Idea's for our poor dark mage.

I dunno about fun, but this is what I came up with while trying to find ways of how to make him "not suck."

Rauðrowl+ (+Spd)
Repostion
Iceberg
Atk/Spd Bond 3
Wings of Mercy 3
Spd Ploy 3
Speed +3

With this, he hits 38/43/34/21/33 in stats. When he has 1 person near him (thus triggering Atk/Spd Bond 3 and his tome), he then has 38/50/41/23/35. Not to mention Spd Ploy to reduce a unit's speed even further, allowing him to secure doubles on most units in the game while having enough attack to deal some damage as well as enough resistance to not get eviscerated.

And this is before things like ally buffs like Hones/Spurs/Drives.

Raudrowl+ makes him very easy to use actually. owltomes can pull any mage out of the gutter.

just give him darting blow and get him an ally to support him and cover his weakness like lets say Linus who can cover blues for Canas and Canas can easily dispatch of reds as well.

Canas: Budget Build Focused on doubling for damage
Raudrowl++Spd
--
Iceberg/Glacies
Darting Blow
Desperation
Spd Ploy // Res Ploy
Spd+3 Seal

Total Spd: 40 (45 after a spd ploy)

Then his S support
Linus
---
Rally Atk // Rally Spd
---
---
Spur Spd
Spur Atk

Total Spd: 40 + 2 (owl) + 2 (S Support) + 4 (spur) = 48

Of course, you can sacrifice 4 points in spd for 4 points in atk instead via double spur atk.
Total Spd: 44 Total Atk: 43 + 8 (Spurs) + 2 (Owl) + 2 (S Support) = 55

So with double spur atk, Canas can reach 55 Atk and 44 Spd which can be further boosted with a rally or maybe even picking say summer xander as a support and use his weapon buff for an extra +1/+1

or you could use a build like my summer leo. this is a basic build that can easily be built, easily be used, and can perform above average but it isn't godly or anything

My attempt to make use of just whatever I have sitting around to get hero merit off of him in the coming TT: excess of refining stones, the Hanas we get from the daily rotations (which I don't plan to merge in the near future; have other swords I'm more keen on merging)

Rauthrowl+ +spd
Reciprocal aid (because he comes with it)
Iceberg (or blank, even, if I want to save an iceberg)
L&D2
(blank B-slot, probably)
Res tactic 3
whatever sacred seal I can slap on him to help support the team, otherwise atk+1

When standing next to no allies and receiving TT bonus unit overdrive:
48HP, 51/40/17/33
He won't be very good outside TT bonus: 38HP, 47/36/13/29. Not terrible for an owl tome, but unimpressive.

A build to appall those who love Canas, but I never knew him from other games so I excuse myself for having no relationship with him.