User blog comment:Thewaterdragonslayer/Personal Reflections on the Differences Between 1st Generation Dragon Slayers and the Other Generations/@comment-188.171.27.28-20130207225715/@comment-219.87.176.11-20130208050411

I never said they were not strong, but just their Dragon Slayer magic.

During Laxus fight vs raven Tail, there is definitely signs pointing that his Roar without dragon force mode looks a bit less powerful than with it (his roar is narrower).