If you’ve jumped into the latest Anime Squadrons JJK update, there’s a decent amount of new stuff to work through. The update adds new JJK content, new game modes, gear upgrades, new units, a Yuta questline, and several rewards that are worth picking up.
The two things most players are probably interested in, though, are the Malevolent Shrine Invasion and the new Shibuya-related raid content.
I went through the harder stages to see how difficult they actually are, and the good news is that you don’t necessarily need some completely perfect endgame setup to clear them. Even with a team that wasn’t heavily optimized for gear, the harder content was still manageable.
So, let’s go through the update and, more importantly, how you can approach the new difficult stages.
Anime Squadrons JJK Update 4 Guide – Codes, New Units
The JJK update adds several new systems and activities to Anime Squadrons.
The major additions include:
- New Corrupted Stages
- New gear upgrading
- Gear sorting
- New team loadouts
- Battle Pass changes
- New UI improvements
- New bundles
- New story content
- Squadron stages
- Invasion game modes
- New raid content
- New JJK units
- Yuta questline
- Free rewards and codes
- Free Tanjiro reward
So there is quite a bit to work through.
The update isn’t just about pulling new units. You’ll also need to farm the new content if you want to unlock some of the better rewards and progress through the new questline.
Anime Squadrons Update 4 Codes
Before doing anything else, make sure you redeem the available update codes.
The codes shown with the update include:
UPDATE3
This gives 100 rerolls, which is a pretty nice free reward if you’re trying to improve your units.
There is also:
COMETOMOROCCO
This provides Perfect Prisms and additional Prisms.
And then there’s the code that gives you Tanjiro for free.
Getting a free unit isn’t necessarily game-changing for an established account, but newer players should absolutely claim it.
Free units are free units, and there’s no reason to leave them unclaimed.
Free Tanjiro Reward
One of the more unusual additions is the free Tanjiro reward.
The update makes it possible to get Tanjiro through the code rather than having to rely entirely on normal progression or summoning.
For veteran players, Tanjiro probably isn’t going to completely change your team.
For newer players, however, having another usable unit immediately available can be pretty helpful while you’re building your roster.
So if you’re starting the update from scratch, grab the free reward before you start farming.
How Gear Upgrading Works in Anime Squadrons
Update 4 also expands the gear system.
You can now select your gear and upgrade it through the new upgrade interface.
The upgrade system is relatively straightforward:
- Open your gear menu.
- Select the piece of gear you want to improve.
- Enter the upgrade interface.
- Spend the required upgrade materials.
- Confirm the upgrade.
The upgrade itself can have a guaranteed success chance for certain upgrades, but the materials can become expensive.
This is something I’d be careful with.
If you’re not heavily invested in gear yet, don’t immediately dump everything into random pieces. Save your resources for gear you’re actually planning to use on your strongest units.
Should You Upgrade Every Piece of Gear?
No.
This is one of those systems where spreading your resources too thin can hurt more than it helps.
If you have a limited amount of upgrade materials, I’d prioritize:
Main DPS → secondary DPS → support units → everything else.
Your main damage dealers are generally going to benefit the most from better gear because improving their stats directly affects how quickly you can clear stages.
Once your important units are properly equipped, you can start investing in the rest of the team.
New Gear Sorting
Another quality-of-life addition is the new gear sorting system.
This sounds minor, but if you’ve been collecting gear for a while, you’ll know exactly why this matters.
Instead of scrolling through a giant pile of equipment trying to figure out what is useful, you can now organize your gear more efficiently.
It becomes especially helpful once you start farming the new content repeatedly.
New Team Loadouts
Update 4 also adds new team loadout functionality.
This is useful if you’re switching between different setups regularly.
For example, you might have one team designed for normal story farming and another built specifically for raids or corrupted stages.
Rather than rebuilding the entire team every time, loadouts make it much easier to switch between setups.
It’s one of those features you might not appreciate immediately, but once you start using multiple teams, it saves a lot of time.
New Anime Squadrons Game Modes
There are several different types of content available in the update.
The main ones you’ll be dealing with are:
- Story
- Squadron stages
- Corrupted stages
- Invasion
- Raids
The Story mode is pretty straightforward.
Complete the stages, progress through the content, and collect the associated rewards.
Squadron stages are unlocked through story progression and can provide additional rewards, including gear.
The more interesting content is the new Invasion and Raid systems.
How to Beat the Malevolent Shrine Invasion
The Malevolent Shrine Invasion is one of the major challenges added with the update.
If you’re looking at it and thinking the stage looks intimidating, don’t worry too much.
The hard version is definitely tougher than the basic story content, but you don’t necessarily need a perfect setup to clear it.
During testing, a relatively average team was able to complete the hard version.
The biggest thing you’ll want is enough consistent damage to handle the boss before the stage gets out of control.
Malevolent Shrine Invasion Boss
The Malevolent Shrine stage puts the boss in the central area of the map.
Enemies approach from the available paths while your units deal with them.
The boss has a large health pool, and there is also a significant shield to get through.
The stage tested with roughly:
- 60 million HP
- Around 15 million shield
So, yeah, this isn’t exactly beginner content.
You’ll need a team capable of dealing consistent damage throughout the entire run.
Best Strategy for Malevolent Shrine Invasion
The biggest mistake you can make here is spreading your upgrades across too many units.
Focus your strongest damage dealers.
The setup used during testing relied heavily on strong DPS units such as Madara and Naruto, while the rest of the team supported the overall clear.
You don’t necessarily need that exact lineup, but the idea is important:
Put your strongest damage into the units that can carry the stage.
If your DPS is strong enough, the stage becomes much more manageable.
Don’t Waste Your Upgrade Resources Too Early
During the Malevolent Shrine run, the team was able to max out two units.
Looking back, some of those resources could have been placed into another unit instead.
That’s an important lesson for anyone struggling with the stage.
If you have enough resources to max multiple units, don’t automatically dump everything into the same characters.
Look at your team’s actual damage output.
If one unit is already doing more than enough damage, putting additional resources into another strong DPS may give you a better overall clear.
How Long Does Malevolent Shrine Take?
The hard Malevolent Shrine Invasion took around five minutes during testing.
That’s not necessarily the world’s fastest clear, but it shows that the stage is very beatable without an absolutely perfect setup.
If you’re taking significantly longer, don’t immediately assume your units are too weak.
Check your positioning, upgrade distribution, traits, and gear first.
There may be an easier improvement available than simply grinding for another completely new unit.
Shibuya Raid Guide
The update also introduces new raid content.
The raid section includes the Shibuya-related content, with units such as Yuta tied to the new progression.
As with the invasion, the Hard version is the one worth paying attention to once you have enough power.
If you can clear Hard, there isn’t much reason to spend your time repeatedly farming Normal unless you’re specifically helping another player.
The goal should be to reach the difficulty where the rewards justify the time you’re spending.
How Difficult Is the New Raid?
The hard raid is manageable with a reasonably strong team.
During testing, the stage was completed in roughly five to six minutes.
Again, the team wasn’t running completely optimized gear.
That’s actually good news if you’re worried about the difficulty.
You don’t need to have every piece of gear perfectly rolled before attempting the content.
A strong roster with decent upgrades and sensible placement can take you surprisingly far.
Shibuya Raid Team Strategy
The most important thing is consistent damage.
Don’t build your entire team around one unit and hope it carries everything.
Have a couple of reliable DPS options and make sure your support units are actually contributing something useful.
If you’re struggling to finish the raid, I’d look at these things first:
- Upgrade your main DPS
- Improve their gear
- Check unit placement
- Make sure you’re using your strongest traits
- Avoid wasting resources on weak units
- Bring enough sustained damage for the boss
The raid isn’t about having the fanciest-looking team.
It’s about getting enough damage onto the field at the right time.
Corrupted Stages Explained
The update also introduces Corrupted Stages.
These are particularly important because they tie directly into the new Yuta questline.
You need to clear corrupted content as part of the quest progression, and there is also an objective requiring you to clear a corrupted stage with three or more modifiers.
So don’t completely ignore these stages.
Even if you’re mainly interested in getting Yuta, you’ll eventually have to interact with the corrupted content.
Yuta Questline – How to Unlock Yuta
The Yuta questline is one of the most important things to work toward if you’re collecting the new JJK content.
The quest requirements include:
- Defeat Shinobi Destroyed Raid 100 times
- Awaken 2 Sorcerer units
- Clear any Corrupted Stage
- Clear a Corrupted Stage with 3 or more modifiers
- Deal 100 million total damage
None of these requirements are particularly complicated individually.
The main issue is the 100 raid clears, because that obviously takes some time.
So if Yuta is your goal, start farming the required raid early rather than leaving it until the end.
Fastest Way to Work Through the Yuta Quest
Don’t treat every quest objective as a separate grind.
Try to overlap your objectives.
For example, while farming the required raid, you can work on your damage total and other progression at the same time.
Then move into the corrupted stages and knock out those requirements.
The two Sorcerer awakenings should also be planned ahead of time so you’re not suddenly stuck because you don’t have the materials needed.
The best approach is basically:
Raid farming → awaken units → corrupted stage → 3+ modifier corrupted stage → finish damage requirement.
That way, you’re constantly making progress toward multiple requirements instead of doing everything separately.
New Units in Update 4
The new banner introduces additional JJK units, including Maki and Hakari as Mythic units.
These are two of the important units you’ll want to keep an eye on when summoning.
There are also units tied to the new content, including characters associated with the raid and invasion systems.
Some units are obtained through specific content rather than simply pulling them from the normal banner.
So before spending all your summon resources, check where the unit you’re actually chasing comes from.
You don’t want to waste a pile of summons trying to pull a character that is earned through a game mode or quest.
Battle Pass Unit
Update 4 also has a new Battle Pass unit.
If you’re already progressing through the Battle Pass, make sure you check the rewards rather than assuming every new unit comes from the summon banner.
The Battle Pass can sometimes be an easier way to obtain a specific character than relying on RNG.
What Should You Farm First?
If you’re entering Update 4 and don’t know where to begin, I’d recommend this order.
1. Redeem the Codes
Get the free rerolls, Prisms, and Tanjiro reward first.
There is no reason to farm before collecting your free resources.
2. Unlock the New Story Content
Progress through the story and unlock the additional stages.
This opens up the rest of the update.
3. Start Farming Gear
Don’t go crazy with upgrades immediately.
Get decent gear onto your strongest units first.
4. Start the Yuta Questline
Even if you aren’t planning to finish it immediately, start working toward the requirements.
The 100 raid clears are the biggest time commitment.
5. Farm Raids
Get your raid clears done while also building your units.
6. Move Into Corrupted Stages
Once your team is strong enough, start clearing corrupted content.
Make sure you eventually complete the version with three or more modifiers.
7. Farm the Invasion
Once your team can comfortably clear Malevolent Shrine, start farming it consistently for its associated rewards.
Do You Need Perfect Gear to Beat Update 4?
No.
This is probably one of the biggest takeaways from the testing.
The hard stages can look intimidating because of the massive boss HP values, but you don’t necessarily need a completely optimized account.
A good team, proper unit placement, decent upgrades, and enough DPS can carry you through.
Of course, better gear will make everything easier.
But if you’re currently stuck, I wouldn’t immediately assume that you need to completely rebuild your account.
First, try improving the units you’re already using.
Final Thoughts
Anime Squadrons Update 4 is another big step for the game’s JJK content, and there’s quite a bit to farm if you want everything.
The Malevolent Shrine Invasion is probably the first piece of content that will make many players stop and think about their team setup, but the Hard version is very manageable with a solid DPS-focused team.
The new raid is also worth farming, especially if you’re working toward Yuta.
And don’t forget about the corrupted stages. They’re not just another optional mode if Yuta is your goal because the questline specifically requires you to clear them, including a run with at least three modifiers.
The gear system is also becoming more important, so this is a good time to finally start paying attention to equipment if you’ve been ignoring it.
Personally, I wouldn’t overcomplicate the update.
Get the free codes, build your strongest DPS units, upgrade their gear, start farming the raid, and work through the Yuta requirements in the background.
Once your team is strong enough to clear Hard consistently, the rest of the update becomes much more about farming efficiently than trying to figure out some secret strategy.