Berserker (Kenpachi) represents the "Hyper-Carry" archetype in Universal Tower Defense—a unit designed not merely to participate in defense but to anchor it entirely. Based on Zaraki Kenpachi from Bleach, his S-Tier ranking stems from his unique "Cut Through Anything" trait that bypasses the fundamental laws of defense governing the game's difficulty curve.

His defining mechanic allows him to ignore 50% of elemental restrictions and 50% of armor/hyper armor restrictions. This transforms him into a "Universal" attacker viable on any map regardless of elemental composition. The tougher the enemy, the more value his passive generates relative to standard units.

The Berserker guide centers on understanding why his passive ability fundamentally alters damage calculations. Standard units suffer diminishing returns against resistant elements and armored enemies. Kenpachi's "Cut Through Everything" bypasses this:

Spirit Aura: Global Force Multiplier

Beyond personal damage, Kenpachi functions as a team force multiplier through his Spirit Aura at max upgrade:

• 20% Slow Effect: Enemies take 20% longer to traverse the track, giving all towers 20% more time to deal damage
• 15% Damage Vulnerability: Enemies take 15% increased damage from ALL sources—a multiplicative modifier for your entire team

This support capability ensures Kenpachi remains relevant even if power creep introduces units with higher raw damage numbers in future updates.

Upgrade Progression

The data reveals a "J-Curve" in utility:

• Early Game (Lvl 0-3): Cost-efficient sniper. High range and decent damage solo early waves, enabling economic greed
• Mid-Game (Lvl 4-6): Shift from Single Target to Line to Cone AoE. "Reaper Burst" clears trash mobs while maintaining elite damage
• Late Game (Lvl 8-9): 9-second SPA transforms him into a "Nuker." Each attack strips enemy durability with Cut Through penetration

The Ruler Trait Strategy

Kenpachi has a strict placement limit of 1. The Ruler trait grants +1 placement, allowing two Kenpachis:

• Effectively doubles DPS (100% increase)
• Doubles map coverage of Slow aura
• Ensures 100% uptime on Vulnerability debuff

No other trait offers a 100% increase in total efficacy. Godly serves as the runner-up for raw stat boosts if Ruler is unavailable.

Strategic Deployment

With 9-second SPA at max, missed attacks mean significant DPS loss. Always place Kenpachi in the center of track loops where his range circle overlaps multiple path points. This allows hitting the same enemies multiple times and keeps them inside Spirit Aura for maximum duration.

The "Kill Box" setup: Place Kenpachi as anchor to apply Vulnerability and Slow, add a range buffer (Merlin) to expand his aura, then place faster-attacking units within the aura to benefit from the 15% damage bonus against armor-stripped enemies.