The Two Choices You Make
New players often conflate two separate decisions that happen close together at the start of Aniimo. Keeping them apart makes both easier.
- Your free Prismana Aniimo. The official launch welfare programme lets you choose a rare Prismana Form Aniimo when you begin as a Junior Wayfarer. This is a launch reward, and the choice is yours to make from the offered options.
- Your starter Aniimo. The creature you begin the game with — the one the community discusses as Helion versus Lunara.
Aniimo has just launched globally. Two starters are consistently named in community discussion, and a third option has been speculated about, but the developers have not published a definitive starter roster. We are only listing what players actually confirm in-game. Picking between the options your own copy of the game offers you is always the right move — the catalogue here is guidance, not gospel.
Your Free Prismana Pick
Prismana is the rare variant form, and the launch programme hands you one to choose. This is the more consequential of the two decisions, for a simple reason: Prismana forms are rare, and a chosen Prismana is much harder to replace later than a starter.
How to approach the Prismana choice:
- Pick an element you know you will build around. If you already know you want a Fire team, taking a Fire Prismana compounds with everything else you do. A rare form in an element you ignore is a wasted opportunity.
- Prefer a creature with a good end-of-line evolution. The Prismana form carries the creature's rarity; its long-term value depends on what that creature becomes. Check the evolution guide before committing.
- Do not pick purely on appearance. The variant is visually distinctive by definition. Choose on element and line, then enjoy the look.
- Consider role gaps. If you intend to build a damage-heavy team, a Prismana support or sustain creature is often the pick that makes the team work.
Take the Prismana pick once you have decided on the element you actually enjoy playing, not in the first five minutes. The offer is part of the launch flow, so you will see it early — but a little thought about playstyle now saves a permanent regret later.
The Starter Choice — Helion vs Lunara
This is the choice players actually argue about, and it is the one you should decide on playstyle rather than raw power.
Helion
Helion is the straightforward option. Community discussion consistently frames it as the direct pick — players choosing it tend to cite wanting obvious, front-loaded strength rather than a slower build-up. If you like a creature that does its job without setup, this is the intuition to follow. Note that Helion also appears in the official index as a special entry outside the main numbered dex (NO.9998), which marks it as a creature the developers treat as notable rather than ordinary.
Lunara
Lunara is the option players describe as the likely meta pick. The community reads it as the stronger long-term choice, which is worth taking seriously — those reads usually come from people comparing stats and evolution lines carefully before launch. If you are comfortable with a creature whose value shows up more as the game goes on, Lunara is the pick that rewards that patience.
Both starters are viable. The gap between community-described "meta" and "straightforward" is much smaller than the gap between a well-built team and a badly built one. Neither pick will hold you back, and you will catch dozens of Aniimo in your first few hours regardless — your starter is a starting point, not your team.
Comparison
| Consideration | Helion | Lunara |
|---|---|---|
| Community framing | The direct, front-loaded pick | The long-term "meta" pick |
| Best for | Players who want immediate, obvious value | Players planning around later-game payoff |
| Dex status | Listed as a special entry in the official index | Standard dex entry |
| Can it be traded? | No — starters cannot be traded | No — starters cannot be traded |
| Wrong-pick risk | Low for both. You will replace neither immediately and neither locks you out of anything. | |
Notice what is missing from that table: an element weakness comparison and detailed stats. We are not filling those in from unverified numbers. Once the community has enough live data to establish both starters' full lines, this table gets those columns with a date attached.
Which One Should You Pick?
Work down this list and stop at the first question you can answer yes to:
- Do you already know which element you want to build around? Pick the starter matching that element. Team coherence beats individual strength in almost every fight.
- Do you want to be strong immediately, or strong later? Immediate → Helion. Later → Lunara.
- Do you care about the visual identity of your twine form? You spend a lot of time looking at the creature you twine into. Pick the one you would rather be.
- Are you still genuinely torn? Pick Lunara. The community read on long-term value is more informed than a coin flip, and there is no downside if you disagree later.
Remember that your starter is the creature you will twine with most in the opening hours, and in Aniimo that means its mobility ability matters as much as its damage. A starter with a strong traversal ability makes the entire early game faster, which compounds into more Aniimo caught and more resources gathered. Weight that heavily.
The Beginner Guide covers your first 30 minutes and the mistakes that cost new players the most time. If you want to know what to catch next, the Tier List and the Element Chart are the two pages worth keeping open.
Can You Trade or Change Starters?
Starters cannot be traded. This has been confirmed through community discussion of the trade system, and it is worth knowing before you assume you can simply pick one and swap it later.
That restriction is precisely why this decision gets so much attention relative to its actual stakes. It is not that the choice is enormous — it is that the choice is permanent, and permanence makes people careful.
What it does not mean is that you are locked out of either creature type. Both starters appear in the world; you can catch the Aniimo you did not pick. What you cannot do is hand your own starter to another player or receive theirs.
FAQ
What are the Aniimo starters?
Community-confirmed starters are Helion and Lunara. The developers have not published a definitive starter roster, so check what your own game offers you at the choice point.
Which starter is better, Helion or Lunara?
Lunara is widely read as the stronger long-term pick and Helion as the more immediately straightforward one. Both are viable, and the difference is small relative to how well you build your team.
Can I get both starters?
You can catch the starter you did not choose, since both appear in the world. You just cannot start with both.
Can I trade my starter?
No. Starters cannot be traded.
What is the free Prismana Aniimo?
It is a launch welfare reward: choose a rare Prismana Form Aniimo when you begin as a Junior Wayfarer. It is separate from your starter choice.
Should I use my starter forever?
Rarely. Use it heavily early for its mobility and reliability, then build around the roles and elements your team actually needs. Your starter is a strong opening, not a permanent team slot.
Does my starter choice affect anything later?
Not structurally. It affects your first several hours and gives you one creature you cannot trade, but nothing in the game is gated behind a particular starter.