Erik

Erik (エリック Erikku), formerly known by the code name Cobra (コブラ Kobura), is a former member of the now-disbanded Oración Seis, a Dark Guild composed of six powerful Mages. He, along with the other Oración Seis members, sought to find Nirvana, a destructive Magic that was sealed long ago. Erik was among the few remaining members who formed the Reborn Oración Seis, and later joined Crime Sorcière per Jellal's request to help him take down Zeref.

Appearance
Erik is a slim man of average height with dark tan skin and spiky, upward-styled maroon hair; aside from a tuft covering his forehead and two bangs framing his face and purple slit-pupil eyes. He’s noted to have snake-like features, with slanted eyes similar to Natsu’s, a rather flat nose, and prominent canine teeth. He also sports a simple circular earring on his ears. Being an artificial Dragon Slayer, when Erik makes use of his Dragon Slayer Magic, the tops of his hands and forearms become covered in crimson Dragon scales, while the bottoms are milky and smooth. His hands also turn into sharp, pointed, claws.

Erik's outfit consists of an elaborate whitish coat with purple inner lining and cuffs intricately decorated by silver-colored motifs, and many studs lined up the chest, the high collar and the sleeves, which have armbands seemingly made of metal around them above Erik's elbows. Below it, Erik wears a dark shirt, and he also sports a pair of crimson leather pants held up by a studded belt, with more similar belts circling diagonally the upper parts of his legs, and simple brown shoes.

Erik's attire received some changes in the anime. His coat doesn't have the intricate motifs on the purple parts nor any visible studs, and is given light bluish edges and modified armbands, being dark and each sporting a large, red gem. In X791, Erik has a scar across his right eye (a result of the sacrifice he made to attain new powers ) and his ears are also noticeably pointed; in addition, he no longer wears the earring on his ears.

Personality
Like the other members of the Oración Seis, Erik is confident and enjoys seeing his opponents suffer. Erik believes that Second Generation Dragon Slayers are superior to First Generation Dragon Slayers, and even finds their existence questionable, as Dragons are believed to be extinct, and therefore finds it ridiculous that people such as Natsu were taught their Magic by nonexistent beings. He also seems to be quite easy-going, and was able to laugh at a joke during a battle.

Erik harbors great affection towards his snake Cubellios, considering her to be his greatest friend, and being willing to dedicate his prayer to hear her voice, which in itself is impossible, even for someone like Erik, who has exceptional hearing. However, he does not know that Kinana is Cubellios herself.

In X791, Erik seems to have mellowed out a bit: he is quieter, though his personality has taken an angrier turn, becoming hostile easily. He frequently belittles Erza Scarlet and the Fairy Tail Guild for their faith in friendship. He also experiences inner turmoil regarding the Reborn Oración Seis, and how much they had to give up; he believes that Fairy Tail is undeserving. It is not until he is defeated by Erza and he sees Kinana again that Erik forgoes his forsaking of friendship. Aside from Kinana whom he shares a strong bond with, Erik seems to be quite loyal to his guildmates that originated from the Tower of Heaven as slaves, like him. Erik negotiates with Doranbolt for their release and is unwilling to spill until all of them are guaranteed their freedom, proving that he does care about his guildmates (aside from Brain). After hearing that Brain only views them as pawns, he tells Midnight and he kills Brain as retribution. Midnight trusts Erik's judgement; a proof of their own bond. They, as a whole, join Jellal's Independent Guild, choosing to stay together instead of going their separate ways, with the goal to stop Zeref from spreading his evil.

As mentioned by Sorano, he can be very shy, something at which he scoffs the mere notion. Also, as a Dragon Slayer, Erik suffers from motion sickness when riding on any form of transportation.

History
Jellal enslaved Erik as a child until Brain arrived at the Tower of Heaven and took Erik and four other enslaved children to become members of his own guild, all with Jellal's permission. Erik soon became a member of the Oración Seis, one of the three most powerful Dark Guilds, and, along with his guildmates, began to seek out the lost, destructive Magic, Nirvana.

At some point before seeking Nirvana, Erik implanted Dragon Lacrima into his own body, which thereby resulted in him becoming the Poison Dragon Slayer.

Oración Seis arc
Cobra, along with the other members of the Oración Seis, attacks the Allied Forces; he engages Erza Scarlet in combat. The two battle on equal ground, that is, until Racer and Hoteye join the fray, turning their conflict into a three-on-one battle. Using the openings granted by his comrades, Cobra orders Cubellios to bite Erza's arm, poisoning the S-Class Mage. As Erza reels from the assault, Cobra informs her that the poison isn't fast-acting and will kill her slowly.

Cobra, on Brain's orders, follows Jellal, as they believe that he is trying to steal Nirvana from them. Cobra eventually succeeds in finding Jellal and bares witness to Nirvana's activation. Distracted, Cobra continues watching Nirvana activate, allowing Erza to arrive at the scene unnoticed. Seeing her, Cobra becomes shocked, having believed her to have died at the hands of Cubellios' poison.

Cobra then moves to confront Jellal and proceeds to learn that Jellal has placed a Square of Self-Destruction on Nirvana. After failing to undo the spell, Cobra tries to regain Jellal as an ally, but becomes horrified when he sees that Jellal has placed a Square of Self-Destruction on himself as well. Luckily, however, much to Cobra's pleasure, Brain arrives and dispels the Square of Self-Destruction before ultimately activating Nirvana's Second Stage. However, as the great Magic activates, the Fairy Tail delegates slowly make their way up Nirvana's legs, unbeknownst to Brain and Cobra. Natsu Dragneel, carried by Happy, manages to make his way to the center of Nirvana and attack Brain but is intercepted by Cobra, who is riding his now-winged serpent, Cubellios. Now, confronting one another in midair, Cobra momentarily overwhelms Natsu due to his ability to hear the Fire Dragon Slayer's movements. However, after hearing Natsu's thoughts, Cobra maliciously chuckles, stating that he'll gladly "play" with Natsu.

Laughing over the top of them, Cobra heeds Brain's order to kill Natsu and Happy, gleefully stating that they'd make a wonderful snack for Cubellios. Charging at them, Cobra and Cubellios repeatedly knock Natsu and Happy away; Cobra repeats multiple times that Natsu's efforts are in vain, as he can hear him. Cobra then proceeds to dodge Natsu's blind strikes, stating that, contrary to Happy's belief that his Magic allows him to solely read movements, his Magic allows him to hear the voices of others' hearts. Cobra then pauses before laughing at a joke Natsu formulated inside his head, confirming his just-prior statement. Right after, Cobra repeats the battle strategy Happy is conveying to Natsu, once more telling them that he can hear their thought process and that they have no hope of defeating him. Much to Natsu's fury, Cobra counts off the number of other strategies Natsu has formulated inside head, considering some impressive but mocking him as he does so. Natsu then goes on the offensive, charging at Cobra; Cobra dodges Natsu's first two strikes, but is nicked by third and taken aback. He is then repeatedly hit by Natsu, completely shocked at Natsu's lack of thought. Blocking Natsu's final punch, Cobra praises Natsu, telling him that he's never encountered someone such as him and that cheap tricks won't work. As his coat sleeves begin to disintegrate, Cobra inflicts damage to Natsu's caught hand and, after activating his proper Magic, reveals himself to be the Poison Dragon Slayer.

Cobra then goes on the offensive, personally swiping at Natsu with his claws and kicking him away with poison-enhanced kicks, destroying Natsu's flesh with each strike. Cobra then states as the he is the Poison Dragon Slayer, his very touch destroys everything, dodging every one of Natsu's attacks and countering with one of his own. Calling out his snake's name, Cubellios releases a large quantity of poisonous mist from her mouth, which Cobra then proceeds to eat. The Dark Mage then attacks Natsu and Happy with his Poison Dragon's Roar, infecting them with a neurotoxin that degrades their movement and eventually kills them. Cobra is then interrupted by Natsu as he tells them that their victory was sealed when his Roar struck them, dodging a kick meant for him. Cobra then praises Natsu once more, this time, however, for moving as well as he is after being subjected to his viral toxins, calling the Fairy Tail Mage an "Old-Style Dragon Slayer", visibly angering Natsu. Raising his arms wide, Cobra explains that he implanted Dragon Lacrima into his body, thereby allowing him to become a Dragon Slayer; he counts himself among the new generation of Dragon Slayers. Claiming Natsu's Magic to be more questionable than his as Dragons are extinct, Cobra charges at the duo once more, denying Natsu's claim that Igneel ever existed.

Cobra throws Natsu into the air with his Poison Dragon's Twin Fang, demanding that Natsu dies, as the poison has completely spread throughout his body. Cobra then hears Natsu and Happy conversing; Natsu demands that Happy drop Natsu right on top of Cobra so that he may deliver a point-blank Fire Dragon's Roar. Cobra then ridicules Natsu, stating that his random physical attacks did more harm than this new strike will bring. Seeing that Natsu is opting for a wide-range assault, Cobra catapults himself over Natsu. Now above the Fire Dragon Slayer, Cobra moves to crush Natsu's skull with his claws, but is heavily affected by Natsu's scream, screaming in agony as his ears reverberate with pain. Cobra then falls from the sky and hits the ground, unconscious, as Cubellios rests beside him.

Cobra, however, immediately returns to his feet, stating that as a member of the Oración Seis, he must defeat Natsu for the sake of his pride. Cobra then covers his fist in poison and motions to attack Natsu, stating for the "Old-Style" Dragon Slayer to die. However, much to his and Natsu's shock, Cobra is shot by Brain, the magical blast going through the Poison Dragon Slayer's shoulder. Confused, Cobra asks Brain what he did wrong, to which Brain replies that Cobra needs to rest and that he did well. Brain, however, blatantly thinks, intending for Cobra to hear that he is trash for losing to a "common guild" such as Fairy Tail, stating that he doesn't need the Oración Seis if they are that weak. Cobra then falls to the ground, crying, stating that he only wished to hear the voice of his best and only friend: Cubellios. Later he is arrested alongside his Guildmates.

Key of the Starry Sky arc
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Grand Magic Games arc
During the Dragons' invasion in Crocus, Doranbolt sets Cobra free in order for him to be able to aid the other six Dragon Slayers in defeating the seven Dragons that were brought from the past; Cobra says he can hear the Dragons attacking the town, and that he can also hear Natsu's words.

Wasting no time, Cobra sets out and brutally strikes the Rock Dragon that was attacking Blue Pegasus, saving the guild. Ecstatic at being able to fight, Cobra tells Ichiya to get out of his way, much to the latter's displeasure; the others, particularly Hibiki Lates, express their shock at seeing the former Dark Mage on the loose. Now moderately injured, Cobra gleefully continues his fight with the Dragon made of rock.

However, Cobra's fight soon turns one-sided, as the Dragon further injures him without him being able to fight back, while the King explains that this is what used to be called the Dragon King Festival in the ancient times. This changes when, unbeknownst to Cobra, Ultear Milkovich uses Last Ages in order to turn back the entire planet's time by one full minute. Now able to fully predict his opponent's moves for the next one minute, Cobra smiles, as he can now begin his counterattack.

It is not long after that, through the efforts of several Dragon Slayer Mages in the city, the Dragons are removed from the timeline by the destruction of the Eclipse Gate. With his opponent gone, Cobra sits down to observe the aftermath and laments his inability to defeat a Dragon, commenting on it, leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

Shortly after the battle is over, Cobra returns to Rune Knights, allowing himself to be arrested again. As he pities himself over being unable to defeat even a single Dragon, Lahar and Doranbolt note that despite being an outlaw, he keeps his promises. Cobra states that being outside felt good, as he could hear many voices, including that of Cubellios. With a wicked expression on his face, he then notes to himself that he is back only to save the rest of the Oración Seis. Doranbolt questions the voices that Cobra could hear, with the latter telling him that the "gates of the netherworld" are about to open, referring to Tartaros. He also tells Doranbolt not to fiddle with his memories until that happens, leaving Doranbolt visibly surprised.

Tartaros arc
After the attack on the Magic Council by the Tartaros member known as Jackal, Cobra is approached by the surviving Doranbolt, who questions if he heard what happened on the floor above; leading Cobra to grin slightly as he reminds him of the cell's ability to prevent him from using Magic, claiming that he was able to hear the ruckus with his ears alone. Wasting no time, Cobra is ordered by Doranbolt to confess what he knows about Tartaros, but Cobra demands the release of the Oración Seis in exchange for that information. However, Doranbolt admits that he has no authority to do so and surprises Cobra by revealing that everyone with such authority is already dead; moreover, even after being threatened to reveal what he knows when the latter holds a knife to his neck, Cobra still insists on the condition. The Dragon Slayer, however, decides to reveal one thing: all members of Tartaros are Demons from the Books of Zeref, with their Master, E.N.D., being the strongest one.

Later, having given Doranbolt information about Tartaros' goal of using Face, it is shown that he has gotten the release of the rest of the Oración Seis. As Brain starts to congratulate Cobra, Cobra strikes him down, revealing Brain's true feelings towards them, asking Midnight if he has any problem, to which he states he does not. As the rest of the Oración Seis discuss what to do next, Cobra stops them, and tells them that they have company; in front of them appear Jellal Fernandes and Meredy. Hearing Jellal state that he alone is enough for the five of them, Cobra realizes that he came at Doranbolt's behest. However, as Jellal stands in the way of their true freedom, Cobra threatens Jellal with his life; Hoteye tells his friends that he doesn't want to fight and that he'll submit to Jellal, earning him a remark from Cobra, though their complaints are quelled by Midnight. Heading Jellal's baiting, Cobra attacks Jellal in tandem with Racer, though his strike is blocked and he is thrown into his comrade. Seeing Jellal overpower Angel as well, Cobra looks at his opponent with unease. A short while later, Cobra manages to gain the upper hand on Jellal, forcing him to defend against one of his clawed strikes and sending him to be at Racer's mercy.

Continuing the fight, Cobra refuses to let up against Jellal, intent on securing freedom for himself and his allies. However, Jellal speaks out against this, telling them that he will free them. Surprised as Jellal hits Racer and tells them their freedom is a lie, Cobra is then taken out by Jellal, who states that it will remain so as long as they remain taken by darkness. Off-put by Jellal's statement that he will free them by defeating them, Cobra is then shocked as Zero suddenly awakens and strikes Jellal, not having realized he was still alive. However, Cobra is even more shocked to witness Jellal's escape from Midnight's illusion. Surrounded by Magic seals, he can only ponder the time it took Jellal to draw the circles—subsequently attacked alongside the other Oración Seis Mages by the latter's Grand Chariot. Shortly afterwards, Cobra falls to his defeat when Jellal employs his True Heavenly Body Magic. As the imposing man approaches the group, Cobra is left in pure awe when Jellal invites them to join his guild, knowing that they share a common enemy: Zeref.

Note: His appearance in the following occurs only in the anime and does not constitute canon material.

As Face and Tartaros are brought to an end with the help of the Dragons, Erik joins Jellal and Meredy in their journey to bring down Zeref. He, along with the rest of Crime Sorcière, pays a visit to Magnolia, where Jellal provides Erza some support to continue on fighting—the scene prompting him to question Jellal's words.

Alvarez Empire Arc
Erik and his comrades arrive in the north, at Zonia, to assist in the war against the Alvarez Empire; upon hearing his comrades voice their own minds about the current state of affairs, Erik expresses an immediate desire to be let out of the Olympia, as he is experiencing extreme motion sickness. Before he and his comrades can do anything, however, Erik is caught in the light of Irene Belserion's Universe One and is warped to a new location.

Erik eventually makes his way to the Fairy Tail Guild's new location and engages in battle with August of the Spriggan 12, alongside the other members of Crime Sorcière, bar Meredy and Sorano. August easily overpowers the group of five; Erik hears Jellal's defeatist thoughts and reasons that even if August is stronger than them, he can still hear what he's going to do. He goes to attack August, but August reveals that he, too, can use Sound Magic and listen in on his enemy's next action, resulting in Erik being easily swept aside. His other comrades then launch their own attacks, but Erik is ultimately caught up in August's use of Reflector to counter Macbeth's own; Erik and the others are then swiftly defeated, and he remains unconscious for quite some time due to his injuries.

Much later, Erik is teleported by Acnologia who absorbed the time magic in the Space Between Time and used it to send all the Dragon Slayer to his world

Erik is trapped in a crystal pillar by the Dragon King with his fellow dragon slayers due to Acnologia needing them to stabilize his spiritual body his new magic. Erik is later freed of his imprisonment due to hearing the voices of those waiting for him in the real world as he remarks on the other dragon slayers hearing the voices as well. He joins his fellows in confronting Acnologia with the intention of slaying him once and for all.

Magic and Abilities
Poison Dragon Slayer Magic (毒の滅竜魔法 Doku no Metsuryū Mahō): By having a Dragon Lacrima implanted into his body, Erik obtained the ability to use this Magic. It grants him the power to produce poison from his body and to consume the one produced from external sources to heal and strengthen himself, which, as a result, grants him immunity from poison. The poison that he produces from his skin is so corrosive that it is said to be able to decay all that it touches, but can also act after a given amount of time: Erik stated that its effects are first visible in a progressive weakening of the victim's body, which then results in death.


 * Poison Dragon's Twin Fang (毒龍双牙 Dokuryū Sōga): Erik moves his arms forward in a cross, forming a very large amount of poison in two massive waves shaped like fangs, which he uses to attack his opponents with great blunt force. In the anime, this spell was portrayed differently, with the generated poison being split in many elongated, snake-shaped masses, which all move towards the opponent at once.


 * Poison Dragon's Roar (毒龍の咆哮 Dokuryū no Hōkō): Erik's exclusive Dragon's Roar, incorporating the element of poison. Erik quickly gathers and releases poison from his mouth in the form of deadly, poisonous stream that, when it makes contact with the target, injects a lethal virus into their body that slowly weakens them and restricts their movement before ultimately killing them.


 * Poison Dragon's Fang Thrust: Erik generates a wave of poison, shaped like a large-fanged snake head, and sends it towards the target, stopping their incoming attacks by having the wave "bite" them.


 * Poison Dragon's Spiral Jaw: Erik jumps in the air and, when he is upside down, gathers poison on his legs and kicks the opponent while rotating. This spell is highly reminiscent of the Dragon's Claw Spells employed by several other Dragon Slayers.


 * Poison Dragon's Scales: Erik swings his arm, generating a very large number of scale-shaped masses of poison, which are rapidly sent flying at the target in consecutive reprises.


 * Poison Dragon's Guard: Erik moves his arms forward in a cross, creating a large shield of poison that defends him from the enemy's attacks, and, at the same time, gives him the opportunity to counter without fear of being intercepted. (Unnamed)


 * Poison Dragon's Crushing Fang: Erik attacks with a poisonous open-hand, striking with his fingertips from which poison mist trails. (Unnamed)


 * Poison Dragon's Grip Strike: Erik grabs hold of his target with one hand and releases a burst of poison from it at point-blank range. (Unnamed)


 * Poison Dragon's Sharp Horn: Erik punches his target, then releases a burst of poison at point-blank range, which causes poison damage and burns.

Sound Magic: Erik has the uncanny magical ability to hear a person's very soul, allowing him to tell if they are scared, what are they going to do next, and even allow him to hear their thoughts. This ability is so accurate that it was actually confused as mind reading. With it, Erik was able to foresee all of the attacks performed against him and react accordingly, evading them without effort. His use of this Magic is so great that he was still able to counter each of Natsu's moves even when he tried to hide his thoughts. Though this only seems to work when the person's "voice" he is listening to is thinking, or has memories. The Magic can also act as a doubled edged sword, as high pitched noises, such as Natsu's scream, can affect him greatly. By sacrificing his right eye's sight, he was able to use this Magic offensively, mostly by emitting strong sound waves.


 * Sound Wall: Erik manipulates the sound in his immediate vicinity into a wall of pure pressure, which simultaneously protects him and destroys portions of the surrounding area.


 * Sound Palm: Through touch, Erik transmits a very powerful sound wave from his palm to the target's body, sending them flying.

Enhanced Hearing: Erik has been shown to possess extremely fine hearing, able to clearly hear the conversation between Jellal and Meredy across a great distance.

Enhanced Durability: Erik has proven himself to be a very durable fighter; he has been seen enduring a barrage of powerful melee strikes from Natsu, enhanced by his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, without receiving major injuries and continuing the battle afterwards as if nothing had happened. He also survived a fall of several meters which saw him coming crashing down to the ground, and stood back on his feet moments after.

Enhanced Strength: Erik has displayed a high degree of strength; he is shown to be capable of effortlessly sending Natsu flying several meters away with seemingly casual attacks on two different occasions, the first with a simple slap, and the second with a knee. Erik has also shown to be able, with his Dragon Slayer Magic, to completely crush the Rock Dragon's scales with a mere punch.

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Erik has been shown to be proficient in unarmed combat, employing fluent motions to rapidly strike his opponents. His hand-to-hand skills are complemented by a high degree of agility, with Erik being capable of perfectly maneuvering and dodging attacks while remaining on Cubellios' back. The power of his strikes is greatly increased when he makes use of his Dragon Slayer Magic, which allows him to also poison his opponents on contact.

Fairy Tail Gekitotsu! Kardia Daiseidou
In the video-game Fairy Tail Gekitotsu! Kardia Daiseidou, Cobra is a playable character. In this game, Cobra possess the following moves:
 * Main:
 * Sub 1:
 * Sub 2:
 * Sub 3:
 * Super:

Fairy Tail: Zeref's Awakening
Cobra appears as a mini boss twice in the PSP Game Fairy Tail: Zeref's Awakening. He can be unlocked as a playable character with a password. His following spells are:


 * Poison Dragon's Twin Fang: Cost: 40 VP. Cobra has this spell from the beginning of the game.
 * Poison Dragon's Spiral Jaw: Cost: 60 VP. Cobra must buy this spell in the shop.
 * Poison Dragon's Roar: Cost: 80 VP. Cobra must buy this spell in the shop.
 * Cubellios: Cost: 120 VP. Cobra must buy this spell in the shop.

Trivia

 * In the manga, when Brain shot Cobra, the attack went through his shoulder, while in the anime, it seared through his coat and left a burn on his back.
 * In Hiro Mashima's unofficial "ranking of characters that defied his popularity expectations" Erik came in 5th place.

Quotes

 * (To Brain) "My prayer... I... just wanted to hear the voice of my one friend... Cubellios."
 * (To Erza Scarlet) "To receive our new powers, each of us lost something irreplaceable! What you, slags, don't have is the determination to lose something important! No one can overcome the weight of our hearts!"
 * (To Erza Scarlet) "I have nothing more to lose. I threw it all away, so I'm not afraid. There's nothing you can do, Titania!"
 * (To Natsu Dragneel) "Yeah, I can hear it. I can hear everything, Natsu."
 * (To Sorano) "She's all I cared about, but she's gone. Pulled from my hands. And all I have now is nothing."