User blog comment:Henshin1971/Fairy Tail Unofficial Vote Part 4/@comment-1776824-20130311042934

Well, Let's go through the list, shall we?

1. Laxus - He's gone through his ups and downs. When he was first introduced, he was kind of like the Nucky Thompson of Fairy Tail: willing to do whatever, whenever, wherever, for the sake of what he believed to be right. That's pretty respectable. Upon the revelation of his Master Plan (lol, get it? Master? >_>) his dickheadedness went right through the roof, but my respect for him continued to grow, especially after he was excommunicated by Makarov. He just wanted to make the one thing he loved most in the world the absolute best it could be. Not to mention he was the first revealed 2nd Gen. Dragon Slayer. Fairy Tail had one long before Natsu, which made Laxus just that much more cooler. Even after his redemption, Laxus still remained a boss, in fact, the most boss out of EVERY boss. Even his speech about Master's enemies being his enemies, and Fairy Tail being his only family were really touching, and his strength just kept on becoming even more apparent. As of late, however, Laxus' character has received some..."unwelcome" changes. People feel that Laxus was made too powerful, even for Laxus, and that him taking Natsu's speech lessened his badass attitude that we've all come to love. I feel that his strength may have been a bit overplayed, but it wasn't like it was an easy victory. Laxus got his ass HANDED to him by Jura. Laxus was just one step ahead of the game, that's all. And I wasn't exactly fond of how he used Natsu's catchphrase, but it was a sign of respect, nonetheless, although I feel that THAT was what took away from his character.

2. Mystogan - Jellal #3, eh (Before you say something, remember Siegrain?)? He was cool in his own right. I mean, how often do you have two of the same really cool character in a story? Really? His Magic was cool, because, essentially, he didn't have any Magic of his own, and was relying on the limitless Eternano in Earth Land to fuel his power. So, he was relying on some Magic wood to fight, and he was the strongest of the strong. Mystogan stayed pretty solid throughout his introduction until his departure. So, he's pretty much covered.

3. Erza - Gah...don't get me started. Erza went through some major character development, that's for sure. Her backstory was quite interesting as well. Her feelings were touched upon quite a few times, and it's always nice to see some work done a character who isn't the central pillar of a story. She can make Natsu and the others scared, that's that's for sure, and her attitude can be quite good for comic relief. Erza, however, has had one problem that's been consistent throughout the story: PLOT ARMOR! She literally has an armor for EVERY FUCKING OCCASION, and although her Magic is cool and fan-servicy, it gets a little annoying how she can constantly overwhelm every single person who comes along, unless she gets interrupted by something. If she didn't get interrupted by Natsu when they were fighting Laxus...*shudder*...I can only imagine. To make matters worse, she apparently has kept her Second Origin hidden until recently, meaning that she defeated all 100 monsters in her base state, with no change in strength after the 7 years of hibernation. An now, she literally has the God Armor. She can breaks the Laws of Magic, which in Fairy Tail, is like Space-Time. So, yeah. Erza just became God. -_______-

4. Mirajane - Mirajane was always sweet and kind, and it was a shocker when she was revealed to have been an S-Class Mage. After her powers were returned to her, we found out just why she was called "The Demon", and truly how badass she could be. Her cute attitude has remained constant, but her actions are now laced with a hint of terror, as she can now bring a punch in the face to the fighting table. >:3

5. Gildarts - Gildarts was mentioned quite a few times, the first time as "The Geezer", the second time by Gajeel, who actually used his name, and again by Mystogan, who referred to Gildarts as the strongest Mage in Fairy Tail. We don't find out, however, exactly who Gildarts is until about a year after that last mentioned chapter is released, when he comes home to Magnolia, breaking EVERYTHING apart in the process. We find out quickly, though, that Gildarts isn't on top, as he got his ass handed to him by Acnologia, and that was why he returned to the Guild. It isn't until his trial with Natsu that we see exactly how strong he is. Natsu, the guy who never gives up, the guy who always finds a way to beat his opponent, only forced Gildarts to take 2 steps back, WITH his strongest attack. What's more, he effortlessly defeated Bluenote (after his Magic Power returned to him, that is. I mean, you can't expect a Magic-less guy to beat Magic-empowered guy, even if he is friggin' strong. The odds are too stacked). And, during Chapter 299, we find out that Gildarts can destroy an entire village just by falling on the ground. Too funny.

Conclusion : I'm sticking with Laxus. Although his character has been diminished, he got his badass back during his confrontation with Sting: standing there like a Mafia boss, coat blowing in the breeze, arms crossed, ready for an old-fashioned blow-out. He's really powerful, really cool, and is my third favorite character, overall. I respect what Hiro has done to Laxus and every other character (EXCEPT ERZA!!!!!!!!! Seriously, OP much? >_>).

So, those are my thoughts. :3