The Fairy Tail manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Hiro Mashima. The series takes place primarily in the Kingdom of Fiore, a country in the fictional universe Earth-land, where several of its residents are able to perform various forms of magic. Those who practice magic as a profession, referred to as wizards (é"導士, madÅshi),[vol. 2:translation notes] join guilds where they share information and do paid jobs for clients. The series' storyline follows a group of wizards from the rambunctious titular guild.
The main protagonists are Natsu Dragneel, a wizard with the powers of a dragonslayer who is searching for his adoptive dragon father Igneel, and Lucy Heartfilia, a celestial wizard who joins the Fairy Tail guild. In the early part of the series, they form a team including: Happy, a flying cat and best friend of Natsu; Gray Fullbuster, an ice wizard; and Erza Scarlet, a knight who specializes in using various magic weapons and armors. Throughout the series, Lucy and Natsu interact with and befriend other wizards and guilds in Fiore. They also encounter various antagonists from illegal "dark" guilds, and Zeref, an ancient wizard who is the series' main antagonist.
When creating the series, Mashima was influenced by Akira Toriyama, J.R.R. Tolkien and Yudetamago and based the guild on a local bar. He also used people as references in designing other characters. The characters have been well-received overall.
Creation and conception
When Hiro Mashima was creating Fairy Tail, he cited Akira Toriyama, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Yudetamago as influences on his work. He based the titular guild on a local bar he was visiting at the time. He based Natsu Dragneel on his early years as a junior high school student. Natsu's motion sickness is based on one of his friends, who gets sick when they take taxis together. He has aid that his father's death influenced the relationship between Natsu and the dragon Igneel.
When Funimation Entertainment acquired the license to release Fairy Tail in North America, Mashima worried about actor Todd Haberkorn's voice since the Natsu character did a lot of yelling throughout the series. Tyler Walker, the voice director for Funimation's adaptation, revealed that there was a "Fairy Tail tea" that the voice actors drank after each recording session to protect their voices.
Fairy Tail
Fairy Tail (
Mashima has insisted that the spelling of the guild's name, which is a play on the phrase "fairy tale", is intentional. In the story, the guild's name comes from the question whether or not fairies, which are considered mythical creatures within the series, have tails, which poses "an eternal mystery and, therefore, eternal adventure".[ch. 63] Tyler Walker likens Fairy Tail to the Scooby-Doo franchise: "it's got a core group of characters, with one talking animal, sometimes two...they travel, it's episodic...you know, we've seen this kind of thing before with the core group that's affiliated in some way going through adventure after adventure".
Natsu Dragneel
Natsu Dragneel (ナツ・ドラグニル, Natsu Doraguniru) is the primary male protagonist of the series. As Zeref's younger brother, he is resurrected as one of his brother's Etherious (エーテリアス, Ä'teriasu) known as "Etherious Natsu Dragneel" (E.N.D.).[ch. 436] At some point during his youth, Zeref turns him over to Igneel, who trains him as a dragon slayer (
The character is named after the Japanese word for "summer" (å¤, natsu) to follow up on the main character of Hiro Mashima's earlier work Rave Master being named Haru, which means "spring".[vol. 2:afterword] Natsu is voiced by Tetsuya Kakihara. In the English dub, his voice is provided by Todd Haberkorn. Haberkorn has said that voicing Natsu was one of his favorite roles.
Lucy Heartfilia
Lucy Heartfilia (ルーシィ・ãƒãƒ¼ãƒˆãƒ•ã‚£ãƒªã‚¢, RÅ«shii HÄtofiria, named after the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"[vol. 2:bonus]) is the primary female protagonist of the series. She is a 17-year-old celestial wizard (星霊é"導士, seirei madÅshi) who uses a set of magical Gatekeys (
In the Japanese anime television series, she is voiced by Aya Hirano. In its English dub, her voice is supplied by Cherami Leigh.
Happy
Happy (ãƒãƒƒãƒ"ー, HappÄ«) is a 6-year-old anthropomorphic cat with blue fur who can also talk. He is Natsu Dragneel's best friend and sole traveling companion at the start of the series.[ch. 1] Mashima originally intended to name him after the Norse god Freyr, but found the name did not fit his character.[vol. 2:afterword] Happy possesses a magic ability called Aera (
In the Japanese anime television series, he is voiced by Rie Kugimiya. Tia Ballard voices the character in its English dub.
Gray Fullbuster
Gray Fullbuster (グレイ・フルãƒã‚¹ã‚¿ãƒ¼, Gurei FurubasutÄ) is an 18-year-old wizard who practices Ice Make (
He is voiced by Yuichi Nakamura. In Funimation's English dub, his voice is supplied by Newton Pittman.
Erza Scarlet
Erza Scarlet (エルザ・スカーレット, Eruza SukÄretto) is a 19-year-old swordswoman with striking red hair. At age 11, Erza is captured by followers of Zeref and becomes a slave girl at the Tower of Heaven. She befriends other slaves her age, including Jellal Fernandez. Erza rallies the slaves for a mass breakout to rescue Jellal from being tortured, losing an eye in the process. However, Jellal is brainwashed into serving Zeref and turns on her to continue the tower's construction.[ch. 80-82] Having gained the requip (æ›è£…, kansÅ) technique, she can use "The Knight" (
The character is named after Eru from Mashima's one-shot manga that served as a pilot for Fairy Tail.[vol. 2:bonus] Mashima initially designed her to only shed tears from one eye due to a defect with her artificial eye, but he eventually abandoned this aspect after accidentally drawing some scenes where Erza has tears flowing from both eyes.[vol. 12:afterword] He also said that he often forgets what Erza's armor looks like, and changes the design every time she appears.[vol. 18:afterword]
Her voice actress in the Japanese anime television series is Sayaka Ohara. In its English dub, her voice is provided by Colleen Clinkenbeard.
Gajeel Redfox
Gajeel Redfox (ガジル・レッドフォックス, Gajiru Reddofokkusu) is a dragon slayer whose Iron Dragon Slayer Magic (鉄ã®æ»…ç«œé"法, Tetsu no MetsuryÅ« MahÅ) allows him to transform parts of his body into iron weapons such as clubs and swords, cover his body with nearly indestructible steel scales, and breathe gusts of wind containing metal shards capable of shredding a person's body. He can also consume iron objects for nourishment.[ch. 61] Adopted and raised by the dragon Metalicana (メタリカーナ, MetarikÄna), who disappears around the same time as Igneel,[ch. 66] Gajeel joins Phantom Lord, gaining infamy as "Kurogane" Gajeel (
In the Japanese anime television series, he is voiced by Wataru Hatano. In Funimation's English dub, he is voiced by David Wald.
Juvia Lockser
Juvia Lockser (ジュãƒ"ア・ãƒã‚¯ã‚µãƒ¼, Jubia RokusÄ) is a 17-year-old blue-haired wizard originating from the Element 4, Phantom Lord's S-Class team that specializes in magic related to the four classical elements.[ch. 47, 56] Her magic, Water (
In the Japanese anime television series, Juvia is voiced by Mai Nakahara. In the English dub, her name is spelled "Juvia Loxar" and she is voiced by Brina Palencia.
Wendy Marvell
Wendy Marvell (ウェンディ・マーベル, Wendi MÄberu) is a 12-year-old female dragon slayer.[ch. 144] Adopted by the sky dragon Grandeeney (グランディーãƒ, GurandÄ«ne, also "Grandine"), Wendy practices Sky Dragon Slayer Magic (天ã®æ»…ç«œé"法, Ten no MetsuryÅ« MahÅ), a form of healing magic taught by her foster mother. By drawing power from clean air, Wendy is able to heal most injuries and ailments, and temporarily relieve motion sickness.[ch. 135, 144]
At some point during Grandeeney's disappearance, she joins the Cait Shelter (
Mashima created Wendy after one of his staff members commented that young girls "just don't appear" in the series, and noted the character's popularity among his associates.[vol. 16:afterword] Her original concept was that of a "Water Dragon" based on the Japanese name for Wednesday (水曜日, SuiyÅbi, lit. "Water Day"), which Mashima named her after.[vol. 27:extra]
She is voiced by Satomi SatÅ. In the English dub, her voice is supplied by Brittney Karbowski.
Carla
Carla, named Charles (シャルル, Sharuru) in the Japanese version,[vol. 27:extra] is a white-furred Exceed, and Wendy Marvell's partner and guardian.[ch. 133, 145] As an egg, she is evacuated to Earth-land along with Happy and 98 other unborn Exceed when her mother, the Exceed Queen Chagot, has a premonition of their realm's destruction. She conceals the evacuation as a mission to kill dragon slayers to prevent a panic. On being hatched by Wendy, Carla's precognition powers, inherited from Chagot, allow her to see visions of future events. She misinterprets Chagot's ruse as her real mission, but the Exceed decides to protect Wendy.[ch. 135, 198] Six years later, after defeating the Oración Seis, she joins Fairy Tail.[ch. 165] On meeting Happy, Carla is annoyed with his obliviousness to their mission but only reconsiders after Happy ignores the Exceeds' orders and Chagot reveals the truth.[ch. 133, 169, 177, 198] After the guild war with Tartaros, Carla learns Transformation Magic to enhance her Magic Power.
Mashima named the character "Charles" after a princess character in a book he once read; she was renamed "Carla" in various countries where "Charles" would be interpreted as a male name.[vol. 27:extra]
In the Japanese anime television series, she is voiced by Yui Horie and her name is spelled "Charle" in Funimation's subtitles. In Funimation's English dub, her voice is supplied by Jad Saxton.
Panther Lily
Panther Lily (ãƒ'ンサーリリー, PansÄ RirÄ«, also ãƒ'ンサー・リリー) is a black-furred Exceed born and raised in Edolas. While a division commander of the Edolas Royal Military, he is exiled from his homeland Extalia after saving a young Mystogan's life. As opposed to most Exceed, Lily has a large, humanoid body resembling an anthropomorphic panther. Using the magic sword Buster Marm (ãƒã‚¹ã‚¿ãƒ¼ãƒžã‚¡ãƒ , BasutÄ MÄmu), it can extend up to four times his size;[ch. 186][vol. 22:bonus] after this sword is destroyed, he replaces it with the similar Musica Sword (ムジカã®å‰£, Mujika no Ken).[ch. 247] He duels with Gajeel Redfox while defending the lacrima crystal created from the residents of Magnolia as part of Faust's plan to exterminate the Exceed with it, but has a change of heart after seeing the Exceed gather to push the crystal away alongside Fairy Tail.[ch. 189] After being sent to Earth-land through the reversed anima portal, he joins Fairy Tail as Gajeel's partner.[ch. 198] In Earth-land, Lily's body shrinks to his species' typical small size, though he is able to assume his original form for limited periods of time in addition to using his Aera ability.[ch. 200]
Lily's name is a play on "a famous character from a certain fairy tale".[vol. 27:bonus] Mashima commented on the character's popularity, saying, "I guess he's more popular now that he's small? Yeah."[vol. 32:afterword]
His voice actor in the Japanese anime television series is Hiroki TÅchi. In the English dub, his name is written as "Pantherlily" and he is voiced by Rick Keeling.
Guild masters
Mavis Vermillion
Mavis Vermillion (メイãƒ"ス・ヴァーミリオン, Meibisu VÄmirion) is the first master of Fairy Tail. Forming the guild at age 13, she is a child prodigy with vast military and illusory skill, gaining notoriety as the "Fairy Strategist" (妖精è»å¸«, YÅsei Gunshi).[ch. 203, 255] She also has knowledge of the Three Great Fairy Magics (妖精三大é"法, YÅsei San Dai MahÅ), a trinity of spells that can only be used by members of her guild.[ch. 233] Besides Fairy Law, these spells include Fairy Glitter (
As a child, Mavis is raised by a ruthless guild master who takes her shoes away, resulting in Mavis developing the habit of going barefoot.[ch. 3] Befriending a wandering Zeref, Mavis is inadvertently afflicted with the same curse as him, rendering her ageless and immortal, and killing everything around her. When she and Zeref fall in love after she asks for his help to remove the curse, he unwittingly sends her into a deathlike sleep.[ch. 450] Her body is preserved in crystal beneath Fairy Tail's guildhall, where it produces a source of limitless magic known as Fairy Heart (
Mavis's background was included in the very first concepts of the series.[vol. 31:bonus] Mashima originally intended the character to be male, but changed it after being informed that "Mavis" was a female name. He also expanded her role in the story from what he had planned because of the character's "immense popularity", remarking that he had "no idea" she would become so popular.[vol. 32:afterword]
In the Japanese anime television series, her voice actress is Mamiko Noto. In its English dub, her voice is provided by Leah Clark.
Precht Gaebolg
Precht Gaebolg (プレãƒ'ト・ゲイボルグ, Purehito Geiborugu), better known as Hades (ãƒãƒ‡ã‚¹, Hadesu), is the master of Grimoire Heart.[ch. 214] As the second master and co-founder of Fairy Tail, he embarks on a quest to uncover the singular source of magic power, leaving the guild under Makarov Dreyar's leadership. Upon tracing the source back to Zeref, he becomes obsessed with obtaining this singularity for himself and organizes Grimoire Heart, assuming that he must awaken Zeref's dormant power to achieve his goal.[ch. 215, 249] Hades practices powerful dark spells such as Grimoire Law (
In the Japanese anime television series, he is voiced at first by Masashi Hirose, and later by Yutaka Aoyama. In its English dub, his voice is provided by John Swasey.
Makarov Dreyar
The son of the guild's co-founder Yuri Dreyar (ユーリー・ドレアー, YÅ«rÄ« Dorea), Makarov Dreyar (マカãƒãƒ•ãƒ»ãƒ‰ãƒ¬ã‚¢ãƒ¼, Makarofu DoreÄ) is the 88-year-old third and incumbent master of Fairy Tail. Mashima came up with his name because he wanted it to sound Russian.[vol. 2:afterword] He is a diminutive man registered as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, who are recognized by the Magic Council for possessing magical power and skill higher than any wizard on the continent.[ch. 47] He has knowledge of numerous forms of magic, with his specialty being the ability to vastly increase his size using the magic Giant (
In the Japanese anime television series, he is voiced by Shinpachi Tsuji; in its English dub, his voice is supplied by R. Bruce Elliott.
Macao Conbolt
Macao Conbolt (マカオ・コンボルト, Makao Konboruto) is a 36-year-old wizard and veteran member of Fairy Tail, and the father of Romeo Conbolt.[ch. 2] His magic is Purple Flare (
His voice actor in the Japanese anime television series is Masaki Kawanabe. In the English dub, he is voiced by Brian Mathis.
Gildarts Clive
Gildarts Clive (ギルダーツ・クライヴ, GirudÄtsu Kuraivu) is an S-Class wizard who is notorious as Fairy Tail's strongest member.[ch. 106] He can pulverize any object and spell he touches using the magic Crush (クラッシュ, Kurasshu), requiring Magnolia's streets to reconfigure into a single, narrow path towards the guild to prevent him from stumbling into buildings by mistake.[ch. 166] Because he embarks on missions that have never been completed for up to a century, he only visits the guild on rare occasions for short periods of time.[ch. 165, 232] During one such mission, he fights with Acnologia, which causes him to loses an arm, a leg, and some of his internal organs.[ch. 166] He is also the widowed father of Cana Alberona,[ch. 232] but is unaware of his relationship with his daughter because his deceased wife Cornelia divorced him and give birth while he was away on a six-year mission.[ch. 251] Twelve years later, Gildarts discovers the truth from Cana on Sirius Island, and begins doting on her in a comical fashion afterward.[ch. 256] Makarov Dreyar advocates for Gildarts to succeed him as guild master after returning from the island, but Gildarts resigns almost immediately and leaves on another journey.[ch. 259, 260]
In the Japanese anime television series, he is voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue, while Jason Douglas voices him in the English dub.
S-Class wizards
Fairy Tail's S-Class wizards (Sç´šé"導士, Ä'su-kyÅ« madÅshi) are the guild's highest-ranking members who are recognized by the master for their strength, skill, and conviction.[ch. 201] Main character Erza Scarlet holds the S-Class rank at the start of the series, while Gildarts Clive is briefly promoted to guild master later in the series. During the series, Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, Elfman Strauss, Cana Alberona, Fried Justine, Levy McGarden, and Mest Gryder are nominated as candidates for the guild's S-Class promotion exam. However, the exam is canceled before its completion following the interference of Zeref and Grimoire Heart as well as the discovery that Mest is a spy from the Magic Council.
Mirajane Strauss
Mirajane Strauss (ミラジェーン・ストラウス, MirajÄ"n Sutorausu), is a 19-year-old S-Class wizard who works as a barmaid and administrator at Fairy Tail, and as a cover girl for the fictional magazine Sorcerer Weekly.[ch. 2] She is depicted as a bubbly, kindhearted, and absentminded young woman who rarely displays anger towards others.[ch. 25] She is the oldest of three siblings who use the magic Takeover (
Mashima named Mirajane after an online game he was playing while creating her character. She and Lucy Heartfilia host the "Emergency Request! Explain the Mysteries of Fairy Tail" sections at the end of several manga volumes where they answer reader questions.
In the Japanese anime television series, Mirajane is voiced by RyÅko Ono. In its English dub, she is voiced by Monica Rial.
Mystogan
Mystogan (ミストガン, Misutogan) is Jellal Fernandez's duplicate originating from the parallel universe of Edolas, of which he is its prince.[ch. 167, 189] He arrives to Earth-land to close inter-dimensional anima portals used by Faust, his father and Edolas's king, to siphon magic energy from Earth-land. At some point during his stay, he joins Fairy Tail as an S-Class Wizard, gaining notoriety as one of its most powerful members.[ch. 65] Eventually, after failing to prevent Magnolia from being absorbed by anima,[ch. 168] he returns to Edolas and restores the city by forcing the lacrima crystal, formed from the trapped Fairy Tail wizards, through another portal after his guildmates prevent Faust from ramming it into the Exceed kingdom.[ch. 189] He reverses the portals' effects to return all of Earth-land's stolen magic, expecting to be sentenced to death for this by his childhood friend Panther Lily to quell the ensuing panic.[ch. 195] When Natsu Dragneel takes responsibility instead, Mystogan earns his people's support by defeating him in a mock battle, and remains in Edolas to replace his father as king.[ch. 197] Unable to use magic on his own, Mystogan uses staves infused with magic power to create illusions and draw magic circles to attack.[ch. 120] He is also capable of casting sleeping spells on his guildmates when he visits Fairy Tail.[ch. 24]
In the Japanese anime television series, he is voiced by Daisuke Namikawa. In the English dub, his voice is supplied by Robert McCollum.
Laxus Dreyar
The grandson of Makarov Dreyar, Laxus Dreyar (ラクサス・ドレアー, Rakusasu DoreÄ) is heir to the position of guild master, and one of Fairy Tail's S-Class wizards. He is an expert lightning wizard capable of generating and transforming into bolts of electricity. He is also a second generation dragon slayer whose father, Ivan, implants a lacrima crystal within him as a child that enables him to use Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic (é›·ã®æ»…ç«œé"法, Kaminari no MetsuryÅ« MahÅ).[ch. 124, 128] During his youth he feels overshadowed by his grandfather and, at the age of 17, Laxus rebels following his father's expulsion from the guild.[ch. 106, 119] Seven years later, Laxus has grown into a strength supremacist.[ch. 24] When Fairy Tail's reputation begins to falter after the war with Phantom Lord, Laxus organizes an intra-guild battle royal called the "Battle of Fairy Tail" in a bid to seize control of the guild from Makarov and reestablish its strength by rooting out the guild's "weaklings".[ch. 107] Enraged by his failures, Laxus casts Fairy Law to annihilate Magnolia, but his genuine love for his guild overrides the spell's effects. After he is defeated by Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox, Makarov expels him for endangering his guildmates, although he leaves on friendlier terms with them.[ch. 125-128] He later joins Fairy Tail's battle against Hades on Sirius Island, and is reinstated into the guild by Gildarts Clive during his brief period as guild master.[ch. 244, 260] The character's name is derived from the word "lux", a unit of measurement for light.[vol. 27:extra]
Laxus is voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi in the Japanese anime television series, and by Patrick Seitz in its English dub.
Other members
Cana Alberona
The daughter of Gildarts Clive, six-year-old wizard Cana Alberona (カナ・アルベãƒãƒ¼ãƒŠ, Kana AruberÅna) begins to search for Gildarts after her mother's death. Unable to reveal her relationship to him because of her own timidity, and the fact he is seldom present, Cana resolves to become an S-Class wizard, but fails four qualification tests in a row and falls into depression.[ch. 232] She gains infamy as Fairy Tail's resident alcoholic who drinks entire barrels of liquor at a time, as well as the most senior member of the guild from Lucy Heartfilia's generation.[ch. 2, 201] Twelve years later, during her fifth test on Sirius Island,[ch. 202] Cana abandons her guildmates to complete the trial of finding Mavis Vermillion's grave, unknowingly putting her test partner Lucy at risk of being killed by Grimoire Heart.[ch. 202, 225] On realizing her treacherous deed, Cana rejects her chance at S-Class wizardship in favor of saving her friends,[ch. 232] and eventually reveals herself to Gildarts as his daughter after the trial's cancellation.[ch. 251] Having mastered the ability to use magic cards (
In the Japanese anime television series, she is voiced by Eri Kitamura In its English dub, her voice is supplied by Jamie Marchi.
Loke
Owned by a Blue Pegasus celestial wizard named Karen Lilica, Leo (レオ, Reo), the lion Zodiac celestial spirit, has to stay in the human world to prevent his master from abusing her other Zodiac spirit, Aries. However, Leo's actions leave Karen defenseless in battle against Angel, resulting in her death and his exile from the celestial world.[ch. 73] Three years later, Leo gains infamy as Loke (ãƒã‚, Roki, named after the Norse god Loki[vol. 2:bonus]), a playboy wizard who surrounds himself with young women.[ch. 2] When Loke is near death after spending his power to survive in Earth-land, Lucy Heartfilia persuades the Celestial Spirit King to reconsider Loke's exile. He is allowed to return to the celestial world and regain his strength, to become one of her spirits in gratitude.[ch. 74] As a wizard, he makes use of lacrima-powered finger rings to do magic.[ch. 73] In his spirit form, Loke wears the finger ring Regulus (
His voice actor in the Japanese anime television series is Daisuke Kishio. In its English dub, his voice is supplied by Eric Vale.
Elfman Strauss
Elfman Strauss (エルフマン・ストラウス, Erufuman Sutorausu) is the 18-year-old middle brother of Mirajane and Lisanna. Mashima developed his name to sound "somewhat cute".[vol. 2:bonus] He is a burly, muscle-brained wizard who spouts nonsensical speeches about manhood,[ch. 2] but is also kindhearted and emotionally sensitive.[ch. 51] He employs the Takeover magic Beast Soul (
In the Japanese anime television series, Elfman is voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto. In the English dub, he is voiced by Christopher Sabat.
Lisanna Strauss
Lisanna Strauss (リサーナ・ストラウス, RisÄna Sutorausu) is Mirajane and Elfman's younger 17-year-old sister. Having mastered the Animal Soul (
In the Japanese anime television series, Lisanna is voiced by Harumi Sakurai. In Funimation's English dub, she is voiced by Carrie Savage.
Levy McGarden
Levy McGarden (レãƒ"ィ・マクガーデン, Rebi MakugÄden) is a 17-year-old member of Shadow Gear (シャドウ・ギア, ShadÅ Gia), a three-wizard team that also includes Jet, and Droy. Mashima intended for Levy to be a minor character, but was surprised by her rise in popularity and expanded her role.[vol. 32:afterword] Using the magic Solid Script (
Her voice actor in the original Japanese anime television series is Mariya Ise. In its English dub, she is voiced by Kristi Kang.
Mest Gryder
A wizard of Fairy Tail, Mest Gryder (メスト・グライダー, Mesuto GuraidÄ) uses a memory alteration charm to erase his memories of being in the guild to infiltrate the Magic Council for Fairy Tail's benefit even though Makarov Dreyar disapproves.[ch. 213,416] He joins the Magic Council as an intelligence operative named Doranbalt (ドランãƒãƒ«ãƒˆ, Doranbaruto, also "Doranbolt") and eventually re-infiltrates Fairy Tail to dig up dirt on the guild for his own interests.[ch. 213,223] In addition to his memory-altering spell, he is also capable of using the Direct Line (
In the Japanese anime television series, he is voiced by Shūhei Sakaguchi, while Alex Organ provides his voice in Funimation's English dub.
Raijin Tribe
The Raijin Tribe (雷神衆, Raijinshū, "Thunder God Tribe"), renamed the "Thunder Legion" in Funimation's anime dub, is a trio of wizards who act as Laxus Dreyar's personal bodyguards and followers. They were created by Mashima after he "suddenly" thought the series' story arc focusing on Laxus.[vol. 13:afterword] The three help carry out Laxus' plans to restructure the guild by participating in the Battle of Fairy Tail,[ch. 108] but become friendlier towards their guildmates after his expulsion.[ch. 128] Aside from their own unique abilities, the three members each share the ability to cast magic by making eye contact with their opponents.[ch. 115]
Fried Justine
Fried Justine (フリード・ジャスティーン, FurÄ«do JasutÄ«n, pronounced "freed", spelled Freed in some of Del Rey's manga volumes), also called "Dark" Fried (æš—é»'ã®ãƒ•ãƒªãƒ¼ãƒ‰, Ankoku no FurÄ«do), is the founder and leader of the Raijin Tribe.[ch. 106] He specializes in creating Jutsu-Shiki (è¡"å¼, lit. "technique style/ceremony"),[vol. 13:translation notes] barriers formed by magic runes that cannot be passed unless those trapped inside follow what is written.[ch. 108] He also uses the magic Dark Écriture (é—‡ã®
In the Japanese anime television series, Fried is voiced by Junichi Suwabe. In the English dub, he is voiced by John Burgmeier.
Evergreen
Evergreen (エãƒãƒ¼ã‚°ãƒªãƒ¼ãƒ³, EbÄgurÄ«n) is a bespectacled 20-year-old wizard and a vain woman, obsessed with fairies, who joins Fairy Tail because of the guild's name. She covets Erza Scarlet's title of "Fairy Queen, Titania". During her membership, she joins the Raijin Tribe as its sole female member.[ch. 107,112] Her primary magic is her Stone Eyes (
In the Japanese anime television series, her voice actress is Saori Seto. Caitlin Glass provides her voice in its English dub.
Bickslow
Bickslow (ãƒ"ックスãƒãƒ¼, BikkusurÅ) is a 22-year-old wizard who practices seith magic (セイズé"法, seizu mahÅ) called Human Possession (人型æ†', Hitotsuki) to implant up to five wandering souls within inanimate objects and control them.[ch. 108] He refers to his puppets as his "babies" with the names: Pappa (ãƒ'ッãƒ'), Pippi (ãƒ"ッãƒ"), Puppu (プップ), Peppe (ペッペ), and Poppo (ãƒãƒƒãƒ).[ch. 108] His eye magic is called Figure Eyes (
Bickslow is voiced by Yoshihisa Kawahara. In the English dub, his name is spelled "Bixlow" and is voiced at first by Scott Freeman who was later replaced by Tyler Walker.
Minor members
In the beginning of the series, the Fairy Tail guild is said to have over 100 members besides the main cast of characters. Eventually, after the primary guild members' disappearance on Sirius Island, the guild is reduced to 14 members under Macao Conbolt's leadership:[ch. 254]
- Romeo Conbolt (ãƒãƒ¡ã‚ªãƒ»ã‚³ãƒ³ãƒœãƒ«ãƒˆ, Romeo Konboruto) â€" Macao's six-year-old son, who joins Fairy Tail by the age of 13 over the course of the series. He learns from Phantom Lord member Totomaru to use Rainbow Fire (
七色ã®ç‚Ž , ReinbÅ Faia, Japanese text translates as "Seven-Color Flame"), a fire spell that produces up to seven different-colored flames, each with their own properties. He admires Natsu Dragneel, and becomes depressed during Sirius Island's seven-year disappearance until the missing guildmates return.[ch. 254] He is voiced by Mariya Ise in Japanese. In English, he is initially voiced by Kayla Carlyle, and later by Lindsay Seidel. - Alzack Connel (アルザック・コãƒãƒ«, Aruzakku Koneru, also "Alzack Connell") and Bisca Moulin (ãƒ"スカ・ムーラン, Bisuka MÅ«ran, also "Bisca Mulan") â€" Two 18-year-old wizards and immigrants from Earth-land's western continent. Alzack uses gun magic (
銃弾é"法 , ganzu majikku, lit. "guns magic") to shoot magical bullets from guns,[ch. 52] while Bisca is able to requip various firearms with her magic, "The Gunner" (銃士 , Za GannÄ).[ch. 53] The two marry during Sirius Island's seven-year disappearance and have a six-year-old daughter named Asuka (アスカ, "Asca"[ch. 260]).[ch. 254][ch. 256] In Japanese, Alzack is voiced by Yoshimitsu Shimoyama and Bisca by Satomi Arai; in English, they are voiced by Austin Tindle and Angela Chase, respectively. - Wakaba Mine (ワカãƒãƒ»ãƒŸãƒ) â€" A 36-year-old wizard who uses smoke magic (ç…™é"法, kemuri mahÅ) to manipulate smoke from a pipe.[ch. 61] He is close friends with Macao and becomes his advisor after he becomes Fairy Tail's master.[ch. 254] In Japanese, he is initially voiced by Daisuke Kageura, and later by Eiji Sekiguchi. In English, he is voiced by Charlie Campbell.
- Jet (ジェット, Jetto) and Droy (ドãƒã‚¤, Doroi) â€" Two 18-year-old wizards and Levy McGarden's teammates who form Shadow Gear. Jet has the power of super speed using magic called High Speed (
神速 , Hai SupÄ«do, Japanese text translates as "God Speed"),[ch. 43] while Droy uses Plant (æ¤ç‰© , Puranto) to rapidly grow seeds and use them as weapons.[ch. 44] Both have unrequited feelings for Levy, but reluctantly accept her feelings for Gajeel Redfox, whom they resent for attacking them as a member of Phantom Lord.[ch. 105] The two become depressed after Levy's disappearance with the other guild members on Sirius Island. Droy becomes obese as a result.[ch. 254] In Japanese, they are voiced by Masaki Kawanabe and Eiji Sekiguchi, respectively. In English, Jet is initially voiced by Michael Chinnici and later by Corey Ceary-Stoner, while Droy is voiced by Z. Charles Bolton. - Max Aloze (マックス・アãƒãƒ¼ã‚¼, Makkusu ArÅze, also "Max Alors") â€" A 17-year-old wizard who runs the guild's public events. He uses the magic Sandstorm (
ç ‚å¡µ , SandosutÅmu) to manipulate sand.[ch. 59] He is voiced by YÅ«ichi Iguchi in Japanese. In English, he is initially voiced by Shelton Windham, and later by Eric Cherry. - Warren Rocko (ウォーレン・ラッコー, WÅren RakkÅ) â€" A 23-year-old wizard who uses telepathy (
念話 , terepashÄ«) to communicate with others over long distances.[ch. 54] He is voiced by Daisuke Kageura in Japanese, and by Gregory Lush in English. - Nab Lasaro (ナブ・ラサãƒ, Nabu Rasaro) â€" A 20-year-old wizard who is noted for always standing in front of the guild's job request board without picking a mission.[ch. 10] He uses a variation of seith magic called Animal Possession (動物æ†', DÅbutsu Tsuki) to imbue spirits of animals within his body and enhance his physical abilities.[ch. 35] He is voiced by Daisuke EndÅ in Japanese, and by Mike McFarland in English.
- Vijeeter Ecor (ãƒ"ジター・エコー, BijitÄ EkÅ) â€" A 16-year-old wizard whose magic, Dancer (
踊りå , DansÄ), allows him to alter the fighting power of those around him by dancing.[ch. 63][ch. 272] He is voiced by Eiji Sekiguchi in Japanese, and by Tyler Walker in English. - Laki Olietta (ラã‚・オリエッタ, Raki Orietta) â€" An 18-year-old wizard who is described as using strange turns of phrase such as "severing" her hair instead of "cutting" it, and "feeding the stomach" instead of "eating". She uses the magic Wood Make (
木ã®é€ å½¢é"法 , Uddo Meiku, Japanese text translates as "Wood-Molding Magic") to produce wood in any form she desires.[ch. 96] She is voiced by Ikumi Hayama in Japanese, and by Apphia Yu in English. - Reedus Jonah (リーダス・ジョナー, RÄ«dasu JonÄ) â€" A 27-year-old wizard who can bring any picture he draws of himself to life using pict magic (
çµµç"»é"法 , pikuto majikku, Japanese text translates as "painting magic").[ch. 36] His normally slender body is magically inflated into a rotund shape by Makarov Dreyar's magic to help better cast his spells,[ch. 36] though his body returns to normal during Makarov's seven-year absence.[ch. 254] He is voiced by Sonny Strait in English. - Kinana (ã‚ナナ) â€" A 20-year-old woman who works at Fairy Tail as a bartender. She is the true form of Cobra's snake familiar Cubellios, trapped in the form of a snake by an evil wizard before being returned to her human form by Makarov Dreyar following the Oración Seis' defeat. She is based on Kina Kobayashi, one of Mashima's assistants.[vol. 21:bonus] She is voiced by Natsue Sasamoto in Japanese, and by Lara Woodhull in English.
Antagonists
Zeref Dragneel
The central antagonist of Fairy Tail, Zeref Dragneel (ゼレフ・ドラグニル, Zerefu Doraguniru), or mononymously Zeref, studies at Mildia's magic academy as a prodigy in the art of magic. However, he angers the god Ankhselam with his attempts to cheat death to revive his deceased younger brother, Natsu. Ankhselam curses him with the Black Magic of Ankhselam (アンクセラムã®é»'é"è¡", Ankuseramu no Kuro Majutsu).[ch. 356] making Zeref immortal. This causes everything around him to die instantly so long as he cherishes life, which he slowly begins to renounce.[ch. 200, 250] Using Natsu's body, he successfully revives the child by turning him into the Etherious demon E.N.D.[ch. 436] At some point during his 400-year existence, Zeref gains notoriety as the Black Wizard (é»'é"導士, Kuro MadÅshi), creating many demons and befriending Mavis Vermillion.[ch. 250] Hating himself because of his curse, Zeref wishes to die at the hands of Natsu. Eventually, after witnessing the atrocities committed by Grimoire Heart on Sirius Island, Zeref renounces all human life and kills their master, Hades.[ch. 250] Seven years later, Zeref decides he must eliminate mankind to solve Earth-land's continuing conflicts.[ch. 340]
While planning the story, Mashima considered multiple identities and names for the character introduced in Chapter 200, who would later be revealed as the previously unseen character Zeref.[vol. 24:bonus] He intentionally avoided providing any hints to his identity beforehand, wanting it to be a "complete surprise" to the readers.[vol. 24:afterword] Mashima stated that Zeref "has really become a popular character" after the reveal; he also noted that the character is "really dark [...] He'd never make a silly face."[vol. 26:afterword]
In the Japanese anime television series, his voice actor is Akira Ishida. His voice in the English dub is supplied by Joel McDonald.
Eisenwald
Eisenwald (
Phantom Lord
Phantom Lord (
Lucy Heartfilia's father Jude has Phantom retrieve her after she runs away from home.[ch. 50] However, Jose is concerned about Fairy Tail's plans to monopolize the Heartfilia family's fortune and plots to hold Lucy for ransom.[ch. 64] Deciding to demonstrate Phantom's supremacy to Fairy Tail, Jose sends Gajeel to destroy their guildhall and injure Levy McGarden's team, provoking them into an inter-guild war forbidden by the Magic Council.[ch. 47] Eventually, Fairy Tail emerges victorious after Makarov Dreyar defeats Jose;[ch. 66] Phantom is later disestablished by the council and Jose's title is revoked.[ch. 69]
Tower of Heaven
The Tower of Heaven (楽åœ'ã®å¡", Rakuen no TÅ, lit. "Tower of Paradise") is a tower designed to bring a deceased individual back to life through a form of magic called the Revive System (リãƒã‚¤ãƒ–システム, Ribaibu Shisutemu), also known simply as the R-System, which is activated after the Magic Council fires their ultimate weapon Etherion at the tower, which absorbs the attack's energy and reveals its true form as a giant lacrima crystal.[ch. 94] It is originally built using slave labor by a cult of evil wizards for the purpose of resurrecting Zeref.[ch. 81] Among the slaves forced to build the tower are Erza Scarlet and Jellal Fernandez. Fernandez takes over construction of the tower while brainwashed by Ultear Milkovich, who poses as Zeref's spirit.[ch. 102] Serving as Jellal's minions in the tower are four other slaves whom Erza and Jellal befriend as children: Shô (ショウ, Shou), who wields a magic deck of cards containing pocket dimensions to trap others inside; Simon (シモン, Shimon), a large man with a metal jaw who uses telepathy and shrouds areas in darkness; Wally Buchanan (ウォーリー・ブã‚ャナン, WÅrÄ« Bukyanan), a gangster-like gunslinger with an angular body that he can separate into blocks; and Millianna, a cat-loving girl who uses a rope to bind other wizards' magic.[ch. 76] Jellal tricks Shô, Wally, and Millianna into thinking that Erza betrayed them to save herself from the tower, but they turn on him after realizing his deception.[ch. 83] Simon, who harbors romantic feelings for Erza, remains faithful to her despite Jellal's lies,[ch. 83] and later dies while protecting her from him.[ch. 97] Following Jellal's defeat, Erza's remaining friends decline her invitation to join Fairy Tail and go their separate ways,[ch. 102] with Millianna joining the Mermaid Heel to take revenge against Jellal.[ch. 282]
Also serving Jellal at the tower are Trinity Raven (
Balam Alliance
The most powerful dark guilds in Fiore are referred to as the Balam Alliance (ãƒãƒ©ãƒ åŒç›Ÿ, Baramu DÅmei, translated as "Baram Alliance" in Funimation's dub). The alliance controls the other dark guilds in the series except the independent guild Raven Tail.[ch. 131] The organization is described as a "non-aggression pact" whose guilds act independently from one another.[ch. 200] Initially, the group consists of Oración Seis, Grimoire Heart and Tartaros. Seven years later, after Tartaros's defeat, the alliance is considered to have dissolved.
Oración Seis
Oración Seis (
The Seis first appear in search of the morality-switching magic Nirvana (ニルヴァーナ, NiruvÄna) to annihilate the world's official guilds. This requires Fairy Tail to organize an alliance with Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter to stop the dark guild.[ch. 131] Following the guild's defeat, Brain is taken over by his split personality Zero (ゼãƒ), the guild's true omnicidal master. Brain normally suppresses this personality with a magic seal on his body maintained by his guild.[ch. 156] The Seis are arrested by the Magic Council after Natsu Dragneel defeats Zero.[ch. 162] Cobra is later temporarily released from prison to battle the seven dragons brought through Eclipse by Rogue Cheney's future self.[ch. 329] Following the Council's demise, Cobra exchanges vital information on Tartaros with Mest Gryder to secure his guild's freedom.[ch. 356] Brain is then left for dead by his children before Jellal convinces the five to join Crime Sorcière.[ch. 364, 416]
Grimoire Heart
Grimoire Heart (
Beneath Hades and Stinger are the Seven Kin of Purgatory (ç…‰ç„ã®ä¸ƒçœ·å±ž, Rengoku no Nana Kenzoku), an elite group of wizards trained by Hades and led by Ultear Milkovich who each specialize in a form of Lost Magic,[ch. 217] ancient spells noted as being lost to history because of their enormous power and terrible side effects.[ch. 40] Initially, the team includes Zancrow (ザンクãƒã‚¦, ZankurÅ), a ruthless God Slayer (
Tartaros
Tartaros (
Aided by the Magic Council's treacherous Chairman Crawford Theme, Tartaros assassinates most of the council's members to detonate the cross-continental Face bombs and neutralize Fiore's magic, thereby allowing E.N.D.'s resurrection. Their operation is interrupted by Acnologia, which brings the dragon slayers' guardians out of hiding to combat him, destroying the Faces in the process. In the meantime, Mard Geer is defeated by Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster. Zeref arrives shortly afterward to kill him for his failure and to retrieve E.N.D.'s book.
Raven Tail
Raven Tail (
Acnologia
During the quadricentennial Dragon King Festival (竜王ç¥, RyÅ«Åsai), a civil war between dragons over the fate of humanity, Acnologia (アクノãƒã‚®ã‚¢, Akunorogia) becomes one of the first human Dragon Slayers brought into existence. Abusing the power of his Lost Magic, he kills the dragons, nearly causing extinction, and bathes in their blood until he transforms into a black dragon, gaining notoriety as the "Dragon King" (ç«œã®çŽ‹, RyÅ« no ÅŒ).[ch. 301] Infamously known for causing widespread destruction across Earth-land, he disregards life, and only speaks to those he recognizes as an enemy.[ch. 252, 405] Four hundred years later, after the battle between Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart over Zeref's fate, Acnologia is summoned to Sirius Island and seemingly destroys it;[ch. 253] however, the wizards on the island are able to survive for seven years because of Mavis Vermillion's Fairy Sphere spell, which freezes them in time.[ch. 255] Eventually, he returns during Fairy Tail's battle with Tartaros, forcing Igneel and his fellow dragons to emerge from hiding to fight him.[ch. 400] While battling Igneel, he loses his left arm and kills the fire dragon before he is forced to flee.[ch. 414] One year later, he participates in the war between Fairy Tail and the Alvarez Empire, with the goal of hunting down all the surviving Dragon Slayers.
His voice actor in the Japanese anime television series is KÅsuke Toriumi, and his English voice actor is J. Michael Tatum.
Avatar
Avatar (
Alvarez Empire
The Alvarez Empire (アルãƒãƒ¬ã‚¹å¸å›½, Arubaresu Teikoku, also "Albareth") is a military nation led by Emperor Spriggan (皇å¸ã‚¹ãƒ—リガン, KÅtei Supurigan), the incognito identity of Zeref,[ch. 444] located in the continent of Alakitasia west of Ishgal. The empire's main objective is to seize Ishgal and obtain Fairy Heart, Fairy Tail's secret weapon, to use against Acnologia. Zeref's guards are an elite unit of wizards called the Spriggan 12 (スプリガン12, Supurigan Tuerubu), whose powers surpass those of Ishgal's Ten Wizard Saints. Its three strongest members are: August (オーガスト, ÅŒgasuto), the elderly son of Zeref and Mavis with a mastery of all magic in Earth-land; Irene Belserion (アイリーン・ベルセリオン, AirÄ«n Beruserion), Erza's mother and an enchantress who can infuse magic into any object;[ch. 513] and Larcade Dragneel (ラーケイド・ドラグニル, RÄkeido Doraguniru), an Etherious that fancies himself Zeref's child,[ch. 526] and uses deadly magic that exploits humans' cardinal desires for pleasure, food, and sleep.[ch. 508, 511, 512] The other members are: God Serena (ゴッドセレナ, Goddo Serena), a dragon slayer who controls eight elements, who is initially the strongest of the Ten Wizard Saints before he defects from his home continent; Brandish μ (ブランディッシュ・μ, Burandisshu MyÅ«), a woman with the power to alter the mass and size of objects; Invel Yura (インベル・ユラ, Inberu Yura), an ice wizard and Zeref's chief of staff; DiMaria Yesta (ディマリア・イエスタ, Dimaria Iesuta), a swordswoman who possesses the form and time-stopping abilities of Chronos, the god of time; Ajeel Raml (アジィール・ラムル, AjiÄ«ru Ramuru), a prodigious sand wizard who creates city-engulfing sandstorms; Wall Eehto (ワール・イーãƒ'ト, WÄru Īhito, a corruption of warui hito (悪ã„人), meaning "bad person"), a sentient, high-tech robot who uses alchemy to construct mechanical soldiers and deadly munitions; Bloodman (ブラッドマン, Buraddoman), a shinigami-like figure who possesses all of the curse powers used by the Etherious of Tartaros; Neinhart (ナインãƒãƒ«ãƒˆ, Nainharuto), who summons lifelike fabrications of deceased people from his adversaries' memories to fight on his behalf; and Jacob Lessio (ジェイコブ・レッシオ, Jeikobu Resshio), an assassin with control over invisibility and spatial magic.
Other characters
Kingdom of Fiore inhabitants
The Kingdom of Fiore (フィオーレ王国, FiÅre ÅŒkoku, Fiore meaning flower) is a fictional country in Ishgal where most of Fairy Tail takes place. It is ruled by Toma E. Fiore (トーマ・E・フィオーレ, TÅma Ī FiÅre), who goes incognito as Mato (マトーãã‚", MatÅ-kun), the pumpkin mascot of the kingdom's annual wizard tournament, the Grand Magic Games (大é"é—˜æ¼"æ¦, Dai MatÅ Enbu).[ch. 325] Toma's daughter, Princess Hisui E. Fiore (ãƒ'スイ・E・フィオーレ, Hisui Ī FiÅre, hisui (ç¿¡ç¿ ) meaning jade), is a green-haired woman who serves as the secret organizer of the Eclipse Project (エクリプス計ç"», Ekuripusu Keikaku), a plan that entails using the black magic gate Eclipse to travel back in time and kill Zeref in his mortal state.[ch. 302] Participating in Hisui's plan are Arcadios (アルカディオス, Arukadiosu), who captains the kingdom's Cherry Blossom Holy Knights, and publicly masquerades as the project's leader to protect Hisui, and Defense Minister Darton (ダートン, DÄton), an elderly man who opposes the plan for its ramifications on the timeline. Also in the kingdom's service are the Hungry Wolf Knights (é¤"狼騎士団, GarÅ Kishidan), a unit of wizards who sentence prisoners trapped in the city's labyrinthine dungeon to death. The knights and Hisui were submitted by readers as part of a character design contest.
Magic Council
The Magic Council (é"法評è°é™¢, MahÅ HyÅgiin) is an organization that administers the legal guilds in Fiore.[ch. 2] Initially chaired by Crawford Theme (クãƒãƒ•ã‚©ãƒ¼ãƒ‰ãƒ»ã‚·ãƒ¼ãƒ , KurofÅdo ShÄ«mu), the council's members have little tolerance for Fairy Tail's property-damaging tactics, despite their role in handling criminals and monsters that threaten the peace.[ch. 1] Members of the council include Jellal Fernandez (as Siegrain) and Ultear Milkovich, two of its younger members.[ch. 1] Another councillor, Yajima (ヤジマ), is Makarov Dreyar's longtime friend who speaks in Fairy Tail's defense.[ch. 69] Other members include Org (オーグ, ÅŒgu), Michello (ミケãƒ, Mikero), Leiji (レイジ, Reiji), and Belno (ベルノ, Beruno). Jellal and Ultear trick the council into helping them activate the Tower of Heaven using the superweapon Etherion (エーテリオン, Ä'terion), also called the Satellite Square (
Blue Pegasus
Blue Pegasus (
Lamia Scale
Lamia Scale (
Lyon Vastia
Lyon Vastia (リオン・ãƒã‚¹ãƒ†ã‚£ã‚¢, Rion Basutia) is Gray Fullbuster's rival and senior disciple under Ur. He practices Ice Make magic like Gray, using a variation that produces living ice golems that move on command. He initially uses a single-handed casting gesture that allows him to conjure ice faster, but makes it weaker and imbalanced.[ch. 30] Lyon resents Gray for Ur's sacrifice against the demon Deliora, ruining his childhood dream of surpassing their teacher.[ch. 38] Operating under the name "Reitei" (零å¸, "Sub-zero Emperor"), Lyon brings Deliora to Galuna Island and gathers followers to release the demon by using the ceremonial spell Moon Drip (
In the Japanese anime television series, Lyon is voiced by YÅ«ki Kaji. In the English dub, his name is spelled "Lyon Bastia" and his voice is supplied by Jerry Jewell.
Saber Tooth
Saber Tooth (
Sting Eucliffe
Sting Eucliffe (スティング・ユークリフ, Sutingu YÅ«kurifu), also called "White Dragon" Sting (白竜ã®ã‚¹ãƒ†ã‚£ãƒ³ã‚°, HakuryÅ« no Sutingu), is a 19-year-old dragon slayer from Saber Tooth, and one of the Twin Dragons with Rogue Cheney.[ch. 258] He performs White Dragon Slayer Magic (白ã®æ»…ç«œé"法, Haku no MetsuryÅ« MahÅ), which gives him the ability to produce attacks of sacred light and fire laser beams from his mouth. He is also able to activate Dragon Force at will.[ch. 294, 295] He uses this magic to kill his dragon guardian, Weisslogia (ãƒã‚¤ã‚¹ãƒã‚®ã‚¢, Baisurogia), at the dragon's behest, to prove himself a "true" dragon slayer.[ch. 265] Weisslogia later appears alive with the other dragon slayers' guardians, explaining that Sting had been given false memories of killing him to provide him with experience.[ch. 415] To fulfill a vow to his Exceed friend Lector (レクター, RekutÄ), Sting aims to defeat Natsu Dragneel and prove to others that he killed a dragon.[ch. 295] Representing his guild in the Grand Magic Games, he antagonizes Natsu hoping to provoke his true strength.[ch. 265] During their two-on-two fight alongside Rogue and Gajeel Redfox, Sting is defeated by Natsu and gains new respect for Fairy Tail,[ch. 296] replacing Ziemma as Saber Tooth's master to improve his guild's image.
In the Japanese anime television series, his voice actor is Takahiro Sakurai, while he is voiced by Michael Jones in the English dub.
Rogue Cheney
Rogue Cheney (ãƒãƒ¼ã‚°ãƒ»ãƒã‚§ãƒ¼ãƒ‹, RÅgu ChÄ"ni), also known as "Shadow Dragon" Rogue (影竜ã®ãƒãƒ¼ã‚°, EiryÅ« no RÅgu), is a 19-year-old dragon slayer and Sting Eucliffe's partner.[ch. 258] His Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic (å½±ã®æ»…ç«œé"法, Kage no MetsuryÅ« MahÅ) techniques include turning himself into a shadow to become intangible and firing shadows from his mouth.[ch. 294, 296] Like Sting, Rogue can activate Dragon Force at will, and has false memories of killing his own dragon guardian, Skiadram (スã‚アドラム, Sukiadoramu). He is accompanied by Frosch (フãƒãƒƒã‚·ãƒ¥, Furosshu), a green Exceed who wears a pink frog costume.[ch. 258] Before joining Saber, Rogue is Gajeel Redfox's disciple named Lios (ライオス, Raiosu) during the latter's membership in Phantom Lord. Rogue decides to battle Gajeel to learn why he would join Fairy Tail. When Rogue loses to Gajeel in the Grand Magic Games seven years later, he acknowledges that Saber lacks the camaraderie Fairy Tail has, and joins Sting in improving his own guild.
During the tournament, a version of Rogue appears through the time travel gate Eclipse from an alternate future, corrupted by his inner evil after Frosch is killed by Gray Fullbuster in his timeline. "Future" Rogue combines his shadow magic with Sting's White Dragon Slayer Magic forcibly acquired after killing him in the future.[ch. 325] He tricks Hisui E. Fiore by advising her to use the time travel gate Eclipse as a weapon to save the kingdom from a dragon invasion,[ch. 323] setting the gate to allow seven dragons from the historical Dragon King Festival to appear in the present to be used against Acnologia. While Rogue's present self helps fight the dragons, Future Rogue's battle with Natsu Dragneel ends with Eclipse being destroyed, returning Rogue and the dragons to their original time periods, but not before Rogue helps Natsu avert his own future by warning him of Frosch's fate.
His voice actor in the anime television series is Kenichi Suzumura. In the English dub, his voice is provided by Garret Storms.
Yukino Agria
Yukino Agria (ユã‚ノ・アグリア, Yukino Aguria) is an 18-year-old celestial wizard. After her elder sister Sorano is enslaved, Yukino joins Saber Tooth.[ch. 268] With five gatekeys in her possession, Yukino has two of the 12 golden keys, and holds the 13th zodiac key of Ophiuchus. Expelled from the guild after losing the Grand Magic Games, she joins the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights as a participant in the Eclipse Project. Following the Grand Magic Games, she retires from the service and is reinstated as a member of Saber Tooth.
In the Japanese anime television series, she is voiced by Fuyuka ÅŒura. In the English dub, her voice is supplied by Mallorie Rodak.
Minerva Orland
The daughter of Ziemma, Minerva Orland (ミãƒãƒ«ãƒãƒ»ã‚ªãƒ¼ãƒ©ãƒ³ãƒ‰, Mineruba ÅŒrando) is the most powerful member of Saber Tooth, whose Territory (
She is voiced by Kikuko Inoue in the Japanese anime television series. In its English dub, her voice is supplied by Anastasia Muñoz.
Crime Sorcière
Crime Sorcière (
Jellal Fernandez
Forced to work in the Tower of Heaven as a slave by a cult of Zeref worshipers who aim to revive the black wizard, Jellal Fernandez (ジェラール・フェルナンデス, JerÄru Ferunandesu) befriends the eleven-year-old Erza Scarlet. When Ultear Milkovich manipulates him into serving Zeref under the guise of Zeref's spirit,[ch. 102] Jellal turns on Erza and takes over the tower's construction.[ch. 83] At some point, he is appointed a member of the Magic Council and one of the Ten Wizard Saints as Siegrain (ジークレイン, JÄ«kurein), a psychic projection of himself.[ch. 1, 48, 95] Using Heavenly Body Magic (天ä½"é"法, Tentai MahÅ) techniques, Jellal can boost his speed to imperceptible levels, and produce powerful energy-based attacks akin to falling meteors.[ch. 96] Masquerading as Jellal's good twin brother, "Siegrain" tricks the other Council members into firing Etherion at the tower, allowing it to absorb the weapon's magic energy to become operational.[ch. 94] He then attempts to sacrifice Erza to reincarnate Zeref, killing their friend Simon in a duel against Natsu Dragneel. He is defeated after Natsu consumes Etherion's residual energy to achieve Dragon Force, and is seemingly killed after the tower's destruction.[ch. 97-101] He is later found alive by the Oración Seis and revived to serve the dark guild, but suffers from amnesia and is shocked to learn of his past misdeeds from Erza.[ch. 136, 145] Despite fighting the Seis with Fairy Tail to atone for his actions, Jellal is arrested by the Magic Council and detained.[ch. 162] He eventually regains his memories before being liberated by Ultear and Merudy, who join him in penance by forming Crime Sorcière.[ch. 263]
Hiro Mashima created Jellal as a "self-parody" of his previous series Rave Master, modeling the character's appearance after Sieg Hart.[vol. 3:afterword] After reviving Jellal, Mashima revealed that he did not know what direction to take the character, and came up with three different ways for the scenario to play out.
In the original Japanese series, Jellal is voiced by Daisuke Namikawa. In the English dub, his voice is supplied by Robert McCollum.
Ultear Milkovich
During her early childhood, Ultear Milkovich (ウルティア・ミルコãƒ"ッãƒ, Urutia Mirukobitchi, named after "Ur's tear") is taken to a magic research facility by her mother Ur. She is subjected to unethical experiments and assumes that Ur has abandoned her, unaware that her mother thinks she has died.[ch. 46, 241] Ultear joins forces with Grimoire Heart to modify her magic with Zeref's power to travel to the past and exact revenge on Ur.[ch. 240] Ultear eventually gains infamy as the leader of the guild's Seven Kin of Purgatory and adopts Merudy. As part of Grimoire Heart's plan, she manipulates Jellal Fernandez into becoming the dark wizard's servant, feigning loyalty to him as a member of the Magic Council.[ch. 46] Later, Ultear and Merudy capture Zeref on Sirius Island, and the two attempt to flee with the dark wizard.[ch. 239] Eventually, Ultear realizes she has misunderstood her mother while dueling with Gray Fullbuster, prompting her to help Fairy Tail defeat her master Hades and leave Grimoire Heart with Merudy.[ch. 241, 248, 250] Seven years later, when Rogue Cheney's future self uses Eclipse to orchestrate a dragon attack, Ultear contemplates killing the present Rogue. However, she casts the forbidden time spell Last Ages (ラストエイジス, Rasuto Eijisu), which reverses time and allows her allies to foresee the dragons' moves within this critical time frame, preventing the deaths of several wizards.[ch. 333-335] The spell also rapidly ages Ultear into an elderly woman, and she leaves Jellal and Merudy to assume that she has been killed in the attack.[ch. 339]
In the Japanese anime television series, she is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro. In the English dub, her voice is supplied by Lydia Mackay.
Merudy
Adopted and raised by Ultear Milkovich as a survivor of her hometown's destruction, Merudy (メルディ, Merudi) becomes one of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin of Purgatory.[ch. 230] She uses the Lost Magic Magilty Sense (マギルティï¼ã‚»ãƒ³ã‚¹, Magiruti-Sensu) to synchronize the physical senses and emotions of two or more people,[ch. 229, 230] and the spell Magilty Sodom (マギルティï¼ã‚½ãƒ‰ãƒ , Magiruti-Sodomu) to produce blades of light that directly affect their target's sense of pain.[ch. 225] She participates in her guild's hunt for Fairy Tail's members on Sirius Island, making Gray Fullbuster her primary target, blaming him for hurting Ultear through Ur's death.[ch. 228] After dueling Juvia Lockser to a stalemate, Merudy threatens suicide to kill Gray through her sensory link, but Juvia convinces her to stay alive for Ultear's sake.[ch. 230] Merudy later learns of Ultear's role in her hometown's destruction from her guildmate Zancrow,[ch. 242] After rescuing Ultear from attempting suicide, Merudy leaves Grimoire Heart with her.[ch. 250]
Mashima designed Merudy to be the weakest of the Seven Kin, and was surprised to find the character had become "extremely popular" with the series's younger readers.[vol. 26:afterword] He wrote that the character's name "just sort of came to [him]"; he later realized that it was the same as a character from "an old RPG [he] used to play".[vol. 27:extra]
In the Japanese anime television series, her voice actress is Saori GotÅ. In its English dub, her name is changed to "Meldy" and she is voiced by Bryn Apprill.
Mermaid Heel
Mermaid Heel (
Celestial spirits
Celestial spirits (星霊, seirei) are beings that are contracted by celestial wizards to be summoned from another world using enchanted keys called Gate keys to battle and do other tasks. They are governed by an all-powerful spirit called the Celestial Spirit King (星霊王, SeireiÅ), and are each named after and based on one of the 88 modern constellations. They are immortal and possess various magic powers and abilities, but lose their power when they remain outside their realm for extended periods of time, which is fatal to them.[ch. 72-74]
The more common spirits are summoned using store-bought silver keys.[ch. 4] Nikora (ニコラ) is a common breed of spirit kept by celestial wizards as pets;[ch. 4] Lucy keeps a Nikora spirit that she names Plue (プルー, PurÅ«), who is identical to the character of the same name from Hiro Mashima's earlier work, Rave Master.[vol. 1:afterword] Horologium (ホãƒãƒã‚®ã‚¦ãƒ , Hororogiumu) is an anthropomorphic grandfather clock who is summoned to use for transportation, shelter,[ch. 3] and defense from dangerous environments.[ch. 244] Lyra (リラ, Rira), a cheery girl who carries a lyre, has the power to strengthen the emotions of those who hear her songs.[ch. 28] Crux (クルックス, Kurukkusu), an elderly spirit with a large, cross-shaped head, holds encyclopedic knowledge about celestial spirits and their owners, which he obtains by sleeping.[ch. 72] Caelum (カエルム, Kaerumu) is a mechanical sphere that can transform into a cannon or sword to be wielded by its summoner.[ch. 144] Pyxis (ãƒ"クシス, Pikushisu) is a penguin with a large compass on its head, allowing it to provide directional references.[ch. 266]
There are twelve golden Gatekeys that summon spirits of the Twelve Gates of the Zodiac (黄é"å二門, ÅŒdÅ JÅ«nin-mon), which are based on the zodiacal constellations.[ch. 4] These spirits are more powerful than the others, and require their master to use a large amount of magic energy to summon them.[ch. 143] They are led by Leo, the true form of Loke. Aquarius is a foul-tempered mermaid who uses an urn that unleashes massive torrents of water on her target.[ch. 1] Taurus is a perverted, minotaur-like humanoid who wields a giant, double-edged battle axe and has superhuman strength.[ch. 4] Cancer is a humanoid hairdresser with six crab legs protruding from his back, and wields a pair of scissors.[ch. 8] Virgo, a masochistic woman dressed like a maid, burrows rapidly underground and manipulates earth.[ch. 17] Sagittarius is a tall man who wears a horse costume and possesses superb archery skills.[ch. 62] Aries, a timid young woman with sheep horns, who wears a wool coat, conjures wool clouds that subdue her opponents.[ch. 172] Gemini are small twin spirits who mimic the appearances and abilities of others,[ch. 133] and can also read their minds.[ch. 143] Scorpio is a man with a scorpion tail-shaped cannon that produces sandstorms.[ch. 172] Capricorn is an anthropomorphic goat who dresses like a butler.[ch. 248] Pisces are a mother and son pair of giant fish who attack their opponent in tandem,[ch. 280] and can take on a human form.[ch. 310] Libra, a thinly-dressed woman, is able to manipulate gravity using a pair of weigh scales.[ch. 280] Another spirit called Ophiuchus (オフィウクス, Ofiukusu), which takes the form of a giant mechanical snake, is considered the "thirteenth" zodiac spirit and surpasses the other twelve in power.[ch. 280]
Inhabitants of Edolas
Edolas (エドラス, Edorasu) is a parallel universe that exists separately from Earth-land, the universe in which Fairy Tail takes place. It is inhabited by counterparts of Earth-land's residents, each with opposite personalities or traits such as age and species.[ch. 170, 176] It is also the home of several characters in the series, including Jellal Fernandez's counterpart Mystogan, and Exceed such as Happy and Carla. As opposed to Earth-land, magic is a limited resource in Edolas and cannot be used as a natural ability by humans, who instead use items combined with magic-infused lacrima crystals;[ch. 172] the Earth-land wizards are similarly only able to perform magic in Edolas after taking pills provided by Mystogan for this purpose.[ch. 180]
The kingdom is ruled by Faust (ファウスト, Fausuto), Mystogan's father,[ch. 190] who replenishes his world's magic using inter-dimensional anima (アニマ) portals that absorb and crystallize magic power from Earth-land as lacrima.[ch. 169] A version of Fairy Tail exists in Edolas as a dark guild because of Faust's abolition of wizard guilds. Among its members are: Natsu Dragyon (ナツ・ドラギオン, Natsu Doragion), Natsu Dragneel's timid counterpart and the guild's vehicle expert;[ch. 174] Lucy Ashley (ルーシィ・アシュレイ, RÅ«shii Ashurei), a boyish and intimidating version of Lucy Heartfilia; Gray Sorloge (グレイ・ソルージュ, Gurei SorÅ«ju), a version of Gray Fullbuster who wears multiple layers of clothing and harbors unrequited feelings for Juvia Lockser's counterpart; and a teenage version of Wendy Marvell.[ch. 170] They are hunted by Edolas's royal military commanded by Panther Lily. Included are: Erza Nightwalker (エルザ・ナイトウォーカー, Eruza NaitowÅkÄ), Erza Scarlet's ruthless counterpart who wields a transforming spear based on Haru Glory's Ten Commandments sword from Rave Master;[ch. 180] Hughes (ãƒ'ューズ, HyÅ«zu), who controls Faust's indoor amusement park attractions with a baton;[ch. 182] Sugar Boy (シュガーボーイ, ShugÄ BÅi), whose sword can turn anything into liquid;[ch. 182] Byro (ãƒã‚¤ãƒ, Bairo), the elderly chief of staff who carries various magical potions;[ch. 184] and Coco (ココ, Koko), Byro's young barefoot aide.[ch. 171]
Following the defeat of Oración Seis, Magnolia's residents are absorbed through anima and turned into a giant lacrima, which Faust intends to ram into the Exceed kingdom of Extalia to bestow a limitless supply of magic on his kingdom. He extracts the dragon slayers' magic to power a chain cannon to achieve this,[ch. 180] later piloting the dragon-shaped mecha Doroma Anim (ドãƒãƒžãƒ»ã‚¢ãƒ‹ãƒ , Doroma Animu) to battle the dragon slayers.[ch. 190] After Faust's defeat, Mystogan restores Magnolia and reverses the anima's effects to return Earth-land's stolen magic, permanently depleting Edolas's supply.[ch. 198]
Exceed
The Exceed (エクシード, Ekushīdo) are a race of anthropomorphic cat-like beings from Edolas ruled by Chagot (シャゴット, Shagotto); they reside on a floating island called Extalia (エクスタリア, Ekusutaria). They are the only residents of Edolas capable of possessing magic as a natural ability, which they use to produce wings and fly with the spell Aera. Because of this, they are seen as angels by the humans of Edolas, and Chagot is revered as a god who passes judgment on humans.[ch. 176] Most of the Exceed population resent humans, casting out any Exceed who sympathize with them or ignore their queen's orders.[ch. 185] Despite this, they are actually a weak race with a history of being abused by humans, and their divinity is a ruse devised by Chagot's court to protect their people and bolster their self-confidence.[ch. 188] Before their births, Happy and Carla's eggs are sent to Earth-land along with 98 other unborn Exceed under the pretense of hunting and killing dragon slayers.[ch. 176] This is later revealed to be another ruse created to prevent a panic over the plan's true purpose: to ensure their race's survival after Chagot foresees Extalia's eventual destruction caused by Edolas's loss of magic.[ch. 198] The entire Exceed race is transported to Earth-land after Mystogan reverses Edolas's anima and, realizing their mistake in judging humans, decide to live in harmony with them and search for the 100 missing Exceed children.[ch. 197-198]
Others
Igneel
Igneel (イグニール, IgunÄ«ru), the Fire Dragon King (炎竜王, EnryÅ«Å), is a dragon and Natsu Dragneel's adoptive father. He raises Natsu from infancy, teaching him language, culture, and the ability to use Fire Dragon Slayer Magic.[ch. 2] When Natsu witnesses Igneel's disappearance on July 7, X777, he begins a search for the dragon.[ch. 1, 66] His search results in him encountering several other dragon slayers who have similarly lost their own dragon guardians on the same date. Fourteen years later, when Acnologia arrives at the battle between Fairy Tail and Tartaros, Igneel is revealed to have magically sealed himself inside Natsu's body all along,[ch. 400] as are the other dragons with their respective children, for the triple purpose of preventing them from turning into dragons as a side effect of their Dragon Slayer Magic, waiting to personally eliminate Acnologia after the dragon slayers are fully inoculated,[ch. 414] and prolonging their own lives since they have lost their souls to Acnologia.[ch. 415] However, Igneel is brutally killed by Acnologia and ascends back to a higher plane of existence with his fellow dragons to watch over mankind. He also passes down the "Fire Dragon King Mode" to Natsu Dragneel after his death.[ch. 414, 415]
His voice actor in the Japanese anime television series is Hidekatsu Shibata. In its English dub, he is voiced at first by Bob Magruder, later by Jim White.
Ur
Ur (ウル, Uru) is Ultear Milkovich's mother and Gray Fullbuster and Lyon Vastia's teacher. She is a renowned Ice Make wizard whose power is said to be worthy of the Ten Wizard Saints'.[ch. 46] Before meeting Gray and Lyon, Ur brings her sickly daughter as a child to a magic research facility to save her life, only to later be told that Ultear has died while the doctors perform unethical, secret experiments on her.[ch. 241] She then takes on Lyon and Gray as her pupils in an effort to move on. When Gray attempts to kill the Etherious Deliora, Ur sacrifices herself to save him by performing the forbidden spell Iced Shell (
Ur is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro in the Japanese anime television series, and by Kira Vincent-Davis in its English dub.
Jude Heartfilia
A wealthy business tycoon and president of the esteemed Heartfilia Konzern, Jude Heartfilia (ジュード・ãƒãƒ¼ãƒˆãƒ•ã‚£ãƒªã‚¢, JÅ«do HÄtofiria) is Lucy Heartfilia's father. Like Lucy, his name is based on a Beatles song - in this case "Hey Jude". Jude's relationship with his daughter is strained because of Layla's death, which eventually leads to Lucy running away from home.[ch. 50] Years later, he recruits Phantom Lord to bring her home for a business opportunity. However, his actions inadvertently involve Fairy Tail in a guild war to protect her, resulting in Lucy breaking ties with her father.[ch. 67] Shortly afterward, Jude becomes bankrupt and loses his estate, and takes up work at a merchant's guild, mending his relationship with Lucy.[ch. 130] He dies toward the end of Lucy's seven-year disappearance, but demonstrates his love and faith in his daughter's well-being by leaving her seven years worth of rent money and birthday gifts.[ch. 258]
He is voiced by BanjÅ Ginga. In the English dub, his voice is supplied by Bill Jenkins.
Porlyusica
The human counterpart of Grandeeney from Edolas, Porlyusica (ãƒãƒ¼ãƒªãƒ¥ã‚·ã‚«, PÅryushika, also "Poluchka") is Fairy Tail's elderly medicinal advisor who lives in the forest on the outskirts of Magnolia. She is able to remedy all sorts of ailments and injuries. She resents humans and often chases visitors out of her house unless they are in need of help.[ch. 51] She is a longtime friend of Makarov Dreyar, whom she nurses to health when he is drained of his magic, and later when he falls deathly ill during Laxus Dreyar's rebellion. Seven years after Sirius Island's disappearance, she meets Wendy Marvell and instructs her on advanced Sky Dragon Slayer Magic spells relayed to her by Grandeeney. She had failed to teach them to Wendy before her disappearance.[ch. 260]
In the original Japanese series, her voice actress is ShÅko Tsuda. In the English dub, she is voiced by Linda Young.
Reception
The characters of Fairy Tail have received both praise and criticism from publications dedicated to anime, manga, and other media. Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network describes the characters' styles as having a "strong 'bite me' vibe" and compared the visual style to that of One Piece author Eiichiro Oda. In his review of the second volume, Kimlinger said that Cancer's fighting style "is a kick". In reviewing the first DVD/Blu-ray volume of Fairy Tail, Carlo Santos of Anime News Network says "with a lead character as pumped-up as Natsu, it's hard not to get caught up in his energy". Santos also praises Happy, citing his character as an "entertaining diversion, proving that animal sidekicks can be fun to listen to and not just a necessary annoyance". In his reviews of the Blu-ray/DVDs, Neil Lumbard of DVD Talk mentions the "strong likeability factor of each of the main characters". Anime News Network writer Rebecca Silverman, in her review of the 20th volume, said, "Mashima still manages to get some action and laughs in as well, including one especially funny subplot involving Gajeel. Wendy takes over from Lucy as the primary female of the series for most of this volume, and how you feel about that will probably depend upon which character you prefer." Silverman also thought that readers "may have had mixed feelings about Jellal's return earlier in this arc, but the bond between him and Erza has been underlying their scenes for most of their page time together [in chapters 162 through 164]." However, she said that "for the romantics in the audience, Jellal is still a criminal, and the government wants him. And so they come for him," and pointed out that "Erza fans and detractors will find it deepens her character a little while still finding it sad."
References
Fairy Tail manga
Entire series
- Mashima, Hiro, translated and adapted by William Flanagan. Fairy Tail. 47 vols. New York City: Del Rey Manga/Kodansha Comics USA, 2008â€"2015.
- Mashima, Hiro. フェアリーテイル [Fairy Tail] (in Japanese). 47 vols. Tokyo: Kodansha, 2006â€"2015.
Individual volumes
Other sources
