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's worldwide rollout began with the Americas server on September 15, 2026 at 22:00 (UTC-4), followed by Europe and APAC on September 16. 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
The Prismana pick is the more consequential of the two starting decisions — rare forms are far harder to replace later.
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.
If your selector shows the six options below, use this quick comparison. The official index now publishes each Prismana form separately, which makes the trade-off clearer: none of the six gains combat stats just for being Prismana. The meaningful changes are typing, form-specific skills and stronger Homeland jobs. The choices displayed in your own game are still the final word if your reward pool differs.
| No. | Prismana | Prismana elements | Role | Combat total | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NO.003 | Scorchhowl | Fire | DPS | 511 | Typing and all six combat stats stay unchanged; its Fire and Carry Homeland jobs rise to level 4. |
| NO.018 | Turbo | Dark Wind | Support | 518 | Adds Dark to the basic form's Wind typing and gains a Dark Homeland job. |
| NO.021 | Witchin | Dark Grass | REGEN | 542 | Typing and combat stats stay unchanged; all three Homeland jobs improve. |
| NO.034 | Thornblade | Grass Water | DPS | 509 | Adds Water to the basic form's Grass typing and adds a Water Homeland job. |
| NO.062 | Pawney | Dark | DPS | 505 | Typing and combat stats stay unchanged; Carry and Dark both rise to level 4 in Homeland. |
| NO.069 | Grizbo | Dark Rock | DPS | 506 | Adds Dark to the basic form's Rock typing and gains a Dark Homeland job. |
Short answer: choose Grizbo if you have no team plan yet, because Dark/Rock gives one damage slot the broadest coverage. Pick Pawney for a BREAK setup, Witchin when you need sustain, or Turbo when you are committed to Dark damage. Thornblade rewards deliberate counter play and gains Water coverage; Scorchhowl is the preference pick for players who specifically want its Fire DPS kit rather than a new element.
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 free selector is not your only Prismana route
You can target regional Prismana forms later through Nurture Blooms, so the free choice does not permanently lock you out of the other five. Each day provides three free Nurture uses: choose Attract Aniimo, catch the Wild Surge to build Prismatic Energy, release it at the Bloom and repeat until Prismana Flow starts. A normal cycle usually takes several rounds, while lucky energy bursts and regional events can shorten it.
This changes the decision from “which five do I lose?” to “which one saves me the most farming right now?” Take the form that immediately completes your first team or element coverage, then use the regional Bloom loop to chase the alternatives. The full Nurture Bloom route explains the daily charges, Wild Surge size and energy cycle.
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.
The published stats back up that read. Helion is a melee, close-range damage dealer: it leaves durability almost untouched and spends its budget on attack, which is exactly why it feels strong immediately and exactly why it wants teammates who can hold a fight together.
| Helion base stats | Value |
|---|---|
| HP | 90 |
| ATK | 116 |
| P.DEF | 65 |
| M.DEF | 65 |
| BREAK | 85 |
| REGEN | 83 |
| Total | 504 |
Those are the six base stats as published in the official index entry for NO.99998, totalling 514 — a mid-table total with one standout number (ATK 116) doing most of the work.
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.
The two starters are also built differently in play, not just in numbers. Lunara is a ranged damage dealer with self-sustain and debuff potential, which is why teams slot it in so easily: it contributes from safety, keeps itself alive, and softens targets for whatever else you bring. Helion does the opposite — it closes the distance and hits hard. Neither approach is better in isolation; it is about which one your team makes room for.
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 |
| Combat role | Melee, close-range damage dealer | Ranged damage dealer with self-sustain and debuff utility |
| Dex status | Listed as a special entry in the official index | No published index entry yet |
| Published base stats | 514 total (HP 100 / ATK 116 / P.DEF 72 / M.DEF 72 / BREAK 64 / REGEN 90) | Not published — the index entry is missing, so treat any number you see elsewhere with caution |
| Evolution | Both starters are locked out of evolution until you pass a specific point in the main story — no amount of levelling or material farming unlocks it early. See the Evolution Guide. | |
| 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. | |
Helion's row is the only one we can fill with published numbers, because its index entry exists and Lunara's does not. That gap is itself worth knowing: a page quoting Lunara's exact base stats is quoting something that is not in the official index, so check the in-game stat screen instead.
Which One Should You Pick?
Your starter carries the early fights, but it is a starting point rather than a permanent team slot.
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.