The power of friendship has always been a popular recurring trope in shonen anime, but no series has made the trope quite as popular as Fairy Tail. One of the most prevalent tropes in the series, the power of friendship has proven to be the deciding factor for many fights and events in Fairy Tail.
Due to how often it is implemented, the power of friendship trope has given rise to some of the most striking moments in the series, many of which have become iconic in their own right. Of all the moments the characters of Fairy Tail have had to rely on friendship, these are the moments that stand out the most.
9 Lucy And Juvia's Unison Raid
Many spells in the Fairy Tail universe work by having strong bonds with others, and one such spell is the Unison Raid. This spell functions by having two mages combine two spells of the same type to create a more powerful spell.
The Unison Raid was first used by Lucy Heartfilia and Juvia Lockser during their fight against Vidaldus Taka of Trinity Raven. Although Jellal, Vidaldus' superior at the time, noted the difficulty of utilizing Unison Raid, Lucy and Juvia's combined water spell was powerful enough to bypass Vidaldus' water absorption and defeat him.
8 The Fairy Sphere
After successfully driving away the dark guild Grimoire Heart from Tenrou Island, Fairy Tail's Tenrou Team is almost immediately attacked by Acnologia, having been drawn by the dark mage Zeref's presence on the island. After easily fending off the Fairy Tail mage's attacks, Acnologia fires a Dragon's Roar that seemingly obliterates Tenrou Island and everyone on it.
Seven years later, it is revealed that Tenrou Island is still intact due to Fairy Tail's first master Mavis Vermillion's intervention. Having converted the bonds between the Fairy Tail members into magic power, Mavis could cast Fairy Sphere to defend against Acnologia and keep both the island and its inhabitants in a stasis.
7 Laxus Vs. Raven Tail
After Team Fairy Tail A wins the Pandemonium event of the Grand Magic Games, Laxus is chosen to fight the mysterious mage Alexei for the third match of the day. In truth, the match turns out to be an illusion; Alexei is revealed to be Ivan Dreyar, Raven Tail's guild master, who confronts Laxus alongside the rest of his guild.
Having failed to get any information regarding the Lumen Histoire, Team Raven Tail attacks only to be beaten back by Laxus, who is hellbent on avenging his humiliated friends. Though Ivan derides Laxus for attacking his own father, Laxus declares Fairy Tail to be his family and promptly defeats him, destroying his illusion in the process.
6 Erza Vs. Kagura
Out of all the characters in Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet seemingly has the most moments in which she utilizes the power of friendship in her battles. One of those moments occurs during the Grand Magic Games when Erza is pitted against Kagura Mikazuchi, the Mermaid Heel guild's ace.
When Erza decides to take the blame for the death of Simon, Kagura's older brother, Kagura snaps and finally unsheathes her powerful Blade of Resentment, Archenemy, which annihilates a portion of Crocus in the process. However, Erza manages to defend herself against her attack solely through her resolve to live for her friends.
5 Erza defeats Minerva
Immediately after her fight against Kagura, Erza finds herself confronted by the Sabertooth guild's ace, Minerva Orland. Despite her best efforts, a severely injured Erza is barely able to defend herself against Minerva's spatial Territory magic, with which she is assaulted relentlessly.
However, Erza is suddenly not only able to stand despite her injured foot, but she is also able to evade and defend herself against Minerva's magic. Declaring that her strength is also that of Fairy Tail, Erza releases her Second Origin and smites Minerva with her new Nakagami Armor.
4 Erza Vs. Kyoka
The battle between Erza and Kyoka proved to not only be one of the more built-up fights in Fairy Tail, but also a battle in which the power of friendship was extremely noticeable. While their first fight was interrupted, their rematch is where things reach their boiling point between Erza and Kyoka.
After destroying Erza's strongest armors, Kyoka proceeds to rob Erza of her five senses while increasing her sensitivity to pain. Miraculously enough, Erza is still able to stand up and pummel Kyoka before cutting her down; the reason for this is summed up by a nearby Happy: because she's Erza.
3 Natsu Topples A Battle God
The battle against the Zeref-worshipping Avatar cult may have been brief, but it also gave fans a glimpse at how much stronger the main characters had gotten since the war against Tartarus. But it seemed as though their power of friendship received a massive power-up as well, as shown during the battle's climax.
Faced with imminent defeat, Alok, the high priest of Avatar, summons Ikutsu-Tsunagi, one of the Eighteen Battle Gods of Yakuma, by sacrificing the other cult members. However, angered at Alok's actions, Natsu ultimately destroys Ikutsu-Tsunagi with his new Flame Dragon King's Destruction Fist spell, declaring to never underestimate the power of friendship.
2 Gray Defeats Invel
After reuniting with his scattered friends, Gray soon finds himself face-to-face with Invel Yura, one of the Spriggan Twelve, who overpowers him with his own Ice and Snow Magic. Eventually, Invel forces Gray and Juvia to fight to the death, resulting in the latter two incapacitating themselves.
However, Gray is later revitalized by Juvia's Water Make spell and goes on to face Invel again. Enraged by Juvia's supposed loss, Gray manages to use Invel's own ice against him and win, thwarting Invel's plans of having Gray defeat E.N.D.
1 Natsu Defeats Acnologia
After finding themselves in a time rift, Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers finally face Acnologia, who intends to wipe them out of existence once and for all. It is this fight in which Acnologia's immunity to magic is fully shown as he easily repels all the Dragon Slayers' attacks.
Though they were outmatched, Natsu and the others nonetheless continue to fight due to wanting to return to their friends and loved ones outside the time rift. In the end, Acnologia was finally defeated by Natsu's Seven Fire Dragon's Power, which he obtained after absorbing the magic power from his fellow Dragon Slayers.