Rogue Cheney

Rogue Cheney (ローグ・チェーニ Rōgu Chēni) is a Mage of Sabertooth, formerly the strongest Guild in Fiore, and a member of its team: the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth. Originally a Dragon Slayer from four hundred years past, Rogue was sent to the future to assist in the destruction of Acnologia. Ashamed of the meaning of his name, as a child, Rogue referred to himself as Ryos (ライオス Raiosu).

Appearance
Rogue is a slim young man of average height with rather messy black hair, which almost reaches down to his shoulders, along with some strands pointing upwards on top of his head and a prominent tuft obscuring most of his forehead. His hair is later brushed to the right side of his face covering up his right eye. He has red eyes with slit pupils similar to that of a snake's, like Gajeel Redfox's eyes. Following the battle against the Dragons, Rogue gains a thin scar across the bridge of his nose. During the war against Tartaros, Rogue put his hair up in a ponytail, furthering his overall resemblance to his future self.

Rogue wears a long, black cape reaching down to his feet, with golden edges, a much lighter collar circling his neck, and a prominent, white ribbon hanging down on his chest. Such cape bears a light Sabertooth's symbol on it, almost in correspondence to Rogue's left shoulder. Below it, Rogue seems to wear a plain gray shirt with prominent brown cuffs and what looks like a large metal band circling each of his biceps. From a light sash circling his waist hangs a distinctive, pale blue cloth waistguard, consisting of four long pieces of cloth reaching down below his knees. Each of these pieces is adorned by a large, dark cross with fan-shaped arms. Below such waistguard, Rogue wears a pair of armored boots, which, on the front, bear plates bearing the very same motif which appears on the waistguard.

Following the Grand Magic Games, Rogue wears an outfit extremely similar to the one he wore before, however certain parts are reminiscent of his future self's own clothing, specifically the cloak, which is high collared and held closed at the sternum by a piece of fabric that stretches across his chest and is buttoned to the cloak on either side; it still retains the mark of Sabertooth on the left shoulder. The cloak, though, is like his old one and has a gold-colored trim. In place of the cloth tie he used in his last outfit, Rogue now has an ascot that is tied around his neck, but lies beneath the cloak instead of around it. Additionally, the cross-adorned cloth Rogue wears around his waist now pokes through his waistband, which is wrapped around him one extra time to make room for his katana, which he still carries.

As of the Tartaros-Fairy Tail war, Rogue's attire has changed drastically. He now wears a light-colored leopard-patterned kimono that only covers the right half of his torso, beneath which he wears armor that is light in the chest but dark everywhere else; the neck of the armor coils around his own and fastens there appropriately, and his left arm is left uncovered at the shoulder, exposing his Sabertooth mark. Around his waist is a very long sash that ties on the right side of his body and loops around the left, and holds a design-adorned piece of white fabric in place over the top of his loose, black pants. Around Rogue's left forearm is a black band that has a white ring over the wrist; he completes his outfit with black ankle boots, within which his pants are tucked. His katana is also noticeably absent.

Personality
Rogue is the quieter of the Twin Dragon Slayers. He mostly keeps a calm face and rarely shows any emotions, except for interest in Gajeel.

Although he is part of Sabertooth and one of their five strongest Mages, Rogue seems to question the way their guild handles things, namely failure and weakness, and holds a strong belief on camaraderie. After Yukino lost her match against Kagura and was subsequently humiliated and excommunicated by their Guild Master, he told Sting that despite her failure, she was still their comrade. Sting, whereas, merely brushes off Rogue's comment, suggesting that it's the way their guild works and gave the matter little thought. Rogue does, however, have a softer, caring side. When his Exceed partner, Frosch, started to fret over being excommunicated because of its lack of strength, Rogue smiles and denounces Frosch's fears as just that, promising that it would be okay as long it was with him.

Rogue also seems to lack the sadistic tendencies shared among several of his guildmates. When Lucy was being tortured by Minerva, Rogue did not join in with his teammates' laughter. Rather, Rogue was looking away from the torture with a displeased expression, and he did not jump to Minerva's aid afterwards, unlike his team. He also appears to be unusually kind towards his guild and is very protective of Frosch. He and many of his guildmates were horrified at the "death" of Lector, showing that he cares for his fellow guildmates.

Additionally, like most other Dragon Slayers, Rogue suffers from motion sickness.

History
An orphan originally born over four hundred years ago, Rogue was raised by a Dragon known as Skiadrum, who taught him Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic; during his tenure as Skiadrum's child, he became affiliated with the four other Dragon Slayer children, and met with them several times a year when their foster parents got together for meetings, wherein he and Sting would respectively idolize Gajeel and Natsu. Skiadrum, like the other four Dragons he conspired with, ended up implanting his damaged soul in Rogue's body, and then used Rogue's body as a host to create anti-Dragonification antibodies. After this, Skiadrum manipulated Rogue's memories to erase this event, instead, he made it appear as though he was ill and Rogue had assisted in his timely death. From here, Rogue was sent four hundred years into the future via the Eclipse Gate, arriving on July 7, X777, so that his foster parent could use the Ethernano-dense atmosphere to also heal his soul and recover enough to possibly defeat Acnologia, alongside the other four wounded Dragons. Some time after this, Rogue also implanted Dragon Lacrima into his body, thereby making him a Third Generation Dragon Slayer.

In X784, Rogue was a fan and the sworn younger brother of Gajeel Redfox, and desired to join the Phantom Lord Guild, which Gajeel used to be a part of. Also during this time, Rogue changed his name from Ryos as he disliked its meaning.

Grand Magic Games arc
Sting mentions to Rogue that the Fairy Tail members that disappeared seven years ago have returned, Rogue, however, states that he doesn't care. Sting points out that Rogue is lying, reminding him about how he admired Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox so much seven years ago. Just then, an archer from a Dark Guild arrives and shoots an arrow at the two. Sting intercepts the arrow, eats it, and then proceeds to use his Dragon's Roar. With the attack barely missing the archer, he cowardly flees. As Sting calls him scum for abandoning his comrades, Lector and Frosch appear praising the two Dragon Slayers. As they all walk away, Sting asks Rogue if he wants to duel Natsu, but Rogue shows no interest.

Five days before the beginning of the Grand Magic Games, Frosch and Lector inform Sting and Rogue that Natsu and his guild decided to participate. While Sting expresses complete joy over the fact, Rogue remains indifferent.

In the city of Crocus, Rogue and Sting defeat several Mages, after which they run into Natsu. The Twin Dragon Slayers proceed to deride Natsu for being a Dragon Slayer who couldn't defeat a Dragon. They then announce that they are Third Generation Dragon Slayers and Rogue explains that to become "true Dragon Slayers", they killed the Dragon that taught them Dragon Slayer Magic. Before leaving, Sting turns around and warns Natsu that if they meet in battle, he'll show him the power of a "true" Dragon Slayer, to which Rogue replies that he has gotten bored talking with Natsu, and that he desires to leave.

As the teams who passed the preliminaries of the Grand Magic Games are revealed, Rogue walks out with Sting and his team, meeting his former role model, Gajeel, along the way.

Rogue remains quiet and solitary throughout much of the first day. While Sting and Rufus begin talking about Warcry from Team Quatro Cerberus, Rogue walks away saying he doesn't care, silently saying to himself that he's only interested in Gajeel. By the end of the day, Team Sabertooth leads with 20 points total.

On the Second Day, during Chariot, Rogue sees that Gajeel and Natsu are also afflicted with severe motion sickness, quietly saying to himself that he believed that only he and Sting suffered from the condition. The second day ends with Sabertooth gaining 0 points, moving them down to second place.

That night, Rogue is present with the rest of his guild when Sabertooth's Guild Master, Jiemma, talks about how Sabertooth is supposed to be the strongest guild. Rogue looks away when Yukino is forced to strip and subsequently excommunicated. Afterwards, while walking down the hallway, Rogue questions Sting about the harshness of their guild, stating that Yukino was their comrade, to which Sting replies that it's the norm for their guild and that Yukino only disappeared because she was weak. Frosch then asks if it will also disappear because it's weak, but Rogue says that it won't since Frosch is with him.

Later on, as the Sabertooth lodgings are attacked by an intruder, Rogue and Frosch inform Sting and Lector, who have been awakened by the noise, about the situation. Sting and Rogue run down the hallway, looking for the intruder, only to find several of their guildmates being attacked by a livid Natsu, leaving the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth speechless. As their Guild Master appears, he witnesses Natsu challenge Jiemma to a fight, with excommunication from his own guild being anted. Rogue, completely shocked, wonders if Yukino's excommunication is the reason for Natsu's intrusion. He watches as Natsu easily defeats Dobengal and furiously assaults Jiemma, only for the latter fight to be interrupted by Minerva, who reveals to have captured Happy. Natsu ceases fighting and, as he leaves the Sabertooth lodgings with Happy, expresses his belief on how a guild should be. Taking Natsu's words to heart, Rogue silently realizes that Sabertooth is completely devoid of camaraderie.

At the end of the Third Day's events, Rogue goes back to Sabertooth's lodgings, waiting for the next day. As Sting expresses his feelings about the Fourth Day, Rogue solemnly looks down, deep in thought.

During the Fourth Day of the Grand Magic Games, Rogue is seen quietly watching as Minerva and Lucy face each other in the Naval Battle, and is the only one not seen smiling as Minerva tortures Lucy. Later on, when the new Team Fairy Tail is formed, Rogue and his teammates look at the new team. As the fourth day's tag battles commence, Rogue enters the arena of the Domus Flau, partnered with Sting, ready to fight Team Fairy Tail's Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel Redfox, and Fire Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel.

As Mato gives the signal for the match to start, Rogue and Sting rush towards Gajeel and Natsu, but are instead intercepted by the latter two. Rogue receives a powerful punch from Gajeel, and is left helpless as Gajeel bombards him with a barrage of furious attacks. Rogue uses the opening from Sting's White Dragon's Roar to attack Gajeel with his Shadow Dragon's Slash, but the effort proves futile as Gajeel easily blocks the slash with his Iron Dragon's Sword. With a powerful shockwave, Rogue is sent flying towards Natsu, to which he is then fiercely dragged into Sting, and then attacked by Natsu's Fire Dragon's Wing Attack, alongside Sting.

Rogue, after mumbling Gajeel's name, activates Shadow Drive, enhancing his Shadow Dragon Slayer abilities. Rogue turns his body into that akin to a real shadow and barrages Gajeel with multiple enhanced blows. He is, eventually, caught in a tangible state and is struck once again by Gajeel. Undeterred, Rogue gets up and runs at Gajeel, screaming his name, but is once again struck down. Seemingly overwhelmed, Rogue lays on the ground beside Sting. With Mato questioning the outcome of the match, Rogue and Sting rise once again and activate Dragon Force.

In spite of the fact that he activated his Dragon Force, Rogue is told by Sting to leave the rest of the fight to him. Rogue complies, letting Sting single-handedly battle both Natsu and Gajeel. When Sting seemingly defeats them, having taken the battle underground, both he and Rogue deactivate Dragon Force. Rogue states that things change over time and that they have become "real" Dragon Slayers, additionally claiming the old generation to be over. However, to his shock, both Old Generation Dragon Slayers rise from the rubble, unfazed by Sting's many previous assaults. Rogue then watches, to his discomfort, as Gajeel is knocked into a mine cart, with Natsu proclaiming himself to be a good enough fighter for the Sabertooth Slayers.

Hearing this, Rogue states that he has no interest in Natsu and that he wants to fight Gajeel, but Natsu states that Rogue must beat him before he can fight Gajeel. Rogue attacks Natsu with his Shadow Dragon's Roar, Natsu, however, counters with his own Dragon's Roar, overtaking Rogue's, leaving the Shadow Dragon Slayer weakened. After the Twin Dragon Slayers are continuously beaten by Natsu, Rogue and Sting perform a Unison Raid, aiming the blast at Natsu, to which Natsu counters with his own Dragon Slayer Secret Art, creating an explosion in the Domus Flau. After the smoke created by the explosion clears, a weakened Rogue states that he can't see the bottom of Natsu's power, and then falls to the ground, knocked out. Rogue is, afterwards, left immobilized beside Sting, astonished by Natsu's strength.

Rogue is later bandaged and brought to the Sabertooth lodgings with the rest of his Guild. When Jiemma questions how the duo could lose, Rogue says that he has nothing to say regarding his defeat, saying that Natsu was simply more powerful. Jiemma, however, thinks nothing of this and unleashes his rage on the Dragon Slayers, beating them, particularly punching away Rogue. After Lector is attacked by Jiemma, a frightened Frosch begins to cry as Rogue shields the Exceed with his body. Rogue is then shocked to witness an enraged Sting attack Jiemma.

With the last day of the Grand Magic Games starting, Rogue enters the arena with the rest of Team Sabertooth. As confusion ripples through the crowd, Rogue points out to Sting that Natsu is not with his team. Sting tells him that they must consider themselves lucky. Rogue waits with the rest of his team as the rules for the final fight are explained. As soon as the game begins, Rogue separates from the rest of his team, heading into the city alone. After witnessing Rufus' defeat, Rogue remarks on how powerful Fairy Tail truly is and begins thinking about defeating Gajeel. Later on, during Minerva's battle with Erza and Kagura, Rogue remains completely silent.

Soon after, Rogue walks into a building and comes across Gajeel, whose name he utters with interest as the latter tells Rogue that he's persistent and to get ready, as he's not as nice as Natsu.

Rogue is later seen taking a hit from Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Club. He is pushed back a distance, while Gajeel states that it's impossible for Rogue to surpass him in a single day and that if Rogue couldn't defeat Natsu, then there's no way that he, himself, could be defeated. Rogue then quickly retorts that Gajeel possesses strength nowhere near Natsu's level, which makes Gajeel visibly angry.

A short while later, a defeated and resolve-shattered Rogue is towered over by a victorious Gajeel. Rogue attributes Gajeel's strength to the guildmates he has in Fairy Tail, understanding why after Phantom Lord disbanded, he joined and stayed in Fairy Tail. Rogue then questions his very existence and purpose, saying that Sabertooth doesn't understand the concept of friendship, thereby implying that he is weak and has no friends. Gajeel then reprimands Rogue for not considering Frosch his friend. The two then argue over what species Frosch is, which ends with Rogue reaffirming the fact that Frosch is his friend. The two Dragon Slayers are then interrupted by a mysterious voice. Rogue turns around, repeatedly asking who and where the voice is, while the latter tells him to kill Gajeel, claiming that it is his destiny. Rogue looks down with an expression of shock, seeing that it is his own shadow who is telling him to kill his idol, offering him the power to commit the deed.

While struggling against his shadow's will, Rogue is approached by Gajeel, who is wondering what is wrong with his opponent. Rogue then cries out in agony and sends Gajeel flying back with one mighty sweep of his arm. With the crowd startled by this comeback, Gajeel recovers only to be told that Rogue has been overtaken by his shadow. The possessed Rogue begins his assault quickly, physically dominating Gajeel in battle with his new-found power, easily maneuvering through Gajeel's attacks by turning into, and hiding in, shadows. Rogue possessed, then makes snide remarks on Gajeel's power, commenting on how much stronger he is now compared to Natsu and Gajeel.

With Gajeel now physically battered, Rogue holds him by the throat and, over Gajeel's gasps for air, mockingly states how easy it was to overcome his former idol. Gajeel is then dropped by the possessed Rogue, who leaves him to be consumed by the shadows. Rogue then watches, perplexed, as Gajeel consumes the shadows around him. Fearful of Gajeel's increasing power, Rogue steps back as Gajeel rises from the shadows and demands that the shadow leaves Rogue's body. The possessed Rogue is then told that Rogue, whose real name is Ryos, was Gajeel's sworn younger brother, and that his feelings towards him were fear-based, rather than those of admiration. As Gajeel enters his new Iron Shadow Dragon Mode, he states that he'll make the possessed Rogue remember exactly what fear feels like.

A dumbfounded Rogue inquires about Gajeel's newfound power, but is then assaulted by the latter's combination of the two Dragon Slayer Magics. In an attempt to escape Gajeel, Rogue turns into shadows, but, Gajeel, however, follows suit, and the two continue to battle as shadows. Eventually, Gajeel grabs Rogue and pulls him out of the shadow, much to his surprise. Gajeel then brutalizes the possessed Dragon Slayer and, as the possessed Rogue notes that he does not know this Gajeel, he throws him into the air, once more telling the being to vanish. Gajeel uses Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar, defeating and immobilizing Rogue. The being inquires as to the limits of Rogue's abilities, and then promptly exits his body. As Gajeel looks at Rogue, an emotional Frosch stands between the two, begging Gajeel to stop before Rogue dies. Gajeel, however, states that the fight has finished. Rogue then regains consciousness, calling out to his Exceed companion. As an elated Frosch runs over to hug Rogue, the Shadow Dragon Slayer wonders if he lost, unable to remember the events that just transpired. After the battle, Rogue lies on the ground, defeated, with Frosch standing over him, relieved knowing Rogue is safe, while Rogue smiles alongside his friend.

Rogue later watches Sting and Lector's reunion and smiles along with a tearful Frosch, glad that the two friends have been brought together once more. Watching Fairy Tail's victory on the Lacrima screen with Frosch, Rogue agrees with his exceed partner that Fairy Tail is amazing. Stating that his loss is the first time he feels refreshed after defeat, Rogue tells Frosch he wishes to become a man who cares about his friends, a wish the Exceed expresses as well.

Rogue then gathers with Fiore's Magic Guilds, cheering as they take up arms to battle against the upcoming attack from the Dragons accepting the King's request. As Sting worries about the attackers being Dragons, Rogue smirks confidently telling his fellow Dragon Slayer that they have to up for the battle. Rogue then springs up in curiosity, with a number of other Mages, after the King begins to shed tears over the mages' selflessness while his voice changes to a familiar sound.

Later, after being stationed to another section of Crocus with the rest of Sabertooth, Rogue watches as shockwaves tear the land around them apart, and, as Sting deduces that the Dragons have arrived, Rogue correctly concludes that they've arrived at Mercurius, much to his displeasure.

Later, as one of the seven Dragons that passed through the Eclipse Gate descends upon Sabertooth's location, Rogue charges toward the Dragon, geared for battle. As they fight, the group begins to become overpowered by the beast, though Rufus happily reminds everyone that Rogue and Sting defeated Dragons when they were young. Suddenly, Sting admits that that is only a half-truth, revealing that his Dragon asked him to kill it. Hearing Sting confess the truth, Rogue does so too, explaining that his parent Skiadrum was sick, and he merely killed him out of mercy. Despite the Dragon being stronger than expected, Rogue still vows to fight and protect his friends. Suddenly, Rogue hears Natsu calling from atop a Dragon flying over Crocus, the Fire Dragon Slayer demanding that all the other Dragon Slayers present release their true power to take out the seven Dragons. Hearing the truth in Natsu's words, Rogue steels himself, pumped to fight harder. Momentarily, Rogue heads elsewhere to locate another Dragon as commanded by Sting, stating that the era of the dispassionate Sabertooth is over; rather, they will now move forward.

However, the Dragon named Levia that Rogue faces overwhelms him. It then states that they should stop now, as there's no way Rogue is capable of beating a Dragon. Surprised, Rogue asks why they know his name, to which the Dragon replies that they were given an order to spare him. Levia tells him that if he does as they say, Rogue will be the one to survive the battle and become a King. However, Rogue argues that he has no desire to become a King and asks about the one behind this. Levia tells him that it was Rogue, seven years from now, who summoned the Dragons and plans to become the King.

Rogue laughs it off, but then he hears someone saying it's the truth. The mysterious voice turns out to be Rogue's Shadow, the darkness of Rogue's heart that represents another possible future. Rogue yells out at the Shadow, stomping on it in an attempt to make it quiet, but Levia tells him that from now on, his heart shall be stained with evil and he shouldn't fight his fate. Rogue then falls to the ground, unable to accept the words of the Dragon

However, in that moment, Sting appears and questions Rogue's inaction. He then offers Rogue his help. Shocked, Rogue asks Sting if his Dragon was already beaten, but Sting just bursts into laughter and says that the Dragon has tagged along just as Scissor Runner crashes through a building. Rogue doesn't find this funny, but Sting just says that whatever happens, they're a team. Standing back to back, both Sting and Rogue get ready to show the power of Twin Dragon Slayers. With a smile on his face, Rogue thinks to himself that if he were to fall into darkness, the light would surely kill him. Rogue then, accompanied by Sting, charges at Levia and Scissor Runner, ready to engage in battle.

With the Eclipse Gate now in tatters, Levia and Scissor Runner return to their own time. Rogue then sits on the ground, accompanied by Sting, and expresses his doubt as to what worth he holds as a Dragon Slayer. Sting then states that they were just that powerful, and that Acnologia is far more powerful than they ever were; Rogue tells Sting not to sulk about that fact. Sting agrees with Rogue, stating that the battle has ended and they've come out victorious. At this point, Rogue corrects Sting; with a smile on his face, he states that, rather than coming out victorious, they protected their comrades.

After a few days, all Mages of the Grand Magic Games are present at Mercurius, having an after party. Being called "Ryos", Rogue is greeted by Gajeel, however, Rogue asks him not to use that name. Gajeel then questions Rogue's future self. Rogue states that he is as clueless about him as everyone else, however, he assures Gajeel that he won't end up like him. Afterwards, he witnesses Yukino's arrival and watches as Sting tells her that she's welcome to return to the guild which now cares about its members. However, much to the surprise of Rogue and rest of the Sabertooth members, Kagura appears and claims that Yukino's life belongs to her. Every other guild expresses their desire for Yukino, resulting in a fight which is then stopped by Arcadios who tells them to behave as the King is about to arrive. Rogue is then seen shocked upon witnessing Natsu who appears while wearing the King's clothes and the crown.

Eclipse Celestial Spirits arc
Note: Events in this arc occur only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Tartaros arc
During the confrontation between Fairy Tail and Tartaros, as Mard Geer attacks Minerva in order to "clean up the garbage", Rogue, along with Sting, Lector and Frosch arrive to assist in the fight. While Sting states that they have come to pick her up, Rogue tells the sobbing Minerva that where she belongs is Sabertooth.

Rogue later comments on the content of Erza's letter that brought them here, noting that they could not understand it very well and thus their arrival was delayed. He then informs Erza that on their way, they've seen a lot of Face-shaped statues and remains silent when Mard states that 3000 of them will destroy the continent's Magic. Telling Erza to go and stop Face, Rogue and Sting charge at Mard, who belittles them for thinking that they can take on the Underworld King. Rogue transforms into shadows and rushes to attack Mard from behind, however, both his and Sting's attempts are effortlessly blocked by Mard who proceeds blowing them away. The Underworld King continues avoiding the Twin Dragons and not even Rogue's Shadow Dragon's Slash is of any effect. Mard then uses his Curse to create a rose-shaped explosion, commenting that he doesn't like humans using Dragon Slayer Magic and Rogue and Sting reply with an angered expressions, stating that what they don't like is their friends being hurt.

Not wasting a second, Rogue and Sting attack Mard Geer once more, though like before, his shadows prove to be completely ineffective. He then stands next to his partner as the White Dragon Slayer eggs the Underworld King to fight them seriously. They continue to exchange attacks and Rogue and Sting exclaim that they will take Mard down in order to bring Minerva back with them. The battle continues until both sides notice some noise, with Rogue questioning whether it's a voice. As Acnologia approaches, Rogue drops to his knees alongside Sting as the two clutch their chests in pain and a clueless expression overtakes their faces. After Igneel arrives, Rogue's excessive heartbeat ceases and he is asked by Sting if he is okay, which he says he is, but asks where Mard Geer ran off to when they were in pain.

Searching for Mard, Rogue and Sting find Underworld King in the midst of a battle against Natsu, and quickly rush to the Dragon Slayer's aid when they see that Mard is overpowering him. After a quick reunion, the two Sabertooth members suggest they team up, with Rogue getting angry when Natsu refuses. However, after Sting turns the battle into a competition to lure Natsu in, the three Dragon Slayers begin their onslaught, and, after some well-timed teamwork, manage to push Mard back. This only causes the Demon to become livid though, and he vows to no longer hold back. With that, Mard returns to his throne and seats himself as Rogue detects a truly tremendous power surging from him, just before the Underworld King attacks them with a barrage of giant thorns. Taking some harsh blows, Rogue and Sting watch as Natsu goes in for a powerful attack, and back him up by combining their powers to cast Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang. Mard, however, absorbs the attack and blocks Natsu's following one, shocking the trio as he lands unharmed back in his seat with a gloating smile and tells them that he hasn't even gotten serious yet.

After Mard Geer explains his intentions to break E.N.D.'s seal and return to Zeref, Rogue tells him that he can go to Zeref by himself if he wants it that much. Rogue is then shocked to find out that the Demons are in fact programmed to kill Zeref, as he thought of himself to be a cursed existence. Mard Geer then attacks the three Dragon Slayers and gains the upper hand, but as he is about to crush them with a spell, Gray Fullbuster appears and saves them by freezing the Demon's spell, surprising Rogue with his level of Magic Power. After comparing Gray's Magic to God and Dragon Slayer Magic, Rogue watches in amazement as the Devil Slayer freezes and foils every single one of Mard's attacks. However, he looks on in fear as a demonic Jiemma emerges from Mard Geer's frozen Prison Flower, and becomes visibly flustered when the newly-born Demon rushes at them, though words from Natsu leaves him slightly encouraged. With new resolve, Rogue and Sting rush at Jiemma, but he merely grabs their heads, antagonizes them, and smacks them together. Undeterred, Rogue continues his assault accompanied by Sting, exclaiming that they two will defeat their old Master.

As he fights his old Master, Rogue admonishes Jiemma for selling Minerva out to Tartaros, but both he and Sting are merely thrown around, their words meaning nothing to the transformed Demon. After telling Jiemma that they've turned Sabertooth into the guild it was meant to be, a guild of friendship and love, Jiemma brutalizes the Shadow Dragon Slayer whilst making claim that he and Sting ruined his vision of the guild. However, both Dragon Slayers rise and tell Jiemma that he was the one that made the guild weak and that as they have started Sabertooth over from square one, it is their job to end him. Their words merely amuse their tormentor, but both Dragon Slayers counter that they were blessed to have met a guild a like Fairy Tail; Rogue is slashed by Jiemma, who claims that strength with bonds isn't strength at all. After Sting exclaims that they live to love each other, Rogue says that they will end Jiemma's twisted, broken ideals and the two cast White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk, piercing Jiemma with light and shadows, which leaves him heavily wounded. Exhausted, the two Dragon Slayers fall to the ground, leaving everything to Gray and Natsu, where they lay unconscious, completely oblivious to the happenings surrounding them.

The Twin Dragons soon wake to the detonation of Face and as the bombs are destroyed by the foster parents of the other Dragon Slayers, Rogue senses his supposed-deceased foster parent Skiadrum among the several Dragons flying around. Later, hearing from Igneel that the Dragons hid inside the Slayers by using secret arts, Rogue theorizes that Skiadrum awakened when his heart began to wildly race, and later curses Fairy Tail for always having the spotlight when Gray and Natsu begin to quarrel over the Book of E.N.D. However, Rogue exhibits surprise when the book disappears and finds itself in the hands of an arriving Zeref. Rogue then watches in shock as Zeref turns Mard Geer into a book and then burns it, and then subsequently observes him walk away and disappear.

With the threat of Tartaros and Face now gone, Rogue, the other Dragon Slayers (sans Natsu) and Fairy Tail greet the Dragons; Rogue reunites with Skiadrum, where he learns thanks to both it and Weisslogia that he and Sting had their memories manipulated to think that they had killed both of them and gained power. Everyone is then told that the Dragons have already died and had their souls taken from them by Acnologia years ago, which gave them half-lives. This led them to enter the bodies of their children to create anti-bodies to prevent Dragonification, wait until Acnologia could be killed, and to prolong their shortened lives. The Dragons then begin to disappear, but before they do so they promise to adhere to the Magna Carta forged between humans and Dragons and watch over all of humanity while they move forward. Before Skiadrum vanishes, Rogue thanks it for what he has done for him.

A week after they assisted in the decimation of Tartaros, Rogue returns to Sabertooth with Sting, Frosch, Lector and Minerva; he smiles happily when Minerva is warmly welcomed home by everyone in the guild.

Avatar arc
A year after Tartaros' destruction and Fairy Tail's disbandment, Rogue ventures with Minerva and Frosch on a mission to destroy the cult Avatar. As he leaves, Rogue turns around to find Natsu running at him; he is tackled and told that he wants to talk, but Rogue questions what has gotten into Natsu. Rogue is then dragged into a hedge maze and demanded to show his job request form, and after Natsu sees it, he tells Rogue that he's going to do this job as a Mage of Fairy Tail, but that he will give Rogue all the rewards under the condition that he and Frosch don't leave the city until he gets back. Rogue calls Natsu's action crazy and runs out after Natsu as the man tells Minerva not to let Frosch and Rogue leave the city. Too late to stop Natsu, Rogue angrily says that he has no idea what just occurred.

Later, as Rogue arrives at Malba City, he and Sting find it destroyed, remarking that a few Mages of Team Natsu managed to defeat a massive army. Briefly after, Frosch goes missing, shocking him along with Sting and Lector, but all the wonders become clear when they find the former hanging around with his fellow Exceeds. As Gray hugs Frosch, Rogue briefly overreacts, but soon calms down, heading towards the reunited Team Natsu to meet them.

Alvarez Empire arc
After the Alvarez Empire invades Magnolia, Rogue stands with his guildmates, prepared to enter battle after hearing Ichiya's call to arms. Before long, Rogue mobilizes with his guildmates and rendezvouses with Blue Pegasus; they head north to deal with the incoming Alvarez fleet of over three hundred. Eventually, the group arrives at the site of Alvarez's invasion and commences battle with their forces; Rogue in particular deals with many of the foot soldiers, alongside Frosch. However, faced with the terror of Bloodman, the Sabertooth-Blue Pegasus alliance retreats to their camp, where Rogue responds that in spite of the overwhelming number of enemies they face, they must find a way to keep them from progressing south.

Some time later, Rogue and the other Mages from both Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus are severely defeated and are crucified by their enemies. They are then saved by Gajeel's group, which declares battle against their powerful enemies, despite the doubts in victory which Rogue expresses.

As Fairy Tail engages the enemies, Rogue sees Sting sulking and mentions that the attitude doesn't suit him. Sting replies that he was incapable of doing anything and calls himself a sorry excuse for a Guild Master, which to the surprise of Rogue and everyone else present, prompts a slap from Yukino. With words of encouragement backing him, Sting declares for them to re-enter the battle, wherein Minerva declares that she won't forgive the enemy for making their master cry; hearing this, Rogue refers to Sting as a "crybaby master." After, Sabertooth's strongest five take on the enemy forces in unison. Before long, Rogue is caught in the light of Irene Belserion's Universe One and is warped to a new location.

Rogue and Minerva are warped together, and encounter Kinana, who leads them to the Fairy Tail Guild's new location. There, Rogue enters his shadow form and attacks Bloodman, while his guildmate singles out Wall Eehto. In a brief respite, he reunites with Frosch, and tells a concerned Lector that Sting and he were separated. However, Rogue quickly takes notice of Bloodman and Wall's Magic Power, indicating that they are dead, and quickly does battle with the former, matching him blow-for-blow while the latter is in his Third Seal. In spite of this, Rogue is ultimately overpowered and derided by his Spriggan 12 foe. After he and Minerva manage to best Wall and Bloodman, they wonder whether it was truly them who defeated the Historias or if they fell due to the defeat of their conjurer. Rogue then asks Minerva what the blinding light on the battlefield was, and she tells him it was Fairy Law and explains how the spell whittled away at a significant portion of their enemies' forces. However, Rogue remarks that he is still worried by their allies' exhaustion. Shortly thereafter, when Minerva is subjected to the effects of Larcade Dragneel's Magic, Rogue tries to see what is afflicting her, but is soon afflicted himself.

Rogue eventually makes his way to the site of Sting's battle with Larcade, courtesy of Minerva using her Territory, where he states his purpose of giving Sting the remainders of his Magic Power. Though Sting hesitates, he understands Rogue's plan, and eats his shadows. Now devoid of Magic, Rogue collapses and encourages his friend, the White Shadow Dragon, to win. As he lays on the ground, Rogue watches Sting dominate Larcade momentarily, but is soon affected, along with his friend, by R.I.P., which nearly sends him into an eternal slumber. Rogue advises Sting to enter his shadow to ward off the drowsiness and enhance his senses, and his friend does so thanks to Kagura using her Gravity Change. The Shadow Dragon Slayer then smiles as Sting defeats Larcade with their combination attack.

With the battle over, Minerva and Yukino arrive, both of whom Rogue apologizes to for his inability to move. Rogue is then greeted by an excited Frosch, who exclaims that it is going to eat together with him, which leaves the man confused. Then, as they are out of energy, the Twin Dragons agree to leave the rest of the war in Fairy Tail's hands.

Magic and Abilities
Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic (影の滅竜魔法 Kage no Metsuryū Mahō): A Magic which allows Rogue to transform the physiology of his body into that of the Shadow Dragon; transforming his body into a shadow that cannot be touched by normal means. With this Magic, Rogue is also able to fade himself into shadows to move swiftly, dodging efficiently and making surprise attacks. However, if Rogue is caught while in a tangible form, or by another person in shadow form, he is then vulnerable to attacks. The shadows produced by Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic are able to be utilized in several different ways, allowing for a high level of adaptability; the shadows are able to be released in freeform, as condensed, or even molded into the shape of a weapon, taking on the properties of said chosen shape. As a member of the Third Generation of Dragon Slayers, Rogue learned this form of Magic through two means: by receiving the teachings of a Dragon named Skiadrum and by having Dragon Lacrima implanted into his body.


 * Shadow Dragon's Roar (影竜の咆哮 Eiryū no Hōkō): Rogue's signature Dragon's Roar. Rogue releases a large burst of shadows from his mouth. Because Natsu Dragneel countered this attack with his own Dragon's Roar, its true strength remains unseen.


 * Shadow Dragon's Slash (影竜の斬撃 Eiryū no Zangeki): Rogue covers his arm in shadows and punches his target.


 * Shadow Dragon's Crushing Fang: Rogue generates shadows from his hand and uses them to attack the target. (Unnamed)


 * Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash (影竜の連雀閃 Eiryū no Renjakusen): Rogue turns his body into shadows and then wraps himself around the target, assaulting them with a torrent of shadows generated from his hands.


 * Shadow Drive (シャドウドライブ Shadō Doraibu): A type of Magic-amplification technique used by Rogue that brings out the true power of his Shadow Dragon Slayer abilities, excluding the power boost granted by Dragon Force, yet, at the same time, seemingly enhancing his physical prowess to a degree, particularly his speed. It grants Rogue an aura of shadows that completely cloaks and continuously rises from his body. The technique also obscures Rogue's eyes, leaving only his round, blank irises visible. According to Rogue's fellow Dragon Slayer and partner Sting, Shadow Drive harnesses "the power that kills Dragons", and it indeed allowed the Shadow Dragon Slayer to momentarily overwhelm Gajeel Redfox, who had him completely outmatched beforehand. This state either grants Rogue the ability to perform new spells or makes them stronger, as the Sabertooth Mage has been shown employing several skills only while in said Drive. This technique is very similar to that used by Rogue's fellow Dragon Slayer and partner Sting, the similarly named White Drive.


 * White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk (白影竜の絁 Hakueiryū no Ashiginu): A spell that Rogue was able to use together with Sting, synchronizing his Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic with Sting's White counterpart. The two Dragon Slayers release thin beams of light and shadow from their fingertips respectively, which pierce through their target and heavily damage them.

Dragon Force ( Doragon Fōsu): Being a product of the Third Generation of Dragon Slayers, Rogue is capable of entering the most powerful form of the Dragon Slayer at will, without the need to consume strong, external sources of Magic. Such a feat greatly surprised those who had intimate knowledge of Dragon Slayer Magic. When this state is activated, Rogue body becomes much more akin to an actual Shadow Dragon's, with his whole body becoming covered in an aura of shadows even thicker and darker than that provided by Shadow Drive, and with thick dark intricate scale-like patterns appearing to cover the outer edges of his face, underneath and around his eyes, extending down from the side of his neck and onto the rest of his body. These are shown to be more and more uniform as they get farther from the central portion of his body, which instead bear several scattered, distinct scales, elongated and placed diagonally.

Unison Raid ( Yunizon Reido): An ability which allows two Mages to unite their Magic into a single, combined, stronger attack. Rogue has shown himself to be able to combine his Magic with Sting's, creating powerful spells.
 * Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang (聖影竜閃牙 Seieiryū Senga): After releasing a large amount of shadows from his hand, Rogue combines this with Sting's light, releasing a powerful burst of light and shadows at the target.

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: While always carrying around a sword by his side, Rogue's melee moves shown so far are unarmed ones, and include punches, kicks, and elbows. He employs his Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic to boost his offensive power as well as to outmaneuver opponents, landing enhanced blows from different angolations through the use of the evasive form granted him by Shadow Drive. The latter combination allowed him to fight and even overwhelm Gajeel Redfox for a while, despite ultimately being struck by the opposing Dragon Slayer.

Enhanced Durability: Rogue possesses good physical resilience, being struck by powerful melee blows from both Gajeel and Natsu and undergoing the latter's Fire Dragon's Wing Attack without suffering substantial injuries, and continuing to fight and even employing some of his best techniques afterwards. He also managed to take Mard Geer's Curse in a non-enhanced state with minor injuries.

Enhanced Speed: Rogue has been shown to possess above average speed, seen when he outmaneuvered Gajeel during their first battle, though, at the time, he had Shadow Drive activated. Enhanced Endurance: Rogue has shown to possess a high amount of physical endurance, being able to confront two fellow Dragon Slayers at the same time with his partner Sting, being struck by powerful melee blows from both Gajeel and Natsu, all the while showing moderate signs of weariness and, in the end, still having the strength to stand back up and barrage his opponents with powerful Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic Techniques. Even near the end of his battle with Natsu and Gajeel, Rogue proved able to perform a mighty Unison Raid with Sting, and only finally fell after being struck by Natsu's Dragon Slayer's Secret Art.

Enhanced Reflexes: While employing Shadow Drive, Rogue proved limber enough to dodge several of Gajeel's own Iron Dragon Slayer Magic Spells, and, afterwards, effectively counterattacking the Iron Dragon Slayer, who, for a time, was unable to follow his erratic movements.

Equipment
Katana: Rogue carries around a, a traditional Japanese sword, on his left hip, with its sheath tucked inside his sash belt. The weapon is fairly simple in appearance, sporting a tsuba whose shape is vaguely reminiscent of a, and a hilt, wrapped in a traditional, dark tsuka-ito, which seems to get larger near its pommel. The sheath is dark in color.

Welcome Back, Frosch
At their guild, Rogue closes his eyes as Sting, now the Master of Sabertooth, demands Yukino to take her clothes off, however, he too removes his when Sting remarks that it's to play in their new pool. As they party, Rogue chastises Sting for splashing him (calling such a thing childlike), though he loses his cool when Lector arrives and informs everyone that Frosch got lost in the middle of a shopping trip. Immediately pinning the blame on Lector, Sting and Rogue then get into an argument, during which Rogue points out that Frosch doesn't know the way back to the guild; their argument is quelled by Yukino, who tells them that they just need to go look for the small Exceed.

Traveling to Magnolia, Lector tells Rogue that this is where he lost Frosch, which prompts Rogue to call out his friend's name. Just then, Rogue spots Gajeel and Panther Lily and angrily asks Gajeel if he's seen his companion; Rogue becomes angry once more as Gajeel refers to Frosch as a frog. As he tells Gajeel yet again that Frosch is a cat, he is corrected by Panther Lily, as Frosch is technically an Exceed, and when the Exceed points them in the direction of Frosch, Rogue and the others hurry along, where they eventually bump into Wendy, whom Rogue also harasses for Frosch's whereabouts. Such an act earns Rogue a reprimanding by Sting, and as Carla points them back in the direction, Rogue continues calling out for his friend. Before long, the group of four finds Frosch standing in front of a sign and stops his friends from going to help him, but as he does so, he accidentally grabs Yukino's breast, which he embarrassingly apologizes for.

Immediately moving back to the matter at hand, Rogue points out that Frosch is looking at a map so that it can return to the guild by itself; Rogue announces that he must allow Frosch to return by itself, both for its sake and his own, something which Lector and Sting remark is impossible for the bumbling creature to do, causing Rogue to yell in favor of Frosch's success. Cheering for him from the sidelines as it runs into Juvia, Gray and Erza, Rogue smiles rather smugly as Frosch makes progress. However, night falls and Rogue watches Frosch stumble toward the Fairy Tail Guild where he cries out in misery, exclaiming that it arrived at the wrong guild.

Trivia

 * In Volume 32's extra content, Mashima provided the battle statistics for 31 of the 40 X791 contestants in the Grand Magic Games. The stats, however, were provided not from Mashima's point-of-view as the author but from the view point of Sorcerer Magazine reporter Jason. Which explains why some stats are missing and why others may be inaccurate. According to Jason from the Sorcerer Magazine, during his participation in the Grand Magic Games of X791, Rogue's stats are:

Quotes

 * (To himself about Gajeel Redfox) "I have no interest. My interest is only in you, Gajeel."
 * (To himself regarding Natsu Dragneel's speech about "Nakama") "Nakama... Bonds that don't exist in our guild, huh..."
 * (To himself about Natsu Dragneel) "Natsu Dragneel... I can't see the bottom of his power..."
 * (To Gajeel Redfox regarding himself and his guild) "There had to be a reason...for you to stay in Fairy Tail. I didn't understand, but now I do. It was your nakama, right? Our guild lacks that concept. We are the Master's soldiers. His orders were absolute. Victory was a must. What is a 'guild?' What are 'nakama?' What am I even fighting for?"
 * (To himself about Sting Eucliffe's assistance) "That's right! As long as he's here, I'll be alright! Should I become stained with evil, the light would surely kill me."