Gajeel Redfox

**Gajeel Redfox** (ガジル・レッドフォックス *Gajiru Reddofokkusu*) is an Iron Dragon Slayer,[3] a member of the Fairy Tail Guild[4] and a former S-Class Mage of Phantom Lord.[3] After Fairy Tail's disbandment, Gajeel joins the Magic Council and becomes the captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit,[1] but after Avatar is defeated, he returns to Fairy Tail.[5] Originally a Dragon Slayer from four hundred years past, Gajeel was sent to the future to assist in the destruction of Acnologia.[6]

## Appearance

Gajeel is a tall and muscular young man with long, spiky black hair, which is usually kept slicked back, revealing his forehead. He has red eyes (initially portrayed as green) with slitted dark pupils, and has no visible eyebrows. Most of his exposed body is covered in sets of simple, round studs. The most visible studs are on his face, with three of them above each of his eyes (acting as "eyebrows" of sorts), two on each side of his nose (sometimes mistakenly three in the anime), and two on his chin, just below his mouth. His ears are adorned by two sets of five earrings each.[7]

He also sports four studs on each of his forearms, with his right one being covered in scars. As a member of the former Phantom LordGuild, he bore his Phantom Lord mark at the top of his right shoulder.[7] After joining Fairy Tail, his black Fairy Tail mark is located on his left arm, just below his shoulder.[8] Being a Dragon Slayer, Gajeel's canine teeth are distinctively sharper than normal.

Gajeel's usual outfit consists of a shabby, black, sleeveless tunic with studded edges, a studded belt around his waist, loose, beige pants tucked inside studded black boots, and a pair of studded brown gloves paired with similarly studded wristbands. He also sports a distinctive wing-like ornament, seemingly made of feathers, jutting upwards, over his right shoulder, attached to his tunic by a large stud.[8]

In X791, Gajeel wears a new version of his original black tunic that has a closed, light-grey opening running center of his torso, and wears a new grey belt, both without any studs. He also sports a black tattered scarf and a larger wing-like ornament that covers most of his right arm. He still retains his pants, gloves and boots.

During the 5th Day of the Grand Magic Games, Gajeel wears a dark blue trench coat, whose tail reaching down to his upper calves, with a green short-sleeved shirt worn under it, while retaining the pants, and studded boots, gloves, belt and wristbands. His hair remains the same, albeit with strands of hair on the side of his head, hiding his ears, and wearing a dark yellow bandanna on his forehead.

## Personality

When Gajeel first appeared, Gajeel is quite cold and apathetic, not hesitating to injure his own allies if irritated. He iron-clubbed a fellow Phantom Lord Mage who was praising his abilities simply because the latter was disturbing him while he was eating.[9] However, Gajeel is completely and genuinely dedicated to whatever guild he is affiliated with. In fact, he instigated the Fairy Tail-Phantom Lord Guild War simply because, as long time-rivals, he believed that the Fairy Tail Mages were enemies.[10] Upon his recruitment to Fairy Tail, his sense of comradeship seemed to increase. He even went as far as reprimanding Laxus Dreyar, whom he admits to be a more powerful Mage than he is, for attempting to kill Natsu with his Lightning Magic when they were supposed to be allies.[11]

Despite saying that he doesn't wish to make friends, he ironically forms them through his tenacious personality. He believes himself to be a great musician, regardless of what others think of him, and enjoys showing off his metal grinding, glass cracking, and ear destroying voice, like when he chains Mirajane Strauss to a wall to steal her spot as the performing artist for the night. He's also displayed a sense of honor, despite his actions while a part of Phantom Lord; when Shadow Gear confronts Gajeel for the heinous act he committed upon them, he makes himself an open target, acknowledging the terrible act he had done to them, and gave them the opportunity for vengeance.[12] He even protected Levy McGarden after Laxus shot a blast of lightning at her,[13][13] showing both his compassion for his guildmates, as well as some initial hidden hatred for Laxus.
Gajeel is short-tempered, as seen when he and Natsu bicker over callow things. Like Natsu, Gajeel lives for the thrill of combat, and is visibly frustrated when faced with circumstances where he is denied the opportunity of fighting a skilled adversary, as seen during the S-Class Trials.[14]Despite his cold personality, he has shown a humorous side of himself, as seen when he was shocked to see Mirajane transform her face into his.[15]Despite his tough exterior, Gajeel is as emotionally vulnerable as any other person. He was noticeably upset upon realizing that he was the only Dragon Slayer that didn't have a cat as a partner. He then desperately tries to find a cat in the alleys, but ends up becoming heavily exhausted. Later on in Edolas, Gajeel finds the partner he is looking for in Panther Lily. Upon arriving back in Earth Land, he cries tears of joy when he discovers Panther Lily also made it, despite his reduced size.[16]

Gajeel has a unique way of laughing: "Gi Hi Hi Hi".[10] And, like quite a few other Dragon Slayers, Gajeel suffers from severe motion sickness, although his case does not develop until the Second Day of the Grand Magic Games in X791 during the Chariot event.[17]

## Magic and Abilities

**Iron Dragon Slayer Magic** (鉄の滅竜魔法 *Tetsu no Metsuryū Mahō*):[3] Gajeel was taught how to use Iron Dragon Slayer Magic by Metalicana, The Iron Dragon.[18] As its name implies, Gajeel's particular Dragon Slayer Magic deals with the manipulation of iron.[3] Gajeel eats iron to regain his own strength, and his teeth and jaw muscles are powerful enough to gnaw through solid metal with ease, even allowing him to eat the Magic-canceling metal of the Dorma Anim. Gajeel's Magic deals with producing multi-sized iron rods, as well as changing parts of his body into steel. Most of his attacks involve transforming his arms into blunt, metallic weapons, which he can do at will.[19] Additionally, Gajeel may turn his iron into steel if he somehow becomes able to absorb trace amounts of carbon; said process is still toxic and harmful to his body as it would be to others, but the addition of the natural element changes the composition of his spells, allowing him to deal enhanced damage and/or break through defenses that his iron could not.[20]

* **Iron Dragon's Roar** (鉄竜の咆哮 *Tetsuryū no Hōkō*): Gajeel's exclusive, metal-based *Dragon's Roar*. After gathering Magic Power in his mouth, Gajeel shapes it into a powerful tornado which he subsequently emits and sends towards his foes. Such tornado possesses immense force, being capable of generating powerful explosions and inflicting heavy blunt damage, but also releases sharp shards of metal in the process, shredding the opponents' body.[21]

* **Iron Dragon's Lance** (鉄竜槍 *Tetsuryūsō*): Gajeel transforms both of his arms into long, lengthy iron poles which he uses to whip in a circular motion to clear out anything in his immediate vicinity.[22]

* **Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs** (鉄竜槍 鬼薪 *Tetsuryūsō: Kishin*): Gajeel turns his arm into a large spearhead, from which a large number of steel spears are fired towards his target in rapid succession.[23] In the anime, the attack is sometimes portrayed with Gajeel instead extending one arm towards his target's direction, with his fingers outstretched, and then summoning his Magic Seal in front of him, from which the spears are fired.[24]

* **Iron Dragon's Scales** (鉄龍の鱗 *Tetsuryū no Uroko*): Gajeel covers part of his body (or the entirety of it) in steel scales, dramatically increasing his offensive and defensive abilities. When punching and kicking while covered in these scales, Gajeel is capable of creating powerful gusts of wind through mere kinetic force. When confronted with Natsu Dragneel's flames, the resulting clash generated a powerful shock wave which heavily damaged the area surrounding the two of them.[25] These scales are strong enough to shatter bone and rock alike, are resilient against regular flames, and much harder than normal iron, as shown when Panther Lily's Bustermarm wasn't able to cut through them.[26][27]

* **Iron Dragon's Club** (鉄竜棍 *Tetsuryūkon*): Gajeel transforms his arm or leg into a large steel club, increasing his punching and kicking power.[7] He can also create multiple, smaller clubs from the end of the original, hitting many enemies at once.[28] The clubs can be elongated at Gajeel's will, making them powerful ranged weapons. He is also apparently capable of increasing their size dramatically and to detach them from his body: several of these clubs, enlarged to gargantuan size, were the main cause of the original Fairy Tail Building's destruction.[29] Also, for added maneuverability and to take opponents off-guard, the club can be rapidly turned into the similar Iron Dragon's Sword.[30]

* **Iron Dragon's Sword** (鉄竜剣 *Tetsuryūken*): Gajeel transforms his arm or leg into a large, jagged steel blade, similarly to Iron Dragon's Club, but, rather than blunt power, this spell has cutting power, thereby making it deadlier. The spikes along the blade's edge make its slashes more painful and dangerous,[31] and the weapon's length can be increased to reach enemies who are far away from Gajeel.[32] The blade is also sturdy enough to function as a shield of sorts.[33] In the anime, the sword also functions as a chainsaw, effectively increasing its damage.[24]

* **Steel Dragon's Sword** (鋼竜剣 *Kōryūken*): An enhanced version of Iron Dragon's Sword, only performable after Gajeel has absorbed carbon and turned his iron body into steel. Much like the original spell, he turns his hand into a long sword, this time made of steel, and slashes at his target; this spell can break through defenses that Iron Dragon's Sword cannot, such as Torafuzar's hardened skin.[20]

* **Iron Dragon's Kunai**: Gajeel creates small, kunai-esque knives that can be thrown with pinpoint accuracy.[34] (Unnamed)

* **Iron Dragon's Foot Blade**: Gajeel sprouts a sharp, harpoon-like blade from the sole of each of his feet. By planting these blades in the ceiling, he's capable of remaining suspended and to move around as if he were walking normally.[35] (Unnamed)

* **Iron Dragon's Hard Fist** (鉄竜の鋼拳 *Tetsuryū no Gō Ken*): Gajeel punches the target while covered in Iron Dragon's Scales, greatly enhancing his punching power.[24]

* **Iron Dragon's Pickaxe**: Gajeel can transform his hands into iron pickaxes which he can use in climbing mountains as well as digging.[36] (Unnamed)

* **Iron Dragon's Shovel**: Gajeel is able to turn both of his hands into pointed shovels that allows him to dig through the ground with immense power and speed.[37] (Unnamed)

* **Dragon Slayer's Secret Art** (滅竜奥義 *Metsu Ryū Ōgi*):

* **Karma Demon: Iron God Sword** (業魔・鉄神剣 *Gōma Tetsu Jin Ken*): Seemingly one of the most powerful spells in Gajeel's possession, Gajeel claps his hands together above his head, creating a gigantic iron sword. He then proceeds to swipe the sword down, destroying a substantially large area in front of him.[38]

* **Karma Demon: Iron Spiral**: Seemingly his second ultimate move, Gajeel transforms his legs into a giant drill, which rotates at high speed, heavily damaging and piercing through whatever it strikes. He used this spell to destroy the Dragonoid's core and to free Natsu from his imprisonment. Although it did what it was intended to do, Gajeel stated that he still had a long way to go, since he "planned" to destroy the whole Dragonoid, along with Natsu.[39]

**Iron Shadow Dragon Mode** (モード鉄影竜 *Mōdo Tetsueiryū*): After eating Rogue Cheney's shadows, Gajeel gained the ability to use his Iron Dragon Slayer Magic enhanced with shadows.[40] Gajeel can, also, turn his body into a shadow, granting him intangibility.[41] Furthermore, as a shadow, Gajeel is unimpeded by things that would otherwise slow his physical body down, such as being in a large body of water.[42]

* **Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar** (鉄影竜の咆哮 *Tetsueiryū no Hōkō*): Gajeel's alternate, shadow-enhanced version of his Iron Dragon's Roar. Gajeel quickly gathers and releases a large amount of iron and shadows from his mouth, generating a very large, powerful, destructive blast that can be seen throughout an area at least the size of Crocus.[43]

* **Iron Shadow Dragon's Club**: Gajeel attacks his target with a shadow-cloaked Iron Dragon's Club. The damage dealt is increased by the addition of the swirling shadows.[44] (Unnamed)

**Dragon Force** ( *Doragon Fōsu*): The ultimate state a Dragon Slayer can attain, Gajeel entered this mode after ingesting large amounts of Magical Barrier Particles from the Spriggan 12 member Bloodman and digesting the trace amounts of iron inside them alongside the poison, causing him to become "**Jet Black Iron**". Upon entering Dragon Force, Gajeel's arms, sides and back, as well as around his face, become covered in pitch-black iron scales, and the rest of his body assumes a black hue as well; his hair also becomes far more rigid and shiny. The strength increase that Gajeel attains is immense: his strength, speed and stamina all greatly increase, allowing him to completely outpace and overwhelm Bloodman, whom he had been struggling against, in all areas. Most notably, Dragon Force allowed Gajeel to strike Bloodman and his Magical Barrier Particle body, however, it is implied that what allowed Gajeel to do so was not Dragon Force itself, but rather the fact that his body temporarily took on anti-Magic properties.[45]

**Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant**: In battle, aside from his Iron Dragon Slayer Magic, Gajeel is known for extensively employing unarmed combat, and to possess great proficiency in doing so. His style is a brutal one; consisting of powerful, direct moves such as devastating punches and headbutts, complemented by his high physical ability, with his strength making his blows highly damaging, and his speed allowing him to land them in extremely fast succession. When employed alongside his Iron Dragon's Scales, his unarmed blows become far deadlier.[46] During his battle with Panther Lily, he was shown able to engage in midair confrontations, reaching the flying Exceed with a leap and then bombarding him with a barrage of punches,[47] and his clash with Rogue Cheney during the Grand Magic Games proved him able to block and even counter-attack assaults from behind without the need to turn his back.[48]

**Enhanced Strength**: Gajeel has shown, on different occasions to be quite strong: during his time under Jose Porla, while he was tormenting the captured Lucy Heartfilia, Gajeel casually headbutted a fellow Phantom Lord member with enough force to crack the stone floor the man crashed upon.[49] His physical might is enough for him to clash with Natsu on even terms, to block and shatter Panther Lily's gargantuan Bustermarm,[50] and to pin down and hold still the gigantic Dorma Anim all by himself, allowing Natsu to finish it off.[51] He's also capable of performing very high leaps, as shown from him reaching Panther Lily, who was floating in midair because of his Aera, from the ground, which was located several meters below him.[47] Furthermore, he was capable of delivering several powerful blows to Rogue Cheney while blocking his Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic bare-handed.[52]

**Enhanced Durability**: Even without his Dragon Slayer abilities, Gajeel has consistently proven himself to be a very resilient man: when he was confronted by Shadow Gear after joining Fairy Tail, he was able to shrug off the combined attacks from Jet and Droy without retaliation and only resorted to covering his body in his metal scales to protect Levy from Laxus.[53][54] Also, during his battle with Laxus, he took an attack which would have, otherwise, killed Natsu and remained conscious. During his time in Edolas, Gajeel used his metal scales to fight Faust's mechanical Dragon, where he took extremely powerful hits and continued to fight.

**Enhanced Speed**: Gajeel's overall speed and reflexes are impressive, enough for him to intercept attacks like Laxus' Lightning Bolts[55] and reach Levy in time to save her from an ambush consisting of two Grimoire Heart Mages.

**Enhanced Smell**: Gajeel has an incredible sense of smell, which he shares with other Dragon Slayers. He uses this for tracking purposes as apparently, nothing can escape his nose, best seen when he tracked down Lucy, who had escaped from Jose's imprisonment. It is also heavily implied that Gajeel used this skill to track down Levy, who ran away from him during the S-Class Trials out of frustration.[56]

**Enhanced Hearing**: Gajeel has shown extremely fine hearing, able to hear the conversation between Mest and other Fairy Tail members underneath Fairy Tail's guild.[57]

## Equipment

***Artificial Keys:***

* **Celestial Spirit Banishment Key***(former)*: Banishes the Twins, Gemini.[58]

## TMNT X Pokemon

Gajeel likes to battle Bang to see who's the strongest. He also wants to crush their enemies including Shredder because of his strongest attributes.

## Trivia

* Gajeel's eye color was initially green,[59] but was later changed to red.[60]
* When Gajeel first appeared as a member of Fairy Tail, his guild mark wasn't on his left arm,[61] but it appeared later on.[8]
* According to Gray, Gajeel is a very good song writer, however, his singing skills and ability to play musical instruments are poor.[62]
* Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Roar, at first, appeared vastly different in the anime. In the manga, it is a whirlwind laced with shards of metal. In the anime, Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Roar appeared much like Natsu's, only with a grayish hue. Later on, in the anime, Gajeel's Roar is designed exactly like the manga's, with the whirlwind being the same gray-blue color as before.
* From the Volume 16 Limited Edition: Sorcerer Interview, Fairy Tail has no good qualities according to Gajeel. He has no dreams for the future. He doesn't have a good relationship with anyone in the guild. The most difficult job he ever took was a personal request by Makarov.[63]
* Gajeel's name is derived from the Japanese word かじる (*Kajiru*), which means to bite, to gnaw, or to nibble. The "Ka" sound is changed to "Ga" sound because "ガジガジ" (*Gaji Gaji*) sounds like a person eating in Japanese standard.[64]

* In Volume 32's extra content, Mashima provided the battle statistics for 31 of the 40 contestants in the X791 Grand Magic Games. The stats, however, were provided not from Mashima's point-of-view, but from the viewpoint of Sorcerer Magazine reporter Jason, which explains why some stats are missing, or why others may be inaccurate.
	+ According to Jason, during his participation in the X791 Grand Magic Games, Gajeel's stats are as follows:[65]
* According to Belno, Gajeel resembles greatly her deceased son.[66]

## Quotes

* (To Jose Porla) *"Well, if they got beaten by trash, that just makes them trash as well."*[67]
* (To Natsu Dragneel) *"There ain’t room for two Dragons in the sky."*[68]
* (To Happy) *"What a troublesome Guild. When we get back you better buy me all the metal I can eat."*[69]
* (To Panther Lily) *"I will make this guy my cat!"*[70]
* (To Levy McGarden after saving her from Yomazu and Kawazu) *"It's hard looking for someone so small. So don't leave my side."*[56]
* (To Levy McGarden) *"This isn't some mundane war. This is going to escalate beyond your wildest imagination. You need to let everyone know! I can take care of these guys easily by myself!"*[71]
* (To Kawazu and Yomazu) *"An all-out war... on Fairy Tail? I've seen... that before... You're gonna taste the same kind of pain!!!"*[72]
* (To Guttman Kubrick) *"In my Phantom Lord days, maybe I would've given up already, but unfortunately, I'm a Fairy Tail wizard now. Even if you beat me up now, my heart won't break that easily!"*[73]
* (To "Shadow") *"You never looked up to me. I know better than anyone else that I'm not the type to be admired. You feared me. Let me help you remember...that fear!"*[74]
* (To Belno) *"I'm no longer that piece of iron junk you once knew! I don't know if I'm living with meaning like you wanted me to... but... there are people before me I want to protect! No... that I will protect! That's my meaning to live!"*[75]
* (To Fairy Tail) "*It's not a sin to fall in love, you can't even arrest someone for that."*[76]
* (Thinking to himself) "*I'm always the last!! It's so frustrating! So pathetic! But you know... To hell with all that! None of it matters as long as I can protect the girl I love!!!!*"[77]
* (To Jet and Droy) "*For all intents and purposes, my life was over... so having the opportunity to stand here again and shield a couple of buddies like this... I couldn't ask for anything more!*"[78]