Fairy Tail is an anime based around magic and guilds of mages who take on missions and set out on adventures. Each guild, legal or not, is distinguished by their morals, tattooed symbols, and members.

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As its title suggests, Fairy Tail is one of the strongest guilds of the anime. This is due to both a strong foundation set by the first guild master and the unwavering hearts and strength of the members themselves. While members like Happy and Macao are some of the weakest characters in the series, there are also plenty of Fairy Tail members whose powers go far beyond the average mage. Here are the ten strongest members of the Fairy Tail guild.

Update July 12th, 2020 by Louis Kemner: Even if Fairy Tail didn't quite make it among the greats such as Naruto or One Piece or Dragon Ball, it's a beloved and long-running series that boasts a huge cast of colorful characters and dazzling action scenes from start to finish. The namesake Fairy Tail guild is, of course, home to the series' best characters, and many of the strongest, too. Let's consider #11-15 when it comes to the most powerful Fairy Tail wizards of them all.

15 Bickslow

Bickslow is a member of the Thunder God tribe; that is, he's one of Laxus' three minions and bodyguards. He usually has a visor over his eyes and his tongue hangs out, making for an odd appearance. But don't underestimate him.

In battle, Bickslow has the "puppet master" role, allowing him to control mask-like dolls that fly around and fire energy beams at the enemy. He can also control whatever objects may be around, giving him a deep arsenal of puppets. In a pinch, he can expose his eyes to control the enemy, too.

14 Levy McGarden

Levy is the bookish type, but that doesn't mean she's a bystander when the fighting starts. Instead, Levy uses her quick thinking and encyclopedic knowledge of all things to write runes, and that can turn the tide of any battle.

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This sort of magic is highly flexible, and whatever Levy writes will become reality, from fire and water to wind, iron, and even silence itself. Her constitution may be low, but her sheer adaptability and prowess as a support mage make her a vital part of the Fairy Tail guild.

13 Elfman Strauss

elfman strauss in fairy tail

The burly Elfman is the middle child between Lisanna and Mirajane, and he takes it upon himself to shield his sisters from any threat, no matter the odds. He can't match Mirajane's sheer strength, but he does match her spirit.

Elfman uses Take Over magic, allowing him to morph into a great beast that can crush its enemies with ease. He's roughly like The Incredible Hulk, and if he has enough support mages by his side, he can wreak havoc.

12 Cana Alberona

Cana is a longtime member of Fairy Tail, having joined this guild in her childhood. She is, in fact, the estranged daughter of Gildarts, but her magic is quite different from her father's. She uses a variety of cards to work her magic.

These cards can capture people and release them elsewhere, which is how Cana delivered all of her guildmates to the Tartaros floating island during the Tartaros arc. And like Levy, she can use a variety of cards to use just about any type of spell imaginable, and she can even track people with those cards to some extent. And don't forget that she can use the almighty Fairy Glitter, too. That's a serious backup weapon.

11 Juvia Lockser

Juvia joined the guild at roughly the same time Gajeel did. Both of them defected from the villainous Phantom Lord guild and made peace with their former Fairy Tail enemies. Juvia embodies water, and this makes her a potent fighter.

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Her very body is made of water, giving her resistance to physical attacks. On the offense, meanwhile, Juvia can use hard-hitting techniques like Water Nebula and Water Slicer. And if Gray is in serious danger or presumed dead, Juvia enters a supercharged berserker mode to avenge her beloved.

10 Makarov

Makarov creating a ball of energy in his hands during the Fairy Tail anime

Makarov may look old and tiny, but he should never be underestimated. He is not only the highly respected guild master but also one of the Ten Wizard Saints, who are some of the most powerful mages ever.

To make up for his petite and frail figure, Makarov's magic involves him transforming into a muscular giant who can smash anything in his way. In addition, he has used Fairy Law on multiple occasions to defeat anyone he deems as his enemy, including Phantom Lord's Jose and the bulk of Zeref's Alvarez army. Though he might've been the strongest in Fairy Tail at one point, his sacrifice in the war against Alvarez sadly left him confined to a wheelchair.

9 Wendy

Wendy is another tiny character who is often underestimated for how she looks. As a well-mannered young girl with the twin tail hairstyle, one would never suspect that she is actually a mighty dragon slayer like Natsu, Laxus, and Gajeel.

Unlike most of the other dragon slayers who prioritize sheer power with every attack, Wendy is known for specializing in supportive magic like healing and enchantments. Some of these enchantments power-up her allies and herself, while her more complex enchantments are up to par with a master enchanter and creator of dragon slayer magic, Irene.

8 Lucy

As a collector of Celestial Keys, Lucy's strength is not only dependent on her own magic powers but also that of the Celestial Spirits she summons. With the help of her many Celestial Spirit friends, Lucy is one of the more versatile mages of Fairy Tail.

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Though she initially relied a lot on her Celestial Spirits to fight on her behalf, Lucy eventually learns to fight alongside her allies with her Star Dress spells and infamous "Lucy Kick". It is also worth noting that Lucy can use an immense amount of magic to summon multiple Spirits at once, even summoning the Celestial Spirit King himself in a tough battle against Tartaros.

7 Gajeel

Before joining Fairy Tail, Gajeel was part of Phantom Lord, where he already had the status of an S-Class mage. After Gajeel's defeat against fellow dragon Slayer, Natsu, he decides to join forces with Fairy Tail.

As a dragon slayer whose magic centers around iron, Gajeel is able to manipulate the metal however he wishes. More often than not, he turns his own body parts into iron weapons such as sturdy lances and swords that resemble chainsaws. This allows Gajeel to take on a bold style of combat that works well with his pure physical strength.

6 Laxus

As the grandson of an elite mage like Makarov, it's only natural for Laxus to be blessed with extraordinary magic potential. He is one of the rare arrogant characters who can live up to the strength he boasts about.

Unlike Natsu and other dragon slayers who were raised by actual dragons, Laxus's dragon slayer magic was artificially implanted into him with a Dragon Lacrima. Despite this, Laxus has proven himself to be one of the strongest dragon slayers with his lightning magic. And he only grew stronger once he let go of his large ego and instead began prioritizing his comrades.

5 Mirajane

mirajane strauss demon form

In contrast to her usual sweet and angelic appearance, Mirajane's Take Over magic is ruthless and demonic. She can not only absorb the powers and appearances of other demons but also unleash her own signature Satan Soul form.

With Satan Soul, Mirajan literally becomes a demon. She sprouts a tail and wings for more agility, and her overall strength is boosted to demonic levels. Fitting to the edgy demonic aesthetic, she is also an avid user of dark magic and has used it to take down fellow demons like Tartaros's Seilah. Ironically, Mirajan's only weakness is her younger brother, Elfman, as revealed in the battle against Wall of Spriggan 12.

4 Gray

Driven with motivation from both ends of a spectrum, Gray has trained rigorously in order to achieve his goals. On one hand, he wished to avenge his beloved teacher, Ur, who had sacrificed her life in an effort to stop the deadly Deliora. On the other hand, his friendly rivalry with Natsu encouraged him to grow stronger while not losing sight of those he cares about.

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Through his intense training, Gray became an excellent mage far beyond the basics of his Ice-Make magic. In addition to learning the fatal Iced Shell spell that would sacrifice his life to seal his victim in ice, he also developed his own devil slayer magic which is very convenient against any demon.

3 Erza

Enduring a horrifying childhood before finding a home in Fairy Tail, it is apparent that Erza's undying fighting spirit is what makes her truly strong.

With her vast collection of armor and weapons, Erza often comes across more like a swordsman than a mage. However, her instantaneous Requip magic allows her to freely call upon any of her prized equipment to best fit the demands of the current battle situation. Beyond her Requip magic, Erza mostly relies on her perfected swordsmanship skills and her will to protect her friends and never give up.

2 Natsu

Beyond being the protagonist of the series, Natsu is strong enough to be one of the strongest characters in anime. He has fought and defeated some of the most feared mages out there, proving the limitless potential to his strength time after time.

In addition to his fire dragon slayer magic, Natsu fights with his emotions. Often when all hope appears to be lost, he has a habit of pulling strength from his friendships, triggering a surge of power that will undoubtedly win him the battle. This is how Natsu became strong enough to defeat the most powerful villains, Zeref and Acnologia, who were undefeatable up until that point.

1 Gildarts

With the title "Ace of Fairy Tail", it's no secret that Gildarts is considered Fairy Tail's strongest mage. Although he often acts recklessly and irresponsibly, he is heavily relied upon by his fellow guild members with his unique Crush magic.

Gildart's Crush magic literally crushes anything he touches, including other magic. This means he can not only weaken his opponent's magic to the point of uselessness but also crush his opponent with ease. In the war against Alvarez, Gildarts pushed his strength to an even higher level by taking on a revived God Serena, who was ranked as the strongest mage of the continent, and August, who was even stronger.

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