15 Strongest Harry Potter Characters, Ranked

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When ranking all eight "Harry Potter" books, including "The Cursed Child," one thing becomes abundantly clear: They're all very solid stories that expand the Wizarding World in interesting ways. Some choices are more questionable than others, like whatever was going on with those Triwizard Tournament rules, but this saga remains relatable because it's about a young boy discovering the true power within himself. 

As such, many powerful wizards get introduced throughout the "Harry Potter" series. Some aim to kill Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) while others want to help him and ultimately give their lives to protect him. The movies do a better job of visualizing each wizards' powers, but we'll also be diving into the books, which often offer more lore than what's possible to illustrate within two hours of screen time. 

While wizards like Godric Griffindor and Salazar Slytherin sound plenty powerful, they aren't included here since they're more myths than actual characters within "Harry Potter." We want to examine the strongest "Harry Potter" characters who actually do stuff over the course of the books/films.

Here are the strongest Harry Potter characters, ranked.

The "Fantastic Beasts" movies were a bad choice for the "Harry Potter" franchise, taking the series in a direction no one wanted. Still, they had a pretty fun protagonist in the form of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). He's a bit awkward but immensely empathetic, especially toward magical creatures, and therein lies the source of his power. 

For example, through his collaboration with a Swooping Evil, Newt's able to momentarily distract Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp, later Mads Mikkelsen). His lack of a plan proves useful since Grindelwald can look into the future, and Newt then restrains him. Grindelwald will come up later in this list, so it's a testament to Newt's ingenuity that he was able to get the better of a much more powerful wizard. Plus, Newt uses the Swooping Evil's venom to concoct a formula to erase every New Yorker's memory, making them forget all of the magic they saw previously. What Newt lacks in pure strength, he makes up for with creativity and an understanding of creatures no one else possesses. 

As a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Nymphadora Tonks (Natalia Tena) is understandably a very powerful Auror. The main attribute that separates her from other wizards is her proficiency as a Metamorphmagus. This means she can change her appearance at will, whether it's merely her hair color or taking the form of another person without the use of a polyjuice potion. 

She could be in the room with anyone, and they wouldn't even realize, making her an exceptional spy. But she can also hold her own as a duelist, having participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, as well as the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, taking down numerous Death Eaters on both occasions. Sadly, she met her end at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) during the Battle of Hogwarts, but it makes sense for a powerful wizard to die dueling an even stronger wizard. 

Despite being on the run throughout most of his tenure in the "Harry Potter" series, Sirius Black's (Gary Oldman) reputation precedes him. For starters, he mastered the art of the Animagus, which allows him to transform into any animal at will, as opposed to merely being a werewolf like Remus Lupin (David Thewlis). Unlike a Metamorphmagus like Tonks, which is passed on hereditarily, being an Animagus requires skill and patience, and it's something Sirius mastered when he was still one of the Maruaders at Hogwarts, a storyline that deserved more attention in the films. 

It's a good thing he mastered this ability, as it proved instrumental in his escape from Azkaban, making him the only person ever to do so. He was able to slip through the bars while in his dog form and swim to freedom. It's also a testament to his prowess that his mind was as sharp as it was upon his escape. With Azkaban filled with Dementors, creatures that feed on happiness, Sirius was still able to find joy once more upon being reunited with his godson, Harry. 

When audiences first meet Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody (Brendan Gleeson), he's acting a little different. That's because he's actually been imprisoned and replaced with Barty Crouch Jr. (David Tennant) to resurrect Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and kill Harry Potter. He may not seem all that powerful when we finally meet the real "Mad Eye" Moody locked up in a trunk, but rest assured, he proves his might on plenty of occasions. 

In the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" book, Harry asks Charlie Weasley about Moody's exploits, to which he says, "He was an Auror — one of the best ... a Dark wizard catcher. Half the cells in Azkaban are full because of him." Let's just say it's a good thing Barty Crouch Jr. didn't try to tangle with him when he was in his prime dueling state, or things might've gone way differently. On top of that, he put protections over the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters so strong that no Death Eater could break them. 

From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," it was abundantly clear Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) was destined for great things. She's far more intelligent than her peers, and she frequently demonstrates skillsets far behind what others at her age should know. She's able to craft a polyjuice potion during her second year at Hogwarts (even if she accidentally turned herself into a cat), and she was deemed worthy enough of using a time turner during her third year to attend more classes. It seems dangerous to give any 13-year-old access to time travel, but as far as the Ministry of Magic's concerned, it's one of their least worrisome decisions. 

Hermione isn't just smart on paper though. During the events of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," she casts a series of spells to hide her whereabouts with Harry and Ron (Rupert Grint). While it's just a quick moment in the film franchise, Hermione performs Obliviate on her parents to wipe their memories of her. It's a tricky spell to get right, so as not to completely erase someone's mind, but Hermione seemingly did it perfectly. 

When all's said and done, Harry and his friends are only able to defeat Voldemort in the end thanks to Aberforth Dumbledore (Ciarán Hinds). The Dumbledore family tree can get a bit unwieldy, but any fan should know Aberforth's significance. He kept an eye on the trio throughout their "Deathly Hallows" journey and gets them back into Hogwarts, ultimately joining the Battle of Hogwarts. His most impressive feat during this encounter is summoning a Patronus so powerful it drives away an entire horde of Dementors. 

According to lore, when Aberforth was a younger man, he got into a three-way duel with his brother, Albus (Richard Harris, later Michael Gambon), and Grindelwald. This only occurred after Grindelwald used the Cruciatus curse on Aberforth, an extremely powerful torture spell that Aberforth survived. Albus and Aberforth would work together in "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore," and Aberforth's power is displayed when he plays a crucial role in stopping Grindelwald's plan with the qilin. It's not easy living in the shadow of one of the most famous wizards of all time, but Aberforth continually proved that there's always strength in being a Dumbledore. 

The series may be named after him, but Harry Potter himself is far from the strongest character. That doesn't mean he lacks in power, as he's obviously The Boy Who Lived, the one who managed to defeat Voldemort when he was a baby. Granted, that was due to him having a protection from his mother's love. It's a good showcase of how Harry's able to save the day most of the time, as it comes down to others doing much of the heavy lifting while Harry delivers the finishing blow or just so happens to get lucky. 

Still, luck can't explain everything. He still manages to survive the Avada Kedavra killing curse twice. He's able to produce a Patronus when he's just 13 years old, something that everyone insists is a big deal. And at the end of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," he's the one who kills Voldemort once and for all. Help or no help, Harry is plenty powerful, and if we saw more of his adventures when he's older as an Auror, he'd probably be even more impressive. 

Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) from the "Fantastic Beasts" series is one of the strongest "Harry Potter" characters around, but it's almost by accident. He possesses a powerful force known as an Obscurus, which manifests as a giant black cloud that destroys everything in its path, and in one instance, we see Credence take out most of a mountain. While other Obscurials are victims to this parasitic entity, Credence learns to somewhat control it, and Grindelwald manipulates him from the shadows so that hopefully he can one day kill Albus Dumbledore. 

When Credence learns he himself is part of the Dumbledore family tree, he decides against killing one of his relatives. But if Credence continued down a path of villainy, there's a very good chance he could've grown powerful enough to kill Albus Dumbledore. When it comes to ranking "Harry Potter" villains, Credence is low on the list, since he rarely exhibits his own agency. But when it comes to pure force, few can match his sheer strength. 

There's no denying Bellatrix Lestrange is one of the most fun characters to watch in all the "Harry Potter" movies. Helena Bonham Carter is clearly having a blast playing the deranged character, who's one of Voldemort's most loyal soldiers. She's capable of taking on multiple witches at once, as the novel "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" tells us: "Like her master, she dueled three at once: Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, all battling their hardest, but Bellatrix was equal to them."

Bellatrix also has quite the kill count. She takes out both Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks, and she even kills Dobby by throwing a knife. She didn't even need magic for that one. With all that in mind, it might seem anticlimactic that Bellatrix was ultimately killed by Molly Weasley (Julie Walters), but that's only because she underestimated her opponent and didn't think she was a threat. There's something poetic about her demise, but if she had lived, she very easily could've commanded an army of her own. 

Early in the series, it seems like Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) is simply a strict transfiguration teacher. But she proves herself time and time again throughout the series, particularly during the Battle of Hogwarts. She takes charge and leads Aurors and students into battle, holding her own against various Death Eaters. She even animates statues to hold off Voldemort's forces, and she goes up against the Dark Lord herself alongside Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) and Kingsley Shacklebolt (George Harris). Even if it was three-on-one, it's impressive to duel Voldemort and live to speak of it.

She duels Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), and like Sirius Black, she's adept at transforming into an animal, which in her case is a cat. It's safe to say McGonagall is probably just as powerful as someone like Bellatrix, but she has a much calmer mind. If there was anyone worthy to become headmistress of Hogwarts after Albus Dumbledore, it's McGonagall. 

For proof of Severus Snape's (Alan Rickman, who didn't like the "Harry Potter" movies) strength, just look at how both Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort valued him. He was working as a double agent and ultimately sided with Dumbledore to take down Voldemort, yet the Dark Lord was willing to overlook any apparent connections to Dumbledore and welcome him amongst his ranks. 

In fact, Snape's greatest feat is probably in his mastery of occlumency, which allows him to shield his mind from Voldemort. He tries to teach Harry this power so that Voldemort can't read his mind, but we have no idea just how much Snape excels at it until "The Deathly Hallows." Obviously, he's also a proficient potions master, and "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" reveals how he came up with various unique spells all on his own, like Sectumsempra, which leaves lasting lacerations on an opponent. Snape has a deep understanding of magic and everything that surrounds it, and it was Voldemort himself who finally killed Snape, by way of the snake Nagini.

Nicolas Flamel (Brontis Jodorowsky) first gets referenced in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" as the creator of the titular substance. The material produces the Elixir of Life, which grants the user eternal life. On its own, this is already an incredible usage of magic, as it allowed Flamel to live for well over 600 years before his death in the 1990s. 

Fortunately, we actually get to see Flamel in action in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald." Despite his frail state from still being several centuries old at this point, he proves his power extends well beyond the Sorcerer's Stone. At the end of "Crimes of Grindelwald," the titular bad guy unleashes a dark magic that threatens all of Paris, France. Flamel leads other wizards to subdue the fire, so considering he's able to quell a dark force summoned by Grindelwald, it's clear his magic is incredibly powerful. He's more than just some old guy. 

Voldemort isn't just one of the most powerful wizards in the "Harry Potter" universe; he's one of the best movie villains of all time. Others are frightened to even say his name throughout much of the series, and there's good reason for them to be scared. 

He clearly has a mastery of the dark arts, with one of his most unique powers being that of legilimency, the ability to read minds, and he's able to look into Harry's thoughts even when they're far apart physically. He was also able to split his soul into the seven horcruxes, allowing him to achieve a level of immortality similar to that of Nicolas Flamel. If he had just put one part of his soul in a random object that meant held no significance to him, maybe he could've lived until the end of the series. As it stands, he racked up quite the kill count during his various rampages, and the final book had to be split into two movies to show just how difficult he is to kill. 

The "Fantastic Beasts" movies occur before Voldemort's reign of terror, but they still needed a great antagonist. Enter Gellert Grindelwald, who's arguably even more powerful than Voldemort. He wields the Elder Wand throughout much of his time in the "Fantastic Beasts" series and manages to conquer a good chunk of Europe. Whereas Voldemort mostly wants to achieve immortality, killing anyone who poses a threat to that goal, Grindelwald has clearer parallels to real-world dictators. He aims to rule the world, and he very easily could've done it. 

Grindelwald is responsible for many of the best moments of "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Dumbledore," as his past romantic relationship with Albus (then played by Jude Law) gives their underlying duel incredible tension. It also helps that Mads Mikkelsen makes the character far more nefarious than Johnny Depp previously. The Grindelwald vs. Dumbledore duel is certainly one for the ages, and it's appropriate that the only wizard who could defeat him is the one at the top of this list...

There's really no question as to who the strongest "Harry Potter" character of all time is. Albus Dumbledore defeats Grindelwald and acquires use of the Elder Wand, typically considered the most powerful wand in the Wizarding World. From there, he becomes a master tactician and proficient with all forms of magic. For the first few books, we largely see him spout off words of wisdom to Harry, but he proves his might in a duel with Voldemort in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" that ends with Voldemort retreating. 

Yes, Snape kills Dumbledore in "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," but that was all part of his grand plan. Dumbledore was dying anyway and knew that Snape killing him was a way for him to totally earn Voldemort's trust. It also shows how Dumbledore could see the big picture. While Voldemort wanted to avoid death at all costs, Dumbledore welcomed death if it meant Harry and his friends could grow up without the looming threat of the Dark Lord always in the background.