Updated: May 31, 2026

Anime Last Stand Update May 2026 — World 3 & JoJo P7

By Earnaldo Team • May 31, 2026 • 9 min read

Anime Last Stand had a massive May. The month kicked off with UPD 85 graduating World 3: Stellar from Early Access to a full public release, and then UPD 86 dropped a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7 (Steel Ball Run) content wave that's completely reshuffled the tier list. Between the new units, economy rework, balance patches, and fresh codes, there's a lot to unpack — so let's get into it.

World 3: Stellar Full Release (UPD 85)

If you've been playing Anime Last Stand since World 3 entered Early Access, the full release on May 3 probably felt like a weight lifting off your shoulders. Early Access had its fair share of bugs, missing content, and rough edges that made the experience feel more like a preview than a proper world. UPD 85 changed that.

The full release brought World 3: Stellar up to the standard players expect from ALS. The biggest structural addition is the World Legacy soft reset system, which lets you reset your World 1 and World 2 progression while keeping certain saved data. It's a smart move from the dev team — rather than making old content obsolete, they've given veteran players a reason to go back and replay earlier worlds with fresh eyes and new goals.

The economy rework that shipped with UPD 85 touched basically everything related to in-game currency. Diamond earn rates, unit costs, and upgrade pricing all got adjusted to account for World 3's expanded progression curve. If you'd been hoarding Diamonds from World 2, you might've noticed that your stockpile doesn't stretch quite as far in the new economy. That's intentional — the devs clearly wanted to prevent players from steamrolling World 3 content using savings from earlier worlds.

New gamemodes also arrived with the full release, giving players more variety beyond the standard tower defense formula. The expanded challenge system pushes you to use specific team compositions and strategies you might not otherwise try, which keeps things from getting stale even after you've cleared the main story maps.

JoJo Part 7 Content Drop (UPD 86)

Just when the community was settling into the World 3 full release, UPD 86 landed on May 27 with a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7 theme. Steel Ball Run is one of the most popular arcs in the JoJo franchise, and the dev team clearly understood the assignment here. Four new units, shiny variants, and a banner system make this one of the more substantial anime-specific content drops ALS has done in a while.

The update added Johnny, Gyro, Diego, and Sandman as playable units, each pulling from their Steel Ball Run counterparts in ways that feel faithful to the source material. Johnny and Gyro are banner units with Shiny variants available through the summon system, Diego comes with a Shiny variant via the Terrain Shift mechanic, and Sandman rounds out the roster as another banner unit.

For JoJo fans who've been waiting for Part 7 representation in ALS, this is a big deal. Previous JoJo content in the game focused primarily on earlier parts, so seeing Steel Ball Run characters with unique abilities and proper shiny variants signals that the dev team is committed to expanding the JoJo roster over time.

Alongside the units, the code JoJoCurse was released, granting 5,000 Diamonds. It's not a game-breaking amount, but it helps offset the cost of rolling for the new banner units. More on all the active codes further down.

New JoJo P7 Units Breakdown

Here's what each of the four new JoJo Part 7 units brings to the table.

Johnny slots in as a ranged DPS unit, which is always valuable in a tower defense game where positioning matters. His multi-target attacks let him handle grouped waves effectively, and the Shiny variant amplifies his damage output to levels that compete with established meta picks. If you've been running low on solid ranged options for World 3's harder maps, Johnny's worth chasing.

Gyro plays a hybrid role that's harder to pin down but arguably more versatile. His rotational attacks (a nod to Steel Ball Run's spin mechanics) hit multiple enemies in an area, and he brings support utility that pairs well with other DPS units. The Maki-Yuta combo is still the top DPS-support pairing in the game, but Gyro offers a credible alternative if you haven't pulled those units.

Diego is the aggressive option. His terrain manipulation abilities let him control space on the map in ways that other melee units can't replicate. The Terrain Shift acquisition method is different from the standard banner — you're essentially earning him through a specific gameplay mechanic rather than pure gacha luck. That's a welcome change for players who don't want to rely entirely on RNG.

Sandman fills a speed-focused niche. He's built for burst damage against fast-moving enemies, which is particularly relevant in World 3 where certain wave types demand quick elimination before enemies slip past your defenses. He doesn't have a Shiny variant, which limits his ceiling compared to the other three, but his base kit is solid enough for most content.

How the Tier List Changed

The JoJo Part 7 units didn't just add options — they shifted the competitive landscape. Here's where things stand after UPD 86 shook up the meta.

Air units matter more than ever. Vegeta remains firmly in the top 3 meta picks, primarily because he's an air unit. Flying enemies continue to be the biggest threat in World 3's endgame content, and ground-focused units — even powerful ones like Toji — can't address that problem. If you're building a team for raids or hard-mode story, at least one dedicated air unit is essentially mandatory now.

The Maki-Yuta combo still dominates. These two remain one of the strongest DPS-support pairings in the game. Yuta's Domain (Unlimited Swords) gives a significant damage boost to nearby allies, and Maki's Sumo Stance stacks additional power on top of that. The JoJo units are competitive, but they haven't dethroned this pairing for raw output.

Yoruichi holds strong. As a high-damage bullet unit, Yoruichi sits just below the absolute top meta choices but remains relevant in virtually every team comp. Her consistent damage output makes her a safe pick for players who want reliability over flashy burst potential.

Bombi emerged as a sleeper pick. Don't overlook this one. Bombi is a low-cost unit with full AE (area effect) capability and reliable placement damage. For early-game economy in World 3 maps, she's arguably the best option available — you can deploy her early, she covers a wide area, and she doesn't drain your resources when you need them for stronger late-game placements.

The JoJo units themselves are settling into mid-to-high tier placements. Johnny and Diego are the strongest of the four for competitive content, while Gyro serves better in support-heavy comps and Sandman fills a speed-check niche. None of them are S-tier game-breakers on their own, but they provide genuine roster depth that the game needed heading into World 3's harder content.

Balance Patches: World3Patch2 and WORLD3REBALANCE

The full World 3 release and JoJo drop weren't the end of May's changes. Two significant balance patches followed, each addressing issues the community flagged after the major updates.

World3Patch2

This patch landed shortly after UPD 85 and focused on stability and quality-of-life fixes for World 3 content. It addressed several bugs that cropped up during the transition from Early Access to full release, including issues with the soft reset system not properly saving certain unit data. The patch also adjusted difficulty scaling on some World 3 story maps that the community felt were overtuned for the intended progression point.

The compensation code World3Patch2 came with this patch, granting 25 Technique Crystals, 5 Stat Prisms, 5 Perfect Stat Prisms, and 10,000 Diamonds. That's a solid chunk of upgrade materials, and if you haven't redeemed it yet, do it now — there's no telling how long it'll stay active.

WORLD3REBALANCE

The bigger balance pass came with this one. WORLD3REBALANCE tackled unit balance across both old and new content, adjusting damage numbers, cooldowns, and ability scaling for units that were over- or under-performing relative to World 3's difficulty curve. Raids got particular attention — several raid boss encounters had their health pools and attack patterns tweaked to account for the new JoJo units and their synergies.

Story mode also received adjustments. Some stages that players were clearing too easily with optimized team comps got bumped up in difficulty, while a few stages that served as progression walls were softened slightly to reduce frustration for mid-tier players.

The compensation code WORLD3REBALANCE is even more generous: 100 Technique Crystals, 25 Stat Prisms, 25 Perfect Stat Prisms, and 5,000 Diamonds. The Technique Crystals alone make this code worth grabbing immediately, since those materials are always in short supply for unit upgrades.

New Codes

May saw several new codes drop alongside the various updates and patches. Here's every code released this month. Redeem them by clicking the Codes icon on the left side of the screen in the game lobby. All codes are case-sensitive, so type them exactly as shown.

For a complete list of every working and expired code, check our Anime Last Stand codes page — we keep it updated daily so you never miss free rewards.

Updated Strategies for World 3

With World 3 fully live and the JoJo units in the mix, team-building strategy has evolved. Here's what's working right now across different content types.

For Story Mode

The post-rebalance story mode rewards players who bring a balanced team rather than just stacking raw DPS. You'll want at least one air unit (Vegeta is the obvious pick, but Fubuki's full AOE blizzard ability works as a budget alternative), one or two dedicated DPS units, and a support like Yuta to amplify everyone's output. The JoJo units slot into the DPS role comfortably — Johnny's range and Diego's terrain control both shine on story maps with tight chokepoints.

For Raids

Raids after the WORLD3REBALANCE patch are noticeably different. Boss health pools changed, and some attack patterns got reworked, so muscle-memory strategies from pre-patch won't always cut it. The key shift is that bosses now punish single-unit reliance more heavily — if your entire strategy depended on one carry unit, you'll struggle. Spread your damage across multiple strong units and use supports to keep their uptime high.

Bombi deserves special mention for raids. Her low deployment cost means you can get her on the field early to handle the initial waves while saving resources for your heavier hitters. Don't underestimate how much early-game economy matters in raid content where every Diamond of placement cost adds up over a long run.

For Banner Pulls

If you're deciding where to spend your summon resources, prioritize based on what your roster needs. Already have strong DPS covered? Gyro's support utility might serve you better than another damage dealer. Struggling with flying enemies? Skip the JoJo banner entirely and save for an air-focused unit. The JoJo units are good, but they're not so dominant that you need to break the bank chasing them if your team already has its core roles filled.

Community Reaction

The community response to May's updates has been broadly positive, though not without its debates. World 3's graduation from Early Access was well-received — most players felt the full release was worth the wait, even if a few rough edges remained that the subsequent patches had to address.

The JoJo Part 7 units sparked the usual heated discussions about tier placement. Johnny and Diego have their vocal supporters pushing for S-tier recognition, while skeptics argue they're solid A-tier additions that don't fundamentally change the meta's top tier. The truth probably lands somewhere in between — they're strong units that expand your options without making existing top picks obsolete.

The balance patches drew the most divided reactions. Players who'd invested heavily in specific units weren't thrilled to see those units adjusted downward, while players who'd been struggling against overtuned content appreciated the difficulty tweaks. That's the nature of live-service balancing — every change creates winners and losers, and the devs can't please everyone simultaneously.

One thing the community largely agrees on: the compensation codes were generous. Getting Technique Crystals, Stat Prisms, and Diamonds through the patch codes helped offset the frustration of adapting to balance changes, and most players viewed the codes as a fair gesture from the dev team.

Frequently Asked Questions