Fairy Tail arguably has some of the strongest characters in anime, from the mighty Erza Scarlet to the fire-breathing dragon slayer, Natsu Dragneel. Time after time, these mages have proven the limitless potential to their power and fighting spirit even through the deadliest of situations.
But beyond these overpowered heroes, there are also many Fairy Tail characters who have failed to stay on par with their comrades. While power and strength are not all that define a character, it's hard not to draw comparisons between those who can fight their own battles and those who can't. Here are ten of the weakest Fairy Tail characters who still have room for improvement.
10 Sherria
Sherria of Lamia Scale was certainly a powerful mage at one point in time before things went south. During the Grand Magic Games, she faces off against a formidable opponent in Wendy, a dragon slayer like Natsu, and matches her in strength until the battle ends in a tie. She is even able to take down an actual god in the final war against Zeref, owning up to her title as a God Slayer.
But as a result of that final battle against Dimaria, the God of Time, Sherria becomes truly weak. After receiving a temporary power-up from Ultear's spell, Sherria releases the full potential of her magic to defeat the otherwise undefeatable god. The ultimate drawback of Ultear's spell, however, permanently depletes Sherria of all her magic.
9 Cana
Cana has one of the strongest magic abilities out there, Fairy Glitter, and yet she's still on this list. Here's why.
She is the daughter of Gildarts, one of Fairy Tail's best mages. One would assume that Cana had naturally inherited some of Gildarts' massive power, but she has yet to even come close to surpassing him on her own. Even after Fairy Tail's founder, Mavis, gifts Cana with the ability to use magic as powerful as the sacred Fairy Glitter, Cana herself is not strong enough to utilize it to its full potential.
8 Ichiya
Blue Pegasus' Ichiya is greatly praised and respected by his fellow guild members, Ren, Hibiki, and Eve. Other than those three friends, it's hard to find someone that will praise this peculiar man and his antics.
Ichiya's Perfume Magic is more supportive than offensive, and he cannot really engage in combat without the use of his Power Perfume which gives him massive muscles. At the same time, Ichiya has wasted his magic in creating his own useless perfume that turns people "handsome" (aka they become cursed with Ichiya's face and it spreads like a virus)!
7 Happy
Ideally, the sidekick of the main protagonist should be able to assist his partner in combat. This isn't exactly the case for Happy, the cat-like Exceed.
Although Exceeds cannot always use magic to the same extent as the average mage, many can still transform into stronger humanlike forms to battle alongside their partners. While Exceeds like Panther Lily and Carla have acquired this transformation ability, Happy remains only as his tiny cat form. The most this little guy can do in a battle is fly Natsu from place to place and cheer from the sidelines. But all weaknesses aside, Happy gladly provides Natsu with the utmost love and support.
6 Levy & Shadow Gear
Shadow Gear is a trio within Fairy Tail, consisting of Levy, Jet, and Droy. Initially defeated by Phantom Lord's Gajeel without any effort at all, the trio later relies on Gajeel's strength after he joins Fairy Tail.
In particular, Levy makes it a habit to partner up with Gajeel, who more often than not is her knight in shining armor. During their battle against Spriggan 12's Bloodman, Gajeel does most of the fighting and is nearly dragged into the afterlife with his foe. Despite Levy's desperate pleas to help Gajeel, she is too weak to do anything about it after being restricted by Gajeel's iron and Panther Lily's embrace. In the end, Gajeel is saved thanks to Irene's World Reconstruction Magic, and not by Levy.
5 Hibiki
Hibiki is a member of Blue Pegasus, known for his attractive appearance like most of his fellow guild members. Because he is a mage that excels in intel and knowledge, he consequently lacks in power.
During the Grand Magic Games, Hibiki participates in an event where each challenger attacks the "Magic Power Finder" device to determine their magic power level on a numerical scale. While Cana scores a 9999 with her Fairy Glitter, Hibiki only receives a score of 95. Out of seven participants, he ends up in sixth place, only above Raven Tail's Obra who intentionally scored low to conceal his true power.
4 Toby
Toby of Lamia Scale is an odd character whose lack of awareness hinders his overall strength. His downfall often comes when he unintentionally announces his secrets, thus exposing his weaknesses to his enemies.
In his battle against Natsu, Toby begins shouting the name of his magic, "Paralyze-Claw," and claims that there's a secret behind those claws. Natsu asks if the secret is the paralyzing aspect, and Toby is shocked at how his foe could possibly know his secret. Natsu then proceeds to tell Toby that he has something on his head, prompting Toby to touch his face and knock himself out with his electrifying claws.
3 Macao
All of Fairy Tail's Guild Masters, from Mavis to Makarov, have been some of the strongest wizards to ever live. The Fourth Guild Master, Macao, unfortunately does not live up to that high reputation.
When members of Fairy Tail disappear in the incidents that took place on Tenrou Island, Macao becomes the temporary Guild Master by default. Under his watch, Fairy Tail grows weak to the point where they are taken advantage of by other guilds. As a result, the guild suffers much sorrow and debt until Team Tenrou's return seven years later. It's safe to say that Macao had one job, and he didn't do it right.
2 Cancer
Cancer is one of many Celestial Spirits under Lucy's possession as a key. With a resemblance to crabs, Cancer holds a pair of scissors in each hand as if they were crab claws.
But despite his sharp scissor weapons, Cancer is rarely summoned for battle. Instead, Lucy will usually bring him out when she wants a haircut and change in style. While his quick and accurate motions with the scissors wouldn't be terrible in combat, his special technique of speeding up hair growth serves no purpose against any serious opponent.
1 Frosch
Frosch is the Exceed partner of Sabertooth's Rogue. Although Frosch is a very adorable cat dressed as a pink frog, it offers little to the battlefield.
Aside from being an Exceed with no special ability beyond flying, Frosch has a difficult time thinking for itself and ends up following what others do and say. In one instance, Frosch gets lost during a shopping trip but is determined to navigate its way back to the Sabertooth guild. After getting distracted and asking multiple friends for help, the poor cat never finds his way home and needs Rogue's guidance. As much as no one wants to admit it, Frosch is severely weak and must be protected at all costs.