Anime Vanguards Hellkiller Guide – Passive & Damage

Hellkiller, also referred to as the Doomslayer, is one of the most unique and expensive boss-killing units currently available in Anime Vanguards. While his flashy design and mechanics make him a standout unit, his value depends heavily on your setup, familiar choices, and how effectively you manage his passives. This guide breaks down his abilities, passives, damage potential, and overall usability.

Unit Overview

• Placement Cost: 2,100
• Max Upgrade Cost: 132,000
• Element: Unbound (currently the strongest element type due to high synergy potential)
• Primary Role: Boss Killer / Single Target Damage

Hellkiller shines in boss-focused scenarios thanks to his burst-heavy passives. However, he struggles with consistent wave clearing because of his awkward attack animations and limited AoE coverage.

Passive Breakdown

1. Ammo System and Gun Swap Mechanic

• Hellkiller starts with 3 ammo stacks.
• Each attack consumes 1 ammo.
• Once his ammo reaches 0, he:
  • Becomes stunned for 4 seconds.
  • Swaps to a different gun, each having its own AoE pattern.
  • Gains a +50% damage boost for 10 seconds after swapping.
  • His ammo resets to 3.

This mechanic means he goes through a predictable attack cycle: three quick bursts followed by a reload animation. Proper timing or SPA (Seconds per Attack) boosts can help him fit more attacks within his 10-second damage window.

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2. Doom Execution Passive

When an enemy drops below 50% HP for the first time, Hellkiller triggers Doom Execution, dealing 200% of his current damage instantly.

This makes him a devastating boss finisher, as he can chunk or outright delete weakened enemies once their health dips below half.

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3. Active Skill – Hell Walker (FPS Mode)

• Cooldown: 180 seconds
• Switches you into an FPS view, letting you manually fire his weapon.
• Manual control can yield higher burst damage, but:
  • It cannot crit.
  • It’s less efficient if your setup relies on crit synergy (especially with Broly).

Verdict:
Use Hell Walker only if you lack crit-boosting allies. With Broly, it’s better to keep him in auto-mode for consistent critical hits.

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Familiar Synergy

Best Familiar – Bird

• Provides a damage buff scaling from 0% to 35%, up to 52.5% when corrupted.
• Adds 5% Unbound damage to base stats.
• Temporarily stuns your unit for 2 seconds after each attack, but since Hellkiller’s SPA is ~30 seconds, this stun barely affects uptime.

Total Damage Boost: Up to 57.5% increase.
Current Note: Bird’s passive seems bugged in some versions, but it remains the best overall synergy.

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Synergies and Team Recommendations

1. Broly – The Ultimate Partner

• Grants 100% Crit Rate and 2.15x Crit Damage Multiplier (x3 stacking).
• Completely removes the need for Hell Walker mode.
• Turns Hellkiller into a crit-based boss melting machine.

Important Note:
Broly’s Domain effect lasts only 15 waves and can only be activated once per run, meaning Hellkiller’s full potential fades after that duration.

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2. Blacksmith – SPA Reduction Synergy

• Requires Blitz or Monarch as your blacksmith.
• Use the Sword of Acupuncture, which reduces SPA by 10%.
• This SPA reduction allows Hellkiller to fit three full attacks during his 10-second damage boost window instead of just two.

Result:
Higher uptime and damage consistency — essential for squeezing max DPS from his reload mechanic.

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3. Crowd Control Units (Stun/Slow Support)

• Gilgamesh or Stark can extend Hellkiller’s DPS windows by keeping enemies in range longer.
• This ensures his multi-hit gun swaps and 200% execution passive land effectively on bosses.

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Performance Analysis

Damage Potential

• His base damage scales extremely high, especially under Unbound + Broly + Bird buffs.
• With crits, his burst damage can surpass many top-tier boss killers.
• However, his white ray gun form has an extremely long 4-second animation, cutting real DPS output by a huge margin.

Attack Animation Issue

Even if you place him closer to the path, the animation delay remains. It’s not a range issue but an animation flaw that causes wasted DPS time.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

• Massive single-target burst potential.
• Unbound element, allowing flexible synergy with Broly.
• Unique FPS mode adds interactive gameplay.
• High base damage and excellent boss utility.

Cons

• Extremely expensive to max (132,000).
• Poor AoE and crowd control.
• Long and buggy attack animations.
• Dependent on Broly or SPA buffs for true meta viability.
• Limited usefulness outside boss encounters.

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Recommended Usage

• Primary Role: Boss-focused stages, tournaments, or challenge modes with frequent boss spawns.
• Avoid Using In: Normal wave stages or modes where DPS uptime matters more than burst damage.
• Don’t Rely On: Hell Walker for main damage unless you lack crit units.

Should You Roll for Hellkiller?

If you’re a collector or a player who loves unique mechanics and boss-oriented units, Hellkiller is worth trying.
However, for pure performance and meta efficiency, Goblin Slayer, Hollow Knight, or even Goblin Killer provide more value per cost and are more consistent across all modes.

Verdict:

• Meta Tier: A (Boss Killer)
• Investment Value: Medium
• Fun Factor: High
• Recommended Pull: Only if you already have Broly or strong SPA synergy units.

Hellkiller stands out as one of the most powerful boss-slaying specialists in Anime Vanguards, boasting incredible burst potential through his ammo-swapping passive and unbound damage scaling. Yet, his flaws — expensive cost, limited AoE, and buggy attack animations — hold him back from top-tier status. With the right setup (especially Broly + Bird + Blacksmith SPA boost), he becomes a lethal weapon for boss-heavy modes but remains situational for general use.