The ten best 4-star Anima, and what each one replaces

# Anima Aspect · Trait The effect Closest 5-star equivalent
1 Felinoxie Dark · Protector Enemies in its 1-hex shroud deal 30% less for 3s; 500% self-shield Hoppelon’s 25% reduction, but that only covers Hoppelon
2 Inkicorn Oblivion · Protector 1.5s Stun on charge, then 400% shield and 30% enemy damage cut Mesmerith’s stun, from the front row
3 Framamba Memory · Blaster 400% bolt; adjacent row-mates get 30% basic-attack damage and 30% Attack SPD for 5s Chowpownd’s 24% row Attack SPD, without the damage buff
4 Lumeridon Dark · Explorer 400% line wave, 33% Deep Wounds, targets take 30% more for 5s None; Rosfurcate (40%) and Noctumbra (10%) do this to one target only
5 Faeflux Change · Mastermind 2.5s Imprison in a 1-hex area, then 350% Camcorgi’s own 2.5s freeze-frame
6 Eggnok Competition · Mastermind 450% shield, 0.7s Stun, knocks the target into its allies None
7 Heartcease Love · Blaster 300% over 3s in a 2-hex area with 30% Armor Shred None among the 5-stars
8 Apollinis Light · Protector Permanent 10% damage reduction for allies within 1 hex None
9 Noctumbra Dark · Explorer Marks a target to take 10% more, 280% on marked hits None
10 Damasque Change · Mascot Role-aware buffs to the two strongest allies Chowpownd’s row buffs, less damage attached

Felinoxie, Inkicorn, Framamba

Felinoxie, the Protector we rank as the best 4-star Anima in Honkai Nexus Anima

Felinoxie deploys a Brightmoon Shroud that follows it for 3 seconds in a 1-hex radius. The shroud deals 180% Magic DMG over its duration, cuts the damage dealt by enemies inside it by 30%, and gives Felinoxie a 500% Shield. Among the 5-stars, Hoppelon’s 25% reduction is the closest match, and it protects only Hoppelon. Felinoxie’s covers an area, from the front row, in the Aspect with the deepest bench of good units. If your carry keeps dying, raise Felinoxie first.

Inkicorn, the Oblivion 4-star whose stun feeds Camcorgi

Inkicorn charges for 200% Magic DMG and a 1.5-second Stun, then stomps for a 400% Shield and a 30% cut to nearby enemies’ damage for 5 seconds. Plenty of units stun; Mesmerith and Bladehound both do. Inkicorn ranks second because of where its stun comes from: a Protector in the front row of a Camcorgi board. Camcorgi’s guaranteed crits and Energy refund need a controlled enemy, and Inkicorn provides one. Since the November update it counts as Oblivion, not Memory, so it now takes a slot outside the Memory cluster; we keep it second for the stun, but that cost is real.

Framamba, the Memory 4-star that buffs its row

Framamba fires a 400% Physical DMG bolt at the nearest enemy, then gives itself and adjacent allies in its row 30% more basic-attack damage and 30% Attack SPD for 5 seconds. The damage half applies to basic attacks only, so it does not raise Camcorgi’s photo volley directly. The Attack SPD half is different, because Camcorgi fires an extra photo per 50% of bonus Attack SPD. Paired with Chowpownd’s 24%, that adds up to 54% on paper, but we have not seen how the two stack in practice. Chowpownd is the only 5-star with a row-wide Attack SPD buff, and none adds basic-attack damage on top, which puts Framamba third.

Lumeridon, Faeflux, Eggnok, Heartcease

Lumeridon sends a wave down the line with the most enemies for 400% Physical DMG and 33% Deep Wounds, and everything it hits takes 30% more damage for 5 seconds. That last effect is the reason to raise it. Rosfurcate (40% for 3 seconds) and Noctumbra (10%) apply similar effects, but each to a single target; Lumeridon’s covers every enemy on the line, so the whole board hits harder for the next 5 seconds.

Faeflux imprisons everything within a hex of its hourglass for 2.5 seconds, ticking 50% Magic DMG every half second, then explodes for 350%. It has the longest multi-target control of any 4-star and gives Camcorgi a second control source from the Change Aspect. Imprisoned enemies still block the way, so Faeflux suits a board that is already winning the trade.

Eggnok shields itself for 450% over 4 seconds, uppercuts its target for 200% with a 0.7-second Stun, then knocks the target into an enemy group for another 100% in a 1-hex area. The stun is short. The knock breaks up enemy formations, and the shield keeps a Mastermind alive in a forward spot. It is a Competition unit, one of three B-tier Competition 4-stars with Marshalbird and Furrari.

Heartcease pours a 3-second hail over a 2-hex area for 300% Physical DMG in total and applies 30% Armor Shred for 5 seconds, from the back row. Every physical unit on the board benefits from the shred. Love has only two units above C tier, Dragamour and Heartcease, so treat Heartcease as a back-row piece for any board rather than part of a Love cluster.

Apollinis, Noctumbra, Damasque

Apollinis gives allies within 1 hex 10% damage reduction as a passive, with no cast needed. Its active calls a Lightedge on the three nearest enemies for 150% Magic DMG and heals Apollinis and the lowest-Health ally. It is the Light Protector for a Lumehart board that plans to go long.

Noctumbra charges the farthest enemy for 140% along its path and toggles Lingering Shade. Marked enemies take 10% more damage, and hitting a marked target deals 280% instead. It is a mid-row Dark Explorer and the fourth B-tier Dark 4-star, which is what lets a Dark board keep every slot above C tier.

Damasque gives role-based buffs to the two strongest allies: tanks get a 320% Shield for 8 seconds, physical carries get 30% ATK for 6 seconds, and magic carries get a magic-oriented buff. It adapts to whatever board you put it on, and it shares the Change Aspect with Faeflux and Corvariatio.

Seven more B-tier 4-stars to keep

  • Puddlipup (Satiation · Protector) is Anima No. 001 and, now that Chowpownd counts as Insatiability, the only Satiation unit above C tier. Solid rather than special.
  • Rosfurcate (Hate · Spook) turns untargetable, then reappears beside the lowest-Health enemy within 2 hexes for 320% Physical DMG and makes that enemy take 40% more damage for 3 seconds. It is one of only two Hate units above C tier, the other being Mesmerith.
  • Vixemourne (Dark · Mastermind) is the fourth Dark B-tier 4-star alongside Felinoxie, Lumeridon and Noctumbra. Keep it for the cluster.
  • Scorscythe (War · Gladiator) deals 200% nearby on its first cast with Burning and Deep Wounds, then enters a permanent Burning Rage that turns its skill into a 300% flaming blade. It is strong alone, and War has no other ranked unit.
  • Marshalbird (Competition · Explorer) fills a Competition cluster with a usable kit.
  • Plumelune (Beauty · Mascot) is the only B-tier Beauty unit. Keep it if you own Umpurrella.
  • Furrari (Competition · Protector) is the front-row Protector of a Competition board.

The nine to leave alone

Taileep, Mimoo, Chimaura, Frigull, Starspine, Foalhardy, Octopourri, Catnapir and Hugglebeary are the nine 4-stars in C tier. Taileep is the clearest case. Its active moves it 2 hexes away with a 250% shield, and its passive only adds a second target to basic attacks. We have not written up the other eight kit by kit here; each one’s detail page has its skills, and the Tier List puts all nine in C. Bond them when they appear, since bonding costs nothing, but spend upgrade materials on the B-tier units first.

Why an Aspect is only as good as its 4-stars

The clusters worth building in the current roster lean on their 4-stars. Dark has Felinoxie, Lumeridon, Noctumbra and Vixemourne, all B tier, plus Waxula, which gives five units with nothing below B. Memory puts Framamba around Camcorgi and Cinechel, exactly at the three-unit threshold. Competition reaches the three-unit threshold with Eggnok, Marshalbird and Furrari, all B tier; its other ranked units are C tier.

Satiation has six ranked units and only Puddlipup above C tier; Chowpownd, its famous 5-star, now counts as Insatiability, so Satiation is not much of a cluster. The team building guide turns these counts into boards, and the Formation Builder lets you try your own: it tallies Aspects and Traits as you place each 4-star.

Best 4-star Anima FAQ

What is the best 4-star Anima in Honkai: Nexus Anima?
On Evolution Test data, Felinoxie. Its shroud cuts enemy damage by 30%, and it is a front-row Protector in the deepest Aspect.

Can 4-star Anima replace 5-stars?
In specific roles. Felinoxie’s area damage cut and Inkicorn’s front-row stun are jobs you would otherwise give to Hoppelon or Mesmerith, and no 5-star buffs a row’s basic attacks the way Framamba does. Whether a 4-star actually outperforms a given 5-star on your board still depends on the rest of the lineup.

Which 4-stars work with Camcorgi?
Inkicorn for the stun and Framamba for the Attack SPD and basic-attack buff. Framamba is Memory, so it also raises the Aspect count; Inkicorn now counts as Oblivion.

Are the C-tier 4-stars worth bonding at all?
Yes, because bonding is free. They are not worth upgrade materials while a B-tier unit is waiting.

How many 4-star Anima are there?
Twenty-six are ranked on our Tier List as of October 2026: seventeen in B tier and nine in C tier.

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