Top 10 Best Ultra Rare Ships in Azur Lane

Introduction

Ultra Rare (UR) ships represent the absolute peak of power in Azur Lane. They are designed to dominate endgame content such as Operation Siren, META fights, EX stages, and high-difficulty events. With unmatched stats, exclusive mechanics, and game-changing skills, UR ships often define the meta for years after release.

This list ranks the Top 10 best UR ships from #10 to #1, based on combat strength, flexibility, survivability, and long-term usefulness.

Top 10 Best Ultra Rare Ships in Azur Lane

10. Shimakaze (Sakura Empire – Destroyer)

Role: Burst DPS / Torpedo Assassin
Strengths:

• Insane torpedo damage output
• Extremely high evasion and speed
• Excels in short, high-burst encounters

Why she’s Ultra Rare worthy:
Shimakaze is the definition of glass cannon perfection. Her torpedoes can delete elite enemies and bosses in seconds if properly timed. While fragile, skilled commanders can extract absurd damage numbers from her.

Best Use Cases:

• Torpedo-focused fleets
• Boss fights with short phases
• Manual play optimization

9. Guam (Eagle Union – Large Cruiser)

Role: Tank / Vanguard Anchor
Strengths:

• Exceptional durability
• Strong anti-air and interception
• Reliable damage while tanking

Why she stands out:
Guam brings CB-level toughness with UR-tier damage. She stabilizes vanguard formations, making fragile DPS ships far safer in high-pressure stages.

Best Use Cases:

• Operation Siren
• High-damage enemy waves
• AA-intensive stages

8. Unzen (Sakura Empire – Heavy Cruiser)

Role: Vanguard DPS / Hybrid
Strengths:

• Extremely high consistent DPS
• Excellent skill synergy
• Surprisingly durable for her role

Why she’s special:
Unzen combines cruiser survivability with near destroyer-level damage output. She performs exceptionally well in both mobbing and bossing scenarios.

Best Use Cases:

• Flexible vanguard compositions
• Mixed mob + boss fleets
• Auto-friendly content

7. Vanguard (Royal Navy – Battleship)

Role: Support Battleship / Fleet Buffer
Strengths:

• Massive fleet-wide buffs
• Reliable gun damage
• Boosts battleship and carrier performance

Why she’s unique:
Vanguard doesn’t just deal damage—she makes everyone else stronger. Her buffs scale incredibly well with other UR ships, making her future-proof.

Best Use Cases:

• UR-heavy fleets
• Boss compositions
• Long fights where buffs matter

6. Implacable (Royal Navy – Aircraft Carrier)

Role: Crowd Control / Carrier DPS
Strengths:

• Powerful time-stop slow effect
• High aviation damage
• Excellent boss control

Why she’s terrifying:
Implacable’s slowing mechanic allows fleets to stack damage safely, turning dangerous bosses into stationary targets. This makes her one of the best control carriers in the game.

Best Use Cases:

• Boss locking strategies
• High-difficulty event stages
• Carrier-centric fleets

5. Yorktown II (Eagle Union – Aircraft Carrier)

Role: Sustain DPS / Fleet Enabler
Strengths:

• Excellent airstrike uptime
• Strong synergy with Eagle Union ships
• Self-sustaining mechanics

Why she shines:
Yorktown II brings modern carrier design with constant pressure rather than burst. Her reliability makes her outstanding in prolonged fights.

Best Use Cases:

• Operation Siren
• Long endurance battles
• Eagle Union carrier fleets

4. Bismarck Zwei (Iron Blood – Battleship)

Role: Burst DPS / Fleet Commander
Strengths:

• Devastating opening salvo
• Massive Iron Blood synergy
• Improved survivability over original Bismarck

Why she dominates:
Bismarck Zwei is a complete redesign done right. She fixes every weakness of her predecessor while becoming one of the strongest burst battleships in the game.

Best Use Cases:

• Iron Blood fleets
• High-burst boss fights
• Flagship roles

3. Musashi (Sakura Empire – Battleship)

Role: Sustained DPS / Heavy Tank
Strengths:

• Enormous HP pool
• Extremely high shelling damage
• Exceptional survivability

Why she’s terrifying:
Musashi hits like a fortress cannon. She survives longer than almost any ship while continuously outputting massive damage, making her ideal for brutal endgame content.

Best Use Cases:

• Flagship tank roles
• Long boss encounters
• Sakura Empire fleets

2. New Jersey (Eagle Union – Battleship)

Role: Pure DPS Flagship
Strengths:

• One of the highest damage outputs in the game
• Easy to use and optimize
• Excellent across all content

Why she’s legendary:
New Jersey redefined what a UR battleship should be. She delivers absurd damage with minimal setup, making her one of the most universally powerful ships ever released.

Best Use Cases:

• Any fleet composition
• Bossing and mobbing
• Flagship DPS role

1. Shinano (Sakura Empire – Aircraft Carrier)

Role: Strategic Carrier / Meta-Defining Unit
Strengths:

• Massive pre-battle recon buffs
• Scales with fleet composition
• Incredible late-game damage

Why she is the best UR ship:
Shinano doesn’t just fight—she reshapes the battlefield before combat starts. Her recon mechanics, scaling buffs, and carrier power make her unmatched in endgame strategy and flexibility.

Best Use Cases:

• Endgame boss fleets
• Carrier-focused compositions
• Operation Siren optimization

BONUS. Specialized Bulin Custom MKIII (Universal – Destroyer)

Role: The Backbone of All Ultra Rare Ships

While she will never sortie into battle, Specialized Bulin Custom MKIII is arguably the most important Ultra Rare unit in Azur Lane. Every single UR ship owes their max potential to her existence.

Best Use Case:

• Limit breaking priority UR ships (Shinano, New Jersey, Musashi, Bismarck Zwei, etc.)

Conclusion

Ultra Rare ships are more than just powerful units—they are long-term investments that define how fleets are built and optimized. While every UR ship has value, Shinano, New Jersey, and Musashi stand at the very top due to their unmatched impact across all content.

If you’re planning resource investment, prioritizing these UR ships will future-proof your fleet and make even the toughest Azur Lane challenges far more manageable.