i honestly hate the way fairy tail is written. but erza carried the series completly. its really hard to find a female character more consistent. i cannot speak for the end of the series.
It is still so bizarre to me that the series chastised for its oversexualization of women still treats its female cast better than most other series in the same genre.
It definitely oversexualises them, the narriative significance of the torture scene was ruined by being a snuff hentai. Sexualisation has a place , but unless a serious moment is about someone reclaiming, weaponising or defending their sexualitiity, it just messes up the scene, because its hard to be horny and sympathetic at the same time. but Fairytail succeeds at is still making women actual characters in their own right, not just for the dudes in their lives. That's where the likes of Naruto fails, because the women in the story feel like they are only there for the men or for healing. Erza has important, even somewhat romantic relationships with men, but they built up her character, not just the men.
@@eldritch3465ya’ll are the same people that laugh when Peggy was basically molesting Captain America. But it’s fine cause it wasn’t like the actress found him hot and literally did that scene by reflex.
@@eldritch3465oh and I’m sure magic mike movies made bank because of all the heavy story in the trailers. Not channing tatum shoving his crotch into the camera.
I was still a teen when I watched Fairy Tail, so I didn't realize just how *tragic* it is for a literal child to say she's already shed half her tears.
I was in like 6th or 7th grade when I watched fairy tail and that hit me so hard cause at that point I had been bullied so horribly and cried so much to the point where I “cried” but no tears actually came out It was weird but I felt like I couldn’t literally physically cry
Erza might just be what we all could use sometimes when we feel down or are wallowing in self pity. No matter our situations, it couldn’t be as bad as Erza’s early life. It provides us a perspective.
I love Ezra because they made her op. You very rarely get a female character thats strong, confident, and doesnt necesarilly need the male main character to help her all the time
@@01-aleriorayyaarifaisal91 You mean the same movies that largely made women who were saved by a prince (disney) or were used as just sexy objects that needed to be saved by a man (hollywood) until recently
Never really spent alot of time thinking too deeply about her before, but you've reminded me that she really is a one of a kind character. Great deep dive.
"You don't die for your friends, you Live for them" This gives me goosebumps no matter how many times I listen to it. And that moment when it's said after everything we've seen. How we see both Erza's and Natsu's vulnerable sides and then both of them comfort each other. That's wholesome. That's Family. That's Fairy Tail.
That exact quote brought me through one of the hardest times of my childhood. All these years later and now I’m a paid voice actor working my way into the anime industry so that I can do the same.
cuz people treat fairy tail as a "friendship is magic" type anime since its not as serious as something as bloodthirsty jujutsu kaisen or as developed as one piece. Its sad but its the harsh reality. Even though fairy tail has in my opinion the best fucking soundtracks ever to exist in anime
Another thing I've noticed is that Erza and Jellal are the only couple with a complex backstory together. Mashima put more effort into their relationship than the others. The fact of her starting to take care of her hair, once she learnt of Jellal's pardon felt more powerful to me than say, a direct dialogue confirming their love for each other. This carries over to his other work,Edens Zero as well where Elsie and Justice have complex backstory. Hiro Mashima really likes Jellal and Erza
this comment is fucking fantastic. i agree their relationship is so complex and is definitely a big reason why erza is such an amazing character. their scenes were so impactful despite ever having any obvious romantic/flirty moments like the other characters in the show.
@@rishikkanthravikumar6596 I don't mean to sound like a hater. But I think you are giving Jellal just a little bit too much credit on why Erza is an amazing character.
She did't "change" shounen because we don't see many female characters like her even now. She's such an excellent character. She's still used for fanservice but fairytail is one of the very few anime which fanservices the male characters too.
It's because erza was more or less an accident tbh. All the traits and stuff the video says work with her backstory, are still just standard female tropes slapped together, just cause we can rationalize it doesn't mean author made an effort to make her progressive. And it's a shame really because erza isn't the only character in ft that is really interesting and unique in the genre. Shonen is just too stuck in the past, until they start letting women edit and give feedback to "boys" comics (which are pretty much gender neutral and feature a lot of romance lately), were not going to see that much change to battle Shonen.
Definitely lol even though Lucy is almost naked every scene, gray's whole schtick is he hates wearing clothes and just takes them off all the time. there is also the fact all the dudes look like models. Lol I love the fanservice they give the dudes. I won't deny that the women are over sexualized more than the men, but the men are also sexualized. Like I was just recently finishing up the final season after taking a 5 year break and compared to a lot of other shounen anime the girls actually have good outfits. Like they actually seem like stuff people wear (most the time).
Erza is everything Sakura should have been. Erza is ACTUALLY strong enough to stand side-by-side with the protagonist as an equal, and the fans would 100% buy it, instead of memeing her to death like Sakura in that awful shinoby war scene. You know the one.
Well the data book and author confirmed what you talked about to be true. The manga too. The moment sakura awakened her byakugo she was relative to both Naruto and sasuke. Ofc she wouldn't win against those two but she became the strongest kunoichi in the war and help win the war..author confirm it in both manga and data book that she is as strong as both Naruto (kcm) and sasuke ( ems)
@@trapking2009 so the author said she's as strong as Naruto and Sasuke? I don't buy it. See? THIS is the issue. Even if the author himself says she's as strong as them, the fans JUST. DONT. BUY. IT. You know why? Because she was never seen DOING feats of strength on par with Naruto and Sasuke. All we get is people SAYING she's as strong as Naruto and Sasuke, but we never see her BEING as strong as Naruto and Sasuke. Its the most aggravating example of "tell, don't show" in Naruto HISTORY. So what? She punched a few expendable mobs and broke a few rocks, and then tells herself "Yup! I'm finally as strong as them!". HAHAHA PATHETIC. Even more pathetic when you realise the MOMENT Madara or Obito shows up, Naruto and Sasuke takes the charge and she gets relegated to background healing duty. The one time she took charge of things, (when Madara got both his eyes back) she was immediately stabbed and imobilized by Madara, accomplishing nothing, and had to be saved by Naruto. Then she promptly retreated into the background, feeling sorry about herself and crying that "Sasuke-kun didn't care to save me 😢" In this situation, if Sakura was even half as competent as Erza, Madara would be fighting for dear life...
@@highwaytoheaven99 Comparing Sakura to Erza, is an unfair comparison because Sakura role in the series is to be a healer, something I don't think Erza does???? It makes more sense to compare Sakura to ether Chopper from One Piece or Tia from Zatch Bell, since thier both healer characters.
Erza rolling up to the magic games, claiming she'll beat 100 monsters and then backing it up is the best Erza moment for me. "A bruised fairy who should've fallen long ago soared. Titania this is where you are"
Erza is a competent female combatant without making her boring or insufferable. You _want_ to learn more about her and seeing her in battle is always a treat because of her inventive fighting style (I'll admit toward the end of the Fairy Tail things got a little stale, but that was a problem for _all_ the characters so I don't hold that over Erza.)
When she finally lets go of her armor to use that samurai armor for the fight against the mercenary team from tower of heavens, shows how much more dynamic she is apart from the strongest female wizard, and that scene of her facing her traumas and growing from them instead of running away or acting brave, and that was just so inspiring to the little me❤
"Hey guys, why'd you join Fairy Tail" Cana : I heard my dad was in the guild Lucy : I just thought they were pretty cool Gray : Tbh I wasn't even tryna find a guild, my master just said there were strong wizards in this general direction Erza : ... When I was a child enslaved working for a cult, an old man I knew gave up his life to protect me, in his final moments I saw that plastered on his back was the proud emblem of his guild, this guild. His final words were spent telling me that this guild would accept me.
Erza completely changed my mind's structure at like 11-13 years old. She was a role model for little me and still kind of is at 22 lol. I remembered memorizing every piece of armor she had.
I also watched fairytale early in life and Erza was the biggest contributor to my tastes. Sadly because of that, I am still single without much interest in dating nowadays. Being fed gourmet when you are young and impressionable has some down sides later on.
Honestly I love Erza so much. Ive always wanted to see a female character who's part of the main cast in a shonen thats over 500 chapters or 300 episodes be relevant to the story and get a lot of battles.
One of the best things about Fairy tail is how badass the characters look on posters, thumbnails, video games and promo art, (even though they are badass) you come to find that they have some of the most dorkiest aspects ever and it’s amazing. Fairy tail is my #1 favourite anime
@@gallenberger1 Natsu is my favourite anime character of all time, but I love all the characters in Fairy Tail. Natsu and Erza are probably two of the best examples for dorky and badass
@@tuievans Before watching FT, I was anti-Natsu. But he's actually amazing. When the council arrests Jellal and he jumps in or when he attacks Sabretooth because of Yukino are some of the little things that show he just has the biggest heart.
@@gallenberger1 I got into Fairy Tail through seeing a poster on my friend at the time’s wall, and Natsu stuck out to me instantly. I remember watching the scene of him tearing into Sabertooth and getting so hyped (I was 13 - 14 at the time. I turn 16 in a month), and then getting pissed off when Lucy and Wendy prevented Natsu to going back to their guild.
You’re right about everything but Irene never attempted to take over her body. She regained her sanity momentarily because of love and gave Erza away to protect her from what her mother was becoming
@@montebeverly237 Nah She never tried to. She did consider it, yes. Quite heavily so too. But never actually got to doing it. She regained her senses but fearful that one day she'd change her mind, Irene decided to abandon Erza in Rosemary village.
@@ijustloveerza1694 no she did try she just subconsciously stopped herself once she saw Erza smile she was fully going to threw with it until she saw Ezra’s smile and then convinced herself that the only reason she didn’t was because Erza’s body was unfit for her and didn’t admit the truth to herself and Erza until the day she died
@@montebeverly237she didn’t do it subconsciously. That implies she did it without knowing. She did in fact consciously have a conflict. That’s why she states later on, once again, she couldn’t kill her daughter and instead took her own life so that she’d never do it again.
The one hundred monsters fight, It ALWAYS gets me. Like with you were talking about. I was starting to tear up. The sense of hopelessness, Defeat and guilt you could feel it. And when she defeated those monster. She helped everyone's hopes sore.
I remember I was reading the manga when that part got out, and I ended up crying and reading those pages like ten times that same day. Then when it got animated I said nah I'm not gonna cry this time. Y'know, like a fool 🙃 Still crying to this day (?) All hail Titania ❤
Again she does everything for the guild. I don't think it's about the personal challenge for her. But this is the turning moment in the tournament that people start cheering for Fairy Tail instead of laughing at them. I think that was her goal
Erza's Aura as a female character is unmatched! Sure there are some names which pop up here and there like Revy, Mereleona and others, but Erza undoubtedly takes the cake
What I love about Erza is that she was presented very strong at the start of Fairy Tail and she still is at the end. She is genuinely badass, strong and hot. She is also funny and has a softer side too. She isn't perfect but that what makes her Erza. Few female characters can fit these 3 categories at the same time. She wins some fights by plot armor but so does Natsu anyway. She got so much more spotlight in Fairy Tail 100 years quest. Furthermore she is a member of the main cast, not some mentor figure that appears from time to time. How many stories can boast having such a cool female character who is also in the *main* cast.
@gallenberger1 Her determination to never give up and her incredible strength as I think it makes her so much sexier than she already is. And the fact she is able to keep up and stand side by side with Natsu and Gray always instead of being way behind the male protagonists like most other female heroines makes her that much more special.
Irene's spell did work actually, she just could not bring herself to take over Erza because she loved her and was touched by her smile, thats also why Irene killed herself in the end, great video btw
@@gallenberger1 Favourite character is Gray, favourite back story august, probably one of the most complex character in anime and completely underrated
I really like Erza but I actually think Lucy is a very standout character as well. Loads of depth, relatable and a very unique and interesting fighting style. She's what Sakura THINKS she is lol. She's the heart of Fairy Tail, both the guild and show as a whole. I'd love to hear your thoughts on her!
I love how fairy tail makes a comeback recently, I've seen a lot cosplayers at conventions - in terms of anime that was at its peak years ago its very impressive.
That was amazing. Fairy Tail always had a deep emotional impact on me. As a kid who's world get colourless, it was this show, my first anime that brought me great joy and helped build friendships with my classmates who also started watching it at that point. I rewatched it so any back then but I haven't done so for so long. But now with the new 100 years quest that's coming, i might re watch the whole thing and experience it all again. It might be too emotional for me and make me cry but I had learned to accept myself and others through Fairy Tail so I won't let it down. To you who reintroduced how great the show is to me and to Fairy Tail, my second family, my ought most thanks.
This is true I think erza was the blue print for making maki people down play fairy tail way too much cuz one of the things I love the most about erza is she still feminine and I love it
@WeebGuru6 Yeah that's a huge part of it. So many times when a woman has power they lose their feminity, and that's not the case with Erza at all. She's so well balanced.
@@gallenberger1 so many creators get this wrong especially in the west Japan is guilty of this as well hence my problem with wonder women fairy tail gets it right
@@gallenberger1Erza’s will to fight for her loved ones and her reequip abilities made me like her at first. But like you said she’s also a very tragic character with her own flaws that she has to struggle with, and it’s just nice to have a Female character that isn’t a tomboy or has Daddy issues as her personality. She’s very feminine and I’m totally down with that.
Not really if you think about it I mean just in the Big 3, look at Rukia or Nami. Kubo and Oda have great female characters, I’d say it’s fifty fifty, some shonen have dope female characters and others have mid ones
Fairy Tail would have been an S tier shonen if it weren't for the fanservice (esp when it intervenes in the story itself, like, Lucy winning a fight because she showed her panty) and the ctrl Z of the deaths of the story. It's not just Erza, all of the female main cast, including Levy and Mirajane are very well written characters. Lucy is an eccellent protagonist, both being a way to introduce to the world of FT, and being her own character. I really, really like her lol Other characters like Minerva, Kagura are also great ones. Mashima puts 100x more effort into writing his female characters than anyone else in the shonen game. I feel like he also makes them unapologetically FEMININE. Like, you couldn't change their gender, these characters wouldn't have been the same if they had been male (in some stories, f characters are well written, but they could as well be male, their gender isn't important and doesn't change anything). It's the difference between making Ariel black without it having any consenquences on the story, and having a black character ACTUALLY representing a culture, not just for show.
Can probably say the same thing for One Piece. But anyways Lucy never won any of her fights by showing her underwear like Bickslow and Angel (Seriously where did you get that from? A parody or you just left it on as a background noise?). Plus there were deaths. Silver, Future Lucy, the magic council members in Tartaros, Simon, Jude, Grandeeney, Metalicana, Weisslogia, Sukiadrum, and Igneel.
3:50 to add on how it extends to her appearance. Donning armor is of course a masculine trait because it’s used for combat which is usually thought of as a thing for men. But it’s also feminine because it plays on the “magical girl transformation” (with her own actual magical girl transformation scene), and that women dressing up and changing clothes is a very feminine trait like what girls do when they play with their Barbie dolls. She gets to play dress up and kick ass while doing it.
Fairy Tail is still a show I love deeply despite all of it’s flaws And one of the main reasons is just, how every member feels like a friend and found family They root for each other, fight and make up, and stay close in the end. And ofc, the topic of Erza, absolute queen, THE Queen of the Fairies, the big sister, we love her dearly
I wish they treated Mira similarly as Erza. Would love to see more Mira action. Although I have to say, Fairy Tail has treated their female characters both villain and protag.
I think the issue is that Mashima has too much relevant characters so he kinda rush things when it comes to side characters. That's why we don't really get that much pages when it comes to a Mira fight (the same happens with a lot of the side characters)
One of the best and most insightful fairy tail videos I have seen. You are quickly becoming one of my favorite anime TH-camrs. Here before you hit 100k
Thanks for reminding me once again why Erza has always been reserved in a special place in my heart. She is forever my Queen, and i look up to her a lot.
Yay, Ezra my favorite character in Fairytale, and by a decent margin at that. I love how strong and confident Ezra is, and I love the fact that they got a kind, protective side as well.
This ia a good video on Erza. I do think part of her being such a stickler for the rules is also due to her social awkwardness from her past and being mostly isolated even in the guild (especially after losing MiraJane as a rival when Lisanna "died." Once she relaxes her social awkwardness really starts to show. I do look at a couple of other things differently than how you put them here. First, when her magic awakened, she wasn't pulling swords from a spatial area. They were rising off the ground from the battle. This wasn't her requip, but instead enchantment magic, just like her mother. I think after her talk with Jellal, she buried that magic (mostly) and learned requip because it kept her armors close to her. As for the other, on Tenrou, Azuma basically said he left the island's/tree's connection to her so she could fight at full strength. And the island's power only works with those who have the guild mark. So while he had cut the others off, that excess power had only one place it could go, to the only one with the guild mark still linked to the island. It didn't happen right away, and I don't think she realized it right away earlier. But the ability to hear (or at least sense) Jellal, which was similar to Laxus sensing Makarov, I feel was the trigger. And the visions of the members appearing behind her was the power flowing into her to make the final blow. She was the guild and had the power that had been spread throughout them, put fully into her. That;s just my take on it, and it had been a long while since I read the mange, and while I did rewatch last year, even that is tough to remember perfectly. I do love how Ultear can't use her magic on living things, but she messes with trees all the time.
@madcat1738 Thanks for the great comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the video! These are solely my interpretations of these events, and the beauty of complex characters like Erza is that there are many ways to interpret actions and events.
I totally agree, heck Erza is my number one comfort character, but it's not just her. Lucy, Mirajane, Cana, Juvia, Wendy, Kagura... Each of them was memorable, if not inspiring. You can hate the series all you want but when it comes to well written women in shonen, Fairy Tail really took the bar from the floor and put it on top of a mountain.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Erza’s character lately, and this was an excellent summary of exactly that. This also helped me realize how her silly moments tie into her complexity. Thank you!
@@gallenberger1 I’ve been reading the 100 year quest manga, and it caused me to reflect on Erza’s tenacity and endurance, especially when it comes to protecting her friends and family. I sometimes wonder if she has infinite pain tolerance (for lack of a better word).
Felt so many emotions watching this. Always been a assive Fairy Tail fan and love each and every one of the characters for what they are and represent. Erza is such a well built character, I'd say perfectly made and executed in terms of her personality and standing in Fairy Tail. Wonderful video, keep it up!
@myst2947 Now you're making me feel emotions reading this comment 🤣 I'm glad you enjoyed, she's a special character, and to me it's a special show. I hope to see you back! Zeref will get a video in the Fall
I feel so dumbfounded and exposed. It's like you delved into my head and fished out and brought to light all the reasons why I love Erza. Especially when you mention Erza has all of these conflicting, contradicting, but organic and true characteristics. She is strong and weak. She is confident but vulnerable. She is serious and no-nonsense, but also dorky and silly. People look up to her as a strong warrior. But Erza herself often feels dhe is unworthy. (Some can interpret that as being humble or an implication of her inner vulnerability, which is result of her past trauma, making Erza even more layered as a character) You've also highlighted for me just how much her past has affected her personality and traits as she grew up. Especially your point on why in earlier arcs she was held high regard about rules. Because she had a high value of justice and goodness born out of her time of abuse and trauma. Of course I thought about it. But not that much. Your analysis and deep think of this character I think are top tier out of any other videos about this character, Erza Scarlet. If people ignore the fan service. I think would everyone agree Erza is one of the best female characters in anime, if not any fiction or media form. The only thing I don't like is her relationship with Jellal romantic. I understand and accept that he will always have, and does have, great significance in her life. But her infatuation with him makes me uncomfortable for several reasons. For one thing. I think she still sees him as the boy she knew instead of the man he became and is now. I think she likes the idea of Jellal and/or The boy he knew. So in a way Erza is looking into the past and I don't like that. I feel like that goes against her character as well as her development. For example. Another reason why I don't like them being seen as a couple. It's because of how she acts around him. Erza isn't afraid and doesn't hesitate to do silly and dorky things and embarrassing things while all around her guildmates at Fairy Tail. But when she gets around Jellal. She gets flustered and embarrassed. So The reason that bothers me because it seems like Erza cannot be her true self around Jellal in comparison to when she's around her friends of Fairy Tail. To say again if I may. I'm fine that he has a great significance in Erza's life. But the thought and the implication of them having some sort of romantic relationship makes me sick to my stomach. I just do not see how they are compatible personality and dynamic wise besides embarrassment and infatuation and ideal love.
@@gallenberger1 thank you. I've always been insightful about Erza's character, but your video has me understand her character even more and appreciate her even more. Thank you for that.
Please tell me you'll cover Lucy and Wendy as well! Wendy is an example of a young girl in a shonen series thats treated in a similar manner as a character like Gohan in Dragon Ball. She literally goes from a non combatant to one of the strongest cast members.
@@gallenberger1 please think about it! Wendy is such a great and unique character. I can't think of any other series except Black Cat that had a young girl as part of the main cast that actually fought.
Yess I love Wendy!! It is so rare to find a young female character who is given as much development and strength! I think she is also a novel character just like Erza!
Are we getting an analysis on Lucy Heartfilia? Though the author visibly struggles to give her powerful moments Lucy could be one of the strongest FT characters fr and I absolutely LOVE her growth
One thing that Hiro Mashima wrote when they asked about why Erza challenged 100 monsters instead of going for 51. Mashima says that Erza did because she realized that Cana being the last to fight would mean that she would not have any monster to challenge and would place last. So she choose to challenge the 100 hundred so Cana has an oportunity to place 2nd in a tie breaker with the other guilds
@@gallenberger1 it honestly is. People crap on Mashima a lot for making shit up all the time but his interviews, QnA and extended material on the volumes makes very clear how much of the story he thought from the beginning. Like the Demon slayer magic was supposed to be used by Gray's magic from the start of the manga.
It is generally disgusting how well written the world building and characters of fairy tail characters that get thrown aside because of idiotic "power of friendship" claims🤓
@@xxkankala1671Yes, but in a story where magic is powered by the emotions of the user the power of friendship makes perfect sense in world and thematically.
@@xxkankala1671 Yes, but can you claim a show that has this power of friendship as a theme throughout the whole show. That's like claiming Jojo's is bad for having completely overpowered Characters with a whole lot of asspulls. For being written without much planning, thematically Fairy Tail is amazing.
Let's be honest they don't do much with it. I love FT characters and power. It was the one of the anime I watched when I fell in anime rabbit hole. It was long time ago. Although it has many interesting ideas but it has awful plot convince. The amount of time they introduced an interesting antagonist. Only to be easily defeated by "power of protagonist". Made me go wth- Kauraga was able to reverse gravity magic to Libra .Cancel the Bad Luck Zodiac. With no explanation. But then getting weak over mild fight. The anime is full of moments where characters get suddenly strong and weak bcs plot says so. I remember in S1 finally I was excited to see Erza in final battle. Mostly bcs it's rare to hv female as one of the main 3 but what happens? She suddenly gives up! Cries of Natsu and Grey to save her and they do it for her. 😃Huh? The only time she actually had somewhat proper fight was with Irene. The battles are way too blatantly basised to whoever the author favors with no creativity.
This is why Erza was my favorite character and young me's rolemodel. She wasn't just beautiful or powerful, but she had depth to her and she's a prime example of what female characters should be, a person with goals and beliefs, whose story doesn't revolve around her being brutalized by men just so a man could save her to prop himself up as the hero and use her as an assessory, no, she's a fucking hero herself.
Sir, I thank you for covering MY FAVORITE CHRACTER in all of anime and fiction. Erza is THE WOMAN I put other female protagonists up against to see if they break what standard she placed!!
I never watch videos of 20 min or so but this one has gone without noticing. What a great one! It really makes me appreciate Erza much more and the video is so well done!
Many (almost all tbh) female fans of Fairytail can feel & love Erza. She may be OP or even check all the boxes of a "Mary Sue", she still feels like a fully fleshed out authentic character. She can stand on her own while simultaneously accept (or help out) help feom her fellow companions. While also being considerably "tomboyish", she is still feminine and considered sexy. As a young kid watching Fairytail, i always found her so cool and beautiful. Now MUCH older, looking back at some of the fanservice scenes...which make me cringe💀 I still find it funny (but also sad when you really think about it) that the female characters are treated like actual characters. There are no strictly "fanservice characters" all of the women have arcs and character growth. All of this is reasons why I love Fairytail.
I have ALWAYS loved Erza, and especially her vs Knightwalker and Azuma. In fact, for almost a year my username was The Invincible Azuma, because he came in and made the biggest impression on me as a villain.
I think you summed it up brilliantly. I've always loved Erza, just not always the writing around her(I'll never forget the meteor thing). In Happy's words though, "that's Erza for you!" She is truly the queen of the fairies.
Ezra is one of my oldest favorite characters, fairy tail was one of the first anime I ever watched and she’s still in my top 5 to this day, I was in my early teens back then and damn I was in love with her 😂😂 I had a lifelong grudge against Jellal because she keeps going back to that bitch ass mf instead of getting with me 😭😭😭 (grown ass man typing this shit)
Erza slays in every single way: power, emotions and atractiveness. Truly, a queen of the fairys! (Also, I'm SOOO happy that, in the past few years, people have started to apreciate Fairy Tail again. I was growing extremly sick of people bashing the show for nothing and the fans feeling guilty about liking it!)
Erza is my favorite anime female character. Because she is strong but still very feminine. Before knowing her I already loved Wonder Woman for the same motive, she's strong with based character but still feminine (they like to be feminine, despite having so much characteristics usualy related to men. That shows that strenght has nothing to do with gender, and a woman don't need to take away her feminine side in order to be strong, by the contrary, there is strenght in femininity as well. Mashima did understand that well).
YES. My girlfriend and i have been watching Fairy Tail, and i havent seen it since i was young. What surprised me was just how amazing a character she was. Young me remembers her for her physical strength and outward beauty, but adult me respects her for inner strength and inner beauty (but she still hot af).
Ezra killing all 100 monsters wasn’t dumb she did it to prove a point about fairy tail being a contender to be the strongest guild and not to be underestimated. It also is meant to ignite her guilds passion.
Man, I just need to say thank you. This video was the last push I needed for start watching Fairy Tail again 10 years after I first watched it. This video also made me realise I might've not watched the last season till the end, as I recall the stories your showed due to having read the manga back then too, but I don't recall watching it so I might've stopped following the anime somewhere at the beginning of the last arc. Erza was my favorite character, and seeing her cry back then was the first time I cried over an anime lol, you ignited all my passion for her again. I wished more people understood the appel of Fairy Tail, this anime was so good to watch, without it I would not have become an anime fan and watched many other great stories after.
It's nice to see someone giving one of my favorite Fairy Tail characters the credit she's due. If there are two major criticisms I have they are: 1. A lot of her victories feel like asspulls. We can argue if they are or aren't all day but if they aren't asspulls and feel like it, you're obviously doing something wrong as a writer. 2. Her pig-headedness on Galuna Island; no matter how you look at it, she was more concerned with making sure her guildmates were punished for breaking a rule than saving an island full of people from a demon. That's very short-sighted for Erza, not a very "good guy" mentality, and makes little sense when compared to her determination to do what needed to be done during the Lullaby fiasco and she still acts like she was in the right afterward.
Fairy Tail was my first ever anime. I watched it in middle school and instantly fell in love love with Erza. She is one of my absolute favorite characters of all time! I adore her so much!
I’m so glad someone sees Erza for an amazing character she is, definitely one of if not the most underrated in all of Fairy Fail and I’m glad someone understands how she’s changed Shonen females and is one of the best and also my favorite Female anime character of all time (the pfp of my TH-cam says that 😂)
it doesn't matter if Erza is female to me. She has her strengths, her faults and her problems, and they are understandable and relatable (not in the literal slave labour in a magic tower sense). And she has her friends and her own inner strength to help her through it all. No other show makes me feel like Fairy Tail did. Power of Friendship all the way!
17:05 don’t forget that Erza has been holding back for the whole game to have this power at her disposal - and this is actually foreshadowed, though never spoken explicitly.
Say what you want about Fairy Tail, at least female protagonists of this show feel like actual protagonists (looking at girls like Sakura, Hinata, Orihime, Rukia, etc)
Ezra is definitely one of my favorite Fairy Tail characters (Gadjeel is my all time favorite). I like how her magic takes form, too. Lol, now that I think about it, it’s similar to the dress spheres in Final Fantasy X-2.
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erza is a hiro mashima self insert
i honestly hate the way fairy tail is written. but erza carried the series completly. its really hard to find a female character more consistent. i cannot speak for the end of the series.
@@marcokrautwald1886 It's weird that it shows you tried to post this a few times but I can only find this one
One-sided audio makes this video unwatchable.
@@crimson4066 How were you listening to it?
It is still so bizarre to me that the series chastised for its oversexualization of women still treats its female cast better than most other series in the same genre.
Funny isn't it?
The anime oversexualizes them way more than the manga. The anime also downplays the violence.
It definitely oversexualises them, the narriative significance of the torture scene was ruined by being a snuff hentai. Sexualisation has a place , but unless a serious moment is about someone reclaiming, weaponising or defending their sexualitiity, it just messes up the scene, because its hard to be horny and sympathetic at the same time. but Fairytail succeeds at is still making women actual characters in their own right, not just for the dudes in their lives. That's where the likes of Naruto fails, because the women in the story feel like they are only there for the men or for healing. Erza has important, even somewhat romantic relationships with men, but they built up her character, not just the men.
@@eldritch3465ya’ll are the same people that laugh when Peggy was basically molesting Captain America. But it’s fine cause it wasn’t like the actress found him hot and literally did that scene by reflex.
@@eldritch3465oh and I’m sure magic mike movies made bank because of all the heavy story in the trailers. Not channing tatum shoving his crotch into the camera.
I was still a teen when I watched Fairy Tail, so I didn't realize just how *tragic* it is for a literal child to say she's already shed half her tears.
@@leonmercury3732 Right?
I was in like 6th or 7th grade when I watched fairy tail and that hit me so hard cause at that point I had been bullied so horribly and cried so much to the point where I “cried” but no tears actually came out
It was weird but I felt like I couldn’t literally physically cry
Erza might just be what we all could use sometimes when we feel down or are wallowing in self pity. No matter our situations, it couldn’t be as bad as Erza’s early life. It provides us a perspective.
I love Ezra because they made her op. You very rarely get a female character thats strong, confident, and doesnt necesarilly need the male main character to help her all the time
In terms of how she wins I think you can lean into her being OP, but she also takes a lot of beatings too, which is a good balance to have.
Yeah that’s Lucy’s job
Rarely? Bro forgot any female protagonist make by diesney and hollywood
@@01-aleriorayyaarifaisal91arent disney princesses mainly MAIN characters?? This is a great video about female side characters
@@01-aleriorayyaarifaisal91 You mean the same movies that largely made women who were saved by a prince (disney) or were used as just sexy objects that needed to be saved by a man (hollywood) until recently
Never really spent alot of time thinking too deeply about her before, but you've reminded me that she really is a one of a kind character. Great deep dive.
@jefflong5831 Yeah, she's awesome. So versatile, fun and interesting.
@@gallenberger1true
@@joshuahackshaw7703 What do you like most about her?
@@gallenberger1 perhaps her journey and moments at times
@@joshuahackshaw7703 What's your favorite Erza moment?
"You don't die for your friends, you Live for them" This gives me goosebumps no matter how many times I listen to it. And that moment when it's said after everything we've seen. How we see both Erza's and Natsu's vulnerable sides and then both of them comfort each other. That's wholesome. That's Family. That's Fairy Tail.
@@RevertPlayz 💯
That exact quote brought me through one of the hardest times of my childhood. All these years later and now I’m a paid voice actor working my way into the anime industry so that I can do the same.
@@akitadakid6326 That's amazing!
@@akitadakid6326 That's great to hear man, hope u do great.
This was my senior quote for our yearbook 9 years ago…. To this day, I don’t regret choosing that quote
It's very difficult to find people on TH-cam who talk about Fairy Tail as passionately as you do. Thank you for this.
Appreciate it! It gets a lot of hate, some deserved, some not, but I adore it for what it is.
cuz people treat fairy tail as a "friendship is magic" type anime since its not as serious as something as bloodthirsty jujutsu kaisen or as developed as one piece. Its sad but its the harsh reality. Even though fairy tail has in my opinion the best fucking soundtracks ever to exist in anime
@@helpme9746 soundtrack can't compensate bad storytelling
Fairy tale has so many of the absolute COLDEST and emotional moments in anime ever. Its the anime I keep going back to. Thank you!
@@jaideepshekhar4621 Thank you for the comment and for being a fan of FT!
Another thing I've noticed is that Erza and Jellal are the only couple with a complex backstory together. Mashima put more effort into their relationship than the others. The fact of her starting to take care of her hair, once she learnt of Jellal's pardon felt more powerful to me than say, a direct dialogue confirming their love for each other.
This carries over to his other work,Edens Zero as well where Elsie and Justice have complex backstory. Hiro Mashima really likes Jellal and Erza
Very true actually
I thought Mashima focused more on Natsu and Lucy's relationship than others.
@@rishikkanthravikumar6596 I probably should've brought up the hair moment, damn it 🤣 great comment though
this comment is fucking fantastic. i agree their relationship is so complex and is definitely a big reason why erza is such an amazing character. their scenes were so impactful despite ever having any obvious romantic/flirty moments like the other characters in the show.
@@rishikkanthravikumar6596 I don't mean to sound like a hater. But I think you are giving Jellal just a little bit too much credit on why Erza is an amazing character.
She did't "change" shounen because we don't see many female characters like her even now. She's such an excellent character. She's still used for fanservice but fairytail is one of the very few anime which fanservices the male characters too.
Especially doesn't help that the person who made seemed to of forgotten what worked about Erza.
It's because erza was more or less an accident tbh. All the traits and stuff the video says work with her backstory, are still just standard female tropes slapped together, just cause we can rationalize it doesn't mean author made an effort to make her progressive. And it's a shame really because erza isn't the only character in ft that is really interesting and unique in the genre. Shonen is just too stuck in the past, until they start letting women edit and give feedback to "boys" comics (which are pretty much gender neutral and feature a lot of romance lately), were not going to see that much change to battle Shonen.
Definitely lol even though Lucy is almost naked every scene, gray's whole schtick is he hates wearing clothes and just takes them off all the time. there is also the fact all the dudes look like models. Lol I love the fanservice they give the dudes. I won't deny that the women are over sexualized more than the men, but the men are also sexualized.
Like I was just recently finishing up the final season after taking a 5 year break and compared to a lot of other shounen anime the girls actually have good outfits. Like they actually seem like stuff people wear (most the time).
Especially every naked grey scenes. Like dam. His habit everything he uses his magic, he gets shirtless...as a female I aprove
@@Demonsta nah girls you just a hater
Erza is everything Sakura should have been. Erza is ACTUALLY strong enough to stand side-by-side with the protagonist as an equal, and the fans would 100% buy it, instead of memeing her to death like Sakura in that awful shinoby war scene. You know the one.
100% agree
Well the data book and author confirmed what you talked about to be true. The manga too. The moment sakura awakened her byakugo she was relative to both Naruto and sasuke. Ofc she wouldn't win against those two but she became the strongest kunoichi in the war and help win the war..author confirm it in both manga and data book that she is as strong as both Naruto (kcm) and sasuke ( ems)
@@trapking2009 Not a Sakura fan but do plan to have a vid for a Naruto character coming out soon.
@@trapking2009 so the author said she's as strong as Naruto and Sasuke? I don't buy it.
See? THIS is the issue. Even if the author himself says she's as strong as them, the fans JUST. DONT. BUY. IT.
You know why? Because she was never seen DOING feats of strength on par with Naruto and Sasuke. All we get is people SAYING she's as strong as Naruto and Sasuke, but we never see her BEING as strong as Naruto and Sasuke. Its the most aggravating example of "tell, don't show" in Naruto HISTORY.
So what? She punched a few expendable mobs and broke a few rocks, and then tells herself "Yup! I'm finally as strong as them!". HAHAHA PATHETIC. Even more pathetic when you realise the MOMENT Madara or Obito shows up, Naruto and Sasuke takes the charge and she gets relegated to background healing duty.
The one time she took charge of things, (when Madara got both his eyes back) she was immediately stabbed and imobilized by Madara, accomplishing nothing, and had to be saved by Naruto. Then she promptly retreated into the background, feeling sorry about herself and crying that "Sasuke-kun didn't care to save me 😢"
In this situation, if Sakura was even half as competent as Erza, Madara would be fighting for dear life...
@@highwaytoheaven99 Comparing Sakura to Erza, is an unfair comparison because Sakura role in the series is to be a healer, something I don't think Erza does????
It makes more sense to compare Sakura to ether Chopper from One Piece or Tia from Zatch Bell, since thier both healer characters.
Erza rolling up to the magic games, claiming she'll beat 100 monsters and then backing it up is the best Erza moment for me.
"A bruised fairy who should've fallen long ago soared. Titania this is where you are"
@nickeel8401 Wouldn't be a proper vid if I missed that moment! It's so badass
@@gallenberger1 indeed!
when i see a fellow titania enjoyer, i already decide we will become brother
@@igovalentino7561 👊
I cry every time I watch that scene.
Erza is a competent female combatant without making her boring or insufferable. You _want_ to learn more about her and seeing her in battle is always a treat because of her inventive fighting style (I'll admit toward the end of the Fairy Tail things got a little stale, but that was a problem for _all_ the characters so I don't hold that over Erza.)
I do wish they used more of her armor later on, but overall she's still pretty awesome throughout
@@gallenberger1 100 year quest,yes
THANK YOU
When she finally lets go of her armor to use that samurai armor for the fight against the mercenary team from tower of heavens, shows how much more dynamic she is apart from the strongest female wizard, and that scene of her facing her traumas and growing from them instead of running away or acting brave, and that was just so inspiring to the little me❤
@@monishitaghosh1230 It really is inspiring
Grandpa rob showing fairy tail mark on back before death is a epic scene
@@bhanupukkalla7937 It really is
"Hey guys, why'd you join Fairy Tail"
Cana : I heard my dad was in the guild
Lucy : I just thought they were pretty cool
Gray : Tbh I wasn't even tryna find a guild, my master just said there were strong wizards in this general direction
Erza : ... When I was a child enslaved working for a cult, an old man I knew gave up his life to protect me, in his final moments I saw that plastered on his back was the proud emblem of his guild, this guild. His final words were spent telling me that this guild would accept me.
Erza completely changed my mind's structure at like 11-13 years old. She was a role model for little me and still kind of is at 22 lol. I remembered memorizing every piece of armor she had.
I also watched fairytale early in life and Erza was the biggest contributor to my tastes. Sadly because of that, I am still single without much interest in dating nowadays.
Being fed gourmet when you are young and impressionable has some down sides later on.
bro snuck in a swimsuit among them armors and thought we wouldn't notice
Seduction armor has its uses 🤣
no that was her seduction armor im not even joking she actually has that
@@lucygirl1111 Wait until the Lucy vid drops...that'll be real swimsuits galore 🤣
@@gallenberger1 Lucy and Erza😍🤤🥰
@@gallenberger1THE WINNER agrees 👍
Erza Scarlet is the only character I can think of who checks off virtually every box of a Mary Sue, but still doesn’t feel like a Mary Sue.
I can kinda see that. A credit to her complexity
@@gallenberger1 It's amazing how she got her fair share of defeats, yet still has wins and plot relevancy. What kind of balance is this?
@@ys3606 A good one 😎
@@gallenberger1 Great video by the way. I never noticed before how Erza always seemed to default to self-sacrifice when things got serious.
@@cross172 Yeah, only upon research did I come across that and be like oh shit...this makes sense...and it's great writing
Honestly I love Erza so much. Ive always wanted to see a female character who's part of the main cast in a shonen thats over 500 chapters or 300 episodes be relevant to the story and get a lot of battles.
@@LaxusRenji She gave you exactly that 😎 while being a legend in the process. Anything else you enjoy about her?
I love her determination and goofy moments.
@@LaxusRenji She has an amazing list of goofy moments. Tried to catch a bunch in the vid
@@gallenberger1erza is, like everyone else, the perfect blend of goofy and serious. It’s the charm of fairy tail.
@@DarkEclipse23 Absolutely. That's what makes the characters so great
One of the best things about Fairy tail is how badass the characters look on posters, thumbnails, video games and promo art, (even though they are badass) you come to find that they have some of the most dorkiest aspects ever and it’s amazing. Fairy tail is my #1 favourite anime
@tobiart1617 That's so difficult to balance, but Fairy Tail does it perfectly. Who's your fave?
@@gallenberger1 Natsu is my favourite anime character of all time, but I love all the characters in Fairy Tail. Natsu and Erza are probably two of the best examples for dorky and badass
@@tuievans Before watching FT, I was anti-Natsu. But he's actually amazing. When the council arrests Jellal and he jumps in or when he attacks Sabretooth because of Yukino are some of the little things that show he just has the biggest heart.
@@gallenberger1 I got into Fairy Tail through seeing a poster on my friend at the time’s wall, and Natsu stuck out to me instantly. I remember watching the scene of him tearing into Sabertooth and getting so hyped (I was 13 - 14 at the time. I turn 16 in a month), and then getting pissed off when Lucy and Wendy prevented Natsu to going back to their guild.
@tobiart1617 Glad you loved that moment too, it defines him perfectly
You’re right about everything but Irene never attempted to take over her body. She regained her sanity momentarily because of love and gave Erza away to protect her from what her mother was becoming
@TheZephyrStorm Thanks for the heads up! I wasn't sure which version of events she was lying about in that fight
She did try when Erza was born but wasn’t able to
@@montebeverly237 Nah She never tried to. She did consider it, yes. Quite heavily so too. But never actually got to doing it. She regained her senses but fearful that one day she'd change her mind, Irene decided to abandon Erza in Rosemary village.
@@ijustloveerza1694 no she did try she just subconsciously stopped herself once she saw Erza smile she was fully going to threw with it until she saw Ezra’s smile and then convinced herself that the only reason she didn’t was because Erza’s body was unfit for her and didn’t admit the truth to herself and Erza until the day she died
@@montebeverly237she didn’t do it subconsciously. That implies she did it without knowing. She did in fact consciously have a conflict. That’s why she states later on, once again, she couldn’t kill her daughter and instead took her own life so that she’d never do it again.
And, She’s not a damsel in distress. But a character seasoned and strengthened by past experiences. PERIODT.
@@justineinductivo2687 Very much agree
The one hundred monsters fight, It ALWAYS gets me. Like with you were talking about. I was starting to tear up. The sense of hopelessness, Defeat and guilt you could feel it. And when she defeated those monster. She helped everyone's hopes sore.
Such an amazing moment
I remember I was reading the manga when that part got out, and I ended up crying and reading those pages like ten times that same day. Then when it got animated I said nah I'm not gonna cry this time. Y'know, like a fool 🙃
Still crying to this day (?) All hail Titania ❤
Again she does everything for the guild. I don't think it's about the personal challenge for her. But this is the turning moment in the tournament that people start cheering for Fairy Tail instead of laughing at them. I think that was her goal
"It was the color of your hair"
Fucking broke me to pieces back then too
Erza's Aura as a female character is unmatched! Sure there are some names which pop up here and there like Revy, Mereleona and others, but Erza undoubtedly takes the cake
@@ijustloveerza1694 Mereleona was a lot more fun than I initially expected
@@gallenberger1oh wow
Although yona of the dawn isn't a shounen, yona is also peak female writing. Meroleona is also a chad of a character
How did you dare put them at one sentence?
@@lexiusugrymius9392 Well I made the vid, so pretty easily
What I love about Erza is that she was presented very strong at the start of Fairy Tail and she still is at the end. She is genuinely badass, strong and hot. She is also funny and has a softer side too. She isn't perfect but that what makes her Erza. Few female characters can fit these 3 categories at the same time. She wins some fights by plot armor but so does Natsu anyway. She got so much more spotlight in Fairy Tail 100 years quest. Furthermore she is a member of the main cast, not some mentor figure that appears from time to time. How many stories can boast having such a cool female character who is also in the *main* cast.
Not many!
Erza Scarlet truly is the Sigma Giga Chad of female anime heroines and characters that all female anime girls wish they were.
@@retrogamermax8287 Agreed! What do you like most about her?
@gallenberger1 Her determination to never give up and her incredible strength as I think it makes her so much sexier than she already is. And the fact she is able to keep up and stand side by side with Natsu and Gray always instead of being way behind the male protagonists like most other female heroines makes her that much more special.
@retrogamermax8287 Yep, these are all great characteristics of hers. Who are some other characters you enjoy?
@@gallenberger1 Natsu, Gray, Mirajane, Makarov, Zeref, Mavis.
@retrogamermax8287 Zeref video will be coming in the Fall, how about other anime?
Irene's spell did work actually, she just could not bring herself to take over Erza because she loved her and was touched by her smile, thats also why Irene killed herself in the end, great video btw
@roiyatzik2482 Thanks for the heads up. I knew she told conflicting stories but opted to leave the first in. Appreciate it! Who's your fave in FT?
@@gallenberger1 Favourite character is Gray, favourite back story august, probably one of the most complex character in anime and completely underrated
@@roiyatzik2482 Awesome choices!
I really like Erza but I actually think Lucy is a very standout character as well. Loads of depth, relatable and a very unique and interesting fighting style. She's what Sakura THINKS she is lol. She's the heart of Fairy Tail, both the guild and show as a whole. I'd love to hear your thoughts on her!
@@Aerynnh Lucy will be the next FT girl to get a video 😎
🥰
Poor Sakura, she could have been a decent character by the end of only she told the abusive terrorist to go f himself instead of marrying him
Wow, this brings me back. Now I know why Erza is my favorite character, with how well-written she is.
I love how fairy tail makes a comeback recently, I've seen a lot cosplayers at conventions - in terms of anime that was at its peak years ago its very impressive.
100 years quest anime is coming out currently so it is reasonable.
@@wyattb20 yeah it is probably the reason to some of old fans remembered series even existed
That was amazing. Fairy Tail always had a deep emotional impact on me. As a kid who's world get colourless, it was this show, my first anime that brought me great joy and helped build friendships with my classmates who also started watching it at that point. I rewatched it so any back then but I haven't done so for so long. But now with the new 100 years quest that's coming, i might re watch the whole thing and experience it all again. It might be too emotional for me and make me cry but I had learned to accept myself and others through Fairy Tail so I won't let it down. To you who reintroduced how great the show is to me and to Fairy Tail, my second family, my ought most thanks.
@@Satori227 Thanks for the amazing comment. Pumped you're all in on FT again!
This is true I think erza was the blue print for making maki people down play fairy tail way too much cuz one of the things I love the most about erza is she still feminine and I love it
@WeebGuru6 Yeah that's a huge part of it. So many times when a woman has power they lose their feminity, and that's not the case with Erza at all. She's so well balanced.
@@gallenberger1 so many creators get this wrong especially in the west Japan is guilty of this as well hence my problem with wonder women fairy tail gets it right
@WeebGuru6 Yeah, Erza really is the best example of it. Mishima has flaws but his characters are great. Who is your favorite?
@@gallenberger1 for the females it goes Lucy erza Juvia mirajane & yukino for the dudes natsu gray sting gajeel laxus
@WeebGuru6 Lucy is the next Fairy Tail gal getting a video 😏 might take a while though. She's my fave too. What other anime you into?
An autistic deep dive into a fairy tail character😮😮😮. Am I in heaven
🤣 well that's a first
Thank you so much for this video
@daeve915 Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you're back for more!
Lmfao, I felt this comment in my soul.
Bruh there's nothing autistic about this, using a disorder as a pseudo compliment isnt much really better than using it as an insult
Erza is my favorite female character in anime. It’s honestly a miracle she wasn’t given the Naruto treatment.
@@irish-italianintrovert.8600 It is. What made her your favorite?
@@gallenberger1Erza’s will to fight for her loved ones and her reequip abilities made me like her at first. But like you said she’s also a very tragic character with her own flaws that she has to struggle with, and it’s just nice to have a Female character that isn’t a tomboy or has Daddy issues as her personality. She’s very feminine and I’m totally down with that.
It helps mashima had experience with rave master.
Not really if you think about it I mean just in the Big 3, look at Rukia or Nami. Kubo and Oda have great female characters, I’d say it’s fifty fifty, some shonen have dope female characters and others have mid ones
It would sound ridiculous, but I ship Erza with Naruto. I know they are from different animes.
Fairy Tail would have been an S tier shonen if it weren't for the fanservice (esp when it intervenes in the story itself, like, Lucy winning a fight because she showed her panty) and the ctrl Z of the deaths of the story.
It's not just Erza, all of the female main cast, including Levy and Mirajane are very well written characters. Lucy is an eccellent protagonist, both being a way to introduce to the world of FT, and being her own character. I really, really like her lol
Other characters like Minerva, Kagura are also great ones. Mashima puts 100x more effort into writing his female characters than anyone else in the shonen game. I feel like he also makes them unapologetically FEMININE. Like, you couldn't change their gender, these characters wouldn't have been the same if they had been male (in some stories, f characters are well written, but they could as well be male, their gender isn't important and doesn't change anything). It's the difference between making Ariel black without it having any consenquences on the story, and having a black character ACTUALLY representing a culture, not just for show.
Fan service alone isn’t enough to lower the ranking of a series, it has plenty of other issues
Can probably say the same thing for One Piece. But anyways Lucy never won any of her fights by showing her underwear like Bickslow and Angel (Seriously where did you get that from? A parody or you just left it on as a background noise?). Plus there were deaths. Silver, Future Lucy, the magic council members in Tartaros, Simon, Jude, Grandeeney, Metalicana, Weisslogia, Sukiadrum, and Igneel.
3:50 to add on how it extends to her appearance. Donning armor is of course a masculine trait because it’s used for combat which is usually thought of as a thing for men. But it’s also feminine because it plays on the “magical girl transformation” (with her own actual magical girl transformation scene), and that women dressing up and changing clothes is a very feminine trait like what girls do when they play with their Barbie dolls. She gets to play dress up and kick ass while doing it.
@@shinryouzen Great point, didn't even think of that
Fairy Tail is still a show I love deeply despite all of it’s flaws
And one of the main reasons is just, how every member feels like a friend and found family
They root for each other, fight and make up, and stay close in the end.
And ofc, the topic of Erza, absolute queen, THE Queen of the Fairies, the big sister, we love her dearly
@@azurerandomness Great comment 👊
I wish they treated Mira similarly as Erza. Would love to see more Mira action.
Although I have to say, Fairy Tail has treated their female characters both villain and protag.
I think the issue is that Mashima has too much relevant characters so he kinda rush things when it comes to side characters. That's why we don't really get that much pages when it comes to a Mira fight (the same happens with a lot of the side characters)
One of the best and most insightful fairy tail videos I have seen. You are quickly becoming one of my favorite anime TH-camrs. Here before you hit 100k
@@TuffJuff Long way to go 😅
Thanks for reminding me once again why Erza has always been reserved in a special place in my heart.
She is forever my Queen, and i look up to her a lot.
Happy to help 😎
Yay, Ezra my favorite character in Fairytale, and by a decent margin at that. I love how strong and confident Ezra is, and I love the fact that they got a kind, protective side as well.
A truly elite character
This is such a comprehensive, well-written analysis of her character. Amazing job!
@paulenengchee2309 Glad you enjoyed it! Hope to see around more on other vids
This ia a good video on Erza. I do think part of her being such a stickler for the rules is also due to her social awkwardness from her past and being mostly isolated even in the guild (especially after losing MiraJane as a rival when Lisanna "died." Once she relaxes her social awkwardness really starts to show.
I do look at a couple of other things differently than how you put them here. First, when her magic awakened, she wasn't pulling swords from a spatial area. They were rising off the ground from the battle. This wasn't her requip, but instead enchantment magic, just like her mother. I think after her talk with Jellal, she buried that magic (mostly) and learned requip because it kept her armors close to her.
As for the other, on Tenrou, Azuma basically said he left the island's/tree's connection to her so she could fight at full strength. And the island's power only works with those who have the guild mark. So while he had cut the others off, that excess power had only one place it could go, to the only one with the guild mark still linked to the island. It didn't happen right away, and I don't think she realized it right away earlier. But the ability to hear (or at least sense) Jellal, which was similar to Laxus sensing Makarov, I feel was the trigger. And the visions of the members appearing behind her was the power flowing into her to make the final blow. She was the guild and had the power that had been spread throughout them, put fully into her.
That;s just my take on it, and it had been a long while since I read the mange, and while I did rewatch last year, even that is tough to remember perfectly. I do love how Ultear can't use her magic on living things, but she messes with trees all the time.
@madcat1738 Thanks for the great comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the video! These are solely my interpretations of these events, and the beauty of complex characters like Erza is that there are many ways to interpret actions and events.
This video is awesomely narrated - I’ve been crying a lot watching it. “You don’t die for your friends. You live for them”. Thank you.
@ArneBab These comments are so great to see. Glad it means something to you, these comments mean something to me.
I totally agree, heck Erza is my number one comfort character, but it's not just her.
Lucy, Mirajane, Cana, Juvia, Wendy, Kagura... Each of them was memorable, if not inspiring. You can hate the series all you want but when it comes to well written women in shonen, Fairy Tail really took the bar from the floor and put it on top of a mountain.
No question. It's why I'm going to keep making vids on them...starting with Lucy.
@gallenberger1 looking forward to it 😊
Sango from Inuyasha is alot alike to Erza; feminine, strong but soft, and a little trauma
@@GripperBoots Good shout!
I love Erza so much time to rewatch fairy tail for the hundred time 🙂↕️
You can also check out 100 Year Quest!
S#es t#e reason I started watc#in& Fairy tail😅🥰
you just perfectly explained every reason why i love this character so much, wonderful video :)
@@stefamii Glad you enjoyed it, hope to see you back!
I’ve been thinking a lot about Erza’s character lately, and this was an excellent summary of exactly that. This also helped me realize how her silly moments tie into her complexity. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it! What had her on your mind recently?
@@gallenberger1 I’ve been reading the 100 year quest manga, and it caused me to reflect on Erza’s tenacity and endurance, especially when it comes to protecting her friends and family. I sometimes wonder if she has infinite pain tolerance (for lack of a better word).
@JoshIdachaba Have you been watching 100 year quest too?
@@gallenberger1 Yup! I’m really enjoying it so far. How about you?
@@JoshIdachaba Same, really happy more FT content is out. It's a joy
Felt so many emotions watching this. Always been a assive Fairy Tail fan and love each and every one of the characters for what they are and represent. Erza is such a well built character, I'd say perfectly made and executed in terms of her personality and standing in Fairy Tail. Wonderful video, keep it up!
@myst2947 Now you're making me feel emotions reading this comment 🤣 I'm glad you enjoyed, she's a special character, and to me it's a special show. I hope to see you back! Zeref will get a video in the Fall
I feel so dumbfounded and exposed. It's like you delved into my head and fished out and brought to light all the reasons why I love Erza.
Especially when you mention Erza has all of these conflicting, contradicting, but organic and true characteristics.
She is strong and weak. She is confident but vulnerable. She is serious and no-nonsense, but also dorky and silly. People look up to her as a strong warrior. But Erza herself often feels dhe is unworthy. (Some can interpret that as being humble or an implication of her inner vulnerability, which is result of her past trauma, making Erza even more layered as a character)
You've also highlighted for me just how much her past has affected her personality and traits as she grew up.
Especially your point on why in earlier arcs she was held high regard about rules.
Because she had a high value of justice and goodness born out of her time of abuse and trauma.
Of course I thought about it. But not that much. Your analysis and deep think of this character I think are top tier out of any other videos about this character, Erza Scarlet.
If people ignore the fan service. I think would everyone agree Erza is one of the best female characters in anime, if not any fiction or media form.
The only thing I don't like is her relationship with Jellal romantic.
I understand and accept that he will always have, and does have, great significance in her life.
But her infatuation with him makes me uncomfortable for several reasons.
For one thing. I think she still sees him as the boy she knew instead of the man he became and is now. I think she likes the idea of Jellal and/or The boy he knew. So in a way Erza is looking into the past and I don't like that. I feel like that goes against her character as well as her development.
For example. Another reason why I don't like them being seen as a couple. It's because of how she acts around him.
Erza isn't afraid and doesn't hesitate to do silly and dorky things and embarrassing things while all around her guildmates at Fairy Tail.
But when she gets around Jellal. She gets flustered and embarrassed.
So The reason that bothers me because it seems like Erza cannot be her true self around Jellal in comparison to when she's around her friends of Fairy Tail.
To say again if I may. I'm fine that he has a great significance in Erza's life. But the thought and the implication of them having some sort of romantic relationship makes me sick to my stomach.
I just do not see how they are compatible personality and dynamic wise besides embarrassment and infatuation and ideal love.
What an awesome comment. Thanks for all the insight, and glad you liked it!
@@gallenberger1 thank you. I've always been insightful about Erza's character, but your video has me understand her character even more and appreciate her even more. Thank you for that.
Please tell me you'll cover Lucy and Wendy as well! Wendy is an example of a young girl in a shonen series thats treated in a similar manner as a character like Gohan in Dragon Ball. She literally goes from a non combatant to one of the strongest cast members.
@@CatMonette Lucy is the next FT girl I'll cover. Hadn't thought about doing Wendy before
@@gallenberger1 please think about it! Wendy is such a great and unique character. I can't think of any other series except Black Cat that had a young girl as part of the main cast that actually fought.
@@CatMonette Sure, I'll think about it!
Yess I love Wendy!! It is so rare to find a young female character who is given as much development and strength! I think she is also a novel character just like Erza!
Tbh Fairy Tail just has amazing female characters in general!
I’m a simple Erza fan, I see something explaining who she is and WHY she’s a powerhouse badass, I watch and like
@@biggeek2256 Happy to oblige
I’m so glad someone appreciates her character the way I do
There's a lot to appreciate!
Are we getting an analysis on Lucy Heartfilia? Though the author visibly struggles to give her powerful moments Lucy could be one of the strongest FT characters fr and I absolutely LOVE her growth
@@thatoneintrovertedgirl Yes, that's absolutely one I'm going to do
One thing that Hiro Mashima wrote when they asked about why Erza challenged 100 monsters instead of going for 51. Mashima says that Erza did because she realized that Cana being the last to fight would mean that she would not have any monster to challenge and would place last. So she choose to challenge the 100 hundred so Cana has an oportunity to place 2nd in a tie breaker with the other guilds
That's a cool explanation
@@gallenberger1 it honestly is. People crap on Mashima a lot for making shit up all the time but his interviews, QnA and extended material on the volumes makes very clear how much of the story he thought from the beginning. Like the Demon slayer magic was supposed to be used by Gray's magic from the start of the manga.
It is generally disgusting how well written the world building and characters of fairy tail characters that get thrown aside because of idiotic "power of friendship" claims🤓
Right? The characters are amazing
The power of friendship is literally true
@@xxkankala1671Yes, but in a story where magic is powered by the emotions of the user the power of friendship makes perfect sense in world and thematically.
@@xxkankala1671 Yes, but can you claim a show that has this power of friendship as a theme throughout the whole show. That's like claiming Jojo's is bad for having completely overpowered Characters with a whole lot of asspulls. For being written without much planning, thematically Fairy Tail is amazing.
Let's be honest they don't do much with it. I love FT characters and power. It was the one of the anime I watched when I fell in anime rabbit hole. It was long time ago.
Although it has many interesting ideas but it has awful plot convince.
The amount of time they introduced an interesting antagonist. Only to be easily defeated by "power of protagonist". Made me go wth-
Kauraga was able to reverse gravity magic to Libra .Cancel the Bad Luck Zodiac. With no explanation.
But then getting weak over mild fight.
The anime is full of moments where characters get suddenly strong and weak bcs plot says so.
I remember in S1 finally I was excited to see Erza in final battle. Mostly bcs it's rare to hv female as one of the main 3 but what happens? She suddenly gives up! Cries of Natsu and Grey to save her and they do it for her.
😃Huh?
The only time she actually had somewhat proper fight was with Irene.
The battles are way too blatantly basised to whoever the author favors with no creativity.
One more reminder for me to rewatch FT
@jw-py9nw Especially with 100 year quest out! Fairy Tail is S Tier when it comes to characters.
This is why Erza was my favorite character and young me's rolemodel. She wasn't just beautiful or powerful, but she had depth to her and she's a prime example of what female characters should be, a person with goals and beliefs, whose story doesn't revolve around her being brutalized by men just so a man could save her to prop himself up as the hero and use her as an assessory, no, she's a fucking hero herself.
@@hadrianhexe9603 💯
When Jose said that erza is “courageous, strong and beautiful” 🥺
He knew his stuff
Sir, I thank you for covering MY FAVORITE CHRACTER in all of anime and fiction. Erza is THE WOMAN I put other female protagonists up against to see if they break what standard she placed!!
@@louisbasile8205 Glad you enjoyed it!
This makes me wanna rewatch Fairy Tail again for the nth time
@@kiitkat5886 Go for it!
Fairy tail is such a good anime when you dont have a mf in your face bandwagon hating it like they've already seen it.
@@spawnfire443443 haters will commit thier entire life into making sure no one sees how good fairy tail is
Fairy Peak --- s1 - s2
Hopefully s4 will bring us something as great
I never watch videos of 20 min or so but this one has gone without noticing. What a great one! It really makes me appreciate Erza much more and the video is so well done!
@ido-vf5zx Wow, thank you for that. Glad it made you appreciate her more!
My queen, my wife, my love
Love😍🥰
Many (almost all tbh) female fans of Fairytail can feel & love Erza. She may be OP or even check all the boxes of a "Mary Sue", she still feels like a fully fleshed out authentic character. She can stand on her own while simultaneously accept (or help out) help feom her fellow companions. While also being considerably "tomboyish", she is still feminine and considered sexy. As a young kid watching Fairytail, i always found her so cool and beautiful. Now MUCH older, looking back at some of the fanservice scenes...which make me cringe💀 I still find it funny (but also sad when you really think about it) that the female characters are treated like actual characters. There are no strictly "fanservice characters" all of the women have arcs and character growth. All of this is reasons why I love Fairytail.
Great comment
I have ALWAYS loved Erza, and especially her vs Knightwalker and Azuma. In fact, for almost a year my username was The Invincible Azuma, because he came in and made the biggest impression on me as a villain.
Erza was the face of badass…and embodied the term stoic . She’s always my goat
A good GOAT to have
I think you summed it up brilliantly. I've always loved Erza, just not always the writing around her(I'll never forget the meteor thing). In Happy's words though, "that's Erza for you!" She is truly the queen of the fairies.
Glad you enjoyed the video! Hope to see you back
This is really well-written and edited. Honestly I'm tempted to rewatch Fairy Tail. Haven't watched it in like 8 years lol
@wargodest I don't get many editing compliments so thanks 🤣 give it a shot! The sequel series is coming out now
Ezra is one of my oldest favorite characters, fairy tail was one of the first anime I ever watched and she’s still in my top 5 to this day, I was in my early teens back then and damn I was in love with her 😂😂 I had a lifelong grudge against Jellal because she keeps going back to that bitch ass mf instead of getting with me 😭😭😭 (grown ass man typing this shit)
@@cosmicklutz1675 🤣 who else is in your top 5?
Damn bro😅 Jellal and Erza #ave no c#emistry ya know......feel better now?🥰🐱
I love seeing fairy tail content in 2024❤!! Great vid
Glad you enjoyed it! Watching 100 year quest?
She is my absolute favorite character ❤❤
💯
Erza slays in every single way: power, emotions and atractiveness. Truly, a queen of the fairys!
(Also, I'm SOOO happy that, in the past few years, people have started to apreciate Fairy Tail again. I was growing extremly sick of people bashing the show for nothing and the fans feeling guilty about liking it!)
"you can only cover so much while keeping your own sanity"
jajaj
Finally a video capturing the beauty of my top female character besides Nico Robin. Love how the 100 year quest gives her some quality time. xD
Erza and even Lucy are such unique shounen women because of the impact, importance and weight they hold
Lucy will get a video too!
i have never watched the anime fairytale and this video has already made me love her.
@@beefnoodles3941 Love comments like this!
Erza is my favorite anime female character. Because she is strong but still very feminine. Before knowing her I already loved Wonder Woman for the same motive, she's strong with based character but still feminine (they like to be feminine, despite having so much characteristics usualy related to men. That shows that strenght has nothing to do with gender, and a woman don't need to take away her feminine side in order to be strong, by the contrary, there is strenght in femininity as well. Mashima did understand that well).
@@KeepCalmCapybara Yeah, the thing I love about her is how she maintains her feminity throughout. It's a tough balance to master, but Mashima did it.
🥰🐱
You reminded me why i loved fairy tail so much as a kid, thank you
Thank you for the awesome comment!
I remember watching Fairy Tale with my classmates and we love her so much because she was so cool
@@kamisatoayato6460 💯
YES. My girlfriend and i have been watching Fairy Tail, and i havent seen it since i was young. What surprised me was just how amazing a character she was. Young me remembers her for her physical strength and outward beauty, but adult me respects her for inner strength and inner beauty (but she still hot af).
Yep, she's the total package. A powerful, complex, vulnerable, beauty.
Ezra killing all 100 monsters wasn’t dumb she did it to prove a point about fairy tail being a contender to be the strongest guild and not to be underestimated. It also is meant to ignite her guilds passion.
Mathematically, it was dumb. For her character and making a point, it was awesome.
Man, I just need to say thank you. This video was the last push I needed for start watching Fairy Tail again 10 years after I first watched it. This video also made me realise I might've not watched the last season till the end, as I recall the stories your showed due to having read the manga back then too, but I don't recall watching it so I might've stopped following the anime somewhere at the beginning of the last arc. Erza was my favorite character, and seeing her cry back then was the first time I cried over an anime lol, you ignited all my passion for her again. I wished more people understood the appel of Fairy Tail, this anime was so good to watch, without it I would not have become an anime fan and watched many other great stories after.
Love to read comments like this! Happy to help, and glad your passion for FT is burning 🔥
Not only is Erza a badass, she is not just her connection to her love interest, although they enhance each other's character.
I haven’t ever watched Fairy Tail but I know of it, and I thoroughly enjoyed this!
@Umioko That's awesome, glad you did!
It's nice to see someone giving one of my favorite Fairy Tail characters the credit she's due. If there are two major criticisms I have they are:
1. A lot of her victories feel like asspulls. We can argue if they are or aren't all day but if they aren't asspulls and feel like it, you're obviously doing something wrong as a writer.
2. Her pig-headedness on Galuna Island; no matter how you look at it, she was more concerned with making sure her guildmates were punished for breaking a rule than saving an island full of people from a demon. That's very short-sighted for Erza, not a very "good guy" mentality, and makes little sense when compared to her determination to do what needed to be done during the Lullaby fiasco and she still acts like she was in the right afterward.
Fairy Tail was my first ever anime. I watched it in middle school and instantly fell in love love with Erza. She is one of my absolute favorite characters of all time! I adore her so much!
@@bansheblue312 Always cool hearing stories like this
I’m so glad someone sees Erza for an amazing character she is, definitely one of if not the most underrated in all of Fairy Fail and I’m glad someone understands how she’s changed Shonen females and is one of the best and also my favorite Female anime character of all time (the pfp of my TH-cam says that 😂)
@@yaboicheetah 👊
this was a phenomenal breakdown of Erza's character throughout the series
@hyacinth5156 Glad you enjoyed it! Hope to see you on some more vids
it doesn't matter if Erza is female to me. She has her strengths, her faults and her problems, and they are understandable and relatable (not in the literal slave labour in a magic tower sense). And she has her friends and her own inner strength to help her through it all.
No other show makes me feel like Fairy Tail did. Power of Friendship all the way!
17:05 don’t forget that Erza has been holding back for the whole game to have this power at her disposal - and this is actually foreshadowed, though never spoken explicitly.
ive always been unbelievably enamored by erza and mashima has done an amazing job making his fmc's equally as badass as the mmc's
Say what you want about Fairy Tail, at least female protagonists of this show feel like actual protagonists (looking at girls like Sakura, Hinata, Orihime, Rukia, etc)
She's my favourite female anime character. I cry every time I watch Erza vs 100 demons. I love her so much.
Such an epic moment
Even though Mashima completely wrote this series into the mud....I needed this to remind me why I love these characters. Thank You
No wonder she's my all time favorite character. This makes me realise why i was drawn to her.
That's awesome to see
Ezra is definitely one of my favorite Fairy Tail characters (Gadjeel is my all time favorite). I like how her magic takes form, too. Lol, now that I think about it, it’s similar to the dress spheres in Final Fantasy X-2.
@engineerofthemachine Never thought about that before. Erza is definitely something special, she redefined shonen gals. Gajeel is a fun character too!