Waifu Wednesday: Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail)
Fairy Tail has no shortage of waifus to choose from. It is a show that is practically overflowing with beautiful women, from the celestial wizard Lucy through the shapeshifting Mirajane to hard-drinking Cana. But none of them can hold a candle to the best Fairy Tail girl, Erza Scarlet. Even if the series misses the mark at times, that doesn’t mean our girl Erza doesn’t deserve some love.
For this week’s Waifu Wednesday, we’re going to celebrate the S Class wizard with the best wardrobe changes in the business.
Who is Erza Scarlet?
In Fairy Tail, wizards are ranked based on their abilities as well as their ability to accomplish difficult missions. The highest rank is S Class, a rank reserved for those capable of performing almost impossible feats of strength and skill. Only a handful ever achieve this, including our girl Erza Scarlet, who is already at the top of the guild when the story begins.
Despite her high rank, Erza’s power is different from what you’d expect from a wizard in the classic sense. She fights with Requip Magic, allowing her to switch her armour, weapons, and clothes in and out at a moment’s notice. This versatility comes in handy throughout the series, either when taking on the enemies of Fairy Tail or just getting ready for the inevitable but always enjoyable beach episode.
Erza Scarlet often plays the straight woman when faced with the antics of the over-the-top personalities that dominate the rest of the guild. She is serious and focused on the mission at hand — a mindset that serves her well when she briefly assumes the title of Guild Master. However, she is also fiercely loyal and protective of her friends and guildmates, going to great lengths to keep them safe — even if it is just so she can punish them for their foolish or impulsive actions later. She is someone you always want on your side, no matter the situation.
Why we love her
From Erza’s first appearance in the series, she commands respect from her guildmates at every turn. She strikes fear into even the chaotic pair of Natsu and Grey, causing them to fall in line when even the Guild Master is unable to. She is easily one of the strongest combatants in the guild, with enhanced strength, durability, and endurance to go toe-to-toe with the toughest enemies.
Of course, no Fairy Tail waifu is complete without a tragic backstory and Erza Scarlet has that in spades. Rising from a dark past as a slave, she vowed she would never let her friends be the victim of cruelty again. All the time she spends gaining strength and skill is to allow her to protect those she cares about, always with an eye on the memory of the friends she failed to protect in her youth.
Why you’ll love her
Hey, remember that Requip magic I mentioned before? Turns out Erza Scarlet has over 100 suits of armour and 100 weapons stored in that extra-dimensional space of hers. While this gives her unparalleled adaptability in combat, changing leaves her somewhat “exposed”. That’s right. The serious, focused character is also the fanservice character of the series, which is saying something considering the amount of fanservice on display in your average episode of Fairy Tail.
Because she is constantly changing into more and more ridiculous armours (including her Seduction Armour, which looks suspiciously like a maid’s outfit), Erza Scarlet has a very lax view toward nudity and even seems to have a bit of an exhibitionist streak to her. After catching the male members peeping on her, Wendy and Lucy bathing in some hot springs, for example, she invites them to join her. There is a dichotomy to Erza that I really enjoy — the balance between serious and silly that embodies the best parts of the Fairy Tail series.
If you’d like to see more of Erza Scarlet, check out Fairy Tail. Both the dub and the sub are streaming now on Funimation.
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