The world of Familiar of Zero is filled with powerful mages, and princess/queen Henrietta is not one of them. She may have a magical affinity for water, though we really never see her use it much, leading us to believe she isn’t a very powerful mage. She is, however, a queen and wields a different kind of power: the political kind. We see a young queen who uses her wit and guile to hold a kingdom under threat of invasion together. We know from many other aristocracy-driven anime that wrangling a bunch of often self-serving nobles is an extremely difficult task. He ability to keep the throne and rally the nobles and army are enough to put her on this list, even if she can’t make things explode with magic.

Vitarial is an elf. Yes, we have elves in this universe and they are the tall, good-looking kind too, no the making toys kind. The elves of this world live in the desert and don’t mingle much with the human population, so they have a reputation of being standoffish. The magic elves like Vitartial use is called “ancient magic” or “spirt magic,” and in some ways is significantly different than the magic the humans use. We see Vitartial use his magic without a wand to cast spells creating shields and projectiles. His depth of magical knowledge and his skill at alchemy easily puts him on the list at number nine.

Montmorency, or MonMon as Saito calls her, is a 16-year-old noble and a master of water magic. Like a lot of nobles, she is filled with pride and probably comes in a close second to Louise in the Tsundere categories. The petite blond with the drill curls is Guiche de Gramont’s (Saito’s eventual best friend’s) girlfriend -- at least most of the time -- and a pretty powerful mage. We witness this mainly when she is upset at Guiche and attempts to drown him in a blast of water. We also learn she is adept at making potions, too. Her ability to whip up a witch’s brew places her at 8th most powerful.

Guiche plays the part of the fool and the tool at times. We really don’t like him for being so snobbish towards Saito. He does warm up to our hero over time, and we think it’s mainly because they form a bond over both loving very difficult women. We do know right off the bat that Guiche is vain. He wears his wizard’s robe like a cape, carries around a rose to use as a wand, and is always concerned about how he looks in front of others, especially girls. Guiche is also a big flirt, which of course gets him in trouble with MonMon. Guiche’s personality traits aside, he is a very competent wizard and very good at earth-based magic. His beloved familiar is a mole the size of a horse that can sniff out gems in the earth. We see his skill at earth magic several times in the series, from making vines grow on command to creating walls from earth to boring a hole the size of a subway tunnel (just to get a peek at the girls’ bath). Guiche may be a bit of a douche, but he has absolute command of his elemental magic.

Jean Colbert is a teacher at the Tristain Academy of Magic. He has a keen in interest in science and is fascinated by the tales that Saito tells him about modern Tokyo. He is also very skilled in the use of his magic and is considered a triangle mage; you can think of that as an expert-level mage or like a Jedi master. Colbert is also a fan of peace and is very outspoken about his dislike of war. We find out that Colbert was once a soldier and committed atrocities under orders, a guilt that he always carries with him. Jean Colbert isn’t on this list because he has the power to destroy an entire town with fire magic (which he does) but for his intellectual curiosity, willingness to be outspoken with an unpopular opinion (anti-war), and the respect he garners from his students. He has the power to change the noble system from within, and in a society where birth is everything that is an amazing power indeed.

Agnes Chevalier de Milan is the Captain of the Tristian Musketeers, the queen’s personal guard. She has a rather buttoned-up personality, much like you’d imagine a bodyguard in a world with constant threats to their protectee. We see Agnes time and time again using her speed and agility to fight any number of quarries. The tall, blond, short-haired, young woman has a dislike of mages and their reliance on magic in battle. She is a soldier’s soldier in a world of very powerful and abundant magic and prefers to rely on her pistols and sword in order to fight. We think that tough-as-nails attitude is a good enough reason to give her a spot on this most powerful list.

Kirche is a strong-willed female student with a curvaceous body whose blood runs hot with passion for men. She also has a knack for industry and making money. We even get to see her use her spell-power to melt the foot of giant metal golem. She sponsored the creation of a propeller-driven flying ship as way to change the way man transits the skies in their world of sail-driven airships. We also agree that it makes a lot of sense that she would have an affinity for fire magic with such a passion for life. It’s a magical power she can use to great effect against any foe. Kirche as a captain of industry with the ability to wield magic and economic impact make her someone to be reckoned with.

Tabitha is a soft-spoken mage, knight and fellow student at the Tristian Magic Academy. She is a small girl who doesn’t seem a bit imposing or intimidating. The “looks imposing” part is the job of her familiar, a wind dragon named Sylphid. We see Tabitha as an unrivaled mage numerous times early on in the series, often bailing out Louise and Saito when they get into trouble over their heads. You will often find her reading in a corner, but she’s formidable when she puts down her book and picks up her shepherd’s crook that she uses for a wand. Her defensive skills are good, but her attacking spells, mainly materializing spears of ice, are something frightening. She is also the soon-to-be queen of the kingdom of Gallia, a position not easily won. She has a kingdom, the elements at her disposal as weapons, and a dragon. That easily places her in the number 3 spot on this list.

Saito is the most blessed and cursed person in the cast. He may also be considered the most patient man in the entire kingdom, or the one most glutton for punishment, because of his close relationship with extreme tsundere Louise. As Louise’s familiar, he was instilled with the power of the Gundolf. The Gundolf’s powers are granted to the familiar of the Void Mage, which, we find out is Louise. A gundolf’s powers let them master any weapon down to its basic components. You give him a fighter plane and he could strip it down and put it back together and fly it into combat. He does most of his battling with a sentient sword named Deiflinger. Saito tends to come out on top fighting most any foe, especially with Louise at his side. He even held off an army of 70,000 to buy time for the Tristian army to retreat. The battle against the 70,000 alone is reason enough to put him at number two.

Louise is a petite pink-haired girl packed with a lot of attitude. She is a noble and, at first, a terrible mage. We later find out that her natural magic isn’t compatible with most spells. We know there are a lot of opinions out there about Louise, many of them poor, because she can be, well, a royal bitch. She is, however, the most powerful character in the Familiar of Zero universe. Shall we count up her points? She’s heir to the throne of Tristian (a position she earned not inherited), has a familiar who ranks at number 2 on this list, and the powers of a void mage, letting her dispel almost any magic. Oh, and her explosion spell, you see that to various effect at least twice an episode. We know that she will never win miss congeniality but we all can agree she is the most powerful of all characters in Familiar of Zero.