Natsu's Fairy Tail guild faced many foes throughout the series, but some of them were only antagonistic due to circumstance. While some of their rivals simply wanted to see Fairy Tail's downfall, there were those who sought to bring chaos to the whole world.
Among these villains were some individuals or groups who changed their ways and abandoned the destruction they sought for the world. Many of these people were members of dark guilds that worshiped Zeref and attempted to revive him, but some of the strongest of these repentant villains redeemed themselves.
10 Meredy Was A Conflicted Little Girl Seeking Vengeance
As one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, Meredy was an elite member of the Dark Guild known as Grimoire Heart. This Dark Guild attacked the Fairy Tail guild on Tenrou Island in order to obtain Zeref. Meredy's highest priority was to kill Gray Fullbuster, believing that he was partly responsible for Ultear's sorrows.
After discovering the truth about her past and Ultear's involvement in her childhood tragedy, she was angered. Ultear decided to end her own life so Meredy wouldn't have to stain her hands with blood, but Meredy saved Ultear instead, insisting that she didn't want to be alone. Meredy eventually became one of the founders of Crime Sorcière, a guild that hunted down Dark Guilds and an ally to Fairy Tail.
9 Minerva Seemed Irredeemable, But She Eventually Changed Her Ways
Minerva wasn't necessarily a villain to begin with, as she was a member of an official guild, but she effectively became one in her quest for vengeance. After being defeated during the Grand Magic Games at the hands of Erza, she was overcome with frustration. She eventually joined a Dark Guild and challenged Erza once again.
After their inconclusive battle, she was taken by Tartaros and underwent vile experimentation all in the name of power. She fought Erza once again as a member of Tartaros but after her defeat, she recalled her ruthless upbringing at the hands of her father and chose to end the conflict between herself and Erza. She joined her old guild once again and helped Fairy Tail fight Zeref.
8 Lyon Vastia Was So Obsessed With Surpassing His Master That He Endangered Innocent People
Lyon trained in Ice-Make Magic alongside Gray Fullbuster by their master Ur. She gave her life to save both her students from the demon Deliora. Upset that Ur was no longer alive for him to defeat in battle, Lyon decided that he would free Deliora from the ice shell in which Ur confined him and defeat the demon himself.
He was stopped by Gray, who convinced him that friends were all he needed to overcome his feelings of inferiority. Lyon joined up with a wizard guild known as Lamia Scale, where he made friends and found a new purpose in life. Lyon also ended up as one of Fairy Tail's closest allies.
7 Ultear Was Almost Too Far Gone, But Gray Knocked Her Back To Her Senses
After her tragic experiences as a child, Ultear led a life of deception. There was nothing she wouldn't do to get what she wanted. She manipulated Jellal into the dastardly person he became, she led the Seven Kin Of Purgatory against Fairy Tail, and she also manipulated Lyon Vastia for her own selfish interests.
After her defeat at the hands of Gray Fullbuster, she chose to amend her evil ways. She eventually became one of the co-founders of Crime Sorcière.
6 The Oración Seis Sought To Sow Chaos, But They Eventually Fought For Peace
The Oración Seis was one of Fairy Tail's toughest enemies. They were a Dark Guild and plotted something so evil that other guilds sought to bring them down. After their defeat by the allied forces, they were imprisoned, but they escaped their confinement and made an even worse attempt at bringing about chaos. They were defeated and imprisoned yet again.
After managing to break out of prison once again, they were confronted by Jellal. They thought that he was there to throw them back in prison and attacked him. After getting a proper thrashing at the hands of Jellal, they joined Crime Sorcière and fought against Zeref. Their companion Cobra was even one of the Dragon Slayers who fought Acnologia.
5 Jellal Fernandes Enslaved Innocent Children For His Own Selfish Goal Of Reviving Zeref
Jellal committed various misdeeds during his time as a villain. He deceived the Magic Council, enslaved children, and even delved into forbidden magic in an attempt to revive Zeref. He was defeated by Natsu Dragneel and presumed dead, but appeared again in a half-dead state and was healed by Wendy Marvell.
After regaining his memories, he reflected upon his heinous misdeeds and did what he could to make amends with those he'd wronged. He was a co-founder of Crime Sorcière and as its strongest member, he vanquished the Oración Seis and recruited its members. He was dedicated to conquering Dark Guilds as he fought to defeat Zeref.
4 Laxus May Have Wanted To Take Control Of Fairy Tail, But He Dragged The People Of Magnolia Into His Problems
Laxus was against having "weak" people in the Fairy Tail guild and tried to take it over by force. That was all well and good, but things took a turn for the worse when he decided to activate his Thunder Palace. This would have obliterated the entire city, and even after it got taken down, Laxus still tried to use Fairy Law to kill everyone.
He was smacked back to his senses and over time, he became a stalwart member of the Fairy Tail guild who would crush all that threatened its members.
3 Atlas Flame Was Controlled By Dragon Tamer Magic, But He Snapped Out Of It
Atlas Flame was a huge Fire Dragon with tremendous power. When he came through the Eclipse Gate, he was practically unstoppable. Even the combined might of Fairy Tail's elite along with Master Makarov couldn't slow him down. He was under control of the evil Rogue of the future and thought of all humans as his enemies.
He considered humans as insignificant, defiant beings and wanted to crush them. When he encountered Natsu, he recognized his friend Igneel and after confirming that Natsu was indeed Igneel's son, he decided to think for himself and helped Natsu fight Rogue and stop his Dragons from destroying the city.
2 Ajeel Raml Fought For Zeref But He Abandoned The Battle After Realizing Its Pointlessness
Ajeel was a member of the Spriggan 12 and a very aggressive individual. He was the first of the Spriggan 12 to attack Magnolia. Fighting for Zeref meant standing against humanity, but Ajeel didn't mind at the time.
During one of his fights, Ajeel's grandfather pleaded that Ajeel be spared. After the war, Ajeel returned to Alvarez and became its king, no longer wishing for any wars. At one time, he taught Max of the Fairy Tail guild how to use the Raml Sayf attack.
1 Brandish Agreed To Be Neutral In The War Against The Alvarez Empire
The war between Ishgar and Alvarez would have gone differently if Brandish had fought. To begin with, Brandish had no problem fighting for Zeref as a member of the Spriggan 12, but as she resolved her issues with Lucy, she decided that she would sue for peace instead.
Realizing how pointless the entire war was, she attempted to stop August from attacking. She did everything in her power to prevent the annihilation of Fairy Tail, but had she fought against them instead, the entire kingdom of Fiore would have been wiped out as per her title: Nation Destroyer.