Erza Scarlet is one of the most interesting characters in Fairy Tail. She’s likely the strongest female character, and she has a lot of qualities that set her apart from the others. Along with her tragic backstory and her propensity for being intimidating, she’s probably the scariest member of the Fairy Tail Guild.

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At the same time, she is loyal to her friends and very proud to be a part of the group. There are a lot of interesting things about Erza that only add to the depth of the character and explain some things about her, making her seem even cooler.

10 She Likes Weapons

Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail in armor with sword

This might not come as a surprise to anyone who has seen Erza in the series, but she is very interested in both weapons and armor. They’re necessary to her when she’s in combat, and she uses them to great effect when fighting with enemies. However, she actually considers them something that she likes and a sort of hobby. Her interest in them appears to be even stronger than just needing to use them to stay safe and to win battles.

9 Her Initial Character Design

Original Mashima manga design of Erza Scarlet

Erza has a pretty straightforward character design. She looks like a serious and disciplined soldier, wearing armor and carrying a weapon, and this really suits her no-nonsense approach to life.

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But her original character design was something much wilder; she carried a spear and looked more like a warrior that lived on in the woods. Mangaka Hiro Mashima wanted her to be a female character Natsu would be afraid of, and even though her design changed, he definitely succeeded.

8 Jellal

jellal fairy tail

Jellal loses his memory when he’s brainwashed, and the only thing he can remember is Erza’s name. He describes it as sounding “full of kindness, brightness, and warmth.” This is probably a surprise to anyone in the Fairy Tale guild, considering how intense and over-the-top she can be regarding battle and everyone behaving appropriately. But this is probably a really good hint at just how much depth there is to Erza and how her nature is probably kind at its core.

7 She Can’t Hold Her Liquor

erza scarlet crying happy

Erza is sometimes seen drinking in the series, as all of the characters are at various points, and it is clear that she cannot handle her drink. While she is often stern and quick to get angry when sober, she is even more aggressive when she is drunk, often trying to pick fights with her guildmates. She is also somewhat forgetful when drinking, and she can’t always recognize people, even if she knows them well.

6 Insecure

erza scarlet from fairy tail crying

Erza would probably surprise her friends if she told them how she often feels about herself. Part of the reason she wears armor is because she feels insecure without it; she doesn’t feel like she has the strength to defeat her enemies without that protection.

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She also considers herself someone who is constantly crying because she can’t protect her loved ones, though it is likely that no one she knows agrees with her on that.

5 She’s Girly

erza scarlet from fairy tail in normal clothes (red blazer and glasses)

Everyone is very familiar with Erza's intensity, and most of her Fairy Tail guildmates are pretty afraid of her. They try to steer clear of her and avoid making her angry. But she does have a pretty feminine side. Though she spends most of her time wearing armor and preparing for battle, when she isn’t fighting, she dresses in very feminine clothing and likes to look cute. She’s also very interested in sweets and loves to eat strawberry cake.

4 Battle Stats

Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail in battle

The manga has listed Erza’s battle stats, and it should probably come as no surprise to any fans of the series that she has near perfect stats. On a scale from one to five, the Erza ranks a five in attack power, defensive power, speed, and swordsmanship. The only area she doesn’t rank a perfect score is in intelligence where she instead ranks as a four. This is pretty surprising, since she’s great in battle, but it’s no surprise that her physical abilities are at the top of the charts.

3 Her Suitcases

Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail looking sadly at a piece of strawberry cake that was dropped on the floor.

Her Fairy Tail guild mates believe that her suitcases are filled with backup armor and extra weapons. This is a pretty reasonable assumption to make, since she really likes weapons and she spends a lot of time making sure that she’s prepared for various battle scenarios. But instead, her suitcase is full of food and cooking ingredients. This also makes sense since she’s equally prepared to make sure everyone can eat and that they’re prepared for a time without food.

2 She Is Very Open

Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail holding Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel against her chest

Despite the fact that she’s pretty reserved and behaves as if she’s a sergeant in the military, she also has some more silly hobbies that show that she has a more fun and goofy side. One of these hobbies is the fact that she reads racy novels in her free time. It’s considered an unusual hobby for women in general, and she’s a very serious person who seems like she might be a little prudish. But instead, she’s into erotic novels and isn’t too concerned with people seeing her naked, much to everyone else’s chagrin.

1 Nothing About Her Character Was Decided

Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail with wings and sword standing in front of lava

Mashima didn’t plan anything about Erza when he first created her. There was no real plan for what her character would be like or what her backstory was. He instead wrote her as the flow of the story continued, deciding what would be the best fit for the series. This has created a more organic character that fits naturally into the story, instead of a particular character being shoehorned in if she doesn’t potentially fit.

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