Meliodas's Powers From The Seven Deadly Sins Explained
As the leader of the titular band of knights, few characters are as outright powerful as Meliodas from the anime, "The Seven Deadly Sins." He may appear like a middle schooler thanks to his short and scrawny stature, but the short stack really is a pint-sized powerhouse. As the eldest son of the Demon King (via Seven Deadly Sins Wiki), Meliodas packs enough of a punch to level entire kingdoms if he so desires. Add onto that his various weapons, magical abilities, and attack modes, and Meliodas makes for one tough opponent.
Still, that's a lot to account for. Over the centuries, Meliodas has acquired no small amount of weapons and abilities to help him defeat his foes. This has given him quite the reputation. If people don't respect and awe him, they probably fear him. But what is it about Meliodas' powers that makes him so formidable in "The Seven Deadly Sins?"
Swordsmanship and strength are Meliodas' bread and butter
While Meliodas is no shrimp when it comes to how much magical power he packs in that tiny form, the real star of his show comes in physical strength, something which can be attributed to his demon heritage. Just on his own, the boy is powerful enough to split an entire mountain in two with the single swing of a common stick. In fact, he typically uses a broken sword because it keeps him from using his full power. Even so, swinging the hilt of his busted blade can create powerful shockwaves.
Another thing Meliodas does just to test his strength is compete in arm wrestling competitions with his fellow Deadly Sin, Bam. When the two really get going, the force exhibited by their struggle is enough to bring down the buildings around them. In one case, the building in question was the entirety of the Baste Dungeon. With his supreme strength and speed — the latter of which makes him fast enough to create afterimages — Meliodas is a force to be reckoned with such that he generally relies on it in favor of magic.
He also has some magic tricks up his sleeve to enhance his fighting style
While Meliodas is more than physically impressive enough to tango with most opponents, strength and speed alone simply don't cut it in the world of "The Seven Deadly Sins." No, to really compete you need some kind of magic, or at least a counter to magic. In Meliodas' case, he has a signature counter-move that makes most magical attacks moot at best. It's called Full Counter, and as its name implies, it is the perfect move to rebuff any magical attack launched at him. Simply put, the ability allows Meliodas to reflect any magic-based attack at him with equal or greater force. Meliodas can also increase the power of his counters by using it in combination with the sword Lostvayne, which splits him into multiple copies, effectively allowing him to counter a single attack multiple times.
Another common power Meliodas uses is his Hellblaze. This thick, black flame is another ability granted by his demonic powers and can be used for a variety of purposes. When it comes to swordplay, however, Meliodas can use it to greatly enhance the destructive abilities of his strikes. One such technique for accomplishing this task is the Kami Chigiri, which surrounds his blade with Hellblaze for a more impactful strike.
All of this is greatly empowered by Meliodas' Demon Mark Modes
Despite being the son of the Demon King, Meliodas is a relatively well-behaved demon. He accepts the more empathetic, emotional side of his being, thus making him a bit of a disgrace in the demon world. However, Meliodas wasn't always that way. Back when he served the Demon Clan as the leader of the Ten Commandment knights, he could be incredibly cruel and careless. Even after leaving the demons behind, however, he can revert to this emotionless state when transformed into one of his more powerful Demon Mark Modes.
In general, Meliodas' regular Demon Mark Mode is just a simple power-up. The shadowy Demon Mark on his body grows and all of his powers increase greatly. The more Meliodas allows his Demon Mark to grow, however, the more powerful he becomes at the cost of his humanity. The most powerful of these modes, Assault Mode, easily makes Meliodas one of the most powerful people in the world. However, it also causes him to essentially fully revert to his demonic personality.
Meliodas' Demon Modes also give him access to a brand new ability. As the Demon Mark grows, Meliodas gains the ability to manipulate shadows. He can fashion them into weapons, extra limbs, wings, and pretty much anything else he imagines. They're a huge help on the battlefield and they're one of the reasons (along with everything else we've mentioned) that he is so feared.