VV: Ultimatum Element Tier List - Best Shikai, Schrift & Resurreccion
This is a community meta snapshot as of July 2026, cross-checked between Destructoid (updated June 9, 2026), Grindnstrat (June 6, 2026) and Beebom (June 7, 2026), with ggwtb's updated meta guide agreeing on the Quincy headline. These outlets disagree with each other more on elements than on anything else in the game, so every split is shown with attribution.
Three names survive every list near the top: The Superstar is the unanimous best Quincy Schrift (and arguably the best kit in the game), Senbonzakura and Ice trade blows for best Shikai depending on who you ask, and Shark is the safest Hollow Resurreccion. Each element below links to our full moveset page.
Soul Reaper Shikai ranking
The big split: Destructoid crowns Ice S tier for its freeze-trail combo potential and clone utility, with Senbonzakura at A as the more technical pick. Grindnstrat inverts this completely - Senbonzakura S, Ice all the way down at C - and Beebom sides with Senbonzakura as 'the best Soul Reaper Element currently available'. The practical read: Senbonzakura is the consensus damage/pressure king but demands move-stacking knowledge, while Ice is the easier control kit that Destructoid rates much higher than everyone else.
The rest of the pool in rough consensus order:
- Senbonzakura (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/senbonzakura/) - S (Grindnstrat, Beebom), A (Destructoid); best with the Katana variant
- Ice (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/ice/) - S (Destructoid) vs C (Grindnstrat); the biggest disagreement in the game
- Flame (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/flame/) - A (Grindnstrat, Beebom), B (Destructoid); strong damage, slow telegraphs
- Ink (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/ink/) - A (Grindnstrat, Beebom) vs C (Destructoid, citing the obvious running-attack animation)
- Reversal (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/reversal/) - B (Destructoid, Hakuda/Speed synergy) vs D (Grindnstrat, Beebom)
- Waypoint (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/waypoint/) - B (Grindnstrat, Beebom) vs D (Destructoid); traversal utility, little combat value
Quincy Schrift ranking
The Superstar is the one thing every source agrees on: S tier everywhere, called the strongest Quincy Schrift and one of the strongest movesets across all factions - ggwtb highlights the free revive from the James summon as what makes it the safest top-tier pick. Destructoid adds that the Quincy pool has no truly weak option and skips a D tier entirely; Grindnstrat and Beebom disagree, both dropping The Blademaster to D.
Placements with splits flagged:
- The Superstar (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/the-superstar/) - S on every list; buffs, revive, huge damage
- The Necromancer (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/the-necromancer/) - S (Grindnstrat, Beebom) vs A (Destructoid, docking it for summon reliability and practice cost)
- The Thunderbolt (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/the-thunderbolt/) - S (Destructoid: damage, AOE, PvP and PvE variants) vs C (Grindnstrat, Beebom) - the Quincy pool's Ice-sized disagreement
- The Heat (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/the-heat/) - A (Grindnstrat, Beebom), B (Destructoid); beginner-friendly damage
- The Dimensional (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/the-dimensional/) - B (Grindnstrat, Beebom), C (Destructoid); defensive mobility, weak offense
- The Blademaster (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/the-blademaster/) - C (Destructoid) vs D (Grindnstrat, Beebom); small hitboxes hurt it
Hollow Resurreccion ranking
Destructoid puts Shark alone at S as the least situational, most accessible Resurreccion, with Fury, Los Lobos and Luminosity roughly equal at A depending on build. Grindnstrat and Beebom instead crown the Legendary Los Lobos S for its ranged burst and slide Shark to A. Either way, Shark at Rare (9%) is the best value roll in the Hollow pool.
Full placements:
- Shark (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/shark/) - S (Destructoid) / A (Grindnstrat, Beebom); balanced damage, broad skill-tree compatibility
- Los Lobos (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/los-lobos/) - S (Grindnstrat, Beebom) / A (Destructoid); Legendary ranged pressure, pairs with Kido
- Fury (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/fury/) - A (Destructoid, Elastic-variant movestacking) vs B (Grindnstrat, Beebom); the Hakuda pick
- Luminosity (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/luminosity/) - A (Destructoid) vs B (Grindnstrat, Beebom); skill-dependent combo kit
- Frozen Haze (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/frozen-haze/) - B (Destructoid, carried by the AOE mute) vs D (Grindnstrat, Beebom)
- Electro (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/electro/) - C on all three lists; mobility without damage, cosmetic-only variants
Not yet ranked: the newer elements
Four documented elements post-date all three outlet lists and appear in none of them: Blooming Madness (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/blooming-madness/, Legendary Soul Reaper), Demon Light (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/demon-light/, Rare Soul Reaper), Praying Mantis (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/praying-mantis/, Legendary Arrancar) and The Iron (/wikis/vv-ultimatum/elements/the-iron/, Common Quincy). We document their movesets on their pages but assign no tier until the meta outlets weigh in - anything else would be invention.
FAQ
What is the best element in VV: Ultimatum?
The Superstar (Quincy Schrift) is the only unanimous S tier across Destructoid, Grindnstrat, Beebom and ggwtb - buffs, massive damage and a free revive via James. For Soul Reapers it is Senbonzakura or Ice depending on the outlet; for Hollows, Shark or Los Lobos.
Is Ice actually good?
It is the most disputed element in the game: Destructoid ranks it S for freeze-trail combos and the ice-clone escape, while Grindnstrat ranks it C. It is easier to pilot than Senbonzakura either way, so treat it as a strong beginner Shikai whose ceiling is debated.
Which elements should I reroll?
The closest things to consensus skips are Waypoint (traversal-only), Electro (C on every list) and The Blademaster (C-D). Reversal and Frozen Haze are split calls - Destructoid finds niches for both, Grindnstrat and Beebom rank them D.
Source-checked
This guide is written and source-checked by GuideDex staff against in-game testing and primary sources. updated · GuideDex staff. Report a correction.