Fairy Tail – Main Villains / Characters

Spoilers for all works set before the end of Fairy Tail are unmarked. Examples pertaining to 100 Years Quest can be spoiler tagged if deemed necessary.

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Zeref Dragneel

See his separate character page.

Acnologia

Acnologia II

Voiced by: Kosuke Toriumi (Japanese), J. Michael Tatum (English)^note

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dragon_acnologia.png

^{Click here to see his original form.}

Acnologia is the Black Dragon who flies around the world, bringing destruction to wherever dark thoughts gather. Originally a Dragon Slayer who participated in the Dragon King Festival 400 years ago, he went on to drive dragons to virtual extinction, becoming the most powerful and feared being on the face of Earth-land.

For the original Acnologia, see the Anime (Series 3) page.

Adaptational Sympathy: The anime's second film and final season give him a more fleshed out Start of Darkness that paints him as a more sympathetic figure than in the manga, if no less monstrous: he was once The Medic of his village where he and other humans lived in harmony with dragons, and only turned against them when the dragons he trusted did not hesitate to turn on the human villagers out of fear of Dragon Slayer magic. Also, while his thirst for vengeance left him generally apathetic to humans, except for those who would willingly sacrifice other people to achieve peace with dragons, he's shown to be haunted by the apparent death of Sonya, an Innocent Bystander who was attacked by dragons in front of his eyes.
The Ageless: Heavily implied, since he certainly hasn't aged since he became a dragon 400 years ago, in part because his current human form is just a magical disguise. Zeref admits the reason he fears him is because one can't kill the other, but Acnologia would turn him and Mavis into his eternal playthings, with no mention whatsoever of the idea that Acnologia would die of old age eventually and free them that way.
Alas, Poor Villain: Downplayed. The aftermath of Acnologia's death is treated with relief and cheering by the heroes, coincided with the safe return of the seven Dragon Slayers and the confirmation of their hard-fought victory. To the seven Slayers themselves who witness his soul's final moments, as well as heard his Freudian Excuse, however, it's treated with tired soberness at the sight of both his brief defiance followed up by his peaceful acceptance of his end.
Almighty Idiot: After absorbing so much magical energy from the space between time, Acnologia's physical body goes completely berserk while his "soul" has to contain the other Dragon Slayers in order to stabilize himself. As such, the monster fighting Fairy Tail and the other guilds on the outside is essentially a mindless engine of destruction running entirely on instinct like a true animal, only speaking when his soul apparently does. The reason he attacks them in the first place is because he senses the gathering of so much magical energy he thinks is "food", and he destroys the ships at Hargeon because he instinctively knew they could use his motion-sickness against him.
An Arm and a Leg: Igneel tears off his left arm in the Tartaros arc, not that this makes him any less dangerous. This plays a critical role in his defeat when his spirit's movement gets hindered by Fairy Sphere and Natsu approaches from his left, leaving Acnologia unable to block or deflect the attack.
Anti-Magic: No magic spell, including Dragon Slayer Magic, is effective against him. That's because, as the Dragon of Magic, he has the power to eat any kind of magic used against him. This includes the magic of the Space Between Time, originally believed to be a perfectly inescapable prison, and Zeref's own Black Magic of Ankhselam, a divine curse that's supposed to kill anything.
Arch-Enemy:
- To the Dragon Slayers' parents for ruining their attempts to bond dragons and humanity; part of the reason that they sealed themselves in their foster children when Acnologia took their souls was to extend their own lives until they could find an opportunity to kill him.
- He definitely becomes this for Natsu as well after he brutally kills Igneel, to the point where Natsu goes off to train for a year to become strong enough for vengeance.
The Archmage: He's a Dragon Slayer from over 400 years ago who became a dragon from bathing the blood of hundreds, is the reason dragons are no longer around in the present and is so powerful thanks to his immunity to magic itself and ability to eat it to get stronger that Zeref himself fears him. He also puts down God Serena in one of the shortest "fights" in the series.
Assimilation Backfire: Once he gets the Space Between Time, he warps all the Dragon Slayers into his mental form to assimilate them as he needs Dragon Slayer magic to stabilize the newfound power, lest his physical form run berserk. It almost works when he captures Natsu last and starts assimilating him, but their friends calling out to them manages wake them up and break free from their bonds, resulting in the final battle.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He became the Dragon King by killing many other dragons and eventually transformed into one. He also takes over the world in Future Rogue's timeline.
Ax-Crazy: He's spent so many centuries killing and destroying that it became a pastime for him.
Barbarian Longhair: His hair is long and untamed in his human form, giving him a wild look that matches his destructive nature. To emphasize the "barbarian" bit, the anime shows a scene back when he was fully human and before he went crazy where his hair was much shorter and neater.
Battle in the Center of the Mind: A rare, rather odd villainous case of this. Due to eating the Space Between Time, his spirit becomes separated from his body, resulting in his physical form running amok without him in the driver seat, so to speak. So, he warps all the Dragon Slayers to his spiritual form within the spacetime rift with intent to use their magic to stabilize himself. Naturally, the Dragon Slayers aren't going down without a fight, so they must deal with his human half in the rift while their friends stall his dragon form in the physical world.
Berserk Button: Natsu pushes his in the final battle by mentioning the existence of "kind" dragons, something he denied could ever exist, and snapping him from smug to enraged.
Acnologia: Dragons? Kindhearted? The dragons toke everything from me, had hearts devoid of kindness. They slaughtered my family, burned my village. Not even children where safe from their wrath. So how in the hell can you tell me those creatures are kindhearted and noble?! They deserve to DIE!
Big Bad: He takes the role solo after outliving Zeref in the Big Bad Ensemble, making him the final villain of the original manga with his reign lasting in the final eight chapters.
Big Bad Ensemble: He’s this with Zeref for the series as a whole. Though he's not connected to Zeref or other enemies Fairy Tail goes up against, he's still a bad guy who would just as soon destroy the world.
Black Bead Eyes: Inverted; he has white beady eyes that don't seem to have eyelids. This, along with his facial markings, makes him look utterly alien compared to other dragons.
Blood Knight: Zeref states that Acnologia's ultimate goal is to go all out in a battle; he believes that himself and humanity will suffice.
Boomerang Bigot: He walks a two-way street on this. He looks down on humans despite being one once, and he despises dragons despite becoming one.
Breath Weapon: His breath attack is a Wave-Motion Gun that seemingly reduces Sirius Island to a smoldering crater in the ocean floor and judging from various comments that's exactly what would have happened had Mavis not used Fairy Sphere.
The Cameo: Acnologia makes a Fake Crossover appearance in Dead Rock (one of Mashima's later series) as an ancestor of Yakuto, the Villain Protagonist.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Despite his boasts to the Dragon Slayers during the final battle, Acnologia never actually goes for the kill and spends most of it Just Toying with Them because he needs to absorb their Dragon Slayer Magic to stabilize his body and soul after absorbing the magic of the Space Between Time, which is exactly what he was doing via sealing them into crystal before Natsu managed to break himself and the other free. He only goes for a killing strike on Natsu when the latter pisses him off calling real dragons "kind and noble," and Natsu's continued defiance and absorbing the other Slayer's powers for an All Your Powers Combined scenario leads him to further declare he'll just kill all of them.
Color-Coded Wizardry: His magic aura is blue in colour.
Creepy Monotone: When he's not roaring or laughing like a maniac, this is his default manner of speech.
Dark and Troubled Past: Acnologia lost his family and watched his village being burned by dragons.
Dark Is Evil: He is a black dragon and no friend to humans. He's also indiscriminately destructive, seeing both humans and demons to be beneath him.
The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: Shown in detail in the anime, whereas he grew more powerful he started caring less and less about protecting humans and more about satisfying his thirst for vengeance against dragons, to the point he was willing to destroy entire human villages for the "crime" of relying on Human Sacrifices to appease hungry dragons when they had no method of fighting back (effectively doing the very thing he hated the dragons for). He also admits he forgot his own human name but could never forget the name of the dragon he trusted and was betrayed by.
Death Seeker: Implied during the Final Battle when Natsu figures that all his ranting and raving for destruction is all Acnologia has left, and that he's desperately looking for someone to put him out of his misery but is too far gone to do it on his own anymore.
Dragons Are Demonic: He's a dragon that beats out Zeref, the Big Bad himself, as the most evil being in the series, regarded by many as a calamity that brings nothing but destruction. You don't get a title like "Black Dragon of the Apocalypse" for being a Nice Guy, after all.
The Dreaded: He is feared by everyone, including Zeref, who is himself an example of The Dreaded and considers him to be a being that humans could never match. The same goes for most dragons, too, if wiping their race to near extinction is anything to say. Ignia, one of the Dragon Gods of 100 Years Quest who is said to possesses strength to rival his, reveals the reason they spent 400 years as All Powerful Bystanders was because they were hiding from Acnologia ever since the Dragon King Festival out of fear and growing in power to perhaps someday challenge him.
Drunk on the Dark Side: Acnologia was hardly sane to begin with, but after absorbing the power of the Space Between Time, he becomes "the ultimate dragon of destruction", and begins annihilating everything in sight with glee.
Evil Counterpart:
- To Igneel. Both are extremely powerful dragons; they both have been called the Dragon King and they serve as the Greater-Scope Villain and Greater-Scope Paragon respectively. But there are some differences between them, Igneel is a pure dragon who adopted and trained Natsu in the art of Dragon Slayer Magic, while Acnologia was once human who went insane after watching his family and home get destroyed by dragons and was one of the first Dragon Slayers.
- He’s one to Natsu as well. Both were once normal people until the dragons destroyed both their families and homes, both of them later became Dragon Slayers after learning Dragon Slayer magic and both became well known people throughout Earth-land. In their respective pasts, Acnologia was once a doctor that used healing magic, while Natsu was just an ordinary boy who lived with his family, and Natsu died but was resurrected by his older brother Zeref, while Acnologia survived the Dragons attack. And while Natsu sees dragons as kindhearted creatures and had a adoptive father as a dragon, Acnologia, however despised them after what they did to his village and swore revenge on them with his Dragon Slayer Magic killing them and becoming the infamous and feared Black Dragon of the Apocalypse.
Evil Laugh: He is prone to bouts of maniacal laughter whenever he revels in particularly brutal acts of violence.
Fangs Are Evil: As a Dragon Slayer, his human form has pronounced canines, which are all the more visible as he laughs maniacally while mutilating his opponents.
Feed It with Fire: Like with other Dragon Slayers. Only he doesn't eat one specific element; he eats magic in general, effectively rendering any form of magic useless against him.
Final Boss: He is the true final villain of Fairy Tail, the most powerful, and the most dangerous villain in the story.
Flash Step: One second, he's in front of God Serena, the next he's behind him, arm outstretched from having torn a hole through his side, and God Serena, Jacob, and August can barely comprehend what just happened even as the former Wizard Saint collapses dead on the ground.
Foil: To Zeref. Both lost their loved ones to dragons, but while Zeref used the experience as motivation to research taboo forms of magic to resurrect his little brother, Acnologia became a Dragon Slayer motivated purely by the desire for revenge, ultimately becoming worse than any of the dragons he killed. Whereas Zeref was at least repentant for his actions and wanted to undo them (literally), nothing short of the total extinction of dragons would be acceptable to Acnologia, and if the rest of the world is destroyed in the process, so much the better.
For the Evulz: Whenever asked what his motivation for bringing pain and misery to the world is, his answer is always the same: destruction, pure and simple. As the Final Battle rages on and Acnologia starts madly ranting and shouting how he wants to destroy everything, however, Natsu figures he's actually crying out for someone to destroy him, since he can't end it on his own anymore.
Forgot About His Powers: While chasing after Christina in an attempt to kill Wendy, he never considers trying to shoot it down with his Breath Weapon. It's especially noticeable when he does use it on Jellal, who should be a non-issue to him.
Freudian Excuse: His descent into madness and destruction all started when he experienced the cruelty of dragons firsthand, especially from the one whom he originally befriended and respected who turned on humanity after being greviously wounded by Dragon Slayer magic. This spurns Acnologia into going on to exterminate them all as a Dragon Slayer, only to lose his humanity and his mind as a consequence of his magic.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Acnologia went from a simple healer who bemoaned his lack of power to fully ease the suffering of his patients to the most powerful Dragon Slayer in existence that caused the virtual extinction of the dragons, took over the world in at least one Bad Future, and was the most feared being in all of Earthland.
A God Am I: After consuming the magic energy from the Space between Time, he outright claims that he’s become a god and during the final showdown against the Dragon Slayers he states he possesses "the destructive fury of a god".
Go Out with a Smile: He dies with a smile while acknowledging Natsu's strength as his spiritual body crumbles away to nothingness.
Gotta Kill 'Em All: His creed as a Dragon Slayer. Not so much that he was being a Knight Templar about his role, but moreso that he really liked his job and massacred all dragons he came across. This even extends to the other Dragon Slayers as well.
Graceful Loser: As his spiritual body finishes crumbling apart, Acnologia's final words are a peaceful acknowledgement of Natsu as the next Dragon King.
Greater-Scope Villain: Acnologia, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse, is one of the most terrifying forces of destruction known to man, and the only being Zeref himself fears. It turns out getting rid of Acnologia is on Zeref's agenda (though at the expense of the rest of mankind), and once Zeref is defeated, he ends up becoming the Final Boss of the series as the sole remaining enemy Fairy Tail needs to defeat.
Handicapped Badass: Acnologia may have only one arm, but he’s still the strongest dragon in the series and a full on Lightning Bruiser.
Hates Everyone Equally: In Acnologia's eyes, humans (his former species) are vermin, other dragons are an eyesore (though he can at least be bothered to speak to them), and demons are abominations.
Healing Hands: According to the anime, back when he was still human and before becoming a Dragon Slayer, he used healing magic as part of his trade as a doctor. However, he noted the best he could do was stop bleeding, not relieve pain, restore lost parts, or heal fatal wounds. Presumably, he used this to prevent himself from bleeding out after Igneel tore off his arm.
Hell Is That Noise: Acnologia's roar. Those who hear it in the distance are suddenly gripped with dread, as if it beckons the end of the world.
Hero Killer: He's the reason why Gildarts lost his left arm and most of his organs. He also very nearly succeeds in obliterating the main cast had it not been for the intervention of Makarov and Mavis, and later successfully kills Igneel, one of the Big Goods.
He Who Fights Monsters: Acnologia was once a human who lost everything he had to dragons, becoming a Dragon Slayer to protect other humans that were senselessly tormented and killed in the same manner. Eventually, his overuse of his magic turned into the very thing he sought to destroy, though by then, he realized he had far too much fun wreaking destruction of his own, acting out in the very same manner he viewed other dragons in.
Humans Are Insects: Zeref describes his view of humanity as insects that aren't worth speaking even a word to as he attempts to massacre them. Irene questions this attitude given that Acnologia was born a human and was in his human form during their encounter.
Hypocrite: He sees himself as something greater than both human and dragon entirely, but its really just delusion talking. In the final showdown, he points out that he can't afford to leave a single dragon alive, but Natsu immediately reminds him that there will always be one left as long as he survives. It then comes to light that Acnologia is just trying to overcome his losses caused by dragons by making sure no more dragons can exist, because as long as they do, there also will always be the possibility they will cause him to suffer.
I Have Many Names: He is known as the "Black Dragon of the Apocalypse", the "Dragon King", and the "Wings of Darkness", just to name a few of his titles. It's also stated that "Acnologia" wasn't his original name as a human; according to the anime adaptation, that name originally belonged to his hometown's guardian dragon who betrayed them.
Invincible Villain: Considering he eats magic; he is practically unstoppable in a setting where magic is the most potent weapon of all. The only one who seemed capable of harming him at first was Igneel, but even then, it was at the cost of his life. Both Zeref and Anna believe nothing short of weaponizing a Time Paradox to Ret-Gone him will finally take him down. While he is eventually defeated, it takes the combined power of every wizard on Ishgal to do it, and even then, it only works because he had splintered his body and mind, which finally made him more vulnerable.
Just Toying with Them: Gildarts spells this out to everyone at the end of the Sirius Island arc after Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy's triple Dragon Roar sends him crashing into the ocean, plainly stating that Acnologia hasn't even used half the power he displayed in their own brief battle and that this is the Dragon King's idea of a warmup before getting right to the destruction.
Karma Houdini Warranty: After nearly four centuries of getting away with causing destruction and death, Acnologia is finally killed by Natsu at the end of the series.
Knight of Cerebus: The mere mention of his name is enough to overturn the overall lighthearted tone of the series.
Lack of Empathy: Acnologia considers humans to be no more than mere insects, and hardly even notices any of the people he blasts away.
Laser-Guided Karma: After brutally tearing the left half off of Gildarts and later Igneel, Acnologia loses his left arm, courtesy of the latter.
Legacy Character: His expanded Start of Darkness in the anime reveals that he's the second to go by the name of "Acnologia", taking the name from the dragon who betrayed his hometown and instilled a vengeful hatred against all dragons in him.
Lightning Bruiser: Even in his human form, he's able to tear a hole into Ishgal's strongest wizard before the latter can even process what just happened, and he can tank the blow of a massive airship head-on.
Magic Eater: Above even other users of magic. His element is magic, so he can devour any spell thrown at him. He can also devour the magic stored within items or even dimensions, as he does to escape the Space Between Time by devouring the Time Magic within it.
Meaningful Rename: According to the anime, Acnologia renamed himself after the dragon who was supposed to protect his village, but instead betrayed and destroyed it after suffering from the destructive power of Dragon Slayer magic, symbolizing his unyielding hatred of dragons from then on. Ironically, in taking that name Acnologia would go down much the same path, going from a Dragon Slayer out to avenge humanity's suffering and protect them to a dragon who betrayed his former kind and wants to destroy everything after falling prey to the destructive influence of his magic.
The Medic: The anime reveals that he originally used healing magic and served as the personal physician of his village's guardian dragon, Acnologia I, complete with a pure white Labcoat of Science and Medicine. However, his power wasn't enough to completely heal the dragon's wounds, unwittingly fueling his desire for stronger magic.
Mirror Character: He and Future Lucy both tried to save people from dragons. Both have even lost a hand with Future Lucy losing her right hand while Acnologia lost his left hand. But while Future Lucy was able to stay true to her morals, in spite of losing everything, to the very end, Acnologia didn't and fell into his despair and anger, eventually becoming no better than the dragons who took everything from him.
Moral Myopia: He massacred dragons to stop the death and destruction they caused. Aside from the issue that he is stereotyping dragons as Always Chaotic Evil, the only dragon who's been causing death and destruction for the past few centuries is himself.
Motive Decay: One that occurred before the series began. Once upon a time, Acnologia lost his family, home, and practically everything else of value to him to the most vicious of the dragons, which caused him to go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge upon being granted the power to kill them. And so, he began a purge, using his magic so much it turned him into an actual dragon. But that's when things went From Bad to Worse—he realized he could devour practically any magic and decided to kill everything because he grew to love causing destruction. From that point forward, it stopped being about Revenge and more For the Evulz.
No Body Left Behind: His soul shatters and turns to dust after Natsu fatally punches him with his combined Dragon Slayer powers, and his dragon body follows shortly thereafter.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: Played with. On the one hand, he doesn't even let God Serena finish talking before dropping him like a sack of potatoes. On the other hand, he is prone to playing around with his enemies the rest of the time whenever he's bored.
Non-Elemental: Acnologia doesn't have any elemental attribute like the other dragons. In fact, his "element" is magic; being a Dragon Slayer, this not only makes him immune to all magic, but he can also devour any kind of spell thrown at him.
Not So Invincible After All: During the final battle, the wizards discover that his so-called immunity to magic has its limits—it's just that these limits are far, far beyond what any group of wizards who faced him beforehand could muster, let alone a single wizard, Dragon Slayer or not. Lucy and her team of several dozen wizards' attempt to seal Acnologia inside Fairy Sphere doesn't work until Merudy boosts their power with the magic of every single wizard on the continent, while the seven Dragon Slayers' magic doesn't lay a scratch on him until Natsu combines it and slams all of it into him at once. And even that was only possible because his soul was paralyzed and unable to just devour it like he usually would thanks to the Fairy Sphere seal.
Omnicidal Maniac: The one thing he has on his mind is the destruction of anything and everything he sees.
Only Known by Their Nickname: According to Zirconis, Acnologia had another name when he was still human. What that name is, we never know, as anyone who could have known it is dead now either by the hands of dragons, himself, or the passage of time. Even Acnologia himself in the anime admits he's forgotten his original name.
Our Dragons Are Different: He is just as intelligent and capable of speech as the other dragons in the series. He is also ruthless, brutal, and completely chaotic. Not to mention, he Was Once a Man.
Orcus on His Throne: For someone who claims to desire destruction, he's rather passive about it. Zeref points out that he could easily take over or destroy the world if he wanted to but is content to mostly just sit around doing nothing. Zeref comes to the conclusion that Acnologia is a bored Blood Knight who just wants to go all out in a massive battle and promises to set up such a battle for him. Acnologia finally gets personally involved during the Alvarez Empire arc by hunting down all of the remaining Dragon Slayers, starting with God Serena.
Person of Mass Destruction: In his first appearance, a single one of his Dragon's Roars seemingly wipes Sirius Island off the face of the earth and leaves a crater in the ocean floor and judging from comments by various characters and his own reaction to it that's exactly what would have happened had Mavis not been able to use Fairy Sphere. For context, Lahar had previously speculated that the Magic Council would have to use the nation-destroying Etherion to achieve the same result.
Physical God: After he devours the power of the Space Between Time, he gains the ability to transcend entire dimensions, on top of his already indomitable power and ability to shrug off any spell thrown at him.
Pride: He considers himself to be above everyone else, humans and dragons alike, and won't talk to anyone unless he acknowledges them as a modicum of a challenge.
Pummeling the Corpse: After Irene commits suicide and Universe One wears off, Acnologia arrives at the battlefield and, upon recognizing her as the creator of Dragon Slayer Magic, takes time out to stomp on her corpse in front of a horrified Erza and Wendy.
The Quiet One: He knows how to talk; he just chooses not to like one chooses not to speak to insects crawling on the ground, unless faced with someone he deems to be a significant threat. He eventually breaks his silence against Igneel, becoming quite a bit more chatty afterward, indicating that he finally feels the humans around him might pose some modicum of a challenge.
Really 700 Years Old: Due to the extremely long-lived nature of dragons, Acnologia has existed for roughly 400 years since the Dragon King Festival. His human form looks exactly as it did when he first turned into a dragon all those centuries ago but seeing as it's just a magical disguise for his dragon form, this is to be expected.
Red Baron: He's known as the "Black Dragon of the Apocalypse" and the "Dragon King"; the former because of the destruction he leaves in his wake, and the latter because he wiped out virtually all other dragons. He also has another title not many are privy to: "The Dragon of Magic", because his element is magic.
Slasher Smile: He flashes these when in the middle of a bloodthirsty killing spree.
Superpower Lottery: He chose to learn Dragon Slayer Magic without any particular elemental trait, which gives him immunity to any form of magic in general, and he can eat any spell thrown at him. Plain old ordinary weapons and physical attacks, while capable of pushing him back with enough force, do absolutely no damage on account of him being a dragon.
Super-Strength: In his dragon form, he's easily able to overpower Makarov's Giant form once he stops holding back. Even in human form, he easily tears a hole in the side of God Serena with one strike when minutes before the strongest mage of Ishgar tanked multiple powerful blows from his fellow Wizard Saints without much of a scratch.
Take Over the World: He does so in Future Rogue's timeline, and Zeref notes that he's perfectly capable of doing so whenever he feels like it, even with one arm.
Tattooed Crook: His humanoid form has markings on his face and body that are identical to those on his dragon form.
There Can Be Only One: His motive for joining the Ishgal-Alvarez war is to kill Dragon Slayers, keeping tabs on their numbers until he is the only one left. After he absorbs the properties of the space between time, the Final Battle begins with him using his power to drag all seven of the remaining Dragon Slayers into it for their final showdown.
The Un - Reveal: His birth name has never been revealed.
Tragic Bigot: While it led him down the path of an Omnicidal Maniac, his obsession with destruction is rooted in his desire for revenge against dragons, whom he sees as a blight on the world for destroying his home, devouring his family, and seemingly murdering an innocent girl in front of his eyes. His expanded Start of Darkness in the anime delves further into his motives, showing he was once a doctor who only wanted to heal the dragons protecting his home, but their unhesitating betrayal over the threat humans posed to them with Dragon Slayer magic destroyed any respect he had for dragons.
Tragic Villain: It's less pronounced in the manga than other media and adaptations, but it's there: he was once an innocent man whose family was killed in an act of senseless cruelty at the hands of dragons, and his obsession with growing stronger to protect others led him to become the most powerful Dragon Slayer of all time, which led him to become the very type of monster he believed all dragons to be.
Victory Is Boring: Zeref concludes that Acnologia suffers from this. He happily slaughtered dragons and just about everything else the world had to throw at him 400 years ago, and he grew so ungodly powerful over the years that the very act of burning the world down and ruling over the remains would provide no challenge whatsoever. He thus ends up laying low for several centuries, only leaving when he catches a whiff of Zeref's activity and occasionally finding unusually strong people (and winning handily). The main reason he gets involved in the finale, aside from killing the Dragon Slayers, is because a massive war would be the best chance, he has left to use his full power against somebody before he takes over the world.
Villainous Breakdown: Acnologia's almost final moments in Fairy Tail show him losing all sense of sanity, becoming hellbent on destroying everything in his Final Battle with Natsu.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: He uses transformation magic to change into a form identical to how he looked as a human, which is the form he is most comfortable in. However, his dragon form is his Shapeshifter Default Form.
Walking Shirtless Scene: In his human form, he only wears a black cloak over his otherwise bare upper body. Even then, the cloak still reveals enough that it seems to be there just to conceal his missing left arm.
Walking Spoiler: Not so much his existence as his true identity and his actions are huge spoilers.
Was Once a Man: Acnologia is a Dragon Slayer who turned into a dragon after slaughtering too many dragons. While he can change back into his human form at will using transformation magic, it's only a mask for his "true" draconic form.
Weaksauce Weakness: Just like all other Dragon Slayers, he suffers from debilitating motion sickness. The protagonists use this to their advantage in all of their attempts to stop him at the end of Fairy Tail, first by using Blue Pegasus's airship to ram him into the space between time, and then luring him to a port full of ships to trap him in Fairy Sphere.
Weredragon: He is a human Dragon Slayer who suffered from draconification, which afflicts all wizards like him when they overuse their magic. He can, however, use transformation magic to switch back and forth between his dragon form and a humanoid body. It is not known if he suffers from Sense Loss Sadness just like Irene did when he is in human form.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: According to Irene, Dragon Slayer Magic can drive their users into an unstoppable rampage, which explains why Acnologia is such an Ax-Crazy Blood Knight.
The Worf Barrage: He's on the receiving end of the barrage at the end of the Sirius Island arc. Almost all of Fairy Tail's best unleashing a Combined Energy Attack followed up by a triple Dragon Roar (the latter an attack even King Faust in the Dorma Anim chose to dodge rather than risk taking head-on) are only enough to send him crashing into the ocean, upon which he quickly emerges and shows himself to not even be scratched by the attack.
Worf Had the Flu:
- During his appearance in the Tartaros arc, he was indeed affected by Face when Mard Geer ordered Kyôka to activate it. Justified because as the Dragon Slayer of Magic, Face is exactly the kind of thing that would work on him. Ironically, that was probably Igneel's one and only real chance at killing him.
- This is the only reason the protagonists manage to defeat him: his body and soul are split up due to the Space Between Time's power, meaning that Acnologia's body can only act merely out of instinct, making it easier to fool him, and it takes the magic of nearly every wizard in Fiore to seal him; his soul is missing his left arm (because Igneel ripped it off) and paralyzed when his body is being sealed, giving Natsu the opportunity to finish him off without the chance to eat or negate the attack.
World's Strongest Man: He is unquestionably the most powerful character in the entire series. While his soul is thrashing the other Dragon Slayers, he boasts that he is the "Dragon King" because there is no dragon that has ever been stronger than him, and dragons are (or were, in any case) the strongest species on the planet, being immune to all forms of magic except the one they helped create. Even Ignia's boasting of the five Dragon Gods being equal or surpassing Acnologia loses weight when one remembers that in one timeline, Acnologia singlehandedly conquered the entire world, and considering Acnologia's views on Dragons, it's safe to say the five of them probably didn't survive.
Worthy Opponent: He doesn't speak to anyone other than those whose power he recognizes. Igneel is the first to make him break his silence, followed by Zeref and the other Dragon Slayers in the Alvarez Empire arc. His final words as he's finally killed by Natsu are acknowledging him as a worthy successor to the title of Dragon King.
Would Hurt a Child: The adolescent Wendy is on his "must-kill" list, simply for being a Dragon Slayer. She ultimately fares no better than her fellow Dragon Slayers in the Final Battle against him.
Your Soul Is Mine!: According to Grandeeney, Acnologia's Dragon Slayer Magic gave him the ability to do this, as he extracted the souls of the Dragon Slayers' dragon parents, leaving them half-dead.

E.N.D.

E.N.D. (Etherious Natsu Dragneel)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/end_book.jpg

^{Click here} to see his original form.

E.N.D. is Zeref's magnum opus, a demon said to be the ultimate force of destruction in all of Earth-land, and the inactive master of the dark guild Tartaros. While most of his time is spent in the form of a book, he is universally regarded as one of the most feared beings in history this side of Acnologia and Zeref.

Ambiguously Evil: Natsu (E.N.D.'s physical body) was raised by Igneel as a human, so he doesn't have a bad bone in his body apart from his thoughtlessly destructive sensibilities. On the other hand, Igneel is determined to prevent E.N.D.'s soul from being unleashed from the book at all costs, as doing so would force it to take over its host's body.
Arch-Enemy: E.N.D. becomes one for Gray after he traces Deliora and all the other tragedies he and his loved ones faced back to him.
Artifact of Doom: His Book of Zeref. Those who attempt to tamper with it end up being overtaken and killed by the dark force within, whatever it is.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He's the strongest demon ever created by Zeref, and he is respected by his Etherious brethren as the master of their guild even while he is still sealed away, despite none of them ever meeting the guy. Then it turns out that Mard Geer simply used E.N.D.'s book as a beacon for the other demons to rally around so he could carry out E.N.D.'s purpose himself.
Badass on Paper: He is known far and wide as Zeref's most powerful demon, commander of the most terrifying dark guild on the continent, and the only one besides Acnologia whom Igneel couldn't kill. While he is certainly powerful, E.N.D. is merely a figurehead Mard Geer used to rally Zeref's other demons around. As for Igneel, it wasn't that E.N.D. was too powerful to kill; he was his own foster son, whom he simply loved too much to even try.
Can't Live Without You: Since the Books of Zeref channel their creator's magic, if Zeref were to die, then E.N.D. will die with him. This is why Happy prevents Natsu from landing a possible finishing blow on his brother/creator after learning the truth of his origins.
The Corrupter: Those who attempt to rewrite the Book of E.N.D. are overtaken and killed by whatever is inside by means of getting burned from the inside out.
Decoy Leader: Despite being labeled as Tartaros's master, E.N.D. never had any association with the guild. Mard Geer simply used E.N.D.'s status as the strongest Etherious as a source of inspiration for his fellow demons to rally behind.
The Dreaded: The very name E.N.D. sends shivers up the spines of the most fearsome of dragons. His own guild is apprehensive about the thought of unsealing him even when all of their attempts to stop Fairy Tail fall through. Mard Geer himself even speculates that E.N.D. is the only being Acnologia fears (though he's sorely mistaken). And most of all, he is known for being so powerful, Igneel once failed to kill him. However, much like Zeref himself, E.N.D.'s reputation as the most powerful demon far outweighs the truth: he is Natsu, who was raised for the express purpose of becoming the unstoppable force of destruction he was made out to be.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The very trigger for his awakening was DiMaria's attempt to maim Lucy, and her apparent death. The retribution was quite severe.
Excalibur in the Rust: The book containing him is visibly worn and covered in burns and tears.
Foreshadowing: There are multiple hints at E.N.D.'s true identity scattered throughout the series long before he's even introduced. Throughout the series, Natsu does things others consider abnormal even for a wizard, such as surviving a bullet to the mouth and changing the properties of his own magic as it suits him. Then there is Zeref's familiarity with Natsu, and his statement that only Natsu can kill him, mirroring Mard Geer's later statements that E.N.D. was born for this very purpose. Lastly, if one looks at the shot of the guild in very first chapter, Natsu can be seen standing over a label that reads "E.N.D.".
From a Single Cell: E.N.D. is able to take over Natsu thanks to Brandish re-enlarging what Poryluscia initially mistook for a sort of anti-magic tumor. Where it came from and how long it had been there isn't quite clear, but whatever the case, it had reached critical mass shortly after Natsu's fight with Zeref.
Fun with Acronyms: His name is an acronym for Etherious Natsu Dragneel.
Greater-Scope Villain: A subverted example. He is touted as the strongest demon ever created by Zeref, and powerful enough that Zeref hopes to be killed by him. In actuality, E.N.D. was simply Natsu all along, completely oblivious to his own demonic heritage. While Zeref tries to provoke a transformation, Natsu manages to destroy the magical seed that would trigger it, while Gray exorcises the demon's lingering presence from its book.
Half-Human Hybrid: He was created from the body of Natsu, Zeref's deceased younger brother, infused with Zeref's demon magic.
Hidden Villain: E.N.D. is Natsu, the main character, unbeknownst to all but only a handful of people until the Alvarez Empire arc. Although the villain part comes only through the Demon Seed, which is an internal beacon ordering him to kill Zeref and waste anyone who stands in his way.
Immortal Breaker: This is his entire purpose. E.N.D. was made by Zeref with the intent that his flames would be so intense they would burn through the divine Curse of Contradictions that makes Zeref immortal in the first place. Considering how E.N.D. burned through DiMaria's Age Seal, which relies on the divine magic of the god Chronos, it's heavily suggested it would have worked had E.N.D. actually made it to Zeref before Gray got in the way.
I Will Find You: Like all Etherious, E.N.D. was bred with a homing instinct that would lead him directly to his creator. Unlike the rest of his kind, however, he is fully aware that the point of this is to kill Zeref.
Meaningful Name: Zeref gave him the codename "E.N.D." to single him out as the only being capable of "ending" his life.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Not so much what his name really stands for, but his initials spell out the word "end".
No-Sell: He has the power to burn away any and every magic spell used against him. This even gives him immunity to DiMaria's Age Seal, allowing him to move even when time is stopped. The only magic he's seen actually putting an effort into destroying is Gray's Ice Devil Slayer magic, and that's only because it's the perfect counter to his fire curse and he's more focused on getting past Gray than actually trying to fight and overpower him.
Only I Can Kill Him: Zeref created him for this very purpose, and is certain none of his other demons have what it takes to get the job done.
Our Demons Are Different: Unlike the other Etherious, who were born of pure magic given physical form, E.N.D. is a dead human resurrected through the power of demon magic.
Playing with Fire: E.N.D. is a fire demon who wields unimaginable power, to the point his flames can burn through anything, including magic straight from the gods themselves.
Rage Breaking Point: When Natsu's demonic instincts begin to emerge, the one thing that causes E.N.D. to awaken is the sight of his friend, Lucy, motionless and seemingly dead.
Satanic Archetype: It's practically spelled out by his fiery powers, species, buildup, position of power, and the fact that he was born with the sole instinct to kill his own creator.
Sealed Evil in a Can: It is said that E.N.D.'s soul is trapped inside the book, and it is Tartaros's Evil Plan to bring it back out. What this means isn't entirely clear, except that his "body" (a.k.a. Natsu) is out and about, and could turn into E.N.D. at any time with the proper trigger. However, it's clear some part of the demon is in there, as it corrupts and kills those who handle the book without the utmost care.
Steven Ulysses Perhero: A type of demon called an Etherious is created from the body of a boy named Natsu Dragneel. Zeref really lucked out when it came to naming him.
Story-Breaker Power: He's one of the most powerful contenders for the status of the strongest being in the world and his true identity happens to be Natsu, meaning once Natsu realizes he's E.N.D, the only thing that keeps him from possibly single-handedly ending the story or at least making it end much faster is Natsu not wanting to become E.N.D at all and choosing to remain himself. Considering he's able to curb-stomp Dimaria, whose powers over time comes from a god, similar to Zeref's immortality, and does the same to Animus using Dragon Cry, AKA the relict that holds the combined power of the dragons killed by Acnologia, if Natsu unleashes that power, he would have probably been able to take down Zeref faster and more decisively than the gauntlet of trouble he went through against a holding back Zeref, although how he would have fared against Acnologia once he's absorbed the power of time is questionable, but it's safe to assume he would have stood a decent chance at taking him down fairly with the help of the other Dragon Slayers, and there was even a plausible chance he could have gotten to and potentially taken down Acnologia before he even gained that power, considering Mard Geer's confidence E.N.D would be able to kill the Black Dragon.
Superpowered Evil Side: Besides the soul that's sealed in the Book of E.N.D., his entire existence pretty much amounts to this for Natsu. After briefly being taken over, Natsu effectively eliminates the threat of this happening again by destroying the Demon Seed that triggered his transformation.
Walking Spoiler: Mere knowledge of his existence is enough to give away one of the biggest mysteries to Natsu's backstory.
Worf Had the Flu: The only reasons E.N.D. doesn't run roughshod over Gray like he did to DiMaria is because Gray's Ice Devil Slayer Magic is the perfect two-fold counter to his fire curse (as was the intention of Gray's dad Silver in learning this particular brand of magic) and because unlike DiMaria, who made things personal when she attacked Lucy, E.N.D. is far more focused on just getting past Gray to get to Zeref, with the indicationg Natsu's subconscious bonds with Gray are keeping E.N.D from slaughtering him, and isn't going all-out as a consequence. Even then, the fight is at best only a stalemate.
World's Strongest Man: Heavily indicated to be one of the strongest contenders for the status of the strongest man in the world, considering that he was regarded as the most powerful demon out of many that Zeref ever created, which meant his power was not only far beyond the likes of the Nine Demon Gates, all of whom are monstrously difficult opponents even for S-Class Fairy Tail members like Erza and Mirajane or those around that level like Gajeel and Juvia, but also a league above the likes of Mard Geer (who gave his "Natsu" self and Gray a significantly hard fight and fought on par with the Celestial Spirit King), and the Spriggan 12 Etherious members, Bloodman and Larcade, with Zeref even acknowledging that Larcade, despite being the closest to Irene and August in terms of power and holding the potential to even challenge Acnologia, was ultimately inferior to E.N.D.
- From what little we've seen of Natsu's true power as E.N.D, he's capable of taking down Animus using Dragon Cry, which is the combined power of many of the Dragons killed by Acnologia, and Dimaria Yesta, someone who was granted the power of a literal god to control time, in the manner of a Curb-Stomp Battle. Considering his ability to surpass the powers of a god, it's heavily indicated that he might indeed have the power to kill Zeref once and for all even with his immortality curse granted to him by another god, although we never do get to see them fight, but he at the very least far surpasses Natsu's normal level of power, who Zeref dismisses as never having the strength to end him at all.
- How he compares to Acnologia is still unknown, but both Mard Geer and Igneel seem to believe that E.N.D might be capable of killing even him at full strength, although like with Zeref, Natsu never fights Acnologia with the powers of E.N.D. Nevertheless, it's safe to assume that he's at the very least the most powerful/second most powerful character in the series from what we've seen.
Wreathed in Flames: When E.N.D. takes over, Natsu's entire body is covered in flames, especially around his arms, which take on the appearance of claws.

Characters / Fairy Tail – Main Villains

Spoilers for all works set before the end of Fairy Tail are unmarked. Examples pertaining to 100 Years Quest can be spoiler tagged if deemed necessary.

Zeref Dragneel

Acnologia II

Voiced by: Kosuke Toriumi (Japanese), J. Michael Tatum (English)^note

E.N.D. (Etherious Natsu Dragneel)

Alternative Title(s): Fairy Tail Zeref And His Demons

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Characters / Fairy Tail – Main Villains

Edit Locked

Spoilers for all works set before the end of Fairy Tail are unmarked. Examples pertaining to 100 Years Quest can be spoiler tagged if deemed necessary.

Zeref Dragneel

Acnologia II

Voiced by: Kosuke Toriumi (Japanese), J. Michael Tatum (English)note Other languages: Julien Chatelet (French)

E.N.D. (Etherious Natsu Dragneel)

Alternative Title(s): Fairy Tail Zeref And His Demons

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Index

Next

Voiced by: Kosuke Toriumi (Japanese), J. Michael Tatum (English)^note