Olorin, Mithrandir, Old Greybeard, Stormcrow: Gandalf goes by many names. That’s what happens when you’ve been alive longer than the world itself. The Grey Wizard’s presence in The Lord of the Rings is iconic, and while he exudes calm, control, and often even kindness, beneath that exterior is someone widely regarded as one of the most powerful beings to ever walk Middle-earth.
Gandalf’s powers are many, from controlling fire, water, and light to creating illusions, curing wounds, and amplifying his voice, and that power was only increased following his resurrection into Gandalf the White. However, even with that immense power at his disposal, these video game mages could mop the floor with him. They may not be as intelligent as Gandalf, but they are absolutely more powerful.
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Yennefer (The Witcher)
The Pale Lady Of Vengerberg
If you’re thinking solely of The Witcher Netflix series, you may not think Yennefer of Vengerberg could hang with Gandalf, let alone overpower him. However, that is a young, immature interpretation of the character (and later seasons definitely amp up her abilities); Yennefer in The Witcher video games and the books they’re based on could toss Gandalf around with ease.
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Yennefer’s powers come from her control over chaos, a primal energy that effectively created the entire world in which The Witcher takes place. She can obviously control the elements, like fire and lightning, but she can also create massive portals as well as impenetrable defensive shields. She notably managed to shield all of Kaer Morhen by herself. In the books, she is one of the only people to ever tame a djinn successfully. With one of those by her side, Yennefer could blink Gandalf out of existence.
Cloud Of Darkness (Final Fantasy)
The Personification Of The Void
A recurring boss in the Final Fantasy series, Cloud of Darkness is so powerful that it barely even qualifies as a magic user; it’s effectively a force of nature. It may look human, but that’s just how it manifests itself. Cloud of Darkness is the physical representation of the Void, a formless entity with world-altering powers that seeks to wipe out all life in the universe.
First appearing in Final Fantasy 3, Cloud of Darkness represents the game’s ultimate challenge, boasting not just obscene offensive power but also a nigh-impenetrable defense that stifles virtually any attack. In its next appearance in Final Fantasy 11, we learn a bit more about its backstory. Cloud of Darkness is an entity that consumes both light and darkness, killing everything in its path and leaving a lifeless world called Escha in its wake. What’s Gandalf going to do about that?
Magus (Chrono Trigger)
The Vengeful Prince Janus
Acting as both a companion and one of Chrono Trigger’s primary antagonists, Magus, also known as Prince Janus, is a powerful magic user who outclasses virtually every other mage in the game. One of your other companions in the game, Frog, was once a human named Glenn. After Magus killed Glenn’s best friend, Cyrus, Glenn tries to avenge him. Magus effortlessly transforms Glenn into an anthropomorphic frog for his trouble.
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Magus has several advantages that give him a massive edge over Gandalf. For one, depending on how these hypothetical timelines stack up, Magus has traveled to the future. Presumably, he would know things that are going to happen before they happen, such as where and when Gandalf would appear. Second, Magus can create black holes. Gandalf is powerful, but getting ripped apart by gravity is probably more than he can handle.
Gale (Baldur’s Gate 3)
Mystra’s Chosen
Gandalf could meet Gale at virtually any stage of his adult life, and he would get stomped regardless. In his younger days, Gale was Mystra’s chosen. Mystra is the literal Goddess of Magic, and with her favor, Gale is easily one of the most powerful mortal magic users in the world. Later, after he is cursed with Netheril magic, Gale basically becomes a walking magic bomb. If he were to go off anywhere near Gandalf, both wizards would be annihilated in the blast.
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At the end of Baldur’s Gate 3 (assuming he survives and claims the Crown of Karsus), Gale becomes the God of Ambition. In a few short months, he abandons his humanity and stops thinking of mortals as anything close to his equals. He isn’t a cruel god, but it’s hard to call him “kind” either. We don’t exactly know the extent of his powers at this point, but it’s safe to assume they’re beyond anything his mortal self could accomplish. Gandalf may be a maiar, but it’s hard to imagine he could contend with a literal god.
Ranni (Elden Ring)
The Empyrean Demigod
As the daughter of Rennala and Radagon, Ranni the Witch was raised as a demigod from birth, first by her mother and father, and later, after Radagon abandoned Rennala and married Queen Marika, by her stepmother, the ruler of The Lands Between. Despite that already high status, Ranni was elevated above her demigod siblings by the Two Fingers, who saw her as powerful enough to succeed Markia as the next ruler, and named her an Empyrean as a result.
Since Ranni ultimately rejects her Empyrean title and her connection to the Greater Will, killing her body and transferring her spirit into a doll’s body in the process, she might not be a match for Gandalf during the events of Elden Ring. However, following the Age of Stars ending, Ranni returns to her body, severs the Greater Will’s connection to The Lands Between, and restores the free will of its people. Then, she sets off to travel the cosmos. The power to unseat an eldrich god and cast them from the world is something that even Gandalf can’t aspire to.
Dracula (Castlevania)
King Of The Night
While he is most famous for being a vampire lord, many forget that Draclua is also depicted as a powerful sorcerer in the Castlevania series. That’s how he became a vampire in the first place, by tampering with The Crimson Stone and absorbing the soul of a dead vampire lord, Walter Bernhard, contained within. It’s also believed that he is connected to an evil god known only as Chaos, though whether Dracula’s powers come from Chaos or Bernhard’s soul is not clear.
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Along with his immortality, Dracula can perform an array of dark magic spells. Dracula has mastery of fire, able to conjure and control it at will, along with the ability to absorb the souls of monsters and make use of any powers they may have had. He can create loyal monsters out of any matter, all of which will do his bidding. He can change forms, most commonly into mist or a bat, but with several larger and more hideous forms at his disposal as well. Then there’s his castle, which Draclua can teleport to anywhere on Earth at will. He is the epitome of “the guy you don’t want to mess with.” Gandalf would certainly have a tough time holding his own against Dracula, but even if he won, the Lord of the Night would simply resurrect in a few years.
Bayonetta (Bayonetta)
The Forbidden Child
Let’s be real here: Bayonetta would run circles around Gandalf. Even if they were on the same level power-wise, she’s simply faster than he is. Gandalf is no slouch in the magic department, but when it comes to physical prowess, while he’s stronger than his old-man appearance may suggest, he’s not exactly youthful. Bayonetta, meanwhile, can throw satellites and headbutt skyscrapers. Plus, it’s hard to imagine how exactly the White Wizard would deal with a gun (or four).
Unfortunately for Gandalf, Bayonetta’s magical abilities outclass his as well. She’s a powerful telekinetic and can control microscopic elemental forces, such as the moisture in the air. She also has the power to summon demons to do her bidding, which manifests through her hair. She can shapeshift, transforming into a panther, a snake, and a handful of massive demons. She can also slow time for everyone but her. Plus, now that she possesses the Left Eye of Darkness, she can make herself invincible, although she doesn’t have full control over it. This fight isn’t even fair. Gandalf may be powerful in his own world, but in Bayonetta’s world, he’s a pushover.
Ryze (League Of Legends)
The Rune Mage
It would be a shame if League of Legends’ Ryze and Gandalf fought, because they probably have a lot in common and might even be allies if they talked things out instead. Ryze fought with and eventually killed his former master after the latter became obsessed with objects called the World Runes, which contain the power that created the world of Runterra. Ryze took it upon himself to find and protect the World Runes at all costs, to keep them from falling into the wrong hands. Sounds kind of like Gandalf, doesn’t it?
In his early days, Ryze would have been much weaker than Gandalf. However, after exposure to the World Runes extended his life, Ryze has traveled the world for centuries, mastering every obscure and forgotten form of magic he can find. He even engraved runes on his skin with Thorn magic, which turned him from a human into a magical entity; an extension of magic itself. Along with his nearly boundless knowledge of powerful spells, Ryze also carries a giant scroll on his back, and if anyone were to read it, they would turn the world to ash. There’s not much Gandalf could do about that.
Dimentio (Super Paper Mario)
The Master Of Dimensions
Once a minion of Count Bleck, Dimensio eventually reveals himself as the true villain of Super Paper Mario and the mastermind behind the evil plot to steal the Chaos Heart. While on its own, that doesn’t make him overly powerful, Dimensio was hiding a lot beneath his henchman exterior. True to his name, his power revolves around moving between dimensions.
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That’s just scratching the surface. Not only can Dimensio move between dimensions at will, he can also control them, bringing one dimension into another. He can teleport, clone himself, and turn invisible. He can trap his enemies in a dimensional bubble and then set off explosions within that bubble. Then there’s Dimension D, which Dimensio created himself. Dimensio can travel to Dimension D and become even more powerful just by being there. That’s already enough to send Gandalf packing, but imagine what other dimensions Dimensio could create to deal with the White Wizard.
Kefka (Final Fantasy 6)
The God Of Magic
Even before he became a god, Kefka Palazzo was so powerful that he could kill, absorb, and control espers, Final Fantasy 6’s version of summons. On its own, that’s probably enough power to tangle with Gandalf. However, once he betrays Emperor Gestahl and claims the Warring Triad for himself, Kefka becomes the God of Magic. From that point on, Gandalf would be little more than a nuisance.
Kefka’s immense magical power stems not just from his vast repertoire of spells — which includes telekinesis, elemental control, mastery of machines, and the ability to create monsters — but also from his personality. Kefka is a sadistic psychopath, narcissistic to the core, and interested only in himself and causing endless torment to others. He has no motives or goals beyond the destruction of the world and all those living in it. This is reflected in the way he uses magic. His spells are unpredictable, often zigzaging through the air before hitting their target, making them all but impossible to avoid. Gandalf has battled with some evil individuals before — Sauroman and Sauron, for example — but he’s never met anyone as powerfully evil as Kefka.
