Strong Women in Geek Culture, Part 2: Erza Scarlet

Oh, you thought I was going to stick with Dragon Ball, didn’t you? Silly. Why should I limit myself when there are SO MANY badass anime women out there?  My next subject is actually a recent addition to my list because it is from a relatively new anime. Maybe you’ve seen her. She is sublime.

Her name is Erza Scarlet. She is often called Titania, and everyone in the Fairy Tail guild is terrified of her. She first appeared on the scene in the Fairy Tail manga in 2006, and then in the first season of Fairy Tail in 2009. But why is she so amazing? What makes Erza Scarlet worthy of this list?

Erza Scarlet’s character design is iconic, with her striking red hair and armor adorned with blades and weapons. Her fierce personality and fighting skills are matched by her resourcefulness, as she always seems to have the right tool for the job. One of her signature moves is “The Knight,” where she transforms her armor into different forms with various weapons, including a Mini Katana. It’s no wonder that fans of Fairy Tail and collectors of anime merchandise alike would love to have a pocket knife inspired by Erza Scarlet’s Mini Katana to add to their collection. Her strength, bravery, and ingenuity make her a fan favorite and a standout among badass anime women.

• Requip! Let’s face it- her magic, called Requip, allows her to don armors and weapons that are not only beautiful but deadly. It is said that she possesses over 100 different armors and weapons. Her particular form of Requip is known as The Knight, which goes hand in hand with… 
• Sword Magic. Unlike most Mages, Erza can command two forms of magic, the second being Sword Magic. She can use her swords to perform different magical attacks and even has one sword form, called Demon Blade Crimson Sakura, in which she forgoes armor and defense and focuses all of her magical might and skill into one blade for maximum offensive power (and it looks kind of bad ass.)  She is also the only Sword Mage who can swap weapons and armors mid battle. These two magics also allow her to mix and match different armors and weapons, depending on her needs (for instance, equipping the Sea Empress Armor with the Lightning Empress Staff to increase her resistance to water-based magic and increase her attacks against water by using its natural conductivity).
• She is a master of melee combat. She doesn’t even need her Requip magic to kick some ass. She is a blademaster beyond peers, and she’s trained in hand-to-hand combat. She is not limited to using swords, however, as she has been seen wielding lances, axes, and staves as well as her bare hands and feet.
• That being said, she prizes strength of character over strength of arm or magic. “All I need is the power to be able to protect my comrades. So long as I have the strength to do that, I don’t care if I’m weaker than everyone in the world.” She understands that without strength of will, strength of arm is pointless.  
• Considering that however, she possesses massive physical strength. She has been seen, on several occasions, lifting and dragging items several times her size.
• She had a tragic childhood. (We’ll keep this as spoiler free as possible.) She grew up in a tower, enslaved by a cult dedicated to resurrecting a Dark Mage. She helped lead a slave revolt at the age of 11, and, in a fit of rage, discovered her Requip magic, slaughtered the guards she was fighting against, lost her best friend, and led the slaves to freedom.
• She’s missing a freakin’ eye. That’s right. She lost her right eye to torture during the slave revolt she led and has a magical prosthetic. When she cries, she only cries tears out of her left eye (there is only one instance where this isn’t the case, but… SPOILERS.)
• She’s socially awkward. Impatient, reserved, strict, and often overly critical of her guildmates (they apologize profusely to avoid incurring her wrath), Erza’s social skills leave a lot to be desired. Because of these things and her troubled younger years, she is often avoided in social situations because Erza just doesn’t know how to engage with people. She also can’t hold her liquor, which doesn’t help.
• She’s the youngest S-Class Mage in Fairy Tail. S-Class is the highest rank of Mage in Fiore, and she took – and passed-her S-Class Mage Promotion Trial at the age of 15.
• She is willing to sacrifice everything to save Natsu, Lucy, and Gray in the Tower of Heaven. She was willing to give her life to prevent a massive, magical explosion from ripping apart the world and her friends.

Erza Scarlet is a Mage not to be trifled with, but a woman with a heart of gold despite a troubled past. She can bring the pain when she needs to, but puts her friends’ lives above her own and will do anything for those closest to her. She kicks ass, takes names, and looks amazing doing it.  She is more than deserving of a spot on the list of Strong Women in Geek Culture.

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