Gildarts

Biodata

Background / History

Cana’s Arrival

By X772, Gildarts was already an S-Class mage of Fairy Tail. Riyao introduced him to Cana, a young girl who had come looking for her father. Unaware that she was his daughter, Gildarts complimented her appearance and became flustered when she nearly cried. Cana concealed her identity by claiming to be his fan, and he left without recognizing her 3 4.

Cana joined Fairy Tail but kept her parentage secret for two years. She feared that revealing herself would burden her free-spirited father 4 7.

Testing Hundred Battles

In X774, Riyao recruited Gildarts to test Healing Magic: Hundred Battles. Gildarts recognized the unusual quality of Riyao’s magic and agreed to spar, intending to use only enough strength to overcome him. Nevertheless, their first exchange sent Riyao crashing into a stone wall with a severely fractured arm 7 8.

Gildarts immediately regretted using excessive force, even though he had withdrawn most of his magic at the last moment. After Riyao regenerated his injuries in seconds, Gildarts praised his potential but warned him against depending on recovery instead of learning to win without injury 8 9.

Recognition and Reunion

After the spar, Riyao privately told Gildarts that he had a child. Gildarts mistakenly assumed Riyao was his son, embraced him, and promised to make up for his absence. Once Riyao corrected the misunderstanding and explained that the child was already in the guild, Gildarts recalled Cana 10 11.

Overcome with emotion, Gildarts approached Cana while accidentally pulverizing the floor beneath his feet. He knelt before her, apologized, and asked whether her mother was Cornelia. Their tearful embrace revealed their relationship to the astonished guild 11.

Returning to Adventure

Gildarts became intensely affectionate after the reunion, constantly hugging Cana and hovering over her. His attempt to have her live at his house failed when she saw its holes and returned to the guild dormitory 12 13.

A month after their reunion, Cana assured him that she could manage with the guild’s support, while Makarov urged him to give her space. Gildarts resumed traveling after leaving living expenses with Makarov and spending money with Cana 13.

Return to Magnolia and Riyao’s Curse

Gildarts’s later return triggered Magnolia’s Gildarts Mode alarm. Residents were instructed to evacuate to safety as the streets rearranged into a straight avenue. He hurried to embrace Cana, colliding with Riyao and sending him into the bar along the way 36.

During Riyao’s subsequent streak of misfortune, Gildarts recalled an ancient account of a prophecy mage cursed after changing the future. The account named Kainoshia, a deity governing fate, and described accidents that ultimately killed the mage. His recollection gave the guild a possible explanation for Riyao’s strange laughter and repeated mishaps 40.

Riyao’s S-Class Exam

Gildarts served as an opponent in the second part of an S-Class exam on Tenrou Island, facing Riyao and his partner Erza. He initially blocked their combined attacks, but Riyao linked his Hundred Battles Spell Formula to the island’s sacred tree and used Wild Growth to assume his ten-years-older physique. Riyao’s subsequent assault forced Gildarts to become more serious, and their strongest attacks collided in a massive shock wave 69.

Riyao was subsequently declared the newest S-Class Mage. Gildarts, Makarov, and Erza dressed him in a pink princess dress, and Gildarts later caught him when he tried to escape the guild’s attention 71.

The 100-Year Quest and Recovery

Despite his earlier doubts, Gildarts eventually undertook a 100-Year Quest on the Northern Continent. During the journey, he encountered the Black Dragon Acnologia on Mount Zonia. A casual swipe nearly killed him, destroying an arm, a leg, and much of his internal organs. He used prosthetics after surviving the encounter 13 218 219 305 521.

After three years away, Gildarts returned and reunited with Cana, who angrily reproached him for his long absence. Riyao examined his injuries and agreed to treat him. At his laboratory, Riyao removed scar tissue, infused Gildarts with life energy, and created a seed inside him to help regrow his limbs before leaving him overnight in a medicinal bath. Riyao later confirmed that he had restored Gildarts’s limbs and internal organs 218 219 230 544.

Natsu’s Exam and the Battle on Tenrou Island

Gildarts joined the S-Class mages guarding the stages of another exam, in which Cana was among the candidates. Natsu deliberately sought him out and fought him in a cave. Gildarts withstood Natsu’s Dragon Force attacks and used Complete Crushing to split him into many miniature versions before restoring him. Judging Natsu’s magic and combat skills sufficient, Gildarts overwhelmed him with magical pressure; when Natsu surrendered, Gildarts explained the importance of recognizing weakness and declared that he had passed 276 280 281.

When Grimoire Heart invaded Tenrou Island, Kain Hikaru used a curse doll containing Gildarts’s hair to force him to attack Makarov. Ultear subsequently took the doll from Kain 295.

Acnologia later approached the island, and Gildarts recognized the dragon that had nearly killed him. Makarov ordered him to escape and become the next guild master, but Gildarts remained with the others as they prepared to fight 305.

Return and Brief Guild Mastership

After Fairy Sphere kept the Tenrou Island group away for seven years, Gildarts and Cana returned to Magnolia and learned from Romeo that Gildarts’s neglected house had collapsed 322.

Makarov appointed Gildarts Fairy Tail’s fifth guild master after Macao stepped down. Gildarts reinstated Laxus, but by the following day he had left, returning the position to Makarov as the sixth master 325.

Confronting Acnologia Again

During a later battle against Acnologia, Gildarts lured the Black Dragon away alone while the allied mages prepared Fairy Sphere. The attempted seal failed when Acnologia broke it with his roar. Gildarts was astonished to see Riyao subsequently pierce the dragon’s wing 518 521.

Afterward, Riyao joked that Gildarts was the exception when discussing the Black Dragon’s record of harming people. Gildarts protested, but conceded when Riyao reminded him that he had healed his injuries 544.

Appearance

• Build: Tall and massively built, with a broad chest and large, callused, scarred hands 4 11 12.
• Hair: Messy orange to orange-red hair 9 11 36.
• Face: Rugged and weather-beaten, usually bearing a carefree smile and stiff stubble 3 10 12.
• Clothing: Wears a cloak, described as battered during his reunion with Cana; he is sloppily dressed upon returning to Magnolia. On another occasion, he wears a partly unbuttoned floral shirt 8 11 36 318.
• Injuries: Lost an arm and a leg and suffered extensive internal injuries during his encounter with Acnologia; Riyao later restored them 219 521 544.

Personality

Gildarts is easygoing, boisterous, and fond of drinking and adventure. He enjoys visiting unfamiliar places and experiencing local customs, making prolonged stays at the guild unusual for him. His romantic history also leaves him vulnerable to jokes about unacknowledged children 7 10 13.

Despite his rough language and teasing, he shows affection for younger guild members. He takes Riyao’s developing magic seriously, regrets injuring him, and offers practical advice rather than simply celebrating his regenerative ability 7 8 9.

Cana brings out a much more emotional and insecure side of him. Once he learns the truth, he openly weeps, apologizes for his absence, and becomes overprotective enough to frustrate her. He readily promises to shave when his stubble hurts her and abandons his intimidating manner whenever she questions him 11 12 13.

As an examiner, he values a mage’s ability to recognize fear and personal weakness alongside combat strength. Although his encounter with Acnologia left him visibly shaken, he refused to abandon his guildmates when the dragon appeared on Tenrou Island 281 305.

Abilities & Skills

Crush Magic

Gildarts uses Crush Magic, which can reduce solid objects to powder 10 11.

• Involuntary leakage pulverizes bluestone flooring beneath his footsteps and destroys nearby stools during his reunion with Cana 11.
• He threatens to use it against anyone who bullies the person he initially believes is his child 10.
• Strong emotions can disrupt his control, causing unintended destruction around him 11 12.
• He breaks Natsu’s Fire Dragon’s Roar into blocks and splits apart a large fireball 281.
• Complete Crushing: A powerful attack that crushes a straight trench through the ground. Against Natsu, it also splits him into many miniature versions, which Gildarts subsequently restores to a single body 281.
• Dispelling Evil, Revealing Truth: One Day: A concentrated Crush Magic attack he clashes against Riyao’s empowered fist during the S-Class exam 69.
• He crushes Riyao’s magical rope, but cannot escape because it regenerates faster than he can destroy it 272.
• He and Riyao make a special card bearing his Crush Magic; Riyao inscribes the magic using Enchantment Magic, and the card produces a crushing shock wave 110.

Gildarts describes Crush as his basic magic and disputes Riyao’s claim that it is the only magic he knows. Riyao also tells a story about Gildarts’s childhood struggles with control, but Gildarts accuses him of inventing it 266.

Physical Strength and Magical Pressure

Gildarts possesses overwhelming physical power even when withholding most of his magic 8.

• A single punch overpowers Riyao’s Hundred Battles-enhanced strike, fractures his arm, and launches him into a thick stone wall 8.
• Releasing his magic produces almost tangible pressure, makes the air feel heavy, and lifts loose stones and dust 8.
• A later leakage of magical pressure pins Riyao against the floor 37.
• His sparring demonstrates imperfect restraint: he intends to hold back but still seriously injures Riyao 8.
• He blocks Natsu’s Dragon Force attacks and presses him to the ground by releasing his concealed magical power 281.
• He raises a magical barrier to shield spectators from debris during Riyao’s fight with Natsu and Gray 217.

S-Class Experience

• Frequently undertakes S-Class Quests and Ten-Year Quests, sustaining Fairy Tail’s reputation as its strongest fighter 13.
• Initially avoids a 100-Year Quest because Makarov opposes the risk and Gildarts doubts his chances; he later undertakes one and survives his encounter with Acnologia 13 218 305.
• Recognizes the exceptional flow of magic in Riyao’s new technique before seeing it in action 8.
• Helps Cana practice Card Magic 39.
• Serves as an S-Class exam opponent for Riyao and later for Natsu, assessing the latter’s strength and judgment 69 281.

Knowledge of Ancient Accounts

• Recalls the story of a prophecy mage whose interference with the future brought a fatal series of accidents 40.
• Identifies Kainoshia as the fate-governing deity named in that account, providing a lead rather than a confirmed diagnosis of Riyao’s condition 40.

Relationships

• Cana Alberona — Daughter. Their reunion transforms his behavior, making him openly doting and protective; he later supports her financially and helps with her magic practice. She reproaches him for his long absences but remains close to him 11 12 13 39 219.
• Cornelia — Cana’s mother, who died before Cana arrived at Fairy Tail. Gildarts’s recognition of her name helps confirm Cana’s identity 4 11.
• Riyao — Younger guildmate, sparring partner, and frequent prankster. Riyao engineers his reunion with Cana but also photographs his embarrassing reactions and repeatedly provokes him. He later treats Gildarts’s severe injuries and restores his limbs and organs 7 10 11 12 230 544.
• Makarov — Guild master. Makarov reprimands his destructive carelessness, discourages a 100-Year Quest, and accepts money to help care for Cana during his travels. He later appoints Gildarts fifth guild master, only for Gildarts to return the position to him 8 11 13 325.
• Macao and Wakaba — Guildmates who tease him about his romantic past and his inability to maintain his imposing reputation around Cana 12.
• Natsu Dragneel — Younger guildmate who repeatedly challenges him. Gildarts tests Natsu during the S-Class exam and passes him after teaching him to acknowledge fear and weakness 216 233 281.
• Laxus Dreyar — Guildmate whom Gildarts reinstates during his brief term as guild master 325.
• Acnologia — Black Dragon whose casual attack nearly killed Gildarts during his 100-Year Quest. Gildarts later confronts him alongside his guildmates and helps lure him away while an attempted seal is prepared 305 518 521.

Notable Quotes

“A truly strong fighter can defeat an enemy without getting hurt.” 9

“I’m sorry, Cana... Daddy came too late... Daddy will never leave you again...” 11

“Fear is not evil. Feeling fear is proof that you recognize your own weakness.” 281

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