The strongest Fairy Tail characters, ranked

Fairy Tail never quite reached the same heights as the Big 3 anime, but Hiro Mashima’s 2006 series is still considered one of the best fantasy shonen titles of all time. Following wizards Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, and a diverse cast of powerful magic users, Fairy Tail is a powerful tale of friendship and family. 

Set in a world where magic is both commonplace and often extremely deadly, many wizards belong to guilds like the eponymous Fairy Tail in order to find stable work and safety in numbers. Belonging to a guild isn’t a requirement for wizards, however, and some powerful mages practice magic alone. It’s difficult to gauge just how strong the characters in Fairy Tail are but these seven are considered the most powerful in the series.

7. Laxus Dreyer

The grandson of Guild Master Makarov, Laxus comes from a line of powerful wizards. He is a Dragon Slayer with Lightning Magic and is able to conjure lightning bolts to attack his opponents at a distance or at close-range. His magic is also great for defense, allowing him to create shields or move at lightning-speed. Laxus is first introduced as an arrogant and untrustworthy mage, but his redemption arc is one of the best in Fairy Tail. 

6. Irene Belserion 

Irene is the one of the strongest members of the Spriggan 12 and created Dragon Slayer magic 400 years before the story takes place. She is known for her unparalleled skill in enchantment magic and has the ability to manipulate objects, people, landscapes, and climates. She also possesses Universe One, a magic which manipulates world geography in order to bring people or things to particular locations at will. 

5. August

The child of Zeref and Mavis, August is a powerful mage often referred to as the “Wizard King.” His ability, Copy, allows him to master another magician’s magic while also nullifying it. In addition to this overpowered ability, he also possesses superhuman strength and durability. 

4. Gildarts Clive

Gildarts is an S-Class mage of the Fairy Tail guild and also served as its fifth guild master. Unlike most mages, Gildarts is physically strong and highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Combined with his devastatingly powerful Crush ability, he’s a tough wizard to beat.

3. Zeref Dragneel

Zeref, Natsu’s immortal brother, is the most powerful dark mage of all time. He is capable of using death waves to kill living creatures and of creating countless demons to carry on his whims. His strongest power, the Curse of Contradictions, is also his biggest bane and kills anyone who Zeref grows to love.

2. Acnologia

Acnologia is the ultimate villain in Fairy Tail and one of the first Dragon Slayers. His 400 years of life and hatred twisted him into a villain beyond recognition bent on destroying all Dragons and Dragon Slayers. Even Zeref feared Acnologia’s power. His abilities, like turning into a dragon and eating magic, are undeniably powerful but even then he doesn’t reach the top ranking on this list…

1. Natsu Dragneel

Natsu as number one is a controversial choice, but hear me out. While Natsu isn’t the strongest on paper, he never backs down from a challenge and inevitably defeats any opponent he faces. It’s this tenacity and perseverance that sets Natsu apart from other Fairy Tail characters and makes him the strongest of them all.