The long-awaited Update 8: Deep Berserk has arrived in Anime Vanguards, and it’s already being called one of the best updates in the game’s history. With new units, mechanics, and passives, choosing the right characters for your team is more important than ever. To save you time, here’s a breakdown of the Top 5 Must-Have Units you should aim for in Update 8.
5. Jiji – The Cleanser with Decent Damage
GG is a support-focused unit that specializes in cleansing debuffs from your team. While his ability is powerful, it comes with limitations:
- Units must be placed close to him for the cleanse to activate.
- The effect takes 60 seconds to kick in.
Despite this, Jiji can still deal solid damage, especially if you pair him with Monarch for added power. However, compared to the other support units in this update, Jiji feels a bit too restrictive, which is why he lands in the fifth spot.
4. Skull Knight – The Debuff Counter
If Jiji feels situational, Skull Knight is the opposite. He doesn’t just protect allies from debuffs—he turns debuffs into buffs for himself. This makes him a must-have in stages with heavy debuff mechanics.
- Full AOE support unit
- Cheap to max (around 80,000 or less)
- Gets stronger the more he’s debuffed
Skull Knight is both a great support and DPS option, making him one of the most flexible additions in Update 8.
3. Smith – The Weapon Crafter
Smith introduces a unique crafting mechanic that changes how you support your team. For every takedown, he earns ores that can be used to forge weapons for allies.
- Can craft swords, spears, daggers, and even masterwork items.
Grants powerful buffs such as:
- +20 range and bonus damage to burning enemies.
- Immunity to status effects.
- Strong shields and special effects tailored to different allies.
Smith’s value lies in his ability to adapt—whether boosting DPS units like Guts or protecting allies from control effects. He’s one of the most versatile supports in the game.
2. Griffith – The 40% Team Buffer
Griffith is an absolute monster in terms of support. Once he reaches his transformed state, he brings several game-changing abilities:
- Buffs allies’ damage by 40% in his range.
- Reduces enemy damage by 30%.
- Applies slow and repulse to enemies.
- Can cleanse himself of debuffs.
Even without his cosmic trait, Griffith is already top-tier. Add in his ability to scale his buffs across multiple allies, and you’ve got a unit that redefines team synergy.
1. Guts (The Struggler) – The Strongest DPS in the Game
No surprises here—Guts is the undisputed number one unit in Update 8. His kit makes him the highest DPS unit currently available:
- Base max damage: 56,000 DPS (goes even higher with buffs).
- Gains +40% damage for 10 seconds through his passive.
- Inflicts bleed, which synergizes with his follow-up attacks.
- Deals extra hits and applies repulse against bleeding enemies.
- Scales insanely well with Smith’s crafted weapons and Griffith’s buffs.
At full build with the right support, Guts can dish out over 700,000+ damage, melting bosses and high-HP enemies faster than any other unit. While he does have a stun drawback after prolonged fighting, his bleed mechanics keep him relevant even during downtime.
Update 8: Deep Berserk has delivered some of the most powerful and creative units Anime Vanguards has seen yet. From Jiji’s situational cleanse to Guts’ record-breaking DPS, every player will want to grab these top-tier units if they want to dominate the toughest stages. With these five in your roster, you’ll be ready for anything this update throws at you.