Tiny Chopper is the 1st stage of Li'l Axe Awakens!.
Ramen Cat is almost mandatory — without him the Angelic Gories wipe the backline — and Sunfish Jones means no knockback units except a lone Ururun.
- Ramen can solo-meatshield with one medium or two small research combos.
- Crazed Bahamut is the main damage on Li'l Dark; his Talented True Form kills it in 2–3 cycles — use Thunderbolt.
This enemy, despite its cutesy appearance, is viciously powerful, with a rapid attack rate, long range and 50% chance to freeze Cat Units for 5 seconds. That leaves enough time for Li'l Dark Cat to land nearly 10 more attacks once they get frozen, making it pretty much perma-freeze.
RAMEN CAT A Ramen Cat - Mandatory to prevent the Angelic Gories from pushing too hard, he can act as a solo meatshield here provided you bring a medium research combo or 2 small research combos. 
CRAZED BAHAMUT CAT A Crazed Bahamut Cat - Your main source of damage for this stage. Bahamut's high range and high damage will be extremely helpful in chipping down Li'l Dark. If you have his True Form Talented, however, he heavily cripples Li'l Dark and can kill it in 2-3 cycles. Using Thunderbolt is recommended. ⚙ More counters worked out from the roster, lower confidence than the picks above; kept for reference
Li'l Dark Cat is Traitless. Anti-Traitless units take less damage and deal more.
HITMAN CAT A Hitman Cat: Deals massive damage to Traitless enemies 
BOWLER CAT A The Slow lands on Traitless enemies — great for stalling the many Traitless bosses across Empire of Cats and Into the Future. 
DRILLER CAT A 100% Weakens Traitless to 10% and (True) Strong vs Traitless. Also fits “Out-range Li'l Dark Cat.” 
D'ARKTANYAN S Strong Against Traitless on a Long-Distance area attack — answers the many Traitless bosses. 
JAGANDO JR. A Lord of Ruin Jagando Jr.: Strong against Traitless enemies (Deals 1.5x damage, only takes 1/2 damage) Li'l Dark Cat reaches 360 range. Units that out-range it can chip safely without taking hits.
LIZARD CAT B Range 400 — fires from beyond its 360. 
MASTER URIL A Range 405 — fires from beyond its 360. 
AKU RESEARCHER A Range 400 — fires from beyond its 360. DRILLER CAT A Range 460 — fires from beyond its 360. Also fits “Counter Traitless.” 
CHILD OF DESTINY PHONO S Range 600 — fires from beyond its 360. Also fits “Burst the boss down.” Li'l Dark Cat has a deep HP pool (2,100,000+ even before stage magnification). Heavy single-target burst shortens the fight.
BAHAMUT CAT S Huge multi-hit burst — a story-unlock powerhouse that deletes tanky enemies. 
MIGHTY REKON KORPS S Among the highest single-hit Area damage available. Also fits “Out-range Li'l Dark Cat.” 
GAIA THE CREATOR S Long-Distance multi-hit with Insane Damage — a generalist wall-cracker. Also fits “Out-range Li'l Dark Cat.” 
CRAZED MONEKO A Big crit burst against tanky/Metal targets. 
TECOLUGA S A 7,300-AP long-range hit obliterates tanky targets when the Critical connects. Also fits “Out-range Li'l Dark Cat.” 
The castle you destroy to clear the stage.