You've probably spent hours grinding for gems, hoping for that one specific glow. It's frustrating. Honestly, the Anime Vanguards Dragon Ball units (officially under the "Dragon Empire" banner) are basically the backbone of the meta right now, but most players are using them all wrong. They just slap a unit down and pray.
Wait.
Before you burn another 5,000 gems on the banner, you need to understand how the scaling works in this game. Anime Vanguards isn't like other tower defense clones where you can just win with raw power. It's about placement timing and trait synergy. If you're looking for Goku (called "Goku" or "Kakarot" in-game, but often referenced by his forms like Rose or Blue), you’re looking for a carry. But a carry without a proper build is just a waste of a slot.
The Reality of Anime Vanguards Dragon Ball Units
Let's talk about Son Goku (Blue). He's the cornerstone of most high-level compositions. Why? It's the Transcendent trait. Most players see the massive DPS numbers on the wiki and think he's an auto-win. He isn't. If you don't have a reliable farm unit like Sprint or a high-tier support like Takaroda, you’ll never actually afford his final upgrades in a Nightmare run.
Most people mess up the early game. They try to rush a Dragon Ball unit when they should be stabilizing with cheaper alternatives.
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The Anime Vanguards Dragon Ball roster features some of the most complex scaling mechanics in the game. Take Vegeta (Great Ape) or his various Super Saiyan forms. His AoE (Area of Effect) changes drastically as he levels up. If you place him in a corner thinking he’ll cover a straight path, his final upgrade might actually miss half the enemies because his range expands into a circle that clips through the map boundaries. It’s annoying, but it’s something you have to plan for.
What Everyone Gets Wrong About Traits
Traits are the "make or break" part of the game. You want Monarch or Ethereal. Obviously. But let's be real: the odds are terrible. I've seen players discard a perfectly good Solar trait on their Dragon Ball units because they were chasing a 0.1% drop.
Here is the truth. A Solar or Godly trait on a unit like Goku Rose is more than enough to clear most of the current Raid content. You don't need the "perfect" build to be competitive. You need a functional one. If you’re a F2P (Free to Play) player, stop rerolling your traits the second you get something decent. You’ll end up broke and stuck with a "Basic" trait that ruins your damage output.
Why the Dragon Empire Meta Is Dominating
It's the passives. In Anime Vanguards, the Dragon Ball inspired units often come with multi-hit capabilities. This is huge for breaking through shields in later stages.
When you look at Broly (labeled as the Legendary Super Saiyan in many community circles), his knockback is his secret weapon. It’s not just about the damage. It’s about crowd control. If you line up three Broly units at the end of a U-turn, you create a "death loop" where enemies are constantly pushed back into your high-DPS zones. Most people just line them up at the start of the map. That’s a rookie move. Put your heavy hitters where the pathing overlaps.
Evolution Is Not Optional
If you're still using the base versions of these units, you’re playing a different game. Evolution items are a grind, sure. You need the Dragon Spirit items and the specific evolution essences. But the jump in stats is usually 2x or 3x.
- Gather the required shards from the Story Mode (Nightmare difficulty is better for drop rates).
- Check the crafting station specifically for the "God Essence."
- Ensure your unit is max level before evolving to carry over the best possible stat ceiling.
Actually, don't just evolve because you can. Check your gold reserves first. Evolved units cost significantly more to place and upgrade during a match. If your economy isn't ready, an evolved Goku Blue will just sit in your inventory because you can't afford to drop him until wave 20. By then, you're already dead.
Strategizing Your Anime Vanguards Dragon Ball Lineup
You need balance. A team of six Dragon Ball carries is a bad team. You’ll leak fast-moving mobs on wave 5.
Instead, try this:
One heavy hitter (Goku or Vegeta).
One support for slow or freeze.
Two farm units.
One cheap early-game unit (like a low-cost Slayer).
One flex slot for whatever the specific map demands.
The synergy between Anime Vanguards Dragon Ball characters and the "Vanguard" mechanics means you should be looking for units that buff "Power" types. Since most DBZ-inspired characters fall into this category, look for leaders that provide a 10% or 15% damage boost to that specific class. It adds up. On a unit doing 50,000 damage per hit, that 10% is the difference between a one-shot and a leak.
The Problem With Over-Leveling
There is a point of diminishing returns. I’ve seen people pump every single EXP food item into one Goku unit. Don't do that. Level your whole team to 40 first. The jump from 40 to 50 is expensive and doesn't provide the same "bang for your buck" as bringing your support units up to a respectable level. Your supports need to survive. They need to have enough range to be useful. If your farm unit is level 1, your economy will crawl.
Advanced Tips for Raids and Challenges
Raids are where the Anime Vanguards Dragon Ball meta really shines. The boss health pools are massive. You need percent-based damage or massive crit stacks.
- Placement Matters: Place your Dragon Ball units at the "elbows" of the map.
- Targeting: Set your strongest unit to "Strong" or "Boss" targeting. Don't leave them on "First." If Goku is wasting a 100k damage hit on a mob with 10 HP, you’re losing efficiency.
- Ability Timing: Many of these units have active abilities. Don't auto-cast them. Wait for the boss shield to drop or for a cluster of elites to enter the kill zone.
Honestly, the game is constantly shifting. Developers like to tweak the range and fire rate of these units every other update. What worked last week might be slightly nerfed today. Always check the official Discord or the patch notes in the game lobby. If they've touched the "AoE Circle" size for the Dragon Empire units, your entire placement strategy has to change.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Session
To actually progress with your Anime Vanguards Dragon Ball units, stop guessing. Follow these steps to optimize your account immediately:
Audit your traits. If you have a Mythic unit with a "Common" trait, make that your priority for rerolls. Use your daily login gems specifically for this. Even a "Great" or "Sharp" trait is a massive upgrade over the base stats.
Farm the right essences. Don't just play random stages. Look at the evolution requirements for your Goku or Vegeta units and target-farm those specific chapters on Nightmare. If you can't solo it, join a public lobby. Most high-level players are happy to carry if you bring a support unit and don't block their placements.
Focus on Economy. Practice your opening moves. You should know exactly which wave you can afford your first Dragon Ball unit. If you're consistently leaking before you can place them, you need to lower the cost of your starter units or level up your "Sprint" unit.
Master the "Double Buff." If you use a unit that provides a damage buff, make sure your Dragon Ball carry is within that range. It sounds simple, but in the heat of a Wave 50 rush, people forget. Overlap those circles.
The meta will continue to evolve as more forms are added—we're all waiting for more Ultra Instinct or Ego-style variations—but the fundamentals of high-DPS management remain the same. Balance your greed for high damage with the practical reality of map coverage.