Getting a Mythic or Secret unit is only the beginning in Anime Expeditions. If you want your favorite characters to stay competitive in raids, Expeditions, and future endgame content, you’ll eventually need to evolve them.
Evolution isn’t just a small stat upgrade. Most evolved units gain entirely new passive abilities that can significantly increase their damage, improve crowd control, or unlock completely new mechanics. Some characters become much stronger after evolving, making the investment well worth the resources.
This guide covers everything you need to know about evolving units in Anime Expeditions, including the evolution process, required materials, and every evolution currently available.
Anime Expeditions Evolution Guide – How to Evolve Units
Evolution is a progression system that upgrades eligible units into stronger versions.
When a unit evolves, it typically receives:
- Improved base stats
- Higher damage output
- Better overall performance
- One or more exclusive passive abilities
- Stronger utility for late-game content
Not every unit can evolve yet, but more evolutions are expected to be added in future updates.
How to Evolve Units
Thankfully, the evolution process itself is simple once you’ve collected all the required materials.
Step 1: Visit the Upgrades Area
From the main lobby, head to the Upgrades room.
Inside, you’ll find several progression systems, including:
- Evolution
- Traits
- Inventory
- Crafting
Step 2: Open the Evolution Menu
Interact with the Evolve station.
A list of all units that can currently evolve will appear.
Step 3: Select Your Unit
Choose the character you want to upgrade.
The menu will display:
- Required Sprites
- Gold cost
- Special evolution items
- Preview of the new passive ability
If you’re missing materials, you can use the Quick Craft option for eligible crafting ingredients.
Step 4: Evolve the Unit
Once you’ve gathered every required material and enough Gold, simply press Evolve Unit.
The transformation happens instantly, unlocking the evolved version along with its new passive abilities.
All Anime Expeditions Evolutions
Shadow → Shadow (Divine)
Evolution Materials
- 20 Blue Sprites
- 20 Green Sprites
- 20 Red Sprites
- 3 Rainbow Sprites
- 10,000 Gold
New Passive: Divine Spirit
Activating this passive summons a Divine Spirit that fights alongside Shadow.
The summoned spirit:
- Cannot be stunned
- Cannot be defeated
- Never despawns
- Deals damage equal to Shadow’s own attacks
This evolution turns Shadow into one of the strongest summon-based characters currently available.
Crimson → Crimson (Brother)
Evolution Materials
- 20 Red Sprites
- 20 Pink Sprites
- 1 Rainbow Sprite
- 5,000 Gold
New Passive: Piercing Crimson
Crimson gains a powerful targeted ability that continuously fires Piercing Crimson for 10 seconds.
Enemies struck by the attack:
- Take heavy continuous damage
- Receive Crimson Marks
- Remain inside the damaging beam for sustained DPS
Excellent for bosses and tougher enemies.
True Saint → True Saint (Holy)
Evolution Materials
- Holy Pendant ×1
- 5 Red Sprites
- 5 Blue Sprites
- 5 Green Sprites
- 5 Purple Sprites
- 5 Yellow Sprites
- 5 Pink Sprites
- 1 Rainbow Sprite
- 5,000 Gold
New Passive: Seize
When activated, True Saint steals 20% of the damage from the three strongest nearby allies for 60 seconds.
This allows the evolved version to deal significantly more damage during difficult waves.
Cursed Student → Cursed Student (True Love)
Evolution Materials
- Student ID ×1
- 20 Blue Sprites
- 20 Purple Sprites
- 1 Rainbow Sprite
- 5,000 Gold
New Passives
Cursed Mimicry
Every third attack triggers a powerful follow-up attack dealing bonus damage.
Spirit Bats
Whenever Bleed stacks inside the unit’s range reach 20, Bat Spirits are summoned.
These spirits attack independently while dealing damage based on the unit’s current stats.
This evolution greatly boosts sustained Bleed damage.
Salmon Sorcerer → Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1)
Evolution Materials
- Salmon ×1
- 20 Green Sprites
- 20 Blue Sprites
- 1 Rainbow Sprite
- 5,000 Gold
New Passives
Crumble Away
Applies a 20% Slow effect after upgrading.
Plummet
Enemies entering half of the unit’s attack range receive Stagger for two seconds.
This makes Salmon Sorcerer one of the better crowd-control supports.
Flame Emperor → Flame Emperor (Reincarnate)
Evolution Materials
- Burning Fruit ×1
- 20 Red Sprites
- 20 Yellow Sprites
- 1 Rainbow Sprite
- 5,000 Gold
New Passive: Wall of Fire
The evolved version summons burning walls directly onto enemy paths.
Enemies crossing the flames receive Burn, dramatically increasing overall damage over time.
Perfect for Burn-focused teams.
Puppet → Puppet (Telekinetic)
Evolution Materials
- Puppet Heart ×1
- 20 Pink Sprites
- 20 Purple Sprites
- 1 Rainbow Sprite
- 5,000 Gold
New Passive: Complete Control
Rewinds every enemy inside the unit’s attack range for two seconds.
This crowd-control effect can completely stop dangerous enemy pushes and buy valuable time during difficult stages.
Elf Mage → Elf Mage (Unleashed)
Evolution Materials
- Cosmic Magic ×1
- 20 Blue Sprites
- 20 Purple Sprites
- 1 Rainbow Sprite
- 5,000 Gold
New Passives
Arcane Magic
Every basic attack generates Arcane Charge.
Overcharge
Once Arcane Charge resets, spell damage increases by 5%.
Arcane Spells
Follow-up spells become significantly stronger, including:
- Old Magic
- Eruption
- Storm
This evolution massively improves the unit’s spellcasting potential.
String Demon → String Demon (Awakened)
Evolution Materials
- Joker of the Nonsensical Pirates ×1
- 20 Yellow Sprites
- 20 Pink Sprites
- 1 Rainbow Sprite
- 5,000 Gold
New Passive: String Sync
Whenever the nearest allied unit attacks, String Demon links them using strings.
The linked ally immediately performs an additional follow-up attack before the string breaks.
This provides a noticeable increase in overall team DPS.
Best Units to Evolve First
If your resources are limited, these are generally the best evolution priorities:
1. Shadow (Divine)
One of the strongest evolutions thanks to its permanent Divine Spirit summon and exceptional late-game damage.
2. Cursed Student (True Love)
The added Bleed synergy and Bat Spirit summons dramatically increase overall DPS.
3. Elf Mage (Unleashed)
Excellent for players using magic-focused teams, thanks to stronger Arcane Spells and improved scaling.
4. Flame Emperor (Reincarnate)
A great upgrade for Burn compositions, especially in longer stages.
5. Puppet (Telekinetic)
The rewind ability provides outstanding crowd control and utility.
Materials You’ll Need the Most
As you start evolving multiple units, you’ll quickly notice that a few materials are required almost everywhere.
Try to stockpile:
- Rainbow Sprites
- Blue Sprites
- Green Sprites
- Purple Sprites
- Red Sprites
- Gold
These resources are used across nearly every evolution recipe.