Rogue Cheney

Rogue Cheney (ローグ・チェーニ Rōgu Chēni), whose real name is Ryos, is Mage of Sabertooth, formerly the strongest Guild in Fiore, and a member of its team, Twin Dragons of Sabertooth.

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.

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 greyish blueish tinted white 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.

Personality
Rogue is the quieter of the Twin Dragon Slayers. He mostly keeps a calm face and rarely shows any emotions. Also, Rogue wasn't interested in watching the matches like Sting was, stating that he is only interested 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 comradeship. After Yukino lost her match against Kagura and was subsequently 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 at the torture with a stern expression. He appears to be unusually kind for his Guild.

Though not seen, as a Dragon Slayer, Rogue also suffers from motion sickness.

History
Rogue was raised by a Dragon, Skiadrum, who taught him Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic. He eventually used this Magic to kill Skiadrum, in order to become a "real" Dragon Slayer. At some point in his life, Rogue also implanted Dragon Lacrima into his body, thereby making him a Third Generation Dragon Slayer.

Seven years ago, Rogue was a fan of Natsu Dragneel, the sworn younger brother of Gajeel Redfox, and desired to join the Phantom Lord Guild, which Gajeel used to be a part of.

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 War Cry 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 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. 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 White Dragon's Punch.

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 Scarlet and Kagura Mikazuchi, 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.

Magic and Abilities
Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic (影の滅竜魔法 Ei 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. 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 Claw: Rogue generates shadows from his feet 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 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 technique is very similar to that used by Rogue's fellow Dragon Slayer and partner Sting, the similarly named White Drive.

Dragon Force (ドラゴンフォース Doragon Fōsu): Rogue is capable of entering the most powerful form of the Dragon Slayer at will, something which greatly surprised those who had intimate knowledge of Dragon Slayer Magic. When activated, Rogue is covered in an even thicker aura of shadows than that provided by Shadow Drive. He also gains dark, intricate scale-like patterns underneath and around his eyes, extending down his neck and onto the rest of his body.

Unison Raid (合体魔法, ユニゾンレイド, Yunizon Reido): A spell which allows two Mages to unite their Magic into a single, combined, stronger attack. Rogue has shown 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.

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 katana, 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 four-leaf clover, and a hilt, wrapped in a traditional, dark tsuka-ito, which seems to get larger near its pommel. The sheath is dark in color.

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:
 * In the anime, Rogue's cross-shaped design on his shin guards and katana were absent. The katana later appeared at the beginning of the Grand Magic Games.
 * In Rogue's original manga debut, he had longer black hair. From his next appearance onward, his hair was styled shorter. In the anime, Rogue is portrayed from the beginning as having his shorter hair-style.

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 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?"

Battles & Events

 * Twin Dragons of Sabertooth vs. Unnamed Dark Guild
 * Twin Dragons of Sabertooth vs. Unnamed Mages
 * Sky Labyrinth
 * X791 Grand Magic Games Inauguration
 * Natsu Dragneel & Gajeel Redfox vs. Sting Eucliffe & Rogue Cheney
 * Rebellion within Sabertooth
 * Grand Magic Game