5* Hero Analysis

Merila
Aka Mew-ila, Kitty Cap

Leader Skill: Crit Boost +20% CRIT at the start
Crit- Strike (Merila deals heavy damage to a single target... uh also her skirt flies up.)

Pros
Great DPS, one of the strongest single target 5* mages
Great team synergy if you started with Talia or Jansen
Thinks you're cool, tells her friends exagerated stories of your coolness
Allows you to call her any nickname you want, and will address you by any nickname you choose

Cons
Frail, low base DEF being only slightly above the lowest possible for a mage
Is esentially a slightly weaker Adept Rhee
Talks and behaves like a Middle School girl
Demands you pay for her cell phone bill (It has 3 digits... not counting cents)

Should I level/Awaken this?
Yes
I state that a con of Merila is that she's a slightly weaker Adept Rhee, however Adept Rhee is incredibly powerful. This is only a con when trying to evolve Rhee and Merila together as they share materials.
If you started with Jansen or Talia, this is the best 5* Mage single target nuke to power up your backline
Awakening Merila takes her from good to great, the spike in damage from normal and Crit attacks will burn through tanky frontlines just as Rhee would. She's good for any circumstance aside from getting hit by strong AoE Crit attacks as she's more frail than Rhee so be careful of AoE, Row attacks and backrow attacks.

Tao Yuan
Aka Blue Panda

Leader Skill: Crit Boost +20% CRIT at the start
Crit Skill - Mayhem- Attacks all enemies (slighty stronger than base damage, gets stronger when evolved)

Pros-
Mayhem is pretty kill crazy in lower dungeons with mobs of 3-5 targets, awakened it can one shot most if not all of the wave.
Good base Attack and Crit - does decent damage even without being awakened
Blue is a lot of peoples favorite color
Pandas are pretty cool

Cons-
Damage drops off as the mobs die out
Squishy, even for a mage, level def gear or watch him die horribly if an attack gets through
Not as effective against bosses due to AoE
Has a strong accent and is super sensative about it
Doesn't like to hang out, always says he's "busy"

Should I level/awaken this?
Tao is one of the better 5* mages even against a single target, just very squishy
If you don't have a good hunter or dps mage, yes.
Awakening Tao is costly... but it would benefit if he was awakened as the AoE could tear through the enemy immediatly before they get a chance to counter attack with crits in turn two (if they aren't awakened as well)

If you picked Rhee at the start it might be better not to stick with Tao Yuan unless you have excess 5* mage evo materials (or want to leave Rhee at 4* cause HEARTS). Tao syncronizes better with the other two.

Nexara
aka NEX DAY, Ravishing Reaper

Leader Skill: ATK Boost +20% ATK at the start
Crit- Build Strength (Nex slashes at a target rapidly dealing greatly increased damage and increasing CRIT which makes her next CRIT deal even more damage)

Pros
Easier to obtain via Level up, Elite Dungeons, or Booster Gems (also a common piece when summoning)
Good DPS Mage
Is into what you're into (if you know what I mean)
Doesn't sparkle

Cons
Is a melee Mage, so she can be counter attacked if a warrior blocks her attack.
Getting stunned will cause the CRIT boost from her CRIT skill to be wasted (it will run out before the next one can be cast)
Has a large head... literally
Doesn't sparkle

Should I level/awaken this?
Yes
Nex is one of the better and easier to obtain DPS sources. Being a melee mage can backfire as counter attacks will rip through her low DEF and HP. While there are better DPS mages (and hunters) Nex is easy to obtain and isn't ever "bad" in a team.
Awakening Nexara allows her to ignore the chance of a counter attack on her first turn as well as greatly improving her DPS (Her Crit and ATK get a nice boost as her CRIT itself will boost itself when it's used again). A well leveled, awakened Nex can be put on the front lines to attempt to kill an enemy immediatly (For dungeons, a very rare instance in higher PvP)

Pravil
aka Augh what? No!, Awaken Fodder

Leader Skill- ATK Boost +20% ATK at the start
Crit- DEF Boost (Pravil attacks a target with more damage and boosts his defense for the the following 3 turns)

Pros
It's not a 4*
Usable to attempt an awakening
Can carry you over small puddles of water
Is a tattoo artist in his spare time

Cons
Crit attack and the boost it gives are sub par and lacking
Squishy with low HP and moderate DEF
He haunts you, no matter where you go
Ironically saying "OH GOD" when you summon the holy man

Should I level/awaken this?
No
What Pravil does right is still wrong. His Crit is designed to make him a tanky ranged mage but his low HP and DEF (which is boosted very slightly) make him die just as fast as any other mage without the boost. The damage he puts out is similar to Nexara but his Crit is significantly weaker and less useful.
If Awakened and leveled properly Pravil becomes the tankiest back line mage, gaining nearly a 50% damage reduction allowing him to survive AoE attacks, direct Crit attacks, and may even pull through when the front lines are destroyed.
Pravil is a good candidate for fusion sacrifice though... if you don't have a lot of Silver Maskes burn and you're really not getting lucky at S.Summons
Still, if Pravil is your first or second 5*, he's still stronger than the 4* heroes, just don't dump evo items into him or plan to transfer him into a better hero

Shi Fu
Aka Green Panda, Masta, She Fuh

Leader Skill: HP Boost +20% max HP at the start
Crit- Slaughter (Shi Fu throws a barrage of swords, hitting a column of enemies. This will target the frontlines until only the backline remains)

Pros
High ATK and incredibly powerful AoE Crit
Leader skill can make your frontlines incredibly tanky, keeping Shi Fu safe for a longer duration
Iron Chef runner up, only lost due to the rules changing to "Must be human or a humanoid"
Can levitate other objects as a party trick

Cons
Squishy. Has extremely low base DEF and HP
AoE Crit loses damage when the number of available targets decreases
Very strict, will drill you until you understand his lessons
Forgets what stories he has told you, then tells them again, and again, and again.

Should I level/awaken this?
Yes
Shi Fu is one of the best AoE 5* Hunters. Combining high damage and a powerful AoE Crit makes Shi Fu hard to get rid of until you want a single target nuke or have leveled a 6* to take his place.
When awakened, his Crit tears into the enemy frontline (they should all be standing still as of turn one), giving a good chance of your other DPS backline heroes to kill off one if not both frontline tanks in turn one.
The only downside is that Shi Fu loses his amazing damage potential when Slaughter targets one enemy, wasting 2/3rds of it's potential damage. This can be incredibly frustrating against a Boss or when it hits a tank with barely any remaining health, as Slaughter could have hit the backlines and tore through the enemy DPS units.

Mogh Grut
Aka Moh Guns, Grunty

Leader Skill: ATK Boost +20% ATK at the start
Crit- Shoot (Mogh Grut fires a stronger shot at a single target)

Pros
High damage output even when not using a Crit
CRIT and ATK are both high, shreding through single targets
Haggles for you, even at the supermarket (and always wins)
Speaks multiple languages and is willing to teach you

Cons
Squishy like all hunters
Poor fashion sense
His wolf isn't potty trained

Should I level/awaken this?
Yes
Mogh Grut is one of the best 5* hunters, having his main downside as being a goblin riding on a wolf (which could be cool, I won't judge your taste)
Awakening Mogh Grut allows him to launch a strong Crit on turn one, possibly killing a frontline enemy in a dungeon or tearing into an enemy in pvp that you can finish off with the next attack.
Just remember to keep him in the back row, though he does have more base HP than some hunters, he will fall quickly when he fails to dodge.

Vera
Aka Spike, Dandy Duelist

Leader Skill ATK Boost +20% ATK at the start
Crit- Snake Shot (Vera kicks and rapid fires at a target dealing slight bonus damage and "Poisoning" the target. A poisoned target suffers damage at the start of every "round" or "turn", that is to say whenever the frontline top would perform another attack.

Pros
Hits REAL hard, incredibly high ATK for a 5* hero.
A balance between a mage and a hunter, solid normal attacks and a good rage chance
Is actually a really good guy past his appearance
He helped you that one time, with the thing at the place with that guy. You'll never forget it

Cons
Crit skill is a very minor boost in damage, the DoT isn't as effective as straight damage
Incredibly fragile (Low Def and HP) so he has to rely on dodging to survive
Has really bad and outdated pick up lines that he says constantly
He wears a hat because he doesn't wash his hair

Should I level/awaken this?
Yes.
Vera deals amazing constant damage with occasional spikes from rage hits. His lack of a solid CRIT and being about as tough as paper versus a bullet are flaws but they don't make him bad.
Vera doesn't really benefit from Awakening the way others do, but it does boost his already high ATK so his shots become even more vicious (also the slight boost to HP and def is helpful). Poisoning on turn one ensures maximum lethality from the damage ticks will occur, however the target may die before it ever ticks.
See You Space Cowboy

Ygress
Aka Bird Lady, Sassy Shooter

Leader Skill- Atk Boost +20% ATK at the start
Crit - Flash Shot- Ygress will prioritize attacking a back row target (by turn order still) otherwise she'll just attack with more damage

Pros
Can snipe an enemy mage or hunter regardless of remaining tanks, possibly knocking out a DPS unit before the tanks fall
Does not lose damage on Crit skill as the enemy number decreases (It's never "wasted" aside from overkill)
Fashionable... that's a plus right?

Cons
Flash Shot only affects Ygress, if she doesn't outright kill her target then the remaining DPS-ers on your team will still punch away at the tanks
Super Squishy, even as a hunter. Dodge chance makes this less relevant but not reliable.
Thinks of you only as a friend.
Her Bird gives you mean looks when you stare at her.

Should I level/awaken this?
probably not unless you don't have any other attackers
Ygress deals significantly more damage than just about every 4*, so add her to the back row if you're lacking any solid DPS mage or hunter.
However she's not as strong as some 5* mages or hunters and her Crit can be very situational. If she doesn't take down her target, the Tanks stay alive longer to slow your dps and get off their attacks, essentially prolonging the fight. Unlucky positioning may cause her to aim at a dodge happy hunter or tanky mage (or a warrior for dungeons) wasting her DPS further
Good, but not great. But hey, she's pretty cu-OH GOD BIRDY STOP CLAWING ME I WASNT AHHH MY EYES I NEED THOSE TO BREATHE!

If you started with Talia it's best not to evolve Ygress too far as Talia has far better stats and the two share evo materials.

Edvard
Aka Al-Card, Twilit Terror

Leader Skill: Crit Boost +20% Crit at the start
Crit- Front Raid (Edvard stabs a row, dealing bonus damage to the frontline and backline)

Pros
Decent ATK and CRIT for a warrior
Crit can heavily damage a backrow DPS unit, increasing overall damage output
Ballroom dance champion 192 years in a row... wait what?!
Won't get you involved in a random war with werewolves over a girl

Cons
Not the best tank (DPS Warrior)
Crit loses damage on single targets and bosses
Has expensive taste, often "splits the bill" with you despite ordering the most expenisve thing
Makes weirdly threatening and creepy "your mom" jokes/comments.

Should I level/awaken this?
Situational, but usually no.
Edvard is good, but he's not great at anything he does. His stats allow him to be a DPS warrior, but his output is far lower than any 5* mage or hunter and then his utility with a row AoE becomes next to useless at higher levels. His lack of survivability against higher level enemies becomes mediocre (Edvard's main stats being HP and ATK, not DEF). Odd that a vampire-like man doesn't have Self-Healing, draining life from the target, as it would make Edvard incredibly tanky and have a decent damage output.
Awakening Edvard allows his Crit to tear into the enemy on turn one, considering he's a frontline hero this gives a better spread of damage to available targets (unless someone has 3 frontlines and he's positioned with the one that has no backline hero). But even properly leveled and awakened Edvard is just not as useful as a utility or pure tank, your damage should come from hunters and mages.

King Brogar
Aka UnBEARable, Gar-Bro-ge (see what I did there?)

Leader Skill: DEF Boost +20% DEF at the start
Crit- Support (Brogar bodyslams a target for bonus damage then "marks" himself, forcing all attacks to target him, Brogar can "block" normal attacks but it is 50% less effective than a normal block and his defense is reduced)

Pros
Not a 4*
Has incredibly high HP
Can take a Crit attack for another more useful hero
Is really good at Oragami
Can change ceiling lights without a ladder

Cons
Average DEF for a tank, lowers when using Support
Support does not block AoE
Low damage
Gets hair on all your things
Throws keg parties in your home, doesn't invite you

Should I level/awaken this?
No
Brogar is good for early dungeons, but then so is any 4* hero. His Crit makes him die rather quickly due to the DEF reduction and he generally is only blocking for other tanks.
HOWEVER, with Brogar in the front line, you can have a hunter or mage in the front line and he may cover them. This can increase your damage output having 4 DPS units instead of 3 with a good chance your frontline DPS will survive for a while as long as Support goes off (may need to awaken for this to be viable)
So no to the bro, unless you want to try the DPS unit trick.

Hanzen
Aka Quick Draw (IN BED OH!), Scar

Leader Skill: Crit Boost +20% Crit at the start
Crit- Valor Strike (Hanzen quickly slashes a single target then gains bonus ATK for his next 2 turns)

Pros
Easier to acquire from Elite Dungeon and Booster Gems.
Tanky and pretty good DPS
Works as a hair stylist when not in combat
Is also a really good cook

Cons
Attack is slightly weaker than other tanks without activating Crit (it's a little better than others when active)
Not as Tanky as others (DPS Tank)
Dem Eyebrows... Sheesh
His swords are compensating for something.

Should I level/awaken this?
Situational, but usually no
Hanzen is a good tank mixed with good DPS and a good Crit. He's esentially a weaker Jansen, which isn't a bad thing. His Crit keeps his damage up as well as dealing substantial damage for a Tank. He's just more frail than others as his ability doesn't focus on support or survival.
However your frontline should be for soaking up damage, making Hanzen usually a poor choice of a tank. The higher damage output being significantly weaker than a mage or a hunters possible damage output.
(Though Hanzen does seem to get 4x boost for events quite often, so he's worth keeping around)

Sir Rogas
Aka Old Cat Man

Leader Skill HP boost +20% HP at the start
Crit - Self Healing (Rogas attacks strongers and heals himself for about 1/8 of max health, damage and healing rise as he evolves)

Pros-
Rogas is generally very hard to kill when leveled. His Defense and Health keep him alive through some of the most brutal Crit attacks.
Self Healing makes Rogas more tanky, with good HP gear and runes he becomes incredibly stubborn on the front lines
Won't tell you about "Back in my day..."
He thinks you're a cool person and may leave you something in his will

Cons
Rogas isn't a DPS machine... his damage is rather meh (but then he IS a tank)
Is an old man with a tiger... but his main attack is to poke them with a dagger... so less cool than others.


Should I level/awaken this?
If you lack a good tank, Rogas is your man. His stats all grow at a reasonable rate (emphasis on DEF and HP) making him into a giant wall of... old man.
However Rogas gains less from evolution than others do (his dps and heal will not spike up by much, but he will be tanky-er). His role is to tank and keep the enemy from reaching the back line.
WARNING: Awakening Rogas May reduce how effective he is
Self Healing does not overheal, as such it would waste the recovery effect if he were to use it on turn 1 (it will still do more damage, but heal nothing)
The stat increase from awakening will make this less of a negative trade off and make him a viable wall against pvp attacks (position him center front) to almost guarantee that he'll be hit first then recover. His recovery effect is also "lost" against very high level bosses that will kill anything in one shot regardless (unless he's boosted by 4x, which also increases his recovery)(Thanks Kazuki '3' youdabest)

Rogas may be less useful to players who picked Jansen. They use the same materials to evolve and Jansen has better defense AND is one of the best DPS tanks in the game (but he doesn't heal... though he doesn't really need to)

Master Wu
Aka Red Panda or Po (from dat movie)

Leader Skill: Def Boost +20% Def at the start
CRIT- Stun (uh... it stuns. Wu deals bonus damage and almost always stuns the target (unless they dodge or it's a boss)

Pros
Tanky (one of the highest base DEF) and has a Stun that makes a target useless for a turn
Decent damage dealer for a tank
Is good at making noodles (learned from his father)
Won 2nd place in a haiku writing contest

Cons
lower DPS than other tanks (utility tank)
might stun punch a useless target (or fail on a boss)
Is a sore loser at videogames
constantly tweets "I don't want to talk about it" but he does, but he still never talks about

Should I level/awaken this?
Generally yes. Wu tanks and brings great utility to the team as long as you have some mages and hunters to back him up. His only flaw is he doesn't hit or Crit for huge damage, but the utility of a stun more than covers that weakness.
Awakening Wu allows him to lock down a target immediatly so it will hard counter another awakened hero when attacking (or delay them for 2 turns) so that's a big plus. If you break through the tanks you can stop a mage or hunter from launching a devestating Crit.
(I'm not sure but I think a Hunter dodges less if it gets stunned... and warriors don't block... but whatever)