying.
At full optimization, he absolutely deserves to sit among the top damage dealers in the update.
Why the Naruto Units Dominate the Meta
One thing that became obvious after testing Update 12.5 is that the Naruto-themed Ninjutsu units were designed to work together.
Most of them:
- Share synergy passives
- Scale from Ninjutsu interactions
- Gain free buffs
- Improve each other’s setups
- Chain abilities together
This is why units like Madara and Might Guy feel so overwhelming compared to older standalone units.
The developers clearly wanted players to experiment with full Naruto/Ninjutsu teams rather than using random disconnected units.
And honestly, the synergy works extremely well.
Best Units to Roll Monarch On
If you are wondering where to spend your rerolls, the safest choices right now are:
- Monarch Might Guy
- Monarch Madara
- Monarch Kurumi
These three scale incredibly hard with Monarch and feel like the biggest standouts from the update overall.
Fruit Eater is also a very strong option if you mainly care about raw DPS.
Update 12.5 honestly changed the meta much more than many players expected.
The Naruto-inspired Ninjutsu system ended up being far stronger than it first looked, and several of the new units already feel strong enough to dominate endgame content for a long time.
Might Guy and Madara currently feel like the biggest winners of the update, but Kurumi, Alto, and Fruit Eater are all incredibly strong depending on your team setup.
Overall, this update finally feels like Anime Vanguards added units with real depth instead of just flashy animations. A lot of these characters have mechanics that reward team-building and strategy, which makes the update much more interesting than some of the previous patches.