Anime Vanguards Update 12.5 (2026)

Update 12.5 "Turning Tides" dropped on May 9, 2026, and it is the biggest content patch Anime Vanguards has seen this year. The developers completely rebuilt Odyssey mode, added 6 new units across multiple banners, introduced permanent skill tree progression, and overhauled the guild system from the ground up.

What Is New in Update 12.5

6 New Units

This update introduces a solid batch of characters spanning banners, events, and crossover content.

Unit

Banner

Rarity

Notes

Shinobi God	Spring Banner	S+	Madara-inspired Vanguard, top-tier AOE DPS and crowd control
Kurumi	World Line Banner	S	Time-manipulation kit, synergizes with slow-based teams
Toad Shinobi	Spring 26 Special	Mythic	Jiraiya-inspired, 1% pull rate via rerolls
Strongest Shinobi	Eternal Tyrant	Secret	Clear Wave 45 to obtain
Devoted Demon	Events	Event	Standard event farming unit
Fruit Eater	Events	Event	Standard event farming unit

Shinobi God is the headline unit. Available through the Spring Banner, it immediately slots into the top tier for AOE damage and crowd control in our testing. Kurumi arrives via the World Line banner, bringing a unique time-manipulation kit that synergizes with slow-based team compositions. Might Guy (Spring Event) is the marquee reward of the Spring Event mode. You need to survive to Wave 100 in the survival mode for a 20% drop chance — very tough to obtain.

Complete Odyssey Mode Rework

The old linear Odyssey is gone. In its place sits a roguelike progression system with branching paths that make every run feel different.

Key changes:

• Branching map with shops, boss rooms, and elite rooms at each node
• Card system — collect cards that modify your characters' abilities, creating character-based build progression
• Boss Rooms last 15 waves and act as checkpoints
• Replayability is enormous compared to the old linear system

Think Slay the Spire meets tower defense. Having a deeper roster matters more than ever with this new structure.

Elemental Tower Skill Tree

The new permanent progression system gives long-term players something meaningful to work toward.

• Earn Skill Points by clearing Elemental Tower floors
• Each stat node caps at Level 50 (1,390 total floors required)
• Skill Tree Branches: Damage Tree, Range Tree, Cost Tree
• Maxing every branch earns you the "Conqueror of All Elements" title
• Reset available for 100,000 Gold

Testing shows the damage nodes provide the most immediate value (~18-22% DPS increase at full investment), but the cost reduction path pays off heavily in harder content.

Guild System Overhaul

Guilds now operate on a level 1-20 system with proper infrastructure:

• Weekly buffs rotate based on guild level
• Donation tracks: Gold, Gems, Guild Coins
• Activity points track individual participation
• Weekly Guild Boss: Lord of Shadows
• Reworked Guild Wars scoring system

Spring Event

The Spring Event runs an endless survival-style format. There is no final wave — you keep going until your team gets overwhelmed. The longer you survive, the more event currency you earn for the Spring Shop.

Spring Shop rewards include:

• Might Guy unit (20% Wave 100 drop rate)
• Goddess of Spring cosmetic
• Evolution items: Sentimental Scarf, Cursed Axe, Strong Fruit, Hand-written Book
• 200 Trait Rerolls, 200 Memoria Shards

New Codes for Update 12.5

All require Level 30 to redeem:

Code

Reward

HeHasArrived	100 Trait Rerolls + 10,000 Flowers
BumBum	50 Trait Rerolls + 50 Memoria Shards + 5,000 Flowers
Spring26	40,000 Flowers + 20,000 Gems + 50 Stat Chips
SorryForAutoSell	100 Memoria Shards + 10,000 Flowers
OopsiePoopsie	100 Trait Rerolls + 100 Memoria Shards + 50,000 Flowers

See our Anime Vanguards Codes page for the full active and expired codes list.

65+ QoL Improvements

• Memoria trading added
• Auto Rejoin system
• Improved Autoplay controls and zones
• Guild chat overhaul with attachments and emojis
• Expanded inventory filters and search
• Up to 18 team slots now available
• 300+ bug fixes across systems

Updated Tier List (Post Update 12.5)

Based on the new units and system changes, here is where things stand:

Tier

Top Units

S+	Arbiter, Alucard (Vampire King), Brolzi Super, Dawntay, Vogita Super, Isdead, Igros, Cha-In, Tuji, God, Shinobi God, Kurumi
SS	DIO Over Heaven, Shinobi Sage (Friendship), Monkey King (Awakened), Lich King, Yehowach, Gujo (Infinity)
S	Alocard, Demon Leader, Savior (Moonless), Song Jinwu, Iscanur (Pride), Rogita

Shinobi God and Kurumi both enter S+/SS territory immediately. Demon Leader remains the best utility unit in the game with her "Chains of Control" passive reducing placement cost.

FAQ

What is new in Anime Vanguards Update 12.5?

The update adds 6 new units (led by Shinobi God), a complete Odyssey rework into a roguelike system, a permanent Elemental Tower Skill Tree, a fully overhauled guild system with levels and weekly bosses, a Spring Event, and 65+ quality-of-life improvements.

Is Shinobi God worth pulling?

Yes. Shinobi God immediately ranks among the top-tier AOE damage units in the game. If you pull it, build your team around it.

How does the new Odyssey mode work?

The new Odyssey is a roguelike system with branching paths. At each node you choose between shops, boss rooms, and elite rooms. You collect cards that modify unit abilities as you progress, making every run different.

What happened to the Worldlines reset?

A full Worldlines progression reset was applied with Update 12.5. Time Goddess (Crazed) is now the Floor 50 reward. All previous rewards were reset.

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*For full unit rankings, see our Anime Vanguards Tier List. For team composition tips, visit Best Teams.*