"You shouldn't... come near me... Sorry... It's not as though I want to steal anyone's life,... but the world rejects me... Natsu... I want to hurry up and see you."
Gender:
Male
Type:
Tragic, Misunderstood, and Enigmatic Immortal Black Wizard
Zeref Dragneel is the non-villainous central antagonist of the anime/manga series Fairy Tail. In the rumors, he is depicted as the strongest, most evil mage in the series, possessing incredibly deadly, powerful, and destructive magic. However, Zeref's true nature was far from how most thought he was. He was in fact a tragic, enigmatic individual who was misunderstood throughout his life because of his curse, ultimately becoming the character who has undergone the most suffering and pain in the series. He is eventually revealed to be Natsu's estranged older brother before the last arc of the original series. Additionally, he is the mentor of Mavis Vermillion, Zera, Yuri Dreyar, Precht Gaebolg, and Warrod Sequen, who are the founders of the Fairy Tail guild. Zeref is also the emperor of the Alvarez Empire, even being the master of his personal guardians, the Springgan 12.
Natsu and Zeref as kids in Ending 24 (PIERCE)Zeref and MavisAugust (biological son)
Larcade Dragneel (creation; adoptive son)
Why He Doesn't Deserve To Be Rejected By The World
Okay, let's get to the main point: Zeref Dragneel is easily one of the most complex, interesting, and well-written characters in the entire series.
While Acnologia may be the main antagonist of Fairy Tail and he's definitely the scariest and most powerful character in the series, Zeref is still the more popular character overall because of how elaborate and complex his overall character is, having a character arc that is none like the other and having a villain role that is not something you would commonly see in most.
Zeref was considered by many as one of the most broken, tragic, misunderstood, and sympathetic villains in anime history.
The voice actors did a good job voicing the tragic immortal black wizard.
Akira Ishida was a perfect choice for Zeref as he captured his very soft-spoken, calm nature.
Zeref's design has a very ancient look that is elegant and befitting for his formal nature. Additionally, Zeref has a surprisingly youthful appearance that matches his gentle personality.
His emperor outfit also looks pretty cool, having the main details of his normal attire while also having more details that make it look fit for fighting in war.
Zeref's God form also looks majestic and intimidating, being all-white with some angelic detailing. It does also bears some resemblance to some nostalgic artworks of angels as well.
Whenever Zeref's eyes glow red (which happens whenever he is angry) or purple (which happens whenever he's unstable or using his powers intentionally), he does look menacing.
Zeref easily has the most devastating backstory out of all the characters in the series. What makes it more heartbreaking is that Zeref barely found any happiness in life. Unlike a lot of Fairy Tail characters (both heroes and villains) who eventually found paths of happiness after their difficult pasts, with many villains having redemptions and finally being viewed as good people, Zeref sadly never got to have any of that, as he spent his entire life being viewed as the most evil man in history when he really isn't, and he died being viewed as a monster.
In his youth, Zeref's family was killed by dragons, with Natsu's body being the only one intact. Zeref spent many years studying, hoping to find a way to bring back Natsu from the dead, despite the professors telling him not to do so. Eventually, Zeref's attempt at toying with life and death ultimately angered Ankhseram (the God of life and death), who gave Zeref a curse where he'll automatically kill any living thing he values. Immediately after Zeref got cursed, his kind nature ultimately killed the people he cared about, including a lot of plants and animals. This resulted in Zeref going through so much trauma and depression.
After killing so many innocent lives through his good nature unintentionally triggering the Curse of Contradiction, Zeref tried attempting every method to end his own life, even making demons tasked to destroy him. However, each of them was a failure and started killing innocent lives when Zeref didn't want that to happen. What's worse for Zeref is that he cannot try saving anyone from the demons because that will cause the curse to kill them automatically. Even some of the heroes in the series are still alive because Zeref didn't try saving them in their childhoods.
Another horrible thing is that many people (even ones outside of the villains in the series) started committing horrible actions under Zeref's name, making false stories and abusing magic to kill innocent lives and corrupt the balance of the world (and of course, Zeref is unable to save any innocent lives without his curse killing them). Zeref acknowledged everything and grew disillusioned by the sinners who made him look even more like someone he's not.
In the Tenrou Island Arc, when Grimoire Heart attempted to invade Tenrou Island to find Zeref and use him as a weapon to threaten people the guild considers weak and inferior (even murdering innocent people based on a false story just to find Zeref), Zeref was disgusted by their actions, including the fact that they not only hurt Natsu and his friends, but also summoned Acnologia (who is a threat to mankind). Zeref used a repent spell to end their leader, disbanding Grimoire Heart and avenging the lives they murdered.
Zeref was also sad that he couldn't try saving Natsu and his friends from Acnologia because of his curse, though Mavis thankfully protected them from the cataclysmic Dragon Slayer.
Eventually, Zeref found a way to resurrect Natsu as a demon and hoped that he'd become powerful enough to destroy him. He got help from Igneel (one of the few dragons who aren't threats to mankind) to educate Natsu and teach him Dragon Slayer magic. He even got help from Anna and Layla Heartfilia, who eventually take Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers to a magic-rich era in an attempt to stop Acnologia, with Zeref also waiting for his death by Natsu.
However, Zeref's plan to have Natsu kill him ultimately failed (even the second time when Natsu had the potential to kill him using Igneel's power). This ultimately led to Zeref resorting to his plan to obtain Fairy Heart instead, since there is nothing else he can do after trying every method to die.
Zeref is one of the most intelligent and insightful characters in the series. After the death of his family, he started to think deep on the world around him (including the complex meaning of life and death), and studied diligently in school, ultimately becoming an expert in magic. He even used his high intellect on magic to help Mavis and her friends save Magnolia.
During his time isolating himself from the world, Zeref would wander around many places, having a wide sense of curiosity and continuing to think deeply on the world around him.
In the Alvarez Empire Arc, he made a complex plan to invade Ishgar with the Springgan 12 in order to obtain Fairy Heart to stop Acnologia, but he also has an alternate solution to end his suffering, which is his death by Natsu (in case his plan to obtain Fairy Heart might fail).
What is Zeref's reaction when a girl accidentally runs into him bathing (which was shown when Mavis accidentally saw him bathing when they first met)? He keeps his cool and immediately understands it's an accident, unlike a lot of anime girls who would scream and even hurt the boy/s who see them bathing (and there are even a lot of girls who would even get angry and start calling them perverts out of paranoia).
In all the rumors, Zeref is described as the darkest, most malevolent mage in history, mastering the black arts and creating demons to purposely threaten humanity, but the truth was far from how most depicted him to be:
Zeref Dragneel, in reality, is a calm-minded, gentle, sincere, deep-thinking, well-intentioned, compassionate, selfless, loving, understanding, and kindhearted soul who never wanted to be a threat to anyone, wishing he could be himself without his curse killing others. He feels great remorse for all the things he unintentionally caused (even developing a sense of self-loathing), showing how much he really cares for others.
In contrast to Natsu (who is obviously quite short-tempered, headstrong, reckless, impulsive, and airheaded), Zeref is mature, responsible, serious, laid-back, respectful, and formal.
Zeref cared about his friends and loved his family deeply, wishing he could have lived a normal life with them. He loved Natsu very much as his brother, even if he has always been hard to reason with; although Zeref wanted to be killed by him, deep inside, he only really wanted Natsu to know about his true family and that he loved him very much.
In fact, Zeref was even conflicted about opening up to Natsu about their relationship and their past, because Zeref wanted to be killed by him, but he also wanted Natsu to know the truth before dying.
Zeref also cared about the innocent people who were either unintentionally harmed by him or were victimized by sinners. He knew that they deserved better lives.
Zeref's plan after the events of the Tenrou Island Arc is extremely complicated and elaborate, but he never told Mavis the truth when she encountered him, possibly because he knew even she couldn't easily believe something like that, which could explain why he lied to her about annihilating all of mankind (even the innocent ones) for all the things the sinners have made.
In the Alvarez Empire Arc, Zeref tried to suppress his true nature to control his curse and to avoid going through struggles when dealing with conflicting situations, even if it meant looking like the evil being he was depicted in the rumors. Zeref also knew that no matter what he does, people would still view him as a threat either way, so he invaded Ishgar with the Springgan 12, fighting the many guilds while trying to obtain Fairy Heart.
While almost everyone thought that Zeref was going to destroy all life using Fairy Heart, what he really wanted with that power was to reset the timeline to stop Acnologia from becoming too powerful to the point where humanity will be easily destroyed by him (and there's a high chance he will destroy all of life and it's not guaranteed he would be easily defeated by any method in the present), with Zeref and Natsu killing him in the past to prevent him from starting his rampage. Additionally, Zeref wants to undo every sin humanity committed under his name and prevent them from making more in the future (because as long as Zeref's alive, many people will continuously commit horrible actions under his name and potentially corrupt the future, and this can happen if Acnologia managed to be killed in the current timeline, but with Zeref still alive). In addition, after Zeref resets the timeline, he can finally relive his life once more and finally have a normal life with his family, and he wouldn't make the same mistake of cursing himself again (which would lead to him and everyone in the world go through tons of misery). Plus, Zeref can finally be his true self without automatically killing anyone and being able to show Natsu how much he truly loved him as a brother. Of course, almost no one can really understand him because of how painfully complicated his situation is.
To summarize, Zeref really just wanted to set everything right and ensure humanity has a better future.
When you think about it, it's heartbreaking the fact that Zeref had to go against his own will just to try succeeding in his selfless goal and to fix everything.
It's different from a lot of villains who are broken, who would have sad backstories but would still purposely commit actions that aren't justified, but viewers can sympathize with them and understand why they would do such things (though there are also examples of broken villains where you would still love to hate them because their attitudes are worse and more unsympathetic). Zeref, on the other hand, really just did the best he could from his circumstances, since he cannot be his true self without hurting others and that he had to struggle with his curse in order to try setting everything right.
A lot of broken villains have good intentions but their goals and ways of doing it would mean hurting and threatening innocent lives (which can make them come off as lacking sympathy for others and that their goals will mostly benefit them), However, Zeref is different in which he really is doing everything to equally benefit him and everyone in the world, which include Natsu, Mavis, and all the innocent people he saw suffer for hundreds of years, in which he was unintentionally responsible for their suffering; he also partially blamed himself for all the innocent lives who suffered by sinners who committed crimes under his name, since him cursing himself indirectly led to that (even though the sinners were still very wrong for what they have purposely done towards innocent lives and to Zeref). He also isn't a typical villain who's doing what he thinks is best for everyone, because Zeref is aware of what is right and what is wrong and that he really was just trying to fix his mistake of toying with life and death and cursing himself in the process (even though it was an honest one he did out of love for his brother), which left an impact on the world for centuries; he wanted humanity to have a future were he wouldn't be a problem for any of them and that they can they can live their lives in peace.
His fights with Natsu in the Alverez Empire Arc are pretty cool and entertaining.
Their second fight isn't the biggest in the series, but it was high on the emotional factor and it was different from most in which it had a balance between fight choreography with and without magic. The dialogue during the fight is also pretty sad.
Aside from his dark magic, Zeref has also mastered other abilities as well such as having a mind sensor, Pryokinesis, telepathy, bullet magic, enchantments, immobilization, teleportation, and enhanced human reflexes.
With his curse, Zeref has immortality and has the ability to cast deadly spells such as Death Predation, Death Orb, Repent, One Ultimate, Dark tendrils, Force Fields, Dark Blast Inferno (possibly his most powerful move with the curse), and possibly more.
His Curse of Contradiction: If he values life, the curse will easily kill the things around him, but if he doesn't value the lives of others, he can control the curse, but can purposely use his dark magic on others (particularly in conflicting situations).
Although Zeref is pretty easygoing overall, he can be pretty deadly and threatening towards people who are actually evil.
His anger towards Ultear Milkovich was understandable, as the latter did help Grimoire Heart in killing innocent people just to find him and then try to commit horrible actions using him. Additionally, it's also possible that he resented her for impersonating him while enslaving and threatening innocent lives in the Tower of Heaven, even framing Jellal for all of her actions.
The way he intimidated Grimoire Heart for their crimes before disbanding them shows that Zeref's strong will isn't taken away, even after going through so much trauma.
Before the final arc, Zeref's conversation with Acnologia was pretty serious, with Zeref even saying he will be neither an ally or an enemy to anyone.
Zeref is also a good example of a villain being well-written, even though we never got to see him fight with his full potential, and it makes sense for Zeref because he never wanted his curse and if he's going to use his dark magic at its most powerful, he would have to be truly evil in order to do that. However, because Zeref is a good person up until the end and still kept his morals, he can never unleash his dark magic at its most dangerous, especially in God form.
Zeref is at his most powerful when he is being his true self, as shown when he easily ends life through his good nature triggering the curse. This just shows that Zeref truly is a good person at heart.
It may have only appeared in a few chapters and episodes, but it still made an impression. This was shown when he was able to withstand Natsu's Fire Dragon King Destruction Fist (while using Dragon Force), even using time magic to perfectly fix all the destruction Natsu made in the Fairy Tail building.
We even see him absorbing and redirecting Natsu's attacks in the last few minutes of their fight (anime only).
The spell "Neo Eclipse" is what Zeref wanted to use reset the timeline and start over, wanting to never repeat the same mistake again and to ensure humanity has a future, a better one.
This form is also one of the only few ways to stop Acnologia's plan to destroy mankind.
Zeref's relationship with Mavis Vermillion is one of the sweetest and most emotional in the series.
When Zeref met Mavis, he was surprised by the fact that she has already known the curse before they met. Zeref was even willing to help Mavis and her friends save Magnolia. However, Zeref never told Mavis his name because he knows it's not easy.
Years later, Mavis got to see Zeref again and got to spend more time with him. When Zeref felt like they have known each other enough, he eventually revealed his name to her. Mavis was surprised that Zeref was nothing like what the rumors depicted him to be, even saying he has gentle eyes.
Mavis was the only person who knew about Zeref's suffering and complicated situation, which made him develop feelings for her as no one has ever expressed this much kindness towards him. It's all the more sad when Zeref accidentally kills Mavis through showing how much he loves her.
The way they gave birth to August was very mysterious, though it's most likely has something to do with their cursed bodies. For those wondering how Mavis got pregnant, look at the first part of Chapter 532, which shows the scene with her and Zeref showing how much they love each other (and this was also shown in the anime).
His death with Mavis: After being brutally incapacitated by Natsu (who sadly misunderstood and misinterpreted him rather blindly and callously, even after learning about their past and the fact that Zeref kept suffering because of his curse), Mavis deeply apologized to Zeref for not loving him enough. She revealed that her love wasn't strong enough because she still had a sense of doubt after learning that he is the man most thought was the most evil mage in history, but Zeref understood her as it's near impossible to understand someone like him. However, Mavis still blamed herself for not being there for him, especially since she's the only one who knew about his complicated situation. Mavis' plan was to end his suffering through loving him, but in reality, she doesn't want him to die and that she wants them to be together, even starting to cry at the thought of losing him. Zeref felt touched by the fact that Mavis loved him and thanked her for everything, even apologizing to her because his death would mean they couldn't be with each other. Mavis even forcefully tried finding ways to hate Zeref, but she ultimately couldn't because of how she really feels about him. Mavis then kissed Zeref, choosing to show him how much she loves him. Zeref tells her that he feels truly happy because of her and also wishes he could have made up with Natsu. Mavis, afraid of being losing Zeref, wants to die with him. Zeref accidentally kills her a second time through expressing his feelings for her again by saying she has to continue living, which makes him feel a bit guilty, but at the same time, he's happy that he gets to be with Mavis again after so long.
Before ascending to the afterlife, Zeref left his pendant in the living world, hoping Natsu could find it and see the picture inside (which shows a picture of Natsu and Zeref as kids). Although Zeref failed to reset the timeline and make a better future for humanity, he at least wanted Natsu to know how much he loved him as a brother.
If it wasn't for Zeref, the Fairy Tail guild wouldn't exist because he was the one who taught Mavis and her friends magic, which made them want to start a guild for mages.
In the last chapter and episode of the original series, Zeref and Mavis were reincarnated into new people who look the same as them (Arius and Mio) and they even start spending time with each other, showing how much Zeref and Mavis are meant for each other.
The ending song "Pierce" by EMPiRE (which focuses mainly on Natsu and Zeref) is effortlessly beautiful and emotional, and it even ends with a shot of the two brothers as kids.
In Fairy Tail: 100 Year Quest, Zeref is now living with Mavis in heaven and they are taking care of their children (August and Larcade). Zeref is happy that he can finally be with the girl he loves and that he can finally be himself without triggering his curse.
Misunderstood Qualities
For such an amazing character, Zeref could have used more screentime in the series, as he is too often overshadowed by other characters, including a lot of the heroes.
Some people may still get confused by what is Zeref's personality, motivations, and true goals, even though viewers are meant to think deep on his character arc, examining every detail carefully.
Some fans have criticized Zeref's defeat by Natsu in their second fight. After Natsu got resurrected thanks to Lucy rewriting the book of E.N.D., Natsu manages to incapacitate Zeref's God Form (which also temporarily disabled his God powers) without being in his strongest form, along with the fact that Zeref had God-like abilities. However, it is not executed badly and you could argue that Natsu did something different compared to how he defeated villains before (Lucy's writings on the E.N.D. book could have had something to do with it as well), which was shown from his arm severely burning during the fight, which could leave the reason to your imagination. It is possible that Natsu unleashed power he couldn't use in Dragon Force or E.N.D., probably because those forms had nothing to do with what Natsu was attempting to do. Natsu's overwhelming, unstable fire (which was charged by his unstable rage) was to the point of inflicting self harm and mutilating his own soul, which is something that he probably couldn't use with his other forms. Natsu went overboard with his normal state and used power he's not supposed to use (particularly in the form he used), causing him to overheat. Meanwhile, Zeref couldn't really fight using his full potential as he's not actually evil at heart, and that would be even harder once obtaining Fairy Heart (as stated in (WHDDTBRBTW#13)). He could probably still succeed in using Neo Eclipse, but it may take more work.
Gallery
Zeref's curse shown in Opening 9 (Towa no Kizuna)
Zeref crying
Zeref when his eyes turn red
Zeref when his eyes turn purple
Zeref with Fairy Heart (God Form)
Videos
Trivia
In the manga, Zeref's main outfit was actually red, which was changed to black in the anime. Additionally, Zeref's God form had white eyes in the manga, whereas the anime kept them black.
Zeref only appeared in two Fairy Tail endings of the original series, Pierce (Ending 24) and Exceed (Ending 26).
Zeref's curse shown in Opening 9 (Towa no Kizuna)
Zeref crying
Zeref when his eyes turn red
Zeref when his eyes turn purple
Zeref with Fairy Heart (God Form)
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