A book shouldn't be judged by its cover and an esper power shouldn't be judged by its ability alone. In fact, even if the ability seems weak at first glance, with some outside of the box thinking and some creative applications, it can be a powerful ability in its own right.
The power doesn't need to explode, maim, or harm someone to be considered powerful. It could very well not physically affect someone at all and still be considered an overpowered ability with just the right thinking, set-up, and know-how. So, with that in mind, let's take a look at 10 seemingly weak esper abilities that are more powerful than you think.
10 Dummy Check
Dummy check makes a person's presence less noticeable to other people. Basically tricking their eyes to not see them. Better yet, it can also erase a person's memory of having seen the individual with the ability, retroactively, at higher levels. Meaning that even if someone saw them, they wouldn't remember it.
This set of abilities, while not enhancing a person's physical capabilities in the least, can be broken when it comes to illegal activities. With it, the user can commit the perfect crime as long as they are careful not to be caught by a camera and other electrical equipment. Even if they have been caught, good luck keeping them for long. They can disappear from sight and then erase their presence completely from anyone's memory.
9 Skill Polygraph
Now here is something on the opposite end of the spectrum. Skill Polygraph allows the user to verify the profile of a person through handholding. The profile includes basic information like name, age, and occupation and also goes one step further and brings up any important facts that have happened in their past.
If introduced, this ability would quickly become indispensable for any law agency. With a simple amount of scandalous hand-holding they would be able to first verify that the person they captured is who they think they are. Beyond that, it could also serve as a makeshift lie detecter. Since we would wager important facts about their past would include information like if they were a thief or a serial killer.
8 Float Dial
Float Dial is a very interesting ability that may confuse a few people at first. While being able to control the buoyancy of the user and all those around them might seem like it would only be effective in water, it does so much more.
Float Dial can allow the user to float and even walk on water, that is a fact. Though, what it can also do is amazing. By manipulating the buoyancy of an object, person, or thing, they can leap over tall buildings, lift heavy objects and then fling them like they were nothing, which is only a short sampling of the things they could do without actually having the muscle or athleticism to back it up. Basically giving them super strength without the actual muscle behind it.
7 Metamorphose
The picture above is used for illustration purposes only. Mystique is not involved with A Certain Magical Index or A Certain Scientific Railgun in any way, shape or form. (Though it would be pretty cool.) As you can probably guess from those first two sentences, Metamorphose lets its user look like someone else entirely.
Again, this one becomes useful in the criminal market. With this ability, the roles of assassin, thief, and all sorts of other nasty jobs would be open to its user. Then after completing their dastardly plot, it would be nearly impossible to find them since they can look like anyone. If you need further proof of how this ability could be broken, just check out how well Mystique uses it in the comics.
6 Trick Art
Illusions are not really there, but they can do some real mental and physical damage all the same. So much so that Kuroko had to drop a whole building on the two-bit punk who uses Trick Art to best them.
By distorting light around the subject, they can create illusions. This leads to an assortment of uses for something that actually isn't there. They can easily escape a tough situation depending on the illusion. They can prey on their targets deepest and darkest fears and render for some psychological damage. Lastly, combine it with some good old hand-to-hand combat, and they can disorient a foe, attack them from out of nowhere, and almost guarantee that they won't be able to hit them back.
5 Predator
Predator would essentially be the Kryptonite to the aforementioned Dummy Check and Metamorphose abilities. By simply covering one of their eyes, Iizumi Raita can summon numerous eyes in the sky to search for whatever she wants. The eyes eventually pointing towards whatever she sicced them on.
The only problem she has is that she doesn't use them for good. An ability like this would make evading the police nearly impossible. If criminals thought a helicopter was hard enough to get away from, trying running from creepy eyes in the sky that point towards them. The only weakness here is that it isn't as effective in sunlight.
4 Malicious Fake
Malicious Fake may seem like a rather mundane ability to control any computer wirelessly at first but like every other ability on this list, certain applications can make them overpowered. Especially in Academy City where almost everything is run by computers.
The power could quickly render any high-tech city completely defenseless and in shambles by simply turning off some important computers. Furthermore, Academy City has an assortment of security robots and mechs throughout the city. With this power, the user would be able to control them for their bidding.
3 Perfect Paper
The ability to control paper and only paper seems very limited. What is someone going to do with it, become the world's best paper airplane maker? If you find yourself asking the same or similar questions, then I had a question to ask you. Have you never watched Read or Die?
Just like A Certain's Magical Index's version of Yomiko Readman, Perfect Paper allows Sakuragi Naruha to become a potent fighting force (as long as they aren't fighting Accelerator). Giving paper the flexibility of clothing and the strength of hard steel, she can turn it into bombs, shields, spears, hammers, throwing darts, and all sorts of other nasty things. And if she really wants to go crazy, she can turn it into a high powered armor.
2 Measure Heart
Measure Heart allows the person bestowed with its power to regulated "the distance between people's hearts." In other words, it can mess with the mind enough to make someone have the same amount of affection one would have for another person. Unfortunately, there has been no confirmation about whether it can do the opposite and emulate the hate someone feels for another.
Regardless, this power could very well rule the world or just make for a very easy life for the user. If they cozy up to the right people, they can live like a king or a queen and be afforded with fame, money, and power. That's if they don't just opt to become a king or a queen by manipulating those with political power.
1 AIM Stalker
AIM Stalker is useful but hardly anyone would consider it as powerful as Misaka's Railgun and Mugino's Meltdowner. The power can only record another esper's AIM field the same way a dog uses a person's scent to track them down, after all. Though that only applies to AIM Stalker at its current level.
It is theorized that if Takitsubo Rikou were to reach level 5 her ability would evolve. With the ability, she would effectively be able to control the AIM field of all those around her. Controlling the AIM Field of an esper also means controlling that esper's power. Making her simple search power into a search and destroy power.