Azur Lane Tier List [All Ships Ranked & Compared]

Win your battles by deploying the best strategies with the right Waifu Ships.

Azur Lane is a very popular game centered around Waifus. The game has a good gameplay mechanism, similar to World War 2 Gacha game, but over here, the gameplay mechanics aren’t the focal point. The main center of attention is the Waifus, and in my Azur Lane Tier List, I will rank them from the best ships to the worst.

Key Highlights

From Battleships to Cruisers, Aircraft Carriers, Destroyers, and Submarines, Azur Lane features up to 400 obtainable ships of distinct types. 

  • The ranking is based on vigor, strength, and punch shown by each Ship during battle and how worthy they prove at different placements in Azur Lane. 
  • Top ships: Nagato (Battleship), Z23 (Destroyer), Shinano (Heavy Aircraft Carrier).
  • Former top ships: Formidable, Essex, U-101.
  • Worst ships: Anniversary Kizuna Al, U-556, Tartu, Isuzu.

Tier List

Before diving deep into my Tier List, let’s check out the comparison between every Ship in the game:

ShipTierTypePlacement
BremertonSHeavy CruiserVanguard
Warspite RetrofitSBattleshipBack Row
U-101SSubmarineSupport
SeattleSLight CruiserVanguard
San Diego RetrofitSLight CruiserVanguard
RyuuhouSAircraft CarrierBack Row
RoonSHeavy CruiserVanguard
RichelieuSBattleshipBack Row
OdinSBattleshipBack Row
NagatoSBattleshipBack Row
MonarchSBattleshipBack Row
I-13SSubmarine CarrierBack Row
HoweSBattleshipBack Row
HelenaSLight CruiserVanguard
GeorgiaSBattleshipBack Row
GascogneSBattleshipBack Row
Friedrich der GrosseSBattleshipBack Row
FormidableSAircraft CarrierBack Row
EnterpriseSAircraft CarrierBack Row
DrakeSHeavy CruiserVanguard
ChapayevSLight CruiserVanguard
CentaurSLight Aircraft CarrierBack Row
ShinanoSAircraft CarrierBack Row
PerseusSLight Aircraft CarrierBack Row
NaganamiSDestroyerVanguard
YukikazeSDestroyerVanguard
ZaraAHeavy CruiserVanguard
Z23 RetrofitADestroyerVanguard
AyanamiADestroyerVanguard
Yat-Sen RetrofitALight CruiserVanguard
VestalARepair ShipBack Row
UnicornALight Aircraft CarrierBack Row
U-47ASubmarineSupport
TosaABattleshipBack Row
TashkentADestroyerVanguard
SwiftsureALight CruiserVanguard
Saratoga RetrofitAAircraft CarrierBack Row
Saint LouisAHeavy CruiserVanguard
Portland RetrofitAHeavy CruiserVanguard
Ping Hai RetrofitALight CruiserVanguard
NoshiroALight CruiserVanguard
Ning Hai RetrofitALight CruiserVanguard
NeptuneALight CruiserVanguard
MontpelierALight CruiserVanguard
MinneapolisAHeavy CruiserVanguard
Laffey RetrofitADestroyerVanguard
KitakazeADestroyerVanguard
King George VABattleshipBack Row
Jintsuu RetrofitALight CruiserVanguard
Jean BartABattleshipBack Row
IntrepidAAircraft CarrierBack Row
IllustriousAAircraft CarrierBack Row
I-168ASubmarineSupport
Graf ZeppelinAAircraft CarrierBack Row
EssexAAircraft CarrierBackline
EldridgeADestroyerVanguard
Duke of YorkABattleshipBack Row
CheshireAHeavy CruiserVanguard
Bunker HillAAircraft CarrierBack Row
BismarckABattleshipBack Row
An ShanADestroyerVanguard
AmagiABattle CruiserBack Row
AlabamaABattleshipBack Row
AkashiARepair ShipBack Row
U-81BSubmarineSupport
CavallaBSubmarineSupport
AlbacoreBSubmarineSupport
Newcastle RetrofitBLight CruiserVanguard
Little BelBLight CruiserVanguard
Jeanne D’ArcBLight CruiserVanguard
HermioneBLight CruiserVanguard
DidoBLight CruiserVanguard
ColumbiaBLight CruiserElite (Special)
ClevelandBLight CruiserVanguard
BirminghamBLight CruiserVanguard
AuroraBLight CruiserVanguard
ShouhouBLight Aircraft CarrierBack Row
Mogami RetrofitBHeavy CruiserVanguard
LondonBHeavy CruiserVanguard
IbukiBHeavy CruiserVanguard
Z1 RetrofitBDestroyerVanguard
Nicholas RetrofitBDestroyerVanguard
KawakazeBDestroyerVanguard
JavelinBDestroyerVanguard
HanazukiBDestroyerVanguard
ValiantBBattleshipBack Row
TirpitzBBattleshipBack Row
Queen ElizabethBBattleshipBack Row
North CarolinaBBattleshipBack Row
LittorioBBattleshipBack Row
ChampagneBBattleshipBack Row
HoodBBattle CruiserBack Row
Hyuuga RetrofitBAviation BattleshipBack Row
KagaBAircraft CarrierBack Row
CasablancaBAircraft CarrierBack Row
Ark RoyalBAircraft CarrierBack Row
AkagiBAircraft CarrierBack Row
ArizonaCBattleshipBack Row
GangutCBattleshipBack Row
Shangri-LaCAircraft CarrierBack Row
IzumoCBattleshipBack Row
Little RenownCBattleshipBack Row
ShoukakuCAircraft CarrierBack Row
Souryuu RetrofitCAircraft CarrierBack Row
SurugaCBattleshipBack Row
VictoriousCAircraft CarrierBack Row
ZuikakuCAircraft CarrierBack Row
AlgerieCHeavy CruiserVanguard
BelfastCLight CruiserVanguard
Curacoa RetrofitCLight CruiserVanguard
Curlew RetrofitCLight CruiserVanguard
EskimoCDestroyerVanguard
Kagerou RetrofitCDestroyerVanguard
Kizuna AlCDestroyerVanguard
Prinz EugenCHeavy CruiserVanguard
SheffieldCLight CruiserVanguard
SiriusCLight CruiserVanguard
WichitaCHeavy CruiserVanguard
AkagiDAircraft CarrierBack Row
BataanDAircraft CarrierBack Row
EagleDAircraft CarrierBack Row
FumiruiruDAircraft CarrierBack Row
MikasaDBattleshipBack Row
Hiryuu RetrofitDAircraft CarrierBack Row
TaihouDAircraft CarrierBack Row
U-73 DSubmarineSupport
BiloxiDLight CruiserVanguard
CarabiniereDDestroyerVanguard
KinuDLight CruiserVanguard
RenoDLight CruiserVanguard
Sendai RetrofitDLight CruiserVanguard
Anniversary Kizuna AlFAircraft CarrierBack Row
ChaserFLight Aircraft CarrierBack Row
ZeppyFAircraft CarrierBack Row
U-556FSubmarineSupport
HibikiFDestroyerVanguard
IcarusFDestroyerVanguard
IsuzuFLight CruiserVanguard
TanikazeFDestroyerVanguard
TartuFDestroyerVanguard

S-Tier

Azur Lane Tier List
The Legendary Waifus

Unlike many other F2P games, the Azur Lane has an excellent system where you can easily unlock powerful characters, navigate easily in battle, and have high stats.

The S Tier of my tier List consists of the most useful Waifus in the game, making it an experience with minimal grinding. On top of that, these are some of the most skimpy-looking characters & ships whose designs can give you concupiscent dreams.

A-Tier

Azur Lane Tier List
The Second Best Waifus

Unlike the S Tier, the A Tier does have characters that are somehow on par in the majority of the aspects with the superior or best ships tier, but they do have some minor drawbacks, which makes you grind a little more in battles. These characters also have great looks and look amazing, but they aren’t as raunchy as the S Tier characters. 

B-Tier

Good enough waifu ships
Not-so-average characters

The B-Tier of my Azur Lane Tier List consists of the average Waifu ships that you can unlock. They are not far away from the S and A-tier characters. Since it is a very good F2P with the aim to make the player grind as little as possible, the C-Tier is exactly for those casuals who just want characters with good abilities and don’t want amorous feelings (not sure any waifu fans would want that).

C-Tier

Average Waifus
You can pick them

From this tier onwards, the abilities tend to go down, and the gap between the Waifus in the upper tier and here becomes visible. These characters are average in navigation and their overall abilities in the battles. They, despite this, are good, and if you have played the game enough, you can win battles, and yes these Waifus are not as hot as the ones in the upper tiers of my tier list.

D-Tier

The Below Par Waifus
Think Twice

These are below-average Waifus, and they do fall short in battles. There are some Waifus that one can debate being in the upper tier because of their abilities, but the way they are designed is, in less harsh words, a disgrace to the Waifus. Thus, I had to put them in the D tier.

F-Tier

Worst Waifu Ships
Stay Away

The tier that you would want to avoid. The way the Waifus are designed is way below par, and they aren’t blessed by the developers with the strength, vigor, and punch to make you a victor during battles.

Tier List Criteria

The Waifus in the Azur Lane are ranked in my tier based on two things where I have assigned different weightage to each. The first thing is how well the Waifus are designed, while the other aspect is their stats because this is a great freemium game, where you don’t need to spend to win.

Thus, I have assigned 70% of the weight to the design of the Waifus and the remaining 30% to the overall abilities.

Ranking Based On Experience And Research

I have put a lot of my time into playing the Azur Lane. There was a clear pattern observed in MY experience in the game and the research on the past behavior of the Waifus in the game.

The pattern leads to the conclusion that the players of the game are more interested in how the developers and the graphic teams have paid homage to the basic purpose of the Waifus, which is how skimpy they are and the titillation you experience from them.

That is why the game is not like other freemium games, where you unlock special abilities with real-life money to win. In this game, the difference between the Waifus is not that big. The major way the developer of the game makes money is through skins and other things that make the Waifus look more attractive.

Why Trust Us?

I have played the game for very long and have taken into account not just the current situation of the game but the past as well. After conducting qualitative research online, I found the ranking factors and assigned knowledge according to that. I made sure I take into account that there is no one absolute truth when it comes to perception and then added MY own experience in the game into the mix to derive a meaningful conclusion.

Quick Questions

Who is the strongest in Azur Lane?

Shinano is the best ship in the game; it has dethroned many famous waifu ships in the game like Essex, Formidable, and U-101.

Who is the best aircraft carrier in Azur lane?

Shinano is the best aircraft carrier in the game with her best proc skill and how she damages others in the game and has great defensive abilities.

What is the best battleship in Azur Lane?

Nagato is the best battleship in the game and is above every other battleship in many aspects.

How good is Z23 in Azur Lane?

Z23 is a great offensive destroyer and can grant you victory in no time.

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Muhammad Sanan Khan is a Tier List expert on eXputer who loves to talk and write about everything related to video games. He has half a decade's worth of experience writing for video games and is also the founder of TopTierList, a website dedicated to Tier Lists and rankings only. For some reason, Sanan is obsessed with ranking things and researching what's best. Learn some more about Sanan's gaming journey on his Steam profile. Experience: 5+ Years || Founder at TopTierList || Mainly Covers Tier Lists on eXputer || Education: BBA.

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