Agony Shinobi, widely known as Pain, is one of the most sought-after Secret-rarity units in Anime Vanguards. Released on April 17, 2026 as part of the Painful Lessons Update (Update 12), this unit draws inspiration from Pain of the Six Paths of Pain in Naruto: Shippuden. Specifically, it represents the Deva Path through Yahiko’s body.

Current image: Get Pain Agony Shinobi in Anime Vanguards

If you have been grinding through the Destroyed Hidden Village Legend Stage trying to add this powerhouse support unit to your roster, you are in the right place. Our team has spent hours farming this stage, testing different team compositions, and tracking drop rates to put together a complete guide that actually answers the questions players ask.

Before diving in, you can check where Pain ranks among all units in our Anime Vanguards tier list. Spoiler: he sits near the top for support units. Here is everything you need to know about how to get Pain (Agony Shinobi) in Anime Vanguards.

Quick Overview: Agony Shinobi at a Glance (June 2026)

Here are the essential details about Agony Shinobi before we break down the full obtainment and evolution process:

  • Rarity: Secret
  • Element: Holy
  • Role: Support (Ninjutsu-focused damage buffing and team utility)
  • Obtainment: Destroyed Hidden Village Legend Stage, Act 3
  • Drop Rate: 4% per clear
  • Pity System: Guaranteed drop at 38 runs
  • Evolution: Evolves into Agony Shinobi (Force)
  • Update: Added in Update 12 (Painful Lessons) on April 17, 2026
  • Inspiration: Pain (Deva Path / Yahiko) from Naruto: Shippuden

Agony Shinobi is a support unit, not a main DPS. This confuses a lot of players who expect Pain to be a damage dealer based on how powerful the character is in the Naruto anime. Instead, Pain shines by buffing Ninjutsu-type allies and providing team resurrection utility, making him one of the strongest enablers in the game.

How to Get Pain (Agony Shinobi) in Anime Vanguards?

Getting Agony Shinobi requires farming a specific Legend Stage in Anime Vanguards. The process is straightforward but time-consuming, especially if luck is not on your side. Here is the complete step-by-step breakdown.

Step 1: Unlock the Destroyed Hidden Village Legend Stage

Before you can farm for Pain, you need access to the Destroyed Hidden Village Legend Stage. Legend Stages are harder versions of regular story stages that become available after you complete specific progression requirements. If you have not unlocked Legend Stages yet, focus on clearing the normal mode story missions in the Hidden Village area first.

Legend Stages scale up significantly in difficulty compared to normal stages. Make sure your team is properly leveled and upgraded before attempting Act 3. Players on Reddit consistently report that under-leveled teams struggle here, so bring your best units.

Step 2: Farm Act 3 of the Legend Stage

Once you have the Destroyed Hidden Village Legend Stage unlocked, select Act 3 specifically. This is the only act that can drop Agony Shinobi. In Act 3, you face the Agony Shinobi (Ascended) boss enemy, and clearing the stage gives you a chance at the Secret unit drop.

The drop rate is 4% per clear. That means on average, you would expect to get Pain in about 25 runs. However, drop rates are probabilistic, so some players get lucky in under 10 runs while others take the full distance to pity.

Step 3: Understand the Pity System

Anime Vanguards includes a pity system for Secret unit drops. For Agony Shinobi, pity activates at 38 runs. This means if you have not gotten the drop after 37 clears, your 38th run guarantees you will receive Agony Shinobi.

Players on the Anime Vanguards subreddit share wildly different experiences. Some report pulling Pain in 5 to 15 runs. Others hit the full 38-run pity. The 4% drop rate means most players will land somewhere in the middle, usually between 15 and 30 runs. Plan your time and resources accordingly.

Step 4: Use an Efficient Farming Team

Since you will be running Act 3 repeatedly, speed matters. You want a team that can clear the stage quickly and consistently. Here are some tips for efficient farming:

  • Bring strong AoE units to clear waves fast before the boss appears.
  • Use units with range advantage to hit the Agony Shinobi (Ascended) boss from safe positions.
  • Include a healer or shield unit to reduce the chance of failed runs and wasted time.
  • Consider auto-play if your team is strong enough to clear without manual input, which lets you farm while doing other things.
  • Use your Anime Vanguards codes to stock up on resources, gems, and boosts before starting your farming sessions.

Each run costs energy, so make sure you have enough saved up or plan your farming sessions around energy refills. Running 38 attempts at pity will require a significant energy investment, so prepare accordingly.

How to Evolve Agony Shinobi into Agony Shinobi? (Force)

Once you have obtained Agony Shinobi, the next step is evolving him into Agony Shinobi (Force). The evolution significantly boosts his stats and enhances his abilities, making him far more effective in battle. Here is exactly what you need.

Evolution Materials Required

To evolve Agony Shinobi into Agony Shinobi (Force), you need the following materials:

  • Energy Rod (obtained from Destroyed Hidden Village stages)
  • Green Essence (common drop from story and Legend Stages)
  • Purple Essence (drops from higher-difficulty stages)
  • Red Essence (rarer drop, available from Legend Stages and event rewards)
  • Rainbow Essence (the hardest material to obtain, available from limited sources including events, high-level Legend Stages, and special rewards)
  • Memoria: Shall Know Pain (special evolution item specific to Agony Shinobi)

The Rainbow Essence is the material players struggle with the most. It has a low drop rate and limited farming locations. Reddit threads are full of players asking where to find it efficiently. Your best bet is combining Legend Stage farming with event participation whenever Rainbow Essence appears as a reward.

What Is Memoria (Shall Know Pain)?

Memoria items are special evolution materials tied to specific units in Anime Vanguards. For Agony Shinobi, the Memoria is called “Shall Know Pain,” which is a direct reference to one of Pain’s iconic lines from Naruto. This Memoria drops from the Destroyed Hidden Village Legend Stage, though it is not tied to the same drop pool as the unit itself.

You can obtain Shall Know Pain by farming the Destroyed Hidden Village Legend Stage across all acts, not just Act 3. This means you can run the easier acts to collect Memoria while also progressing toward your Act 3 drops for the unit. It is a smart way to double up on your farming efficiency.

Agony Shinobi Abilities and Skills Breakdown

Understanding Agony Shinobi’s abilities is essential for getting the most out of him. He is classified as a support unit, and his kit revolves around buffing allies, debuffing enemies, and providing team-wide utility through Ninjutsu enhancement.

Feel Pain (Passive Ability)

Feel Pain is Agony Shinobi’s passive ability, and it is the core of what makes him so valuable. This passive applies a debuff effect called “Repulse” to enemies, which weakens their defenses and makes them take increased damage. When combined with Ninjutsu-type attackers on your team, the damage amplification is massive.

The passive activates automatically, so you do not need to manually trigger it. Just place Agony Shinobi on the field and the debuff starts working on enemies within range. This is why positioning matters with Pain. Place him where his range overlaps with your main attackers for maximum effectiveness.

Arsenal of Pain (Active Ability)

Arsenal of Pain is Agony Shinobi’s primary active skill. When activated, it deals damage to enemies in range while also applying status effects. The exact damage numbers scale with Pain’s upgrade level, but the real value comes from the secondary effects that further debuff enemies and set up your team for bigger damage windows.

At higher upgrade levels, Arsenal of Pain gains additional hits and wider area coverage, making it increasingly effective at controlling large groups of enemies. This ability works best when timed alongside your main DPS units’ attacks.

Shinobi Resurrection (Active Ability)

Shinobi Resurrection is one of Pain’s most unique abilities. It allows you to revive fallen allies during battle, which is incredibly rare in Anime Vanguards. This ability alone makes Agony Shinobi worth the grind for many players, especially in challenging content where keeping your team alive is the difference between winning and losing.

The resurrection has a cooldown, so you cannot spam it. But having even one revival available per battle can completely change the outcome of a tough fight. In longer Legend Stage runs and challenging event missions, this ability has saved countless runs from failing.

Additional Skills: Accept Pain, Know Pain, Course Correction, and Teacher of Tragedy

Agony Shinobi has several additional abilities that unlock and improve as you upgrade him through his placement levels:

  • Accept Pain increases Pain’s own survivability and extends his range, letting him buff allies from safer positions.
  • Know Pain enhances the Repulse debuff effect, making enemies even more vulnerable to Ninjutsu damage.
  • Course Correction adjusts Pain’s targeting to focus on the most dangerous enemies, improving his effectiveness in chaotic fights.
  • Teacher of Tragedy is a high-level skill that further amplifies damage buffs for the entire team, making it the capstone of Pain’s support kit.

The naming of these abilities all reference Pain’s philosophy and iconic moments from Naruto, which is a nice touch for fans of the series.

Is Agony Shinobi a DPS or Support Unit?

This is one of the most common questions in the Anime Vanguards community, and the answer is clear: Agony Shinobi is a support unit. He is not designed to be your primary damage dealer. His value comes from making your other units deal more damage, keeping your team alive with resurrection, and debuffing enemies so they fall faster.

That said, Pain does deal respectable damage through Arsenal of Pain, especially after evolution. He can hold his own in a pinch. But if you are building a team around Pain as the main carry, you are leaving a lot of his potential on the table. Pair him with strong Ninjutsu DPS units and watch the damage numbers climb.

Best Traits for Agony Shinobi and Team Strategies (2026)

Traits can significantly change how a unit performs, and choosing the right ones for Agony Shinobi can push him from good to outstanding. Here are the top trait recommendations based on community testing and meta analysis.

Top Trait Picks

Ethereal is widely considered the best trait for Agony Shinobi. It enhances his support capabilities and extends the duration of his buffs and debuffs. Since Pain’s entire kit revolves around keeping Repulse active and buffing teammates, Ethereal directly amplifies what he does best.

Solar is the second-best option. Solar increases overall damage output, which applies to Pain’s own attacks as well as the buffed damage his team deals. It is a more aggressive choice that works well when you want Pain to contribute more offensively while still supporting.

Marksman is the third strong option. It improves accuracy and critical hit rate, which helps Pain’s abilities land more consistently and with better damage numbers. Marksman pairs particularly well with Arsenal of Pain for more reliable hits.

Team Composition Suggestions

Agony Shinobi fits best into Ninjutsu-focused team compositions. His buffs specifically enhance Ninjutsu-type units, so building a team with multiple Ninjutsu attackers maximizes his value. Check out our guide on the best Anime Vanguards teams for more composition ideas.

A solid Pain team typically includes two to three strong Ninjutsu DPS units, Agony Shinobi as the support anchor, and a healer or defensive unit to keep the squad alive. The Ninjutsu synergy creates damage loops where Pain debuffs enemies, your attackers deal amplified damage, and the cycle continues.

Compared to other Secret units, Pain stands out as the premier Ninjutsu support. While other Secret units may offer raw damage or different utility, none match Pain’s ability to elevate an entire Ninjutsu team’s output. If your roster is built around Ninjutsu units, Pain is the missing piece that ties everything together.

Common Farming Mistakes to Avoid

Based on community discussions and our own farming experience, here are the most common mistakes players make when going for Agony Shinobi:

  • Running Act 3 with an under-leveled team wastes energy on failed runs. Level up first.
  • Ignoring the pity system leads to frustration. Know that 38 runs guarantees the drop.
  • Forgetting to use codes and boosts means slower farming. Grab free resources before starting.
  • Placing Pain as a frontline DPS after obtaining him. He is a support unit, not a carry.
  • Not farming Memoria alongside the unit delays your evolution. Run all acts, not just Act 3.
  • Skipping Rainbow Essence events creates evolution bottlenecks later. Prioritize these when available.

FAQs

What is the drop rate for Agony Shinobi in Anime Vanguards?

Agony Shinobi has a 4% drop rate from Act 3 of the Destroyed Hidden Village Legend Stage. Each time you clear Act 3, there is a 4% chance the Secret unit will drop as a reward. The pity system guarantees the drop at 38 runs if you have not received it before then.

How many runs does it take to get Pain with the pity system?

The pity system for Agony Shinobi activates at 38 runs. If you do not get the 4% drop after 37 clears of Act 3, your 38th run is guaranteed to drop Pain. Most players report getting it somewhere between 15 and 30 runs on average.

Is Agony Shinobi worth the grind?

Yes, Agony Shinobi is considered one of the best support units in Update 12. His ability to buff Ninjutsu-type units, debuff enemies with Repulse, and resurrect fallen allies makes him extremely valuable in challenging content. If you run Ninjutsu-focused teams, Pain is absolutely worth the farming investment.

What stage drops Agony Shinobi?

Agony Shinobi drops exclusively from Act 3 of the Destroyed Hidden Village Legend Stage. You must clear this specific act for a chance at the 4% drop. The unit does not drop from any other stage or act.

What are the best traits for Agony Shinobi?

The best traits for Agony Shinobi are Ethereal, Solar, and Marksman. Ethereal is the top pick because it extends buff and debuff duration, directly enhancing Pain’s support role. Solar adds damage for a more aggressive build, and Marksman improves consistency with better accuracy and critical hits.

How do you evolve Agony Shinobi into Agony Shinobi (Force)?

To evolve Agony Shinobi, you need Energy Rod, Green Essence, Purple Essence, Red Essence, Rainbow Essence, and the Memoria item called Shall Know Pain. Rainbow Essence is the hardest material to obtain. The Memoria drops from Destroyed Hidden Village Legend Stages across all acts, not just Act 3.

Wrapping Up: Is Agony Shinobi Worth Your Time?

Agony Shinobi (Pain) is one of the strongest support units available in Anime Vanguards as of 2026. The combination of Ninjutsu damage buffing, enemy debuffing through Repulse, and the rare resurrection ability makes him a cornerstone unit for serious players. The grind through the Destroyed Hidden Village Legend Stage Act 3 can be long, especially with a 4% drop rate, but the 38-run pity system ensures you will get him eventually.

For players building around Ninjutsu-focused teams, Pain is not optional. He is the unit that elevates your entire squad’s damage output. And with the right traits like Ethereal or Solar, he becomes even more effective at enabling your team.

If you are working on collecting other Secret units, check out our guide on how to get Secret Luffy in Anime Vanguards for a similar breakdown. And for the latest freebies to help fund your farming runs, grab the latest Anime Vanguards codes before they expire.

Good luck farming. May your drop rates be generous and your pity count stay low.