The Fairy Tail manga and anime series hosts an extensive cast of characters created by Hiro Mashima. The series takes place in a fictional universe called Earthland, where several of its residents are able to perform various forms of magic. Those who practice magic as a profession, referred to as wizards, join guilds where they share information and perform paid jobs for clients in order to be considered full-fledged wizards.
The series features a teenage wizard named Lucy Heartfilia who joins the rambunctious titular guild, Fairy Tail, after encountering a member of the guild named Natsu Dragneel, who is searching for a dragon named Igneel. Forming a team together with Natsu's talking cat Happy and fellow wizards Gray Fullbuster and Erza Scarlet, Natsu and Lucy set out on various adventures together as they face off against evil wizards, demons, and others that threaten the balance of the world, as well as the reputation of their already infamous guild.
Fairy Tail (妖精の尻尾(フェアリーテイル) Fearī Teiru) is the titular wizard's guild of the series, and the guild where the main protagonists of the series gather to perform jobs. It is considered to be one of the most powerful guilds in the series.[1] However, its members are infamous for being rambunctious and causing extensive collateral damage during missions. For this reason, the Fairy Tail guild is seen as a nuisance by the Magic Council despite the guild members' heroic deeds, to the extent that the Magic Council actively tries to disband the guild.[2]
Fairy Tail's guildhall is stationed in Magnolia, a city located on the southern coast of the fictional country of Fiore.[3] It is first depicted as a two-story public house with a pyramidal design. The first floor of the building serves as a lunch hall for its guild members to hang out, and contains a bulletin board where job requests are posted. The guild's most dangerous job requests, called S-Class jobs, are posted in the second floor of the building, which only S-Class wizards, who are officially recognized as the guild's most powerful members, are permitted to enter.[4] As the series progresses, the guildhall is destroyed by Phantom Lord, a rival guild, but is later as a larger, more extravagant Gothic building. This building adds architectural features such as a stage, a recreation room, and an outdoor gift shop, swimming pool, and café. All of the guild's members are also permitted to enter the upper floors of the second building, but only S-Class wizards are permitted to take the S-Class job.[5] Following the seven-year timeskip, however, the guild loses most of its members and is restationed in a rundown building even smaller than the first guildhall.
Creator Hiro Mashima has insisted that the spelling of the guild's name, which is a play on the phrase "fairy tale," is intentional. In-universe, the guild is stated to have received its name from the mystery of whether or not fairies, which are considered as mythical creatures within the series, have tails.
Natsu Dragneel (ナツ・ドラグニル Natsu Doraguniru), also known by the nickname "Salamander" (火竜(サラマンダー) Saramandā), is the main male protagonist of Fairy Tail. Aside from performing missions for his guild, Natsu travels with his partner Happy in search of Igneel, a dragon who raised Natsu in his youth before disappearing seven years prior to the start of the series.[6] He is a Dragon Slayer (滅竜魔導士(ドラゴンスレイヤー) Doragon Sureiyā), a wizard who can perform an ancient form of magic, or "Lost Magic", that grants him the physical properties of a dragon. He specializes in a particular form of this magic called Fire Dragon Slayer magic (火の滅竜魔法 Ka no Metsuryū mahō), which gives him powers such as breathing fire, emitting flames from any part of his body to attack his opponent, being physically immune to fire, and ingesting any flame besides his own for nourishment.[3][7] When he consumes magical substances containing numerous elemental properties besides fire, such as lacrima infused with Etherion, Natsu is able to achieve a more powerful form of Dragon Slayer magic called "Dragon Force" (ドラゴンフォース Doragon Fōsu), which turns his skin around his eyes and on his forearms scaly, and increases both his physical and magical power.[8] Eating any other form of magic temporarily grants Natsu the ability to combine the properties of that magic with his own (such as eating Laxus's lightning magic, which electrifies his body). However, eating any magic besides fire causes Natsu to become sick for several days after the effects of his transformation wear off.
Natsu is generally carefree and reckless in nature, and causes most of the collateral damage Fairy Tail is blamed for.[9] However, he is extremely loyal to his guildmates and attacks anyone who tries to harm or insult them. Although he comes across as thick-headed to several other characters, he is a perceptive tactician in battle and can quickly deduce his opponents' strengths and weaknesses.[10] He suffers from motion sickness when riding on vehicles of any sort (trains, carriages, boats, etc.), as well as when carried by others. The only exception to this rule is Happy, who Natsu claims is his friend and not a "moving object".[11] He is prone to challenging his guild's S-Class wizards to petty fights to test his strength, in which he is often defeated with little effort from his opponents. When properly motivated to fight (e.g. saving the lives of his friends) he is recognized as one of the most powerful wizards in the guild.[12] He is voiced by Tetsuya Kakihara in Japanese and Todd Haberkorn in English. In Animedia magazine's 2010 character awards, Natsu ranked #4 for the most "Hot" anime character and #5 for the most cheerful character.[13].
Lucy Heartfilia (ルーシィ・ハートフィリア Rūshi Hātofiria) is the main female protagonist of Fairy Tail, who joins the Fairy Tail guild at the beginning of the series.[9] She is also the viewpoint character of the series, which is narrated from her perspective. Her given name was inspired by The Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".[14] She is a 17-year-old celestial wizard who specializes in summoning contracted celestial spirits from another realm using a set of keys called Gatekeys. Despite being an "owner" of her spirits, Lucy treats them like her friends. She also carries a whip as her personal weapon, which she wields on occasion to fight alongside her spirits. Among the spirits she is contracted with, she currently possesses ten of the twelve keys that can open the Twelve Gates of the Zodiac. Lucy comes from one of the wealthiest families in Fiore, but ran away from home with the intent of joining Fairy Tail due to the death of her mother Layla and her strained relationship with her father Jude. She is invited into Fairy Tail by Natsu and Happy at the start of the series, and forms a team with them shortly after to perform jobs and earn money to pay for her rented house in Magnolia.[11] During the series, Lucy cuts ties with her father when he commissions Phantom Lord to kidnap her and return her home,[15] but makes peace with him later on after he loses his fortune.[16][17] As one of the saner members of the guild, Lucy regularly gawks at the odd habits of her guildmates, which include running gags such as characters (often Natsu and Happy) suddenly appearing in her house without her knowing beforehand. She is voiced by Aya Hirano in Japanese and Cherami Leigh in English.
Happy (ハッピー Happī) is a 6-year-old talking cat with blue fur who serves as Natsu's best friend and initial partner before Lucy's inclusion in the Fairy Tail guild. Hiro Mashima originally planned to name him "Freyr" after the Norse god, but found the name did not fit his character.[14] He possesses a magical ability called Aera (翼(エーラ) Ēra), which allows him to temporarily grow white feathered wings on his back and fly. He is only able to carry up to one person at a time in this form. He was found as an egg six years prior to the start of the series by Natsu, who cared for him together with Lisanna until he hatched.[18] He is generally cheerful as per his name, and often utters phrases such as "Aye!" or "Aye, sir!". He has a crush on Carla, who initially doesn't reciprocate his feelings. It isn't until later in the series that Happy discovers he is an exceed originally sent from Edolas to Earthland as an egg for his own protection after the exceeds' queen, Shagotte, had a premonition of their realm's destruction. While in Edolas, Happy encounters an exceed farmer named Lucky (ラッキー Rakkī) and his wife Merl (マール Māru) who, unbeknownst to Happy, are his parents.[19] He is voiced by Rie Kugimiya in Japanese and Tia Ballard in English.
Gray Fullbuster (グレイ・フルバスター Gurei Furubasutā) is one of the main male protagonists. He is an 18-year-old wizard who uses a form of magic called Ice Make (氷の造形魔法(アイスメイク) Aisu Meiku), which allows him to instantaneously create ice and mold it into various kinds of weapons, shields, and other inanimate objects. He learned this magic from the wizard Ur, who took him in as an orphan after his hometown was destroyed by the demon Deliora. Gray originally intended to take revenge against Deliora, but moved on to join Fairy Tail after Ur sacrificed herself to defeat Deliora instead. While normally calm and collected, Gray has a fierce rivalry with Natsu due to their opposing magic types, which constantly leads the two to bicker and insult each other. He is also rivals with Lyon Bastia, his fellow pupil under Ur, who blames Gray for her "death". Gray holds a great deal of respect for Ur even after her sacrifice, and becomes angry with anyone who insults her. He has a habit of stripping down to his underwear, often without realizing it, which he developed as a result of his training to withstand the freezing temperatures of Ur's hometown. He is voiced by Yuichi Nakamura in Japanese and Newton Pittman in English.
Erza Scarlet (エルザ・スカーレット Eruza Sukāretto), also known by the nickname "Fairy Queen, Titania" (妖精女王(ティターニア) Titānia), is one of the main female protagonists. She is a 19-year-old S-Class wizard, a high-ranked wizard who is usually tasked with performing extremely dangerous missions, and the most powerful female member of the guild. Her name was derived from Eru, a character from the one-shot manga created by Hiro Mashima that served as a pilot for Fairy Tail.[14] She specializes in a form of magic called "the Knight" (騎士(ザ・ナイト) Za Naito), which allows her to immediately summon and equip different swords, armor, and clothing from hammerspace at will using a magic ability called "requipping". She also has an artificial right eye, which replaces the one she lost as a child while forced to build the Tower of Heaven, and grants her immunity from illusions and other magical effects that occur through eye contact. She acts as Fairy Tail's disciplinarian and does not hesitate to punish anyone who disregards the rules of her guild, for which she is feared by her fellow guildmates. However, she is not without compassion towards her friends, and becomes more open to their antics as the series progresses. She is a childhood friend of Jellal Fernandes, another child slave from the Tower of Heaven, who later betrayed her after being brainwashed into becoming a servant of Zeref. Despite Jellal's betrayal, Erza is shown to have feelings for him, and eventually forgives him after he develops amnesia and shows remorse for his actions. She is voiced by Sayaka Ohara in Japanese and Colleen Clinkenbeard in English. Erza was ranked #3 for Sexiest anime character in Animedia magazine's 2010 character awards[20].
Wendy Marvell (ウェンディ・マーベル Wendi Māberu) is a young Dragon Slayer raised by the dragon Grandeeney. She specializes in Sky Dragon Slayer magic (天の滅竜魔法 Ten no Metsuryū mahō), which she primarily uses as healing magic to restore others to perfect health and removing ailments such as poison. She later learns how to use this magic for combative purposes, such as breathing and conjuring powerful gusts of wind, and magically enhancing others' speed, strength, and defensive power, as well as her own. She can regain her strength by absorbing unpolluted air through her body. She is introduced as a member of Cait Shelter (化猫の宿(ケットシェルター) Ketto Sherutā), a guild created by Roubaul (ローバウル Rōbauru), the spirit of an elderly wizard, via magical projections of people for the sole purpose of caring for Wendy after Grandeeney's disappearance. Prior to this, Wendy encountered and briefly traveled with Mystogan, the Edolas counterpart of Jellal Fernandes. She acts as a representative of Cait Shelter in the alliance with Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, and Lamia Scale to prevent Oración Seis from activating Nirvana, which was developed by Roubaul's tribe. During the battle, Wendy is kidnapped by Oración Seis and forced to resurrect Jellal, who she mistakes for Mystogan. After defeating Oración Seis and learning the truth about her guild, Wendy joins Fairy Tail. She is voiced by Satomi Satō.
Carla (シャルル Sharuru) is a white-furred exceed and Wendy's partner, introduced together with her as a member of Cait Shelter before joining Fairy Tail. She is the daughter of the exceeds' queen, Shagotte, which Carla is unaware of (coincidentally, Carla refers to herself as Shagotte's daughter as a bluff at one point in the series). Like Happy, she is one of one hundred exceeds sent from Edolas as eggs for protection following their queen's premonition of their realm's destruction. Along with others of her race, she can perform Aera magic to grow wings on her back and fly. She also inherited her mother's ability of precognition, which most other exceeds do not have, allowing her to experience visions of events yet to pass in the series. Upon her birth, Carla had foreseen her race issuing an order for the exceeds sent to Earthland to kill Dragon Slayers, not realizing that this order was a ruse fabricated by Shagotte to keep their people in check. Despite this, she grows close to Wendy and becomes protective of her. She acts in a condescending manner towards Happy upon meeting him, believing his lack of knowledge of their race's "mission" to be a birth defect when it is actually natural for him. It isn't until she witnesses Happy's resolve to defy their "mission" that she becomes more friendly with him. Carla gains some degree of control over her precognitive powers upon learning of them, but can only use them to foresee events that occur no later than a few days at a time. She is voiced by Yui Horie.
Makarov Dreyar (マカロフ・ドレアー Makarofu Doreā) is the short, 88-year-old master of Fairy Tail. His name comes from the fact that Hiro Mashima wanted it to sound Russian.[14] He is discontented with the Magic Council for the rules it tries to impose on Fairy Tail, instead encouraging his guild's members to do whatever they think is right. He often becomes despondent whenever his guild causes trouble with the council for him, and is prone to using force to stop his guild members whenever they become too rowdy or violent. However, he considers his guild members to be his children, and is fiercely protective of them. He is capable of multiple different forms of magic, including Giant (巨人(ジャイアント) Jaianto) magic, which increases his normally diminutive stature to gigantic proportions. His most powerful spell is Fairy Law (妖精の法律(フェアリーロウ) Fearī Rō), one of three legendary spells developed by the Fairy Tail guild, which generates a flash of bright light that spans across a wide area, and only harms those the caster considers to be his or her enemy.[6] Given his high level of magic and skills, Makarov is registered as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, the most powerful wizards in Fiore. He is voiced by Shinpachi Tsuji in Japanese and R Bruce Elliott in English.
Mirajane (ミラジェーン Mirajēn) is a 19-year-old S-Class wizard and the cover girl for the series's fictional Sorcerer's Weekly magazine. Her name comes from a video game Hiro Mashima was playing while creating her character.[14] She is capable of using transformation magic to change her physical appearance into those of other people or creatures. She additionally specializes in performing Take Over (接収(テイクオーバー) Teiku Ōbā) magic, which allows its caster to assume the form of a creature he or she had previously encountered. Mirajane uses a specific variety of Take Over magic called Satan Soul (サタンソウル Satan Sōru), which transforms her body into that of a winged demon with enhanced physical speed and strength. She is a very cheerful, kindhearted, yet somewhat absentminded young woman who rarely displays anger towards others. When she was younger, however, she was known by the nickname "Demon" (魔人 Majin) and acted like a bully towards her guildmates, holding a particularly fierce rivalry with Erza. She lost much of her magic power, including the ability to perform Satan Soul, due to the emotional trauma of her younger sister Lisanna's apparent death two years prior to the series, leading her to retire from performing missions and work as a barmaid in the guildhall instead. However, she regains her former power while fighting against Fried to protect her brother Elfman. She is voiced by Ryōko Ono in Japanese and Monica Rial in English.
Cana Alberona (カナ・アルベローナ Kana Aruberōna) is a short-tempered, 18-year-old woman described as Fairy Tail's heaviest drinker, and is tolerant enough to drink entire barrelfuls of alcohol without getting drunk. Her name is derived from the term "arcana" in relation to tarot cards.[14] She uses Card Magic (魔法の札(マジックカード) Majikku Kādo, lit. "Magic Card"), which allows her cast a wide variety of spells using a deck of magic-infused cards. She originally joined Fairy Tail following her mother's death to meet her father, Gildarts, but became depressed upon discovering his unawareness of their relationship. Cana tries to become an S-Class wizard to gain the courage to reveal the truth to Gildarts, and contemplates leaving the guild should she fail her fifth and latest exam that designates the S-Class rank, having failed the exam four times before. In her determination to pass the exam on Tenrou Island, Cana abandons her friends while they are being attacked by Grimoire Heart, but quickly realizes the error of her ways and declares her loyalty to her guild over becoming an S-Class wizard, telling her father the truth after the battle. She is voiced by Eri Kitamura in Japanese and Jamie Marchi in English.
Elfman (エルフマン Erufuman), also known by the nickname "Beast Arm Elfman" (ビーストアームのエルフマン Bīsuto Āmu no Erufuman), is Mirajane's younger, 18-year-old brother. He is a large and well-built man who is obsessed with spouting speeches of "manhood" through pride and physical strength, but is also very kindhearted and emotionally sensitive. Like Mirajane, he specializes in using a form of Take Over magic called Beast Arm (ビーストアーム Bīsuto Āmu), which allows him to absorb the power of any monster he defeats and transform his arm into that of each monster. He is also capable of performing Beast Soul (獣王の魂(ビーストソウル) Bīsuto Sōru), which transforms his entire body into that of a large horned monster. However, his first attempt at performing this spell two years prior to the series caused him to briefly lose his mind and go on a rampage that wounded and apparently killed his younger sister, Lisanna. He harbors a tremendous amount of guilt over causing Lisanna's "death", though no one blames him for it. Similar to Mirajane, the emotional trauma he suffered from the event limits his magic power so that he is only able to transform his arm at the start of the series. He regains his full power to rescue Mirajane from Phantom Lord, after which he is able to control Beast Soul and uses it regularly. He is voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto in Japanese and Christopher Sabat in English.
Loke (ロキ Roki) is a flirtatious wizard who is regularly seen in the company of young women. His name is derived from the Norse god Loki.[14] He possesses a ring called Regulus (王の光(レグルス) Regurus) with which he can conjure beams of light to attack. He is later revealed to be the celestial spirit Leo (レオ Reo), who was exiled from the spirit world for inadvertently causing the death of his former owner, Karen Lilica, after he prevented her from summoning other spirits in order to keep her from bullying his friend Aries, thus leaving Karen defenseless while on a mission. His guilt over Karen's death leads him to distance himself from Lucy, a celestial wizard. Having been unable to return to the spirit world for three years not only severely weakens his magic power, but also causes him to slowly fade away and die. It isn't until after Lucy discovers his identity as a spirit and persuades the Celestial Spirit King to reconsider Loke's exile that Loke is allowed to return to the spirit world, saving his life and restoring his former power. He is currently in Lucy's possession as one of her spirit partners, but is still considered a member of Fairy Tail. He is voiced by Daisuke Kishio in Japanese and Eric Vale in English.
Shadow Gear (シャドウ・ギア Shadō Gia) is a three-wizard team that serves as the backbone of Fairy Tail. Its de facto leader is Levy McGarden (レビィ・マクガーデン Rebi Makugāden), who is close friends with Lucy and the only person Lucy allows to read the novel she is writing. Her magic, Solid Script (立体文字(ソリッドスクリプト) Soriddo Sukuriputo), allows her to transform written words into three-dimensional objects that take on the attributes of what is written; writing the word "fire" creates burning letters, writing the word "iron" allows her to produce letters made of iron, etc. She is also proficient at translating and decoding ancient languages and rune-based enchantments. The other members of the team are Jet (ジェット Jetto), who can use High Speed (神速(ハイスピード) Hai Supīdo) magic to enhance his physical speed, and Droy (ドロイ Doroi), who uses Plant (植物(プラント) Puranto) to control the growth of plants to attack. Both Jet and Droy have a crush on Levy, but are rejected by her. During the series, the three are attacked and hospitalized by Gajeel while he is a member of Phantom Lord, sparking a war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord. While Jet and Droy hold a grudge against Gajeel after he joins Fairy Tail, Levy forgives him when he protects her from being injured by Laxus. She later develops romantic feelings for Gajeel after he becomes her partner during the S-Class exam. Levy is voiced by Mariya Ise in Japanese and Kristi Bingham in English. Jet is voiced by Masaki Kawanabe in Japanese and Michael Chinnici in English. Droy is voiced by Eiji Sekiguchi in Japanese and Z. Charles Bolton in English.
Mystogan (ミストガン Misutogan) is an S-Class wizard introduced as the most mysterious member of Fairy Tail. He refuses to let others see his face, which he covers with bandages, and goes as far as using magic to temporarily put his guildmates to sleep whenever he visits the guild. During the Battle of Fairy Tail, he is shown to be identical in appearance to Jellal Fernandes, which is later explained when he is revealed to be Jellal's counterpart from the parallel universe Edolas, of which he is its prince. As a resident of Edolas, Mystogan is unable to perform magic on his own, instead wielding staffs infused with magic power to cast a wide variety of spells. Despite this, he remains one of the most powerful members of Fairy Tail. He travels Earthland to close interdimensional portals called Anima, which Mystogan's father and the king of Edolas, Faust, uses to steal magical power from Earthland. He encountered Wendy during his travels seven years prior to the series, and later placed her in the care of Roubaul, the founder of the Cait Shelter guild. Mystogan returns to Edolas to stop his father's plan by reversing the Anima portals, thus returning the stolen magical power to Earthland. He then leaves Fairy Tail to govern Edolas following Faust's defeat. He is voiced by Daisuke Namikawa in Japanese and Robert McCollum in English.
Laxus Dreyar (ラクサス・ドレアー Rakusasu Doreā) is Makarov's 23-year-old grandson and initial heir as the master of Fairy Tail. He is an S-Class wizard who specializes in lightning magic to conjure bolts of lightning from his hands. Besides this, he had Dragon Slayer magic artificially implanted in his body by his father, Ivan Dreyar, and is capable of utilizing Thunder Dragon Slayer magic (雷の滅竜魔法 Rai no Metsuryū mahō) to drastically increase his own strength and breathe beams of lightning. He had a loving relationship with Makarov as a child, but became estranged from him after Makarov excommunicated his father Ivan from Fairy Tail. Believing himself to be stuck in his grandfather's shadow and perceiving his fellow guildmates as "weak", Laxus strives to replace Makarov as the master of Fairy Tail and reorganize it into the strongest guild in Fiore. He tries to take over the guild by starting an interguild battle royal called the "Battle of Fairy Tail", in which those who survive would be allowed to stay in the guild after he becomes its master. When his coup fails, he tries to destroy Magnolia using Fairy Law, which also fails and signifies that he does not truly hate his guild. He is excommunicated from the guild for his actions after being defeated by Natsu and Gajeel, but leaves on reconciled terms with Makarov, humbled by his defeat and acknowledging his love for his guildmates. After helping his former guildmates in their battle against Hades on Tenrou Island, he is reinstated into Fairy Tail by Gildarts during his extremely brief period as Fairy Tail's master. He is voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi in Japanese and Patrick Seitz in English.
Lisanna (リサーナ Risāna) is the 17-year-old younger sister of Mirajane and Elfman. She is also one of Natsu's closest childhood friends, and helped him raise Happy from an egg. Like her siblings, Lisanna can use a form of Take Over magic called Animal Soul (動物の魂(アニマルソウル) Animaru Sōru), which she uses to transform her entire body, or parts of her body, into those of animals. She is initially believed to have accidentally been killed by Elfman on a mission with her siblings two years prior to the series, when she was actually transported to the parallel world Edolas after being drawn through Anima, a portal meant to absorb Earthland's magic. She decides to remain in Edolas to keep the parallel world's counterparts of her siblings from worrying, since her own counterpart had died. However, she is forced to return to Earthland when the Anima portal is reversed, thus reuniting with Natsu and her siblings, and being reinstated in Fairy Tail soon after. She is voiced by Harumi Sakurai in Japanese and Carrie Savage in English.
Juvia Lockser (ジュビア・ロクサー Jubia Rokusā, spelled as "Juvia Loxar" in the Funimation dub) is introduced as a member of Phantom Lord's S-Class wizard team, Element 4. Corresponding to her original teammates' association with each of the four classical elements, Juvia is a 17-year-old "rain woman" whose entire body is made of water. Her magic, Water (水流(ウォーター) Wōtā), allows her to manipulate the element of water to suit her needs. She is prone to violent mood swings that affect her magic's attributes, typically causing it to rain around her when she is depressed and causing her water to boil when she is enraged. When she is introduced, Juvia suffers from a cycle of depression where she causes it to perpetually rain around her, for which she was been neglected by others since her youth. She becomes romantically obsessed with Gray upon first meeting him and, after being defeated by him, is able to overcome her depression. She becomes a member of Fairy Tail in an attempt to become closer to Gray, though he does not reciprocate her feelings. She acts hostile towards anyone who threatens or insults Gray, or who she believes to have affections for him. This includes Lucy, who Juvia becomes jealous of after misunderstanding Gray's platonic relationship with her. As the series progresses, Juvia becomes more open with her new guildmates and befriends Lucy, though she remains jealous of her. She is voiced by Mai Nakahara in Japanese and Brina Palencia in English.
Gajeel Redfox (ガジル・レッドフォックス Gajiru Reddofokkusu), similar to Natsu, is a Dragon Slayer raised by the dragon Metalicana. He specializes in Iron Dragon Slayer magic (鉄の滅竜魔法 Tetsu no Metsurū mahō), which allows him to transform parts of his body into metal weapons such as clubs and swords, cover his body with nearly indestructible metal scales, and breathe gusts of wind containing metal shards capable of shredding a person's body. He can also consume metal objects for nourishment. He is introduced as an S-Class wizard from Phantom Lord, and is responsible for destroying the original Fairy Tail guildhall. After Phantom Lord is disbanded, Gajeel is encouraged by Makarov to join Fairy Tail in an effort to guide him rather than out of forgiveness. He is generally antagonized and distrusted by the other members of Fairy Tail after being instated into the guild, but gradually proves his loyalty to them despite his gruff and apathetic demeanor. Under Makarov's orders, Gajeel acts as a double agent to spy on Raven Tail's master Ivan Dreyar, which he is forbidden to reveal to his fellow members. After noticing Natsu and Wendy's cat partners, Gajeel becomes self-conscious of the fact that he does not have a cat partner until he befriends Pantherlily, who he openly adores. He is voiced by Wataru Hatano in Japanese and David Wald in English.
The Raijin Tribe (雷神衆 Raijinshū, translated as "Thunder God Tribe" in the Del Ray translation) is a team of three wizards formed to serve as Laxus's personal bodyguards. The three are loyal to Laxus, and show their support of his ambition to become the master of Fairy Tail by participating in the "Battle of Fairy Tail". They rarely visit the guildhouse or converse with any other guild members, though they appear more frequently and become more friendly with everyone else following Laxus's expulsion from the guild. Aside from their own unique abilities, all three members share the ability to cast magic by making eye contact with their opponents, though each member's "eye magic" differs.
Fried Justine (フリード・ジャスティーン Furīdo Jasutīn, spelled as "Freed Justine" in the Del Ray translation), also known by the nickname "Fried the Dark" (暗黒のフリード Ankoku no Furīdo), is the 20-year-old founder and self-proclaimed leader of the Raijin Tribe. He specializes in a form of magic called Dark Écriture (闇の文字(エクリテュール) Yami no Ekuritūru), which allows him to write magic runes that affect his targets based on what is written. Fried can also transform his body by writing runes on himself. These runes are used as the basis of the Battle of Fairy Tail in which he traps several guild members within barriers that they cannot escape unless they defeat everyone else trapped inside. He is the most loyal member of the Raijin Tribe to Laxus (despite questioning him upon being ordered to execute his guildmates), and spends much of the series eagerly waiting to meet him again at any possible moment following Laxus's expulsion. He is voiced by Junichi Suwabe.
Besides Fried, the two other members of the Raijin Tribe are Bickslow (ビックスロー Bikkusurō, spelled as "Bixlow" in the Funimation dub) and Evergreen (エバーグリーン Ebāgurīn). Bickslow is a 22-year-old wizard who specializes in using Seith magic (セイズ魔法 Seizu mahō) to implant souls within inanimate objects and control them as he pleases. He can only control up to five objects at a time, which he refers to as his "babies" and names Pippi, Poppo, Pappa, Peppe, and Puppu. His eye magic, Figure Eyes (造形眼(フィギュア・アイズ) Figyua Aizu), allows him to control the souls of anyone who makes eye contact with him. Because he is unable to control this magic, Bickslow normally covers his eyes with a visor. He is voiced by Yoshihasa Kawahara. Evergreen is a 20-year-old wizard whose eye magic, Stone Eyes (石化眼(ストーン・アイズ) Sutōn Aizu), allows her to turn her opponents to stone. Unlike Fried and Bickslow, who use their eye magic as secondary abilities, Evergreen uses her eye magic as her signature attack. However, she too cannot control her eye magic and wears glasses because of it. Her other form of magic allows her to conjure golden fairy dust with which she can perform various techniques, such as causing explosions and firing projectile weapons. It is because of this power that Evergreen covets Erza's title of "Fairy Queen, Titania". She is voiced by Saori Seto.
Gildarts Clive (ギルダーツ・クライヴ Girudātsu Kuraivu) is a 45-year-old S-Class wizard and the most powerful member of Fairy Tail. He specializes in a form of magic called Crash (クラッシュ Kurasshu), which causes him to vaporize any object and magic spell he touches. Because he has a tendency to perform this magic to walk through walls without thinking, the entire city of Magnolia has to be transformed to form a single, straightforward path leading to the Fairy Tail guildhouse whenever he is in the city in order to prevent him from accidentally destroying any buildings. He is often sent to perform missions that are so difficult, they have never been accomplished for tens or even hundreds of years. For this reason, he only visits his guild several years at a time, and usually for short periods of time. Despite this, he has a close, fatherly relationship with Natsu. He lost his arm, leg, and some of his organs to the dragon Acknowlogia, and wears prosthetic replacements. He is the father of Cana, whom he did not recognize as his daughter upon first meeting her since he had embarked on a six-year-long mission before she was born. He remains unaware of their relationship until Cana reveals it to him during the S-Class exam on Tenrou Island twelve years later. He is voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue.
Pantherlily (パンサーリリー Pansārirī) is a black-furred exceed from the parallel universe of Edolas. He is initially depicted as a large, muscular, anthropomorphic panther, unlike most other exceeds, who appear as small, super deformed cat-like creatures. Upon leaving Edolas and entering Earthland, however, he takes on his race's typical super deformed appearance, though he is able to assume his original form for limited periods of time. He also possesses the "Aera" ability, allowing him to fly by growing wings on his back, and is an expert swordsman. His signature sword, Bustermarm (バスターマァム Masutāmāmu), has an extendable blade that extends up to three times his large form's size. After this sword is destroyed, he replaces it with a sword called the Musica Sword (ムジカの剣 Mujika no Ken), which can also change its size. Pantherlily is introduced as the captain of the 1st Magic War Division in the Edolas Kingdom's royal army, having been exiled from his people's kingdom of Extalia after saving Mystogan's life. Like Happy and Carla, Pantherlily befriends the Dragon Slayer Gajeel after fighting with him, and later becomes a member of Fairy Tail as Gajeel's partner. He is voiced by Hiroki Tōchi.
At the start of the series, the Fairy Tail guild is stated to have over one hundred other members. Following the main and major characters' disappearance that starts the series' seven-year time skip, however, the guild is reduced to the following members. Macao Conbolt (マカオ・コンボルト Makao Konboruto) is a wizard whose magic, Purple Flare, allows him to conjure flames that cannot be doused by wind or water. Macao replaces Makarov as the master of Fairy Tail during the time skip. He is divorced and has a son named Romeo (ロメオ), who admires his father and wishes to become a wizard at the start of the series. Romeo joins Fairy Tail over the time skip, and dresses similarly to Natsu, whom he also admires. Reedus Jonah (リーダス・ジョナー Rīdasu Jonā) can bring any picture he draws on himself to life. He has a rotund body at the start of the series, but slims down over the time skip. Nab Lasaro (ナブ・ラサロ Nabu Rasaro) is a wizard resembling a Native American who is frequently seen standing in front of the guild's job request board without picking a mission, and can fuse the spirits of animals to his body to enhance his physical abilities. Alzack Connell (アルザック・コネル Aruzakku Koneru) and Bisca Mulan (ビスカ・ムーラン Bisuka Mūran) are friends who wear Western-style clothes and utilize gun-related magic: Alzack specializes in wielding enchanted guns, while Bisca can requip various guns similar to Erza. They are in love with each other, and are shown to have married over the time skip. Warren Rocko (ウォーレン・ラッコー Wōren Rakkō) specializes in communicating to his guildmates via telepathy. Wakaba Mine (ワカバ・ミネ) is capable of manipulating smoke he can produce using an enchanted pipe. He becomes Macao's adviser after he becomes Fairy Tail's master. Vijeeter Ecor (ビジター・エコー Bijitā Ekō) can cast magic by dancing to increase his allies' strength, or to weaken his enemies. Max Alors (マックス・アローゼ Makkusu Arōze) is a wizard who can conjure and manipulate sand. Laki Olietta (ラキ・オリエッタ Raki Orietta) specializes in "maker magic" similar to Gray that allows her to create weapons and objects from wood.
Jellal Fernandes (ジェラール・フェルナンデス Jerāru Ferunandesu) is a major recurring antagonist-turned-ally in Fairy Tail, introduced under the alias Siegrain (ジークレイン Jīkurein). Hiro Mashima based his appearance on Sieg Hart, a character from his earlier work Rave Master, as a form of fan service.[21] He is registered as one of the Ten Wizard Saints with mastery over "heavenly body" magic (天体魔法 tentai mahō), which allows him to fly, increase his physical speed, and produce energy-based weapons. He is Erza's childhood friend, and a former slave forced to build the Tower of Heaven, a construct intended to resurrect Zeref. He was brainwashed by Ultear (disguised as Zeref) into taking over construction of the tower, betraying Erza in the process. To activate the tower's R-System (the spell designed to resurrect Zeref) Jellal creates a magical projection of himself named Siegrain to act as a member of the Magic Council and manipulate the other council members into firing the magic weapon Etherion at the tower (in the anime adaptation, "Siegrain" passes himself off as Jellal's twin brother). He is assisted by his and Erza's other friends and fellow slaves, who Jellal had tricked into thinking that Erza had betrayed them. He is ultimately defeated and seemingly killed by Natsu, but is later found alive by Oración Seis and resuscitated by Wendy to help Oración Seis find the destructive spell Nirvana. However, he awakens with amnesia and, upon learning of his past actions from Erza, atones by helping the protagonists defeat Oración Seis, after which he is arrested by the Magic Council for his past crimes. Seven years later, he reveals that Ultear has broken him out of prison. From there, they form an independent guild called Crime Sorcière with her and Meldy, and ally with Fairy Tail against Zeref. He is voiced by Daisuke Namikawa in Japanese and Robert McCollum in English.
Ultear Milkovich (ウルティア・ミルコビッチ Urutia Mirukobitchi, spelled as "Urtear Milkovich" in the Funimation dub) is the daughter of Gray's and Lyon's teacher Ur, and a member of Grimoire Heart. She performs a form of Lost Magic called the Arc of Time (時間のアーク Toki no Āku), which gives its caster the power to manipulate time for any single inanimate object, such as restoring broken objects to their state in time before they were broken and fast-forwarding time to cause rocks to erode or ice to melt. This ability has no effect on the human body, which includes body fluids such as blood. Like her mother, Ultear can also perform Ice Make magic. She is introduced as one of Jellal's followers within the Magic Council, but is later revealed to be the one manipulating Jellal. Ultear later becomes the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory to capture Zeref, hoping to keep the dark wizard's power for herself to strengthen her Arc of Time and travel back in time to seek revenge against her mother for abandoning her as a child, not realizing that Ur thought her daughter had died. Eventually, when Ultear falls into the ocean—where Ur's body had drifted out to sea after being turned to ice and melting—she experiences her mother's memories and realizes the truth of her abandonment. In repentance, Ultear leaves Grimoire Heart and forms an independent guild, Crime Sorcière, together with Jellal and her adoptive daughter Meldy seven years later. She is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro in Japanese and Lydia Mackay in English.
The Magic Council (魔法評議院 Mahō Hyōgiin) is an organization that oversees the guilds in the series and keeps them in check. Most of its members do not hold Fairy Tail in high regard due to their property-damaging tactics, regardless of the guild's role in apprehending criminals and defeating monsters that threaten the peace. One of the council's members is Org (オーグ Ōgu) who, unlike his fellow members, gradually begins to respect Fairy Tail for its heroic efforts as the series progresses. Another member, Yajima (ヤジマ), is a longtime friend of Makarov's and one of the only council members who speaks in Fairy Tail's defense. The council keeps a spell called Etherion, which fires a beam of immense magical energy that destroys anything in its path. The council is temporarily disbanded after Jellal and Ultear manipulate it into firing Etherion at the Tower of Heaven, which absorbs the weapon's energy to resurrect Zeref. It is later reformed under a strict chairman, Gran Doma (グラン・ドマ Guran Doma), to uphold a tighter regime over the guilds in the world. Most of the former council's members such as Yajima retire in embarrassment for the incident, while Org remains on the council. This reformed council also includes: Lahar (ラハール Rahāru), an official who personally oversees the arrests of wanted criminals such as Jellal and Oración Seis; and Dranbalt (ドランバルト Doranbaruto), who searches for incriminating evidence against Fairy Tail in order to disband the guild, using memory-altering magic to disguise himself as Mystogan's former disciple named Mest Gryder (メスト・グライダー Mesuto Guraidā). Both Lahar and Dranbalt gradually come to sympathize with Fairy Tail, and act to defend the guild from their superiors.
Blue Pegasus (青い天馬(ブルーペガサス) Burū Pegasasu) is one of the official guilds in the series, and generally consists of physically attractive men and women. The master of the guild is Bob (ボブ Bobu) who, unlike most of his guild's members, is an unattractive cross-dressing man whose effeminate mannerisms disturb other characters. It is also the guild of which Karen Lilica (カレン・リリカ Karen Ririka), a deceased celestial wizard and Loke's former owner, was a member. During the series, the Blue Pegasus guild forms an alliance with Fairy Tail alongside the Lamia Scale and Cait Shelter guilds to combat Oración Seis.
Ichiya Wanderlei Kotobuki (一夜=ヴァンダレイ=寿 Ichiya-Vandarei-Kotobuki) is one of the top wizards of Blue Pegasus. In contrast to his guildmates' general attractiveness, Ichiya is a stout and ugly man. He is a self-fashioned womanizer and has an ambiguous past relationship with Erza, who is greatly repulsed by him and loses all composure in his presence. He utilizes various forms of "parfum magic", which produce various effects and enchantments such as healing and increasing his physical size and strength. Ichiya appears together with his entourage, the Tri-men, as representatives of Blue Pegasus during the battle against Oración Seis. He spends much of the battle as a captive after being defeated by one of the dark guilds under Oración Seis's control, but proves himself integral to destroying Nirvana. He is voiced by Show Hayami.
The Tri-men (トライメンズ Toraimenzu) are a trio of wizards who act as Ichiya's personal entourage. They are all handsome young men, and serve to entertain and flatter young women whenever possible. One of its members is Hibiki Laytis (ヒビキ・レイティス Hibiki Reitisu), a.k.a. "Hibiki of the Hundred Nights" (百夜のヒビキ Pyakuya no Hibiki), who specializes in a form of magic called "Archive" that is performed in the same manner of using a computer, allowing him to store information and upload it into the others' thoughts. Hibiki was in a romantic relationship with former Blue Pegasus member Karen Lilica before her death, which nearly causes him to fall into a murderous rampage under the effects of Nirvana upon learning the identity of Karen's killer, Angel. The other two members of the Tri-men are Eve Thylme (イヴ・ティルム Ivu Tirumu), a.k.a. as "Eve of the Holy Nights" (聖夜のイヴ Seiya no Ivu), a junior member of Blue Pegasus who can conjure snow; and Ren Akatsuki (レン・アカツキ), a.k.a. "Ren of the Hollow Nights" (空夜のレン Kūya no Ren), a tan-skinned young man who can manipulate wind to harm his opponents. Hibiki is voiced by Takashi Kondō. Eve is voiced by Fuyuka Ōura. Ren is voiced by Masaya Matsukaze.
Lamia Scale (蛇姫の鱗(ラミアスケイル) Ramia Sukeiru) is another prominent official guild featured in the series, led by an elderly woman named Ooba Babasaama (オーバ・ババサーマ Ōba Babasāma). Several of its members are introduced as allies of the renegade wizard Lyon Bastia, having left their guild to help Lyon revive the demon Deliora and take revenge against it for causing their families' deaths. These members return to their guild after Deliora dies. Lamia Scale later appears as one of the four guilds besides Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, and Cait Shelter to form an alliance against Oración Seis.
Lyon Bastia (リオン・バスティア Rion Basutia), also known by the nickname "Reitei" (零帝, lit. "Sub-Zero Emperor", translated as "Cold Emperor" in the Funimation dub of the anime), is an Ice Make wizard and Gray's fellow former pupil under Ur. Unlike Gray, who can only use Ice Make to create inanimate objects, Lyon can create living golems from ice in the shape of animals, which can move and attack on their own. He practices Ice Make using one hand rather than the two-handed gesture Gray and Ur use, allowing him to cast his magic faster, but also making his conjured ice less structurally stable. He also shares Gray's habit of stripping down to his underwear. He holds a grudge against Gray for ruining his childhood ambition of surpassing Ur after she transformed herself into ice to freeze Deliora and protect Gray. Lyon melts the ice made from Ur's body using the ceremonial "Moon Drip" spell in order to revive and kill Deliora, thinking he could surpass Ur by defeating the demon she could not. Upon discovering that Deliora had died while frozen by Ur, Lyon follows Gray's advice to move on by joining Lamia Scale. He reappears later in the series as an ally of Fairy Tail, representing his guild in the alliance against Oración Seis. He is voiced by Yūki Kaji in Japanese and Jerry Jewell in English.
Sherry Blendi (シェリー・ブレンディ Sherī Burendi) is one of the wizards introduced as Lyon's followers. She can transform "non-human" objects such as wood and rocks into giant dolls that she can control at will using a spell called Doll Play (人形磯 Ningyōgeki, translated as "Marionette Attack" in the Funimation dub); she can also perform this technique on celestial spirits to control their actions. She has romantic feelings for Lyon, and has a habit of preaching nonsensical speeches of love. She also keeps a gargantuan rat named Angelica (アンジェリカ Anjerika) as a pet. She reappears after Deliora's death as a representative of Lamia Scale in the official guild alliance to battle Oración Seis. During the battle, she is temporarily affected by Nirvana and falls into a murderous depression when she believes Lyon is killed in a suicide attack by Racer, but returns to normal when Lyon is found to be alive. She is voiced by Yuka Iguchi in Japanese and Trina Nishimura in English.
Yūka Suzuki (ユウカ・スズキ) and Toby (トビー Tobī) are two of Lyon's other followers besides Sherry. Yūka is a young man with large eyebrows who can generate waves of magical energy from his hands that negate other wizards' magic. He is voiced by Masaki Kawanabe in Japanese and Anthony Bowling in English. Toby is a dimwitted young man who wears a dog costume and behaves in a canine manner, and can grow elongated fingernails that can paralyze whoever is touched by them. He is voiced by Daisuke Kishio in Japanese and Chad Halbrook in English.
Jura Nekis (ジュラ・ネェキス Jura Nekisu), also known by the nickname "Rock Iron Jura" (岩鉄のジュラ Gantetsu no Jura), is the most powerful member of Lamia Scale, and one of the representatives of his guild during the official guild alliance. He is also one of the Ten Wizard Saints, proficient in various forms of magic that allow him to transform soil and rock into unbreakable stone columns he can conjure from the ground. Despite his strength, he is very humble and considers himself to be the weakest of the Wizard Saints. He is voiced by Yutaka Aoyama.
Dark guilds (闇ギルド yami girudo) are guilds that operate without the consent of the Magic Council. They are generally depicted as criminal organizations, and serve as antagonists in the series. Three of the four most powerful guilds in the series—Oración Seis, Tartaros, and Grimoire Heart—form an alliance called the Balam Alliance (バラム同盟 Baramu Dōmei), which controls most other dark guilds in the series. The fourth guild, Raven Tail, acts independently from all the other dark guilds.
Oración Seis (六魔将軍(オラシオンセイス) Orashion Seisu) is the first guild from the Balam Alliance to be introduced. It shares the same name as a group of antagonists from Hiro Mashima's previous work, Rave Master. Despite being the smallest guild in the series, having only six members, it is considered powerful and dangerous enough for the Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Cait Shelter guilds to form an alliance to combat it. It is led by Brain (ブレイン Burein), Jellal Fernandes's former mentor from the Tower of Heaven. Brain despises official guilds, and seeks to destroy them and create a new world order using Nirvana, a legendary spell that is capable of reversing the moral behavior of those affected by it (causing inherently "good" characters to turn "evil", and vice versa). He is also responsible for finding Jellal's body following his defeat in the Tower of Heaven, and forces Wendy to revive him in the hopes that Jellal would lead him to where Nirvana is sealed. He is able to cast magic via his staff, Klodoa (クロドア Kurodoa), which is sentient and considers itself to be the seventh member of Oración Seis. He has a split personality named Zero (ゼロ) who, unlike Brain, tries to use Nirvana to destroy everything in existence. Brain suppresses this personality using a magic seal consisting of six lines drawn across his face, each of which represents all six guild members' strongest desires, referred to as "prayers". Each line is erased for every member of Oración Seis who is killed or otherwise defeated, thus weakening the seal. Both Brain and Zero are voiced by Tetsu Inada.
The other five members of the guild are all former child slaves from the Tower of Heaven. Cobra (コブラ Kobura) is a Dragon Slayer who had lacrima infused with Dragon Slayer magic implanted in his body. He specializes in Poison Dragon Slayer magic (毒の滅竜魔法 Doku no Metsuryū mahō), which allows him to breathe clouds of poisonous gas and transform his hands into venomous claws. He also has hyper-sensitive hearing that allows him to hear others' movements regardless of how quiet they are, and is capable of reading one's thoughts. He owns a giant venomous snake named Cubelios (キュベリオス Kyuberiosu) as a pet. Racer (レーサー Rēsā) is able to slow down time for his opponents within a certain radius, causing them to believe that Racer can increase his own physical speed. Hoteye (ホットアイ Hottoai), whose real name is Richard (リチャード Richādo), is a greedy wizard driven to find his missing brother (later revealed to be Wally Buchanan). He can liquify and warp solid ground into clay and manipulate it to his will, and has the ability to see through solid objects. Because he questions his guild's motives, Hoteye turns good under the effects of Nirvana and helps the protagonists fight his guild. Angel (エンジェル Enjeru) is a celestial wizard and the murderer of Karen Lilica, Loke's former owner. She owns the spirits Gemini, Scorpio, Caelum, and Aries, the last of whom she stole from Karen. Midnight (ミッドナイト Middonaito) is Brain's adoptive son who is often shown to be asleep while sitting on a flying carpet. He uses Reflector magic, which allows him to reflect, distort, and twist any manner of objects, as well as to refract light and create illusions.
Grimoire Heart (悪魔の心臓(グリモアハート) Gurimoa Hāto) is the second dark guild of the Balam Alliance to be formally introduced. It is led by Hades (ハデス Hadesu), whose real name is Purehito (プレヒト) and is Makarov's predecessor as the master of Fairy Tail. Hades believes the source of magic to be traced back to the dark wizard Zeref, and formed Grimoire Heart for the sole purpose of awakening Zeref and finding this source. He also believes that doing so would reshape the world so that only wizards would survive and use magic to achieve their deepest desires, while all ordinary humans would die or otherwise be subject to eternal suffering. Hades is initially depicted as an extremely powerful, virtually invincible wizard who surpasses Makarov in strength, and is capable of performing Grimoire Law (悪魔の法律(グリモアロウ) Gurimoa Rō), a spell he uses to counteract Makarov's Fairy Law. However, he actually has very little magic power and instead draws his strength from a machine inside his flagship that he calls his "heart". He is defeated by Natsu and his friends, and is later killed by Zeref. He is voiced by Masashi Hirose.
Among Grimoire Heart's most powerful members is Hades's deputy commander, Bluenote Stinger (ブルーノート・スティンガー Burūnōto Sutingā), who can increase the gravity around himself to immobilize his opponents, and can create black holes. The guild's seven other strongest members form the Seven Kin of Purgatory (煉獄の七眷属 Rengoku no Nana Kenzoku), each of which was raised by Hades and taught to perform an ancient form of magic called Lost Magic. The Kin are led by Ultear Milkovich, who later leaves the guild. Its other members are: Azuma (アズマ), a stern, muscular man who can manipulate the magic in the earth to control plant life and create explosive fruit using the Great Tree Arc (大樹のアーク Taiju no Āku); Rustyrose (ラスティローズ Rasutirōzu), a poetic, bespectacled man who can materialize any object from his imagination at will using the Arc of Embodiment (具現のアーク Gugen no Āku); Meldy (メルディ Merudi), a petite young girl who can produce blades to cut intangible objects such as water, and can link her senses with one or more of her opponents so they can feel physical pain and strong emotions as she does using magic called Maguilty Sense; Kain Hikaru (華院=ヒカル) an obese and clumsy man who uses voodoo-like magic called Ushi no Koku Mairi (丑の刻参り) to control people's movements via an enchanted doll; Caprico (カプリコ Kapuriko), a being who was formed after the celestial spirit Capricorn was possessed by the celestial wizard Zoldio (ゾルディオ Zorudio), and can summon humans he had trapped in an alternate dimension using a technique called Human Subordination magic (人間隷属魔法 Ningen Reizoku mahō); and Zancrow (ザンクロウ Zankurō), a psychotic God Slayer who can perform Flame God Slayer magic (火炎の滅神魔法 Kaen no Metsujin mahō), which allows him to conjure black flames that cannot be consumed by Natsu.
Raven Tail (大鴉の尻尾(レイヴンテイル) Reivun Teiru) is a dark guild that acts independently from the other dark guilds in the series. It is headed by Ivan Dreyar (イワン・ドレアー Iwan Doreā, spelled as "Iwan Dreyar" in the Del Ray translation), Makarov's son and Laxus's father, who formed the guild for the sole purpose of destroying Fairy Tail after he was excommunicated from the guild. He implanted lacrima infused with Dragon Slayer magic inside Laxus, but now intends to remove and sell it, which would kill Laxus.[22] He is voiced by Masaharu Satō. Gajeel pretends to be a member of this guild under Makarov's orders in order to spy on Ivan.
Eisenwald (鉄の森(アイゼンヴァルト) Aizenvaruto) is one of the dark guilds that is controlled by Oracion Seis. The guild's most powerful member and acting leader is Erigor (エリゴール Erigōru), a wizard who only accepts assassination jobs, for which he is also known as the "Death God" (死神 Shinigami, "Reaper" in the Funimation dub). He wields a scythe and can create gusts of wind capable of cutting skin and forming barriers. Among the guild's other members are Kageyama (カゲヤマ), who can transform his shadow into a tangible substance that he can manipulate to suit his needs; Rayule (レイユール Reiyūru), who wields a set of urumi blades around his fingers that he can extend at will; Karacka (カラッカ Karakka), who can merge his entire body with and move through solid objects; and Byard (ビアード Biādo), who can produce beams of light from his hands. The guild tries to assassinate the official guild masters in Fiore using the Lullaby, a flute with a demon sealed inside by Zeref that kills anyone who hears its music. The guild is dissolved after being defeated by Fairy Tail.
Zeref (ゼレフ Zerefu) is a character described throughout the series as the most powerful and evil wizard in history. He is an ageless being and appears in the form of a young man with black hair. He is able to create legions of demons and control demons, and possesses magic that causes all living things around him to die. He was believed to have been defeated and sealed away four hundred years before the events of the series, but is later revealed to be alive on Tenrou Island where he is sought out by Grimoire Heart. Despite being rumored to be an evil wizard who views life as insignificant, he had come to cherish life at some point following his defeat in the past. However, he can forget and remember the value of life at will, which greatly affects his powers: he has no trouble killing anyone when he views life as insignificant, but loses control over his power when he loses his will to kill anyone. He thus despises himself as someone with no choice but to kill, believing himself to be "rejected by the world" for his abilities. He is familiar with Natsu and wishes to be killed by him, believing Natsu to be the only one capable of doing so. He is voiced by Akira Ishida.
Phantom Lord (幽鬼の支配者(ファントムロード) Fantomu Rōdo) is a longtime rival guild of Fairy Tail, having been considered the most famous and powerful guild in Fiore before Fairy Tail's inception. Two of Phantom Lord's members, Gajeel Redfox and Juvia Lockser, join Fairy Tail following Phantom Lord's disbandment. Its master is Jose Porla (ジョゼ・ポーラ Joze Pōra), one of the Ten Wizard Saints and Makarov's self-fashioned rival, who can manipulate the element of darkness to curse his opponents. Jose declares war on Fairy Tail out of jealousy for its rising fame. He also kidnaps Lucy and holds her for ransom out of fear that Fairy Tail would monopolize her family's fortune, not realizing that Lucy had cut her ties with her family. Jose is defeated when Makarov performs "Fairy Law," after which Phantom Lord is disbanded and Jose's title as a Wizard Saint is revoked by the Magic Council. He is voiced by Takashi Matsuyama in Japanese and Ed Blaylock in English.
Phantom Lord contains a team of S-Class wizards called Element 4 (エレメント4 Eremento Fō) who can perform magic associated with one of the four classical elements. The team's leader is Aria (アリア), who can manipulate air and airspace to drain his opponents' strength. Aria's magic is generated through his eyes, which he covers with a blindfold to keep his power contained. Its other members are Sol (ソル Soru), who can manipulate and merge his body with earth, and Totomaru (兎兎丸), who can change the properties of fire by changing its color (blue flames become cold, orange flames emit a foul odor, etc.). Juvia, a former member of Element 4, can manipulate water.
The Tower of Heaven (楽園の塔 Rakuen no Tō) is a tower designed to bring a deceased individual back to life through a form of magic called the "Resurrection System", also known as the R-System (Rシステム R Shisutemu), which can only be activated once the tower is infused with massive amounts of magic power. It is made of lacrima, a crystalline substance that absorbs magic and attains its unique properties. It was originally built through slave labor by a cult of evil wizards for the purpose of resurrecting Zeref. Among the slaves forced to build the tower were Erza and Jellal, the latter of whom took over construction of the tower while under the manipulation of Ultear. The R-System is activated after the lacrima tower absorbs the power of Etherion. However, the tower is ultimately destroyed by Natsu and Erza.
Besides Erza and Jellal, there are four other child slaves who had befriended the two while in the tower. They are Shō (ショウ), who views Erza like his older sister, and possesses an enchanted deck of cards; Simon (シモン Shimon), who has romantic feelings for Erza and can remove all sources of light from a given area to block his opponents' vision; Wally Buchanan (ウォーリー・ブキャナン Wōrī Bukyanan), who has an angular body that can be separated into cubical blocks; and Millianna (ミリアーナ Miriāna), who has an obsession with cats and can conjure unbreakable ropes to bind her opponents. These four act as Jellal's followers after being told that Erza had abandoned them to escape from the tower on her own, when Jellal had actually driven Erza out of the tower himself and threatened their friends' lives if she were to return. Shō, Wally, and Millianna initially believe Jellal's lies of Erza's betrayal, only to later realize his deception and turn against him. Simon, meanwhile, remains faithful to Erza despite Jellal's claims, and pretends to follow Jellal before sacrificing his life to save Erza from one of Jellal's attacks. After Jellal is defeated, Shō, Wally, and Millianna set out to travel the country on their own, declining Erza's offer to join Fairy Tail.
Besides Erza and Jellal's friends, a trio of assassins called Trinity Raven (三羽鴉(トリニティレイヴン) Toriniti Reivun) is hired by Jellal to kill Natsu and his friends. The trio is led by Ikaruga (斑鳩), a woman who wears a kimono and wields a katana capable of cutting through any material. Another member, Vidaldus Taka (ヴィダルダス・タカ Vidarudasu Taka), is introduced before his two companions as Jellal's stoic attendant before revealing himself to look and behave in the same manner as a punk rock musician. Vidaldus wears a wig that can absorb any liquid, and uses an electric guitar to take control of his opponents' minds with its music, referring to his female slaves as succubi. The third member of the trio, Fukuro (梟 Fukurō), is a man with an owl's head who wears a jet pack, and can perform the same magic his opponents use by swallowing them. The three assassins are defeated and left to die after the Tower of Heaven is destroyed. In the anime adaptation, however, they are shown to have escaped the tower's destruction.
Edolas (エドラス Edorasu) is a parallel universe that exists separately from Earthland, the universe in which Fairy Tail takes place. Most of its inhabitants are physically identical to characters from the series, though their personalities differ radically. Unlike in Earthland, magic is a limited resource in Edolas and cannot be used as a natural ability by humans, who instead perform magic using items infused with lacrima. Edolas's magic supply is replenished through the use of interdimensional portals called Anima, which absorb magic power from Earthland and transform it into lacrima; this process also affects wizards, who are transformed into lacrima as well. The protagonists travel to Edolas after Magnolia is absorbed through an Anima portal in order to restore the city. Mystogan reverses the effects of Anima to return the magic power absorbed from Earthland, permanently depleting Edolas's magic supply while saving Magnolia.
Similar to Earthland, an alternate version of the Fairy Tail guild exists in Edolas. Due to the Edolas Kingdom's boycott of magic, the Edolas version of Fairy Tail is a dark guild that is hunted by the Royal Army, and is the last remaining magic guild in Edolas. The guildhall is built inside a cluster of large green roots, and can mechanically burrow underground to change its location and escape the army. Its members are all counterparts of Earthland's Fairy Tail wizards except Lisanna, who had come from Earthland and replaced her own deceased counterpart. Among its members are Natsu Dragion (ナツ・ドラギオン Natsu Doragion), Natsu Dragneel's counterpart who is normally timid and easily frightened, but acts confidently while riding vehicles and is the guild's transportation specialist, for which he is nicknamed "Fireball"; Lucy Ashley (ルーシィ・アシュレイ Rūshi Ashurei), a masculine and aggressive version of Lucy Heartfilia who enjoys bullying her guildmates, and has an intense rivalry with the Edolas version of Levy; and Gray Sorouge (グレイ・ソルージュ Gurei Sorūju), a version of Gray Fullbuster who wears multiple layers of clothing and harbors one-sided romantic feelings for the Edolas counterpart of Juvia.
The Edolas Kingdom (エドラス王国 Edorasu Ōkoku) is the capital of Edolas. It is a prosperous city ruled by Faust (ファウスト Fausuto), the king of Edolas and Mystogan's father, who attempts to bestow an infinite supply of magic on his kingdom by ramming the lacrima crystal made from Magnolia's residents into Extalia, the kingdom of the exceeds, so that their magical power will rain down on the city for eternity. He is ultimately defeated by Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy, leaving Mystogan to take his place as ruler of Edolas. In the anime adaptation, Faust is suggested to be the Edolas counterpart of Makarov, fitting the description of a "backwards" counterpart due to his twisted self-importance, as well as being physically taller than Makarov. He is voiced by Shinpachi Tsuji.
One of Faust's most loyal followers is Erza Knightwalker (エルザ・ナイトウォーカー Eruza Naitowōkā), captain of the 2nd Magic War Division in Edolas's army, and the Edolas counterpart of Erza Scarlet. Unlike the Earthland version of Erza, Knightwalker is a cruel soldier responsible for killing several members of Edolas's Fairy Tail, for which she is known by the nickname "Erza the Fairy Hunter". Similar to Scarlet's "The Knight" magic, Knightwalker wields a magic spear that can change its head, granting her differing physical capabilities depending on each head. Other members of Faust's court include Hughes (ヒューズ Hyūzu), captain of the 3rd Division; Sugarboy (シュガーボーイ Shugābōi), captain of the 4th Division; Byro (バイロ Bairo), Edolas's chief of staff; and Coco (ココ Koko), the assistant chief of staff. Pantherlily is the former captain of the 1st Magic War Division.
Exceeds (エクシード Ekushīdo) are a race of cat-like creatures that Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily come from. They reside on a floating island called Extalia (エクスタリア Ekusutaria) that is elevated high above the Edolas Kingdom. They possess a natural ability to absorb magical power into their bodies, and can grow wings on their back using the ability "Aera". The exceeds are revered by the residents of the Edolas Kingdom as divine beings for their powers, and consider themselves superior to humans. In reality, however, exceeds are generally weak and insecure individuals, and their divinity is only a ruse devised by the rulers of Extalia to bolster their race's self-confidence. Despite being cats, exceeds reproduce by laying eggs.
The exceeds are ruled by Chagot (シャゴット Shagotto), their queen and Carla's mother. Her public image in the Edolas Kingdom is that of a deity, which is also a rumor devised to keep the people of Edolas in check. Despite being revered as a god, she has very little magical power and is only able to produce one wing using Aera. She does, however, possess the ability of precognition, which no other exceed besides her daughter has. After having a premonition of her kingdom's destruction, Shagotte sent one hundred exceeds to Earthland as eggs for protection six years prior to the series, which included Happy and Carla. To prevent a panic among the exceeds, it was announced that the unborn exceeds were sent on a mission to hunt Dragon Slayers, which ultimately leads Carla to believe this to be her real mission due to her precognitive powers. Two other members of Shagotte's court—Nichiya (ニチヤ), the captain of Extalia's imperial guard and Ichiya's Edolas counterpart, and Nadi (ナディ), Extalia's long-necked Minister of State—help uphold the queen's ruse. However, Shagotte is forced to reveal her true nature after Faust rebels against the exceeds. Due to the magical power contained in the exceeds' bodies, the entire race is sent to Earthland through the Reverse Anima portal activated by Mystogan to restore all of the magical power stolen by Faust, and set out to find the remaining exceeds living in Earthland.
Bora (ボラ), also known by the nickname "Bora the Prominence", is the first antagonist portrayed in the series. He is a fire wizard who was kicked out of his guild for assisting in criminal activities such as thievery. He uses magic charms while posing as the Fairy Tail wizard "Salamander" to persuade young women into coming aboard his yacht so he can sell them as slaves. His actions nearly disillusion Lucy from joining Fairy Tail before Natsu exposes him as an imposter. In the anime adaptation, his reason for kidnapping young women is changed to forcing them to act as glamour models. He is voiced by Yoshimitsu Shimoyama in Japanese and Ian Sinclair in English.
Ur (ウル Uru) is Ultear's mother, and both Lyon and Gray's adoptive mother. As a master of maker magic, Ur was the one who originally taught Lyon and Gray how to perform Ice Make magic. She brought her daughter to a research facility to save her when she fell gravely ill from her immense magical power. She was later told by the doctors there that Ultear had died, when they had actually kept her alive to experiment on her. Ur took in Lyon and Gray as her students, eventually coming to love them as her own children without viewing them as replacements for her daughter. By the start of the series, Ur is shown in the form of a large chunk of ice containing the demon Deliora, having used Iced Shell, a spell that permanently transforms the caster's body into ice, to freeze the demon to death. She has remained alive in this form until Lyon melts her using the Moon Drip spell. Even after drifting out to sea as water, Ur remains alive to watch over her students. She is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro in Japanese and Kira Vincent-Davis in English.
Poluchka (ポーリュシカ Pōryushika, spelled as "Porlyusica" in the Del Ray translation and Funimation dub) is an elderly hermit who lives in the forest outside of Magnolia, and is a longtime acquaintance of Makarov's. She is a wizard who specializes in creating medicines to remedy all sorts of ailments and injuries, and saves Makarov's life on two separate occasions during the series. However, she is extremely reclusive and dislikes interacting with other humans. In the anime adaptation, she is stated to be a former member of Fairy Tail. Later, Poluchka reveals herself to be the Edolas counterpart of Grandeeney. She is voiced by Shōko Tsuda in Japanese and Linda Young in English.
Layla Heartfilia (レイラ・ハートフィリア Reira Hātofiria) is Lucy's mother who died on the same day Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy's dragon guardians disappeared seven years prior to the start of the series. She is known to have been a celestial wizard who retired thirteen years before her death, passing her the Gatekeys of her three contracted spirits (Aquarius, Cancer, and Capricorn) to other celestial wizards under the condition that they would be inherited by her daughter.
Celestial spirits (星霊 seirei) are magical beings who can be summoned by celestial wizards such as Lucy through the use of Gatekeys, which unlock passages between the human and celestial spirits' realm. Because spirits follow their own personal schedules, celestial wizards are required to make contracts and schedules with a spirit before they are allowed to summon it. This is also to prevent them from entering the human realm for too long, as existing outside of their own realm would cause spirits to gradually lose their power until they fade away and die. The spirits are ruled over by the Celestial Spirit King (星霊王 Seirei-Ō), who enforces additional rules spirits must abide; one such rule is the taboo of spirits killing their contracted master, or at least causing their death indirectly, which is punishable by exile from the spirit world. Gatekeys are divided into two types: silver keys, which are common and come in a large variety, and extremely rare gold keys which open the "Twelve Gates of the Zodiac" (黄道十二門 Ōdō Jūnin-mon). Each spirit is based and named after an astronomical constellation, with the twelve "Zodiac" spirits based on the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Nikora (ニコラ, spelled as "Nicola" in the Funimation dub), named Plue (プルー Purū) by Lucy, is identical in appearance and behavior to the character Plue in Hiro Mashima's previous manga, Rave Master: his entire body quivers constantly, he can only communicate through body language and uttering the phrase puuun, and his body sags when wet. He is based on the Canis Minor constellation, while his original name is derived from that of French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. He possesses no special abilities or powers, and is mainly kept as a pet by celestial wizards. Despite his unintelligible form of communication, he can be clearly understood by Natsu, and is the one responsible for suggesting he form a team with Lucy. He is voiced by Saori Gotō in Japanese and Majken Bullard in English.
Horologium (ホロロギウム Hororogiumu) is an anthropomorphic grandfather clock large enough for up to three people to fit within his chest cavity. He is typically summoned by Lucy to use for shelter or transportation, and can summon himself to defend her or her friends from dangerous attacks. Once someone is inside, Horologium repeats everything he or she says, even when no one else is around to hear it. He is voiced by Masaki Kawanabe in Japanese and Ben Bryant in English.
Lyra (リラ Rira) takes the form of a cheery young girl with wings and a bonnet, and carries a harp on her back. She is summoned for her singing abilities, which have the power to embody the feelings of those who listen to them. She is voiced by Megumi Nakajima in Japanese and Kristin Sutton in English.
Crux (クルックス Kurukkusu) is an elderly spirit with a large, cross-shaped head. He holds encyclopedic knowledge about celestial spirits and their owners, which he is able to obtain by sleeping. Lucy summons him to learn more about Loke's prior relationships with a celestial wizard, leading to her discovery that he is a spirit. He is voiced by Masafumi Kimura.
Caelum (カエルム Kaerumu) is a spirit controlled by Angel. It takes the form of a mechanical sphere that can transform into a cannon or sword, and is typically wielded as a weapon. It is depicted in the manga as an inanimate object incapable of speech or expression. However, it is depicted as a sentient being in the anime when it refuses to kill Lucy after she demonstrates her love for celestial spirits.
Aquarius (アクエリアス Akueriasu) appears in the form of a young mermaid holding an urn, which can unleash massive torrents of water on her targets. She is considered by Lucy to be the most powerful spirit in her possession, but can only be summoned near bodies of water. She is extremely rude towards Lucy and oftentimes targets her instead of her opponents, who are only "unintentionally" washed away by Aquarius's attacks. Aquarius also occasionally refuses to help Lucy in favor of spending time with her boyfriend, Scorpio, and likes to tease Lucy over the fact that she is single. She is one of the spirits previously owned by Lucy's mother. She is voiced by Eri Kitamura in Japanese and Jessica Cavanagh in English.
Taurus (タウロス Taurosu) is a large, muscular minotaur-like spirit who makes puns by uttering cow-like "moo" sounds in his sentences. He wields a giant double-edged battle axe and possesses Herculean strength, making him the most powerful physical attacker of Lucy's spirits. However, he is also a pervert who regularly becomes fixated on Lucy's breasts, which distracts him in battle. He is voiced by Eiji Sekiguchi in Japanese and Jeremy Inman in English.
Cancer (キャンサー Kyansā) is a humanoid, sunglasses-wearing spirit with six crab legs protruding from his back, and has a hairstyle in the shape of two crab claws. He acts as a barber and wields two pairs of scissors in each hand, which he can use for hairdressing as well as attacking. Despite being related to a crab, he normally ends his sentences with the copula ebi, the Japanese word for shrimp. He is another one of the spirits that Lucy inherited from her mother. He is voiced by Yoshimitsu Shimoyama in Japanese and Will Short in English.
Virgo (バルゴ Barugo) is a spirit who dresses like a maid and wears chained shackles around her wrists. She has the ability to rapidly dig holes underground, and can telepathically manipulate the ground around her to attack her opponents. She is a masochist who always requests to be punished whenever she believes she has done something wrong. She normally takes the form of a petite young woman, but can alter her physical appearance to suit her owners' tastes. Her Gatekey is initially owned by the corrupt Duke Everlue, during which time she takes on a large, obese form to satisfy Everlue's fetish for ugly women. She comes into Lucy's possession when Happy gives her key to her at Virgo's request. At Lucy's request, Virgo refers to her as "Princess". She is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro in Japanese and Terri Doty in English.
Sagittarius (サジタリウス Sajitariusu) is a tall man who wears a horse costume, and constantly utters the phrase moshi moshi, which means "hello" in Japanese. He possesses superb archery skills and never misses his targets. Lucy obtains his Gatekey as a reward on her mission to Galuna Island. He is voiced by Masaki Kawanabe.
Aries (アリエス Ariesu) is a timid young woman with sheep horns who wears a wool coat. She has the power to conjure clouds of wool to attack her opponents, causing those who touch her wool to enter a relaxed state. Like Loke, she was formerly owned by Karen Lilica, who physically abused her until Loke summoned himself to protect Aries. Her Gatekey was stolen by Angel after killing Karen, but becomes Lucy's spirit after Angel is defeated. She is voiced by Sayaka Narita.
Scorpio (スコーピオン Sukōpion) is a young man who has a cannon shaped like a scorpion's tail attached to his backside with which he can produce sandstorms. He is Aquarius's boyfriend, previously owned by Angel before he annuls his contract with her to become Lucy's spirit after Angel is defeated. He is voiced by Daisuke Kishio.
Gemini (ジェミニ Jemini) are twin brother and sister spirits who are summoned together. They have the ability to merge together and mimic the appearances and abilities of other characters. Their ability also allows them to read the minds of whoever they mimic. They can only remember two transformations at a time, and forget their oldest transformation upon mimicking a new character. They are introduced as Angel's spirits, but join Lucy after being moved by her love for celestial spirits. The male spirit, Gemi (ジェミー Jemī), is voiced by Yukiyo Fujii. The female spirit, Mini (ミニー Minī), is voiced by Kanami Satō.
Capricorn (カプリコーン Kapurikōn) is an anthropomorphic goat spirit originally owned by Lucy's mother, Layla Heartfilia. His key was originally given to the celestial wizard Zoldio to pass down to Lucy following Layla's death, but he was instead possessed by Zoldio through the use of forbidden magic, and joined the dark guild Grimoire Heart under the name Caprico. After being defeated by Loke, he is freed from Zoldio's control and declares Lucy to be his rightful owner. He is voiced by Takaya Kuroda.
Dragons are rare and powerful creatures who are hardly ever seen by humans, to the extent that the general public doesn't believe they exist. Dragon Slayers Natsu Dragneel, Gajeel Redfox, and Wendy Marvell were each raised by a different dragon—Igneel (イグニール Igunīru) the fire dragon, Metalicana (メタリカーナ Metarikāna) the iron dragon, and Grandeeney[23] (グランディーネ Gurandīne) the sky dragon, respectively—who not only taught them how to read and write, but also how to perform Dragon Slayer magic, which was originally developed to combat dragons due to their destructive nature. For unknown reasons, these three dragons disappeared on the same day seven years prior to the series, leaving their foster children to fend for themselves. Their exact whereabouts are unknown, though Igneel and Grandeeney are shown to remain in contact with one another and continue to watch over their foster children from afar. There also exists a black dragon named Acknowlogia (アクノロギア Akunorogia), which views humanity as insignificant. Acknowlogia appears on Tenrou Island during Fairy Tail's S-Class wizard exam as a result of Grimoire Heart's ambition to resurrect Zeref, seemingly destroying the island and causing everyone on it to go missing for seven years.