In the kingdom of Fiore, wizards join guilds and take paid jobs: hunting monsters, escorting merchants, finding lost cats. Fairy Tail is the most famous of them, partly for its power and mostly for its habit of destroying the towns it's sent to help. Lucy Heartfilia, a runaway heiress and Celestial Spirit wizard, joins it after meeting Natsu Dragneel, a boy raised by a dragon who is looking for his missing father.
Hiro Mashima's manga ran from 2006 to 2017 in Weekly Shonen Magazine, and its anime ran for ten years with breaks. Underneath the jokes and battles it's a story about a guild as a family, which is why the cast is so big. This guide covers Team Natsu, the rest of the guild, the Dragon Slayers, the rival guilds and the dark wizards.
- Creator
- Hiro Mashima
- Manga
- Weekly Shonen Magazine, 2006–2017, 63 volumes
- Anime
- 2009–2019, 328 episodes
- Sequel
- Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest (manga 2018–, anime 2024)
- Protagonist
- Natsu Dragneel
Team Natsu
Team Natsu is the guild's strongest and most destructive team. It's the group the story follows from arc to arc.
Natsu Dragneel
Fire Dragon Slayer
Natsu was raised by the fire dragon Igneel, who vanished on July 7, X777, and he's been looking for him ever since. He can eat fire to recover, gets terrible motion sickness, and believes in his guildmates with total, loud sincerity. The final arcs reveal that he is E.N.D., Zeref's brother brought back as a demon. That reveal recasts his cheerful hero story without undoing it.
- Voice
- Tetsuya Kakihara (JP) · Todd Haberkorn (EN)
Lucy Heartfilia
Celestial Spirit wizard
Lucy ran away from her wealthy father to join Fairy Tail and writes a novel about the guild on the side. She summons spirits using keys, including several of the twelve golden Zodiac keys, and treats her spirits as friends rather than tools. She's the reader's way in. In the Tartaros arc she breaks Aquarius's key to save everyone, the series' most painful sacrifice.
- Voice
- Aya Hirano (JP) · Cherami Leigh (EN)
Gray Fullbuster
Ice-Make wizard
Gray shapes ice into weapons and has an unconscious habit of stripping, left over from training in the snow with his teacher Ur. He and Natsu argue constantly and trust each other completely. His father Silver passes him Ice Devil Slayer magic, which ties him into the fight against E.N.D. Juvia's devotion to him becomes a long-running romance.
- Voice
- Yūichi Nakamura (JP) · Newton Pittman (EN)
Erza Scarlet
"Titania" · S-Class wizard
Erza can swap between dozens of armours and swords mid-fight, and she's the one person Natsu and Gray are afraid of. She was a child slave building the Tower of Heaven, and Jellal was her closest friend there. She's stern, kind and very fond of strawberry cake. Her mother turns out to be Irene Belserion, one of the series' final villains.
- Voice
- Sayaka Ōhara (JP) · Colleen Clinkenbeard (EN)
Happy
Exceed · Natsu's partner
Happy is a blue flying cat who hatched from an egg Natsu found as a child. He answers everything with "Aye!", loves fish and teases Lucy constantly. The Edolas arc reveals that he's an Exceed, sent from another world, and he meets his birth parents, though he chooses Natsu.
- Voice
- Rie Kugimiya (JP) · Tia Ballard (EN)
Wendy Marvell
Sky Dragon Slayer
Wendy is a shy young wizard raised by the sky dragon Grandeeney and the only Dragon Slayer who can heal. She joins Fairy Tail after her guild, Cait Shelter, turns out to have been an illusion. She grows from timid to brave over the course of the series.
- Voice
- Satomi Satō (JP) · Brittney Karbowski (EN)
Carla
Exceed · Wendy's partner
Carla is a white Exceed who acts as Wendy's prim, protective guardian. She has visions of the future, which she hides because they frighten her. She starts out scornful of Happy and slowly warms to him.
The Fairy Tail guild
The guild hall in Magnolia is full of characters who each get their moment. These are the ones who matter most.
Makarov Dreyar
Third Guild Master
Makarov is a tiny old man who can grow to giant size and is one of the Ten Wizard Saints. He loves his members like his own children and constantly apologises to the authorities for them. His speeches about the guild as a family set the series' tone.
Mavis Vermillion
First Guild Master
Mavis founded Fairy Tail about a century before the story and appears as a barefoot girl ghost only guild members can see. She's a brilliant strategist. Her past with Zeref, and the secret beneath the guild hall, are at the centre of the final arc.
Laxus Dreyar
Lightning Dragon Slayer · Makarov's grandson
Laxus had a dragon lacrima implanted as a child, which gave him lightning Dragon Slayer magic. He tries to take over the guild in the Battle of Fairy Tail and is expelled for it. He returns as one of its fiercest defenders, a full turnaround.
- Voice
- Katsuyuki Konishi (JP) · Patrick Seitz (EN)
Gajeel Redfox
Iron Dragon Slayer
Gajeel was Phantom Lord's attack dog and wrecked Fairy Tail's guild hall before joining it. He eats iron, plays awful guitar and has a soft spot for Levy. His Exceed partner is the soldierly Pantherlily.
- Voice
- Wataru Hatano (JP) · Jason Liebrecht (EN)
Juvia Lockser
Water wizard
Juvia was once one of Phantom Lord's Element 4, a gloomy rain-woman until Gray made the sun come out. She joins Fairy Tail and devotes herself to him. Her jealousy is played for laughs, but her loyalty is sincere.
- Voice
- Brina Palencia (EN)
Mirajane Strauss
S-Class wizard · Guild barmaid
Mirajane runs the guild bar with a sweet smile, and fights as "the Demon" with Satan Soul take-over magic. She gave up fighting after losing her sister Lisanna, and picks it up again when the guild needs her.
- Voice
- Ryōko Ono (JP) · Jamie Marchi (EN)
Elfman and Lisanna Strauss
Take-over wizards
Elfman is Mirajane's big brother who wants to be a "real man" and takes over the bodies of beasts. Lisanna, their younger sister, was believed dead and turns up alive in Edolas. Their family bond is one of the guild's emotional anchors.
Gildarts Clive
S-Class wizard · Strongest in the guild
Gildarts is a laid-back drifter whose Crash magic breaks anything he touches, so Magnolia literally rearranges its streets when he comes home. He's Cana's father, though she spends years working up to telling him. He's also the one who warns Natsu about Acnologia.
Cana Alberona
Card wizard
Cana fights with magic cards, drinks barrels of booze and is the guild's longest-standing member among the young cast. Her secret about Gildarts drives her arc in the S-Class trial. She's frank, funny and very capable.
Levy McGarden
Solid Script wizard
Levy writes words in the air that become real objects. She's a bookworm and Lucy's closest friend in the guild. She's also Gajeel's eventual partner.
The Dragon Slayers
Dragon Slayers use magic designed to kill dragons, and most of them were raised by one. They can eat their own element to recover. The series eventually reveals why so many dragons disappeared on the same day.
| Dragon Slayer | Element | Source | Guild |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natsu Dragneel | Fire | Igneel | Fairy Tail |
| Gajeel Redfox | Iron | Metalicana | Fairy Tail |
| Wendy Marvell | Sky | Grandeeney | Fairy Tail |
| Laxus Dreyar | Lightning | Implanted lacrima | Fairy Tail |
| Sting Eucliffe | White (light) | Weisslogia | Sabertooth |
| Rogue Cheney | Shadow | Skiadrum | Sabertooth |
| Cobra (Erik) | Poison | Implanted lacrima | Oración Seis |
| Acnologia | All magic | Became a dragon himself | — |
Rival guilds and allies
Jellal Fernandes
Founder of Crime Sorcière
Jellal was Erza's childhood friend in the Tower of Heaven, then its tyrant after being manipulated. Freed and full of guilt, he founds Crime Sorcière to hunt dark guilds as penance. He keeps Erza at arm's length because he thinks he doesn't deserve her.
- Voice
- Daisuke Namikawa (JP) · Robert McCollum (EN)
Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney
Sabertooth's Twin Dragons
Sting and Rogue were the arrogant stars of Sabertooth at the Grand Magic Games, and they idolised Natsu and Gajeel. After losing to them, they help rebuild their guild around something kinder. Sting becomes its master.
Lyon Vastia
Lamia Scale ice wizard
Lyon trained with Gray under Ur and blamed him for her death. He tried to free the demon Deliora to beat her record. He becomes Gray's friendly rival, and a competitor for Juvia's attention.
Jura Neekis
Wizard Saint, Lamia Scale
Jura is a calm, bald earth wizard and one of the Ten Wizard Saints. He's an honourable ally against the Oración Seis.
Loke (Leo)
Celestial Spirit
Loke is a womanising guild member who turns out to be the spirit Leo the Lion, exiled to the human world. Lucy saves him, and he becomes her most loyal spirit.
Aquarius
Celestial Spirit
Aquarius is a bad-tempered water spirit who was Lucy's mother's spirit before hers. She calls Lucy useless. She also loves her, which makes their parting in the Tartaros arc devastating.
Villains and dark guilds
Fairy Tail's villains come in arcs: a dark guild, a rival guild or a nation, each with a leader and a squad of lieutenants. Behind most of them stands one immortal wizard.
Zeref Dragneel
The Black Wizard · Emperor of Alvarez
Zeref is the most feared dark wizard in history. He's cursed so that the more he values life, the more his magic kills everything around him. He's also Natsu's older brother, and he made E.N.D. to bring Natsu back and perhaps to be killed by him. As emperor of Alvarez he leads the final war against Fiore.
- Voice
- Akira Ishida (JP) · Josh Grelle (EN)
Acnologia
The Dragon King
Acnologia was a human Dragon Slayer who killed so many dragons that he became one. He wipes out Tenrou Island's defences in minutes and kills Igneel in front of Natsu. He's the final enemy of the original series.
Irene Belserion
Spriggan 12 · Erza's mother
Irene created Dragon Slayer magic and was turned into a dragon by it, regaining a human shape only through her own enchantments. She's one of Zeref's Spriggan 12. Her meeting with Erza is a cold, painful one.
August
Spriggan 12 · The Wizard King
August is the strongest of the Spriggan 12 and can copy any magic he sees. His real connection to Zeref and Mavis comes out on the battlefield.
Hades
Master of Grimoire Heart
Hades was Fairy Tail's second master, Purehito. He turned to dark magic and leads Grimoire Heart in the attack on Tenrou Island.
Mard Geer
Leader of Tartaros
Mard Geer is the demon who runs Tartaros on Zeref's behalf, while secretly guarding E.N.D.'s book. He's elegant and fanatical, and his thorny magic nearly ends the guild.
Jose Porla
Master of Phantom Lord
Jose is a Wizard Saint who starts a war with Fairy Tail out of envy, kidnapping Lucy at her father's request. Makarov ends it personally.
Voice cast
| Character | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Natsu Dragneel | Tetsuya Kakihara | Todd Haberkorn |
| Lucy Heartfilia | Aya Hirano | Cherami Leigh |
| Gray Fullbuster | Yūichi Nakamura | Newton Pittman |
| Erza Scarlet | Sayaka Ōhara | Colleen Clinkenbeard |
| Happy | Rie Kugimiya | Tia Ballard |
| Wendy Marvell | Satomi Satō | Brittney Karbowski |
| Gajeel Redfox | Wataru Hatano | Jason Liebrecht |
| Laxus Dreyar | Katsuyuki Konishi | Patrick Seitz |
| Mirajane Strauss | Ryōko Ono | Jamie Marchi |
| Jellal Fernandes | Daisuke Namikawa | Robert McCollum |
| Zeref Dragneel | Akira Ishida | Josh Grelle |
Themes and where to start
Fairy Tail is the most openly sentimental of the big shonen series, and it's sincere about it. The guild is a home for people who were alone: a slave girl, a runaway heiress, a boy whose father vanished. Its message, that friends make you stronger, gets repeated a lot, and fans either love that or tease it. It's one of the clearest examples of the found family trope in anime, and a useful study in how to run huge ensemble casts.
- Start with episode 1: the early arcs (Phantom Lord, Tower of Heaven) are where the cast clicks.
- Treat Tenrou Island and the Grand Magic Games as the midpoint: a seven-year time skip follows, and the tournament arc is a fan favourite.
- Finish with Tartaros and Alvarez, then move on to 100 Years Quest if you want more.
If you like Fairy Tail's big-hearted crew stories, One Piece is its most obvious influence. Mashima has spoken openly about admiring Oda. Sword Art Online and Naruto are good next picks too.
All Fairy Tail character names A–Z
A–C
- Acnologia — Dragon King
- Aquarius — Celestial Spirit
- August — Spriggan 12
- Cana Alberona — Fairy Tail
- Carla — Exceed
- Cobra — Oración Seis
E–H
- Elfman Strauss — Fairy Tail
- Erza Scarlet — Fairy Tail
- Gajeel Redfox — Fairy Tail
- Gildarts Clive — Fairy Tail
- Gray Fullbuster — Fairy Tail
- Hades — Grimoire Heart
- Happy — Exceed
I–L
- Irene Belserion — Spriggan 12
- Jellal Fernandes — Crime Sorcière
- Jose Porla — Phantom Lord
- Jura Neekis — Lamia Scale
- Juvia Lockser — Fairy Tail
- Laxus Dreyar — Fairy Tail
- Levy McGarden — Fairy Tail
- Lisanna Strauss — Fairy Tail
- Loke — Celestial Spirit
- Lucy Heartfilia — Fairy Tail
- Lyon Vastia — Lamia Scale
M–N
- Makarov Dreyar — Guild master
- Mard Geer — Tartaros
- Mavis Vermillion — First master
- Mirajane Strauss — Fairy Tail
- Natsu Dragneel — Fairy Tail
P–W
- Pantherlily — Exceed
- Rogue Cheney — Sabertooth
- Sting Eucliffe — Sabertooth
- Wendy Marvell — Fairy Tail
Z
- Zeref Dragneel — Alvarez
Frequently asked questions
Who are the main characters in Fairy Tail?
The main characters are Team Natsu: Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet and Happy, later joined by Wendy Marvell and her Exceed partner Carla. The story is mostly told from Lucy's point of view, but Natsu is the protagonist.
Who is the strongest Fairy Tail character?
Acnologia, the Dragon King, is the strongest being in the original series, with Zeref, Irene Belserion and August close behind. Inside the guild, Gildarts Clive was long considered its strongest mage, and by the end Natsu, Gray, Erza, Laxus and Gajeel have all reached that level.
Is Natsu E.N.D.?
Yes. Natsu is Zeref's younger brother, who died over 400 years ago and was brought back as Etherious Natsu Dragneel, the most powerful of Zeref's demons. Igneel sealed his demon side and raised him as a Dragon Slayer. It's revealed in the final arcs.
Who does Natsu end up with?
The original series never makes Natsu and Lucy an official couple, but it plainly treats them as a pair, and most fans read the ending that way. Gray and Juvia, Gajeel and Levy, and Elfman and Evergreen are the other couples the ending points to.
What is Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest?
It's the official sequel, written by Hiro Mashima and drawn by Atsuo Ueda, which began in 2018. Team Natsu takes on a job no one has finished in a century, hunting the Five Dragon Gods. An anime adaptation began in 2024.
How many episodes of Fairy Tail are there?
The original Fairy Tail anime ran for 328 episodes between 2009 and 2019, across three series. It adapts the entire manga, with some filler, and was followed by the 100 Years Quest anime.