Laxus Dreyar

Laxus Dreyar (ラクサス・ドレアー Rakusasu Doreā) is an S-Class Mage of the Fairy Tail guild. He is the grandson of Fairy Tail's Guild Master, Makarov Dreyar, and the son of the Raven Tail Guild's Master, Ivan Dreyar. He's also an artificially created Dragon Slayer who uses lightning as his element. He acted as the main antagonist of the Fighting Festival arc.

Appearance
Laxus is a very tall and muscular young man with orange eyes (portrayed as blue/grey in the anime ). His hair is slicked back, its numerous spiky strands pointing backwards, though some of it falls down on his forehead. He has a distinctive lightning bolt-shaped scar on his right eye, and much like his father and grandfather, he sports dark lines circling his eyes, with each of them possessing a single, prominent eyelash jutting outwards. Laxus is almost always seen wearing his signature "Sound Pod" model of Magic Headphones, with his favorite music being Classic Rock & Roll. His black Fairy Tail stamp is located on the left side of his chest, and is surrounded by a large, additional design, which extends up to his left shoulder and covers part of the corresponding upper back. Being an artificially created Dragon Slayer, he enters Dragon Force mode when accessing his powers: in this state, his upper body bulks up, and his forearms become covered in flesh-colored scales.

In his first appearances, he donned an orange tunic with spots reminiscent of a leopard’s on the shoulders and sides, with dark-lined sleeves reaching down below his elbows, and fur on the lower edges. He sported a bright red cape, tied on the front with a garish knot, which bore a large, lighter Fairy Tail symbol on the back, and loose, baggy dark pants tucked inside light metal greaves. Around his waist was a simple belt to which he attached the device linked to his Magic Headphones. He also had a small chain tied around his right wrist, and was initially portrayed smoking large cigars. His outfit changed drastically later on. He started wearing a more traditional and elegant attire composed of a shirt bearing the same pattern of his old tunic, green pants held up by a belt with a design similar to his shirt's, sporting a buckle adorned by a large ace of spades, and simple shoes. He also donned a large, brownish coat with light brown, spiky fur trimming around the neck and the sleeves’ edges, draped over his shoulders like a cape. In addition to this, he wasn't shown smoking anymore. Later, he switched to a dark shirt with thin light stripes crossing it vertically. Alternatively, he was shown bare-chested, with his upper body covered in bandages due to his injuries.

On occasion, his outfits have appeared differently. With his original outfit, his pants have been portrayed as wine-red, and his coat as black with grey fur trimming. During his attack on the guild, he had switched to a similar attire, but again differently colored: he retained the coat, but his shirt was purple and more wide-collared, and his pants bluish black, held up by a reddish belt.

On Tenrou Island, he was shown wearing simple travel clothes, consisting of a large, hooded light cloak, a dark shirt under a long light jacket closed by a simple belt, loose dark pants ending below his knees, where each leg has a light band circling it, and boots reminiscent of his old greaves. He also has a small belt visible on his upper chest, crossing it horizontally.

Personality
In his youth, Laxus was a truly kind boy, very attached to his grandfather Makarov, and greatly admired Fairy Tail. This, however, changed with the excommunication of his father from the guild, and Laxus’ growing thought and suspicion that his fame was a result of being Makarov’s grandson, and not of his own skills-something that made him eager to prove himself as a strong Mage in his own right.

Laxus was initially portrayed as arrogant, overbearing, selfish, and prone to make fun of his own comrades. He believed himself to be the strongest member of Fairy Tail, and looked down on those he considered weak, heavily reprimanding their weakness and even resolving to hurt them whenever they stepped in his path. Laxus seemed to care very little about his fellow guild mates, usually suggesting that they had to give him something in order to acquire his help: in one of such instances, when he was asked for help during the Fairy Tail vs Phantom Lord confrontation, he also proved himself to be quite lecherous, offering to help his comrades out only if the "big-boobed" Lucy Heartfilia had become his girlfriend and Cana Alberona had stripped before him. Not even his trusted Thunder God Tribe were spared of this treatment, as seen when Laxus almost hit Freed Justine with one of his lightning attacks for contradicting him. The only things he appeared to truly care about were the strength and reputation of Fairy Tail, and he became enraged every time someone made fun of it. During his battle with Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox, he was shown entering a Berserker-like state, in which he showed the most ruthless side of him, being willing to laugh off Makarov’s possibly imminent death and to annihilate not only Fairy Tail, but also all of the inhabitants of Magnolia, for his goals.

However, after his excommunication it appears that his attitude has changed. He seems far more light-hearted and serene, and apparently has grown fond of the guild in his current state. He was also willing to take all the responsibility of the crimes for himself, in order for the Thunder God Tribe to remain members of the guild, even encouraging them for the time being. Even before his excommunication, Freed claimed that Laxus inherited not only Makarov’s Magical prowess, but also his heart for caring for comrades, something shown when none of his guildmates or the townspeople from Magnolia were affected by his Fairy Law. During the Fantasia parade, when Makarov, alongside the whole Fairy Tail, silently told Laxus that he would always be watching over him right before his departure, he shed tears and was ashamed of his previous actions.

While he is a likely candidate to succeed his grandfather in leading Fairy Tail, Makarov initially believed Laxus' intentions were not yet right, something proven right when Laxus stated that, once he had inherited leadership of Fairy Tail, he would have eliminated all the weak members to create the strongest guild in the country. This, however, seems to have changed after his expulsion and “redemption”, as Makarov was seen entrusting his will to him from afar after his brief confrontation with Hades.

As a Dragon Slayer, Laxus suffers from motion sickness, although he is extremely ashamed to admit it.

History
Like many members of the guild, Laxus was a part of Fairy Tail since he was a child, given that he is also Makarov's grandson. Laxus constantly felt trapped in a shadow by being the grandson of Makarov and as a result, felt he never got the credit he deserved.

From then on, Laxus vowed to become stronger and beat Makarov so he could prove himself and become a man in his own rights. His father was kicked out of the guild because of being a danger to Fairy Tail. This incident enraged him as he tried to convince Makarov to bring his father back since they were still family members, but despite this, Makarov refused. Laxus' father at the time set up his own guild, the Dark Guild Raven Tail. Laxus attained the rank of S-Class Mage in X788, at the age of 17.

Galuna Island arc
Laxus first makes himself known when he comments on Mystogan. Natsu Dragneel wants to fight him, but Makarov stops them. Later, when it is revealed that Natsu and Happy have taken an S-Ranked mission without permission, Laxus claims he saw a flying object take an S- class mission poster, but he didn't do anything about it, claiming that he didn't know it was Happy. After Makarov and Mirajane plead with him to get Natsu back, Laxus declines.

Phantom Lord arc
Laxus does not bother coming to Fairy Tail's aid during the war on the Phantom Lord Guild. He says he would help only if Lucy Heartfilia becomes his girl and Cana strips for him. Enraged by this, Mirajane breaks the orb they are using to speak to him. Later after the war ends, Laxus shows up and acts very arrogantly, mocking Shadow Gear for their defeat against Gajeel and claims that if he had been there, Phantom Lord wouldn't have dealt them so much damage. This aggravates Natsu to the point where he almost punches Laxus, but with his powers, he avoids confrontation and leaves, stating that he will remove all weak members from Fairy Tail once he becomes guild master.

Fighting Festival arc
While on a job, he overhears some people talking about Fairy Tail's hilarious antics at a bar. He then walks up to them with a frightening look on his face. They instantly recognize him and run away. An ape named Zatô laughs at him and tries to pick a fight with him. The barkeeper asks Zatô to please stop trying to pick a fight with others and Zatô boasts that he could pick a dozen fights with anyone from "that useless guild" and the bar wouldn't even get a scratch. Laxus replies that has never heard his name before and Zatô further provokes him by saying that's because he doesn't get his face plastered all over magazines like some idiots in Fairy Tail. This angers Laxus to the point where he asks him if he wanted to die and tells him to step outside. Zatô then replies that the only one going outside will be him and blasts him out the wall. He then laughs, shouting that the guild members are weak after all and that maybe he'll "go hunting for big-jugged faeries tomorrow". However, lightning shoots up from the ground and strikes Zatô, frying him in an instant. Laxus is furious and asks when the old man decided to make their guild into a laughing stock. Afterwards, he finds Jet and Droy beating up Gajeel and joins in but tries to kill him, saying that he's the reason why other people look down on his guild. As Jet shouts at him to stop, he tells him to stay out of it as the weak have no right to say anything and shoots a lightning bolt at Levy that Gajeel takes instead; with this, Laxus leaves even angrier, saying that he can't stand it any longer and will make Fairy Tail his own.

As he returns to the guild, Laxus, enraged by the apparent weakness he thinks Fairy Tail seems to exude, makes a play for the Guild Master's seat by having Evergreen turn Cana, Juvia Lockser, Mirajane, Erza, Levy McGarden, Bisca Mulan, and Lucy to stone, and having Freed Justine lock Makarov, and unintentionally Natsu and Gajeel, in the Guild building as well locking the other members within the vicinity of the town.

His plan involved having the members of Fairy Tail fight each other in order to defeat him, and if they didn't, the petrified members would be turned to dust. However, with the defeat of Evergreen, at the hands of Erza, who had freed herself early due to her artificial eye filtering the effect of eye-based Magic, the women were released from their petrified state, removing Laxus' former hold on the guild.

Because of this loss, Laxus activated the "Thunder Palace", a spell which sets up compressed orbs Lacrima filled with lightning that had the capability of causing dozens of lightning strikes through Magnolia Town. After Freed and Bickslow's losses to Mirajane and Lucy respectively, Laxus is confronted in Kardia Cathedral by Mystogan. After a brief discussion, Laxus begins to reveal a secret about Mystogan, prompting him to attack, thus beginning their battle. As their battle started off, Mystogan gained the upper hand via an illusion, only to be caught off guard by a bolt of Laxus' lightning. When Mystogan is asked by Laxus who believes to be the stronger of the two of them, the mysterious Mage replies, without hesitation, that it is neither of them, but, rather, Gildarts.

Once Erza and Natsu appeared at the church, Mystogan was caught by surprise as Laxus attacked him directly, shredding the cloth on his face and revealing his face that exactly resembled that of Jellal. Next, Erza was attacked as she looked on in shock, taking her out of the match and leaving only Natsu to face Laxus, though he still treats him with indifference. Regardless, Natsu takes him on and manages to stay on par with Laxus while the two trade blows. Only to stop when Erza recovers, where the two trade a few blow, until Erza sets off to stop Laxus' Thunder Palace. Laxus tries to stop her only to be blocked by Natsu who holds him off to allow Erza to escape, forcing Laxus to continue the battle. As they do so, both argue about the outcome of how the Laxus' plan will end with Laxus firmly believing he can't be stopped. Natsu however starts to note that Laxus doesn't really want to execute his plan and only wants Makarov to give him control of the guild. Laxus constantly denies it but his expressions keep giving him away. Suddenly, a report comes up telling the two the Thunder Palace has been shut down thanks to the efforts of the recovered Fairy Tail guild though they're knocked down due to the living link Magic, but manage to survive.

Upon seeing this Natsu asked Laxus how he could run a guild if no one supports one another. Unfortunately, Laxus answers "...Through Force" completely going over the edge and fully powers himself up. Natsu tries fighting him, but finds he is no match for Laxus in his berserker state, batted around by the thunder Mage till he is too weakened to get back up. Laxus prepares to finish him off and fires a tremendous thunderbolt down on Natsu. Luckily for the fire Mage, Gajeel appears to save him claiming Natsu as his prey. Despite a mutual dislike for one another, Natsu and Gajeel agree to team up to take down Laxus then proceed to attack him together.

As Natsu and Gajeel continue to land blow after blow on Laxus, they combine their respective Dragon Roar techniques causing a massive explosion. Unfortunately, Laxus rises with nothing more than his shirt destroyed, revealing an intricate tattoo on his left chest. He then tells them that he's going to show them true Dragon Slayer Magic, producing scales on his arms and charging electricity to his mouth. Before Natsu or Gajeel can dodge, Laxus releases his own Thunder Dragon Roar. Although still alive, the two are paralyzed from the attack. Claiming that he will exterminate all that oppose him, including his Grandfather, he initiates the spell Fairy Law.

Natsu and Gajeel yell at him to stop knowing full well what will happen if he unleashes that Magic. But Laxus doesn't care and continues to do so. Levy suddenly shows up and informs Laxus of Makarov's fading condition due to Laxus' actions. However, rather than be shocked by the news (as Natsu is) he states he's glad because his chance of being the guild master has increased. With that he unleashes Fairy Law, intending to wipe out not only Fairy Tail, but everyone in the town as well. However, once the smoke clears, Laxus finds, to his shock, all of his targets still alive with no injury. A wounded Freed then appears and tells him the reason the spell failed: Fairy Law reacts to one heart's to be effective against the target thus Laxus must still considers the Guild to be his allies. In spite of the fact, Laxus continuously denies that he considers such weaklings his allies. Natsu, tired of his facade, manages to get to his feet, gathering what little Magic Power he has left, and charges Laxus, the Lightning Mage doing just the same.

Both Mages meet and strike each other head on; however, Laxus is the one to deal a blow to Natsu knocking him back. Unaffected, Natsu gets up and charges again though he is once more knocked down. He, however, refuses to stay down claiming to Laxus the Guild doesn't belong to him. This prompts Laxus to smack beat Natsu even more, but, despite the damage, Natsu keeps getting back up. Extremely angered by his persistence, Laxus performs Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd, and throws it at Natsu. Too worn out to dodge it, Laxus looks to have won.

At the last second, however, the lighting is diverted away from Natsu and onto Gajeel who uses his metal body as a lighting rod to save Natsu. Weakened from using up the last of his power in that attack, Laxus can do nothing as Natsu gathers what strength he has left and rushes at him, hitting him with a multitude of Fire Dragon Slayer Magic Spells, sending Laxus flying, finally defeating him.

Later, when the members of Fairy Tail are recovering so they can prepare for the postponed Fantasia, Laxus shows up unexpected at the guild house. However, instead of acting cocky or mocking other members as usual, he walks in on a recovering Makarov, who explains just what Fairy Tail is, before tearfully excommunicating Laxus from the guild. Instead of becoming angry, Laxus takes it with a calm smile, and thanks Makarov for everything, before leaving his crying grandfather.

As he informs the Thunder God Tribe of his expulsion, Bickslow tries to convince him otherwise, but Laxus tells him not to take action. Laxus watches the Fantasia parade before he leaves and realizes that everyone, including his grandfather whom he despised, is still looking out for him. Laxus leaves the parade realizing what a fool he was, smiling but shedding tears of regret.

Tenrou Island arc
As Makarov gets beaten by Hades, he says "It isn't over yet" and extends his hand saying "Reach... The one who will inherit my will." Laxus, in a far off place, is seen wondering what this feeling is. Later, just as Hades is about to kill Natsu, a large lightning bolt strikes the Grimoire Heart's ship going through multiple layers down to hit Hades' arm. Laxus appears, acknowledging Hades as Makarov's enemy. Hades calls him "the brat" in a questioning tone, mistaking him for a younger Makarov, and Laxus angrily headbutts him.

When Erza asks him what he's doing on the island, Laxus responds that, having been a member of Fairy Tail, he came to visit his ancestors. He states that, having planned to visit Mavis Vermilion's grave, he was shocked to find out that the second Guild Master had forsaken him, and proceeds to threateningly say that they should be making a grave for him too, to pay him their respects. The two continue battling, destroying a large section of the room. As they fight, Laxus takes a hit from one of Hades's Amaterasu spells.

As Team Natsu comments on how great his power is, Laxus falls to his knees, feeling the after effects of Hades' Amaterasu. Laxus comments that the world is really huge, housing a powerful monster such as Hades, and says that he still has a long way to go. Hades responds that he has figured out his place, as he fires a large beam at him. Ignoring the pleas of his allies, who urge him to dodge, he instead asks them that even though he isn't a member of Fairy Tail anymore, he would still be able to get angry if something happened to Makarov. Having been told by Natsu that he surely can, he proceeds to envelop Natsu's arm in lightning. With him remaining on the spot, the attack strikes him in all of its power, destroying a part of the airship and affecting even Team Natsu and the Exceeds elsewhere in the process.

As Laxus falls to the ground, he calmly tells Natsu that this is his treat, who's now enveloped in his lightning. Natsu thanks him for the meal. As a lying down Laxus claims to have given him every last bit of his Magic, Natsu asks him why he did so. Laxus replies that "it's not about being strong or weak" and claims someone with Fairy Tail's Mark should be the one to defeat Hades, not him. He then smiles and spurs Natsu to return Hades the pain he caused to the Guild. Laxus loses consciousness shortly after.

After Hades loses his Magic power due to the heart empowering him having been destroyed, Laxus, back on his feet, punches Grimoire Heart's Master, spurring Team Natsu to finish him off. Laxus calmly rejoices in victory as dawn breaks on Tenrou Island.

When Makarov arrives on the scene with the other Fairy Tail members, both he and his grandfather are surprised to see each other. The two meet coldly, and Makarov comically reprimands him for stepping foot on Tenrou Island while he's still being exiled, something which Laxus shrugs off. Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen then notice him as well, and rush towards him, hugging him in another comedic manner.

Back at Fairy Tail's camp, Freed and Bickslow show their enthusiasm at Laxus having returned, despite him stating otherwise. When Gildarts Clive makes his sudden return to the camp, the first thing he does is to comedically tease Laxus due to him having been exiled.

Later, Laxus is shown pulling Lisanna's cheeks, much to her dismay and mild pain, to make sure that she actually is the Lisanna he thought to be dead.

Everything is interrupted when Acnologia, the infamous Black Dragon, lands on Tenrou Island and starts attacking everyone. All of the Fairy Tail members start moving towards the ship as the Dragon goes on its rampage. Makarov then enters full Titan mode and grabs Acnologia, holding it off from attacking the guild members. Everyone wishes to help Makarov, but he shouts not to disobey his final order. Laxus grabs a stubborn Natsu and runs with the rest of the guild. Natsu protests with him, but as he turns around he sees Laxus shuttering, with a single tear falling from his left eye, and realizes running away is a hard choice for him too. Laxus keeps running with the others, but when Makarov is overwhelmed by Acnologia, all of them return back. While his former guildmates go all out against the Dragon, he seen talks to the surprised Makarov, telling him that he was against this, but that his underlings would never run away and leave an old geezer behind, something which moves Makarov. As Acnologia, having shrugged off all the combined attacks from its assailants, flies high up into the sky and readies to fire a breath attack against Tenrou Island, the guild members join their hands in a circle. Laxus smiles as he holds his hand out to Makarov, who takes it with tears of emotion in his eyes. With Makarov on his right and his Thunder God Tribe on the left, Laxus and the others, while promising they will return home to Fairy Tail, are struck by Acnologia's blast, which completely annihilates Tenrou Island, leaving nothing behind.

X791 arc
Laxus along with the rest of the people on Tenrou Island are rescued by Bisca, Alzack, Jet, Droy, Max, Warren, and the Trimens from Blue Pegasus. He watches as Mavis Vermilion reveals that she was the one who saved them and then disappears. He, along with the other returning members, return to Fairy Tail and is welcomed back by Romeo. During the party following their return, he's shown sitting at a table alongside his Thunder God Tribe with the Take Over Siblings nearby. Later Nab Lasaro and Laki Olietta join them, with the Thunder God Tribe overly rejoicing for his return, and Laxus himself complaining about Freed being too clingy.

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

Grand Magic Games arc
Some time after, Gildarts, as one of his two actions as the Fifth Guild Master, reappoints Laxus as a member of Fairy Tail, which overjoys the rest of the Thunder God Tribe.

After Makarov decides to participate in the Grand Magic Games, Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe head off to an unspecified location to train for the 3 months before the event.

Laxus, according to Makarov, is nowhere to be found at the Games' start. However, it was later revealed that he was asked by Makarov to be part of Fairy Tail Team B. Laxus was revealed to have been initially adverse to the creation of another Fairy Tail team, but to have accepted after Makarov told him that the losing team would have to listen to the winning team's orders for a day; something which left him outwardly indifferent, but, much to his inner delight, prompted him to imagine himself ordering Natsu around. As the teams who passed the preliminary phase of the competition are announced, Laxus is shown to be a member of Fairy Tail's Team B, the only other squad belonging to the same guild to make it into the tournament, alongside Gajeel, Mirajane, Juvia and, surprisingly, someone looking exactly like Mystogan. Their group achieved the 2nd place, greatly surpassing the guild's other team, and being bested just by Sabertooth's team. It is soon revealed that "Mystogan" is actually a disguised Jellal Fernandes, who dressed up as his Edolas counterpart with Makarov's consent. When Erza discusses with him about this, Laxus intervenes, stating that the whole thing will be like a "festival", and that Mystogan was never very talkative, thus warning Erza not to blow his cover. As Juvia, who was chosen to participate in the first contest of the Games, Hidden, hugs one of Gray's clones generated for the event and loses a point, Laxus is shown looking on, annoyed and speechless.

During the match between Orga and War Cry, he quietly stated that the former used Lightning Magic. As the games continue, "Mystogan" is chosen to battle Jura Neekis from Team Lamia Scale. Laxus stated that Jellal was pretty unlucky. He looks on as Jellal starts off the match by copying Mystogan's Magic. After the match ends with Jellal being defeated thanks to Ultear and Meredy's sabotage, Laxus sarcastically agrees with Mirajane on Jellal's hard work while he walks away in shame.

Laxus joins the rest of the guild for a post-defeat toast, and smiles as his grandfather states that Fairy Tail is aiming to be #1 in Fiore. When Gajeel says that he wants to fight Natsu, Laxus comments that if the two Dragon Slayers decide to fight, it won't be for fun any more, which prompts Gajeel to pat Laxus on the head and say that he has become quite peace-loving, angering Freed. The next day, during the Chariot event, when Natsu, Gajeel and Sting Eucliffe are all revealed to suffer from motion sickness, Mirajane asks whether Laxus, as a Dragon Slayer, suffers from that too. He replies by telling her not to say a word to anyone else.

After Mirajane wins her battle against Jenny Realight, Laxus warns his newer team-mates not to get on her bad side. As Mirajane re-enters her corner, the team congratulates her, with Laxus remarking that they now had equal points to Natsu's team.

On the 3rd day of the games, for the Pandemonium event, Cana decides to represent Team Fairy Tail B, causing Laxus to wonder where Mystogan is. Once Erza wins the event by herself, the Magic Power Finder test is set to start as a replacement. Team Fairy Tail B notices that Cana is drunk and Laxus points out that this is not good. After Orga uses his lightning attack on the Magic Power Finder, Laxus smiles confidently. After Cana gets the highest score, Laxus is pleased and smiles at the result.

Afterwards, Laxus later sets to fight against Alexei of Team Raven Tail. Laxus asks who he is, as he belongs to Ivan's guild. Suddenly, as the battle starts Laxus begins taking several blows and is seemingly being defeated. In actuality, this is nothing more than an illusion that only the spectators see. The real Laxus starts talking to the armored Mage, who is then accompanied by the other members of Team Raven Tail, and says that he'll take down Raven Tail, including the armored Mage who is actually his father Ivan. When asked of Lumen Histoire, Laxus says he doesn't know anything about it, and then he asks Team Raven Tail to go all out on him.

Before he does, he mentions how Makarov had been maintaining extensive knowledge of their guild in the past seven years and that despite all he'd learned, he never made Fairy Tail take action because he didn't want to worsen anything; Laxus thinks that Makarov also stayed aloof because Ivan is his son. Ivan tells him to be quiet and attacks the his son, causing Laxus to go on the defensive. However, when the other members start moving, Laxus goes in and attacks all of them, saying it's for the teammates whom the respective members fought against. He then defeats his own father, Ivan, saying that he will defeat Fairy Tail's enemies. With Raven Tail defeated, the illusion Ivan had cast is lifted, leaving the audience stunned. For violating the rules, Team Raven Tail is disqualified and Laxus becomes the winner. As he steps out of the arena, he listens briefly to his father's words about Fairy Tail's darkness.

After the events of the third day, Laxus speaks with his grandfather, asking what the Lumen Histoire is. He explains that Ivan called it Fairy Tail's darkness, but Mavis dismisses this, stating that it is the guild's light. Laxus, after Makarov reminds Mavis that only the guild master can know, states that if it's truly weird, he won't dig deeper into it, which Mavis thanks him for. Upon realizing that Purehito likely told Ivan about it, Mavis begins crying over her choice of the former as her successor, alarming Makarov and causing him to try to get Laxus to comfort her, much to his own discomfort at the idea.

The three later go to Ryuzetsu Land, a popular leisure center in Crocus, so that Mavis can have some fun in the pool. Whilst there, the group is spotted by Lucy, who asks them what they are doing in a such a place, to which Laxus replies that it's exactly as it seems. Whilst he watches the first master, Laxus is approached by Bickslow and Freed, and the three talk. Natsu later causes trouble when he decides to use his Magic to melt some of Gray and Lyon's ice, putting in far too much power and blowing the building to smithereens. As Fairy Tail is told that they will have to pay for all repair costs, Laxus grabs the guilty Natsu for punishment.

The next day, during the Naval Battle event, Laxus leaves a blank and silent expression at Juvia's reckless failure in the event, then becoming shocked when he sees Lucy being brutally beaten by Minerva. He concludes that Lucy has already been defeated by the Sabertooth Mage despite the battle continuing further.

Laxus comes with the rest of the Team Fairy Tail B to the infirmary to check on Lucy. Natsu starts to speak, but Laxus says that he knows what Natsu wants to say. When Makarov arrives to tell the news, Laxus is surprised and asks if that they have to combine the teams. Laxus, along with Erza, Gajeel, Gray, and Natsu, is chosen for the new Fairy Tail Team. After they reach the field, Laxus glares at Orga. When Natsu and Gajeel are called to fight Sting and Rogue, and as their battle progresses, Laxus simply watches on.

Later, when Natsu sends Gajeel away in order to fight Rogue and Sting alone, Laxus smiles as Natsu single-handedly overwhelms the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, and then later when he finally defeats them.

After hearing about Lucy's arrest by the Fiore Army, Laxus speaks up about the situation, wondering if what they say about winning the Grand Magic Games is way to set her free. As everyone discusses the situation, Laxus listens in as Makarov speaks to them about what they must do. The next day, Laxus heads out with the rest of Team Fairy Tail for the final day of the games. Laxus and the rest of the team listen in as the announcers begin explaining the rules for the day. While Gray mentions that aside from rescuing Lucy, they have another reason to win the games, Laxus states that it's to make up for seven missing years as everyone joins in a group cheer. When the games start, the members of the other teams scatter, but Laxus and the rest remain in place with their eyes shut, much to everyone's surprise. Soon after Makarov voices his frustration over their stillness, Mavis explains that she presented the team with a strategy for victory based on her observations of the opponents over the last several days. Upon receiving the command to go, Laxus and the rest enter the fight.

Upon entering the fight, Laxus is immediately targeted by Rufus' Falling Stars spell. But due to the fact that the Magic uses lightning as its element, Laxus is able to guard against it. Soon after Rufus is defeated by Gray, Laxus continues in the event, moving through the area. While doing so, he stops for a brief moment, having heard the commotion caused by Erza's battle with Kagura and Minerva.

Afterwards, Laxus comes across Orga, who he recognizes as Black Lightning from Sabertooth. The latter tells him he's a Lightning God Slayer, to which Laxus replies, telling him that even though he can kill gods, it doesn't mean he can kill fairies as well. The two Mages clash, with Laxus looking down on Orga's abilities given his big talk. As the latter readies himself, Laxus witnesses Jura arrive, commenting on their strength. As Jura asks to join their battle, Laxus remarks on his arrival, referring to him as a "monster".

As Jura stares down Laxus and Orga, the Lightning Dragon Slayer comments on the pressure Jura exudes. Laxus watches as Orga challenges Jura. Wanting to see his strength, Orga prepares to attack, though Laxus notes that Jura is preparing a trap. Orga unleashes his technique and, though destructive, does not hit Jura, who promptly smashes the Lightning God Slayer into the ground and earns a point for defeating him, much to Laxus' surprise. As Laxus gets nervous and his chances of victory are doubted, the Thunder God Tribe states their belief in him. Jura expresses his desire to fight Makarov's grandson, however, Laxus stops him mid-sentence, telling him that he's not Makarov's grandson nor is Jura a Wizard Saint in this battle; they're both men and nothing else. With that, Laxus charges forward to attack, but is struck down before he has the chance, to the surprise of his comrades. On the ground, Laxus listens to Jura tell him that there are always stronger people in the world, but Laxus responds that if they get too careless, then even the hunter can become the hunted, and, with that, quickly uppercuts Jura.

In retaliation for the blow, Jura attacks with a spell of his own. Laxus counters with his Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd, but the technique is blocked by Jura's Magic. Laxus engages in combat with Jura, with neither of them backing down to the other as they trade powerful blows and their strength is commented upon by those watching the fight, with Makarov's expression showing that he didn't expect such power from Laxus. Panting, Laxus comments that Jura is a monster, just as everyone has said, adding on that fighting him is getting him, as Natsu says, all fired up while Jura proposes they continue the battle until only one can stand. Soon after, Laxus unleashes a new technique, with which he manages to take out Jura and win the battle, much to the happiness of his guild. For the victory, Laxus earns 5 points for Team Fairy Tail.

After the battle, a weakened Laxus soon notices the Sabertooth symbol flashed in the sky by Sting, issuing a challenge to the Fairy Tail Mages. Laxus approaches with the rest of his teammates to confront Sting, who taunts them about their injuries and claims that while he once looked up to them, he will defeat them. As he claims he'll defeat all of them together for Lector, Laxus asks if he's serious despite not knowing what he is talking about. As Sting powers up, Laxus stands firm with the rest of his team. Even as Sting approaches, Laxus does not move. Ultimately, Sting crashes to the ground and admits he can't and surrenders, giving a point to Fairy Tail and winning them the Grand Magic Games, at which Laxus smiles. Soon after, Sting is reunited with his Exceed companion whom he'd been fighting to save. The two embrace, much to their happiness in a reunion Laxus smiles fondly at.

As their victory is announced, Laxus stands with the rest of his team, smiling as everyone acknowledges their strength. Soon after, Erza inquires as to whether anyone saw the signal flare meant to be sent by Natsu upon Lucy's rescue, to which Laxus replies in the negative, in addition to staying silent when Sting inquires about Natsu not participating in the final day.

After the Grand Magic Games have come to a close, the King of Fiore accumulates all of the Mages from all Guilds to acknowledge them of the impending disaster and what the Kingdom plans to do to combat against the calamity. The King continues on to request for their assistance against the remaining Dragons who survive from the Eclipse Plan, to which Laxus and the rest of the Mages all agree in unison. The King then lets out a cry of appreciation, to which he accidently mutters out a phrase often shrilled by Mato, astonishing Laxus and the rest of the Mages. As the guilds prepare themselves for the upcoming battle, Laxus looks up at the sky and notes the ominous Eclipse's presence. Afterwards, with 7 Dragons being unleashed out of the Eclipse Gate, Atlas Flame, a Dragon whose body is made of flames, appears in front of Laxus and the other Fairy Tail members. Telling them that they will get to know to "the hell's flames," it unleashes a mass of fire, blowing away Laxus and his guildmates. Laxus withstands the Dragon's attack and looks towards the sky. He listens to Natsu as he states that their Magic was created for this day — to slay the Dragons.

From above Laxus and the other Fairy Tail guild members, one of the Dragons releases a flurry of eggs, which hatch into small reptilian creatures upon hitting the ground. Jumping between Atlas Flame and his guild members, Laxus punches the Dragon in the face and demands that they leave the larger beast to him and take out the others, with the Thunder God Tribe regrouping and promising to cover his back. Moving to continue his attack, Laxus asks Gajeel to leave and find another of the Dragons to take down.

Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe begin to take the offensive on Atlas Flame, Laxus performing Lightning Dragon's Roar on the Dragon, who merely takes the attack whilst stating that their blows are futile, as they do nothing to hurt him or slow him down. Realizing that his specific element of Dragon Slayer Magic does not seem to bode well against Atlas' fire, Laxus is then startled when Natsu suddenly drops from the sky and lands atop the Flame Dragon, beginning to eat the flames that cover him. Shocked, Laxus soon sees that Natsu means to power up by consuming the flames, and yells his disbelief at his fellow Dragon Slayer. Natsu, however, merely yells back that he can handle Atlas alone, and urges Laxus to head towards Mercurius and assist Wendy against Zirconis. After questioning Natsu's ability to defeat the Dragon one more time, Laxus sees Natsu's confidence, and orders the Thunder God Tribe to follow him to the castle.

Magic and Abilities
Lightning Magic (雷系各種魔法 Kaminari Kei Kakushu Mahō): Laxus’ signature Magic, over which he possesses great mastery. It allows him to produce, control and manipulate lightning and electricity at his will. Through its use, Laxus can not only generate lightning from his body, but also make it appear from almost anywhere to strike his opponents, taking them by surprise. By generating electricity on different parts of his body, he’s capable of making his attacks in melee deadlier, and of propelling himself around to gain extra momentum. The bright light from his lightning can be also used to momentarily blind enemies. In addition, much like other Elemental types of Magic, Lightning Magic allows Laxus to turn his own body into lightning, in order to evade enemy attacks, move around at high speed and strike every opponent crossing his path.


 * Raging Bolt (レイジングボルト Rējingu Boruto): Laxus raises his clenched fist in the air and chants "Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction!". A large bolt of lightning will then descend upon the target. The full effect of this technique on an individual was not seen as Natsu Dragneel was pulled out of the way by Gajeel Redfox before Raging Bolt could connect with him.


 * Thunder Palace (神鳴殿 Kaminari Den): Laxus creates multiple Lacrima filled with large amounts of Lightning Magic and suspended in the air in a circular formation. When all of the orbs are released at once, everything below and above their circle is struck by powerful lightning bolts equivalent to the number of Lacrima orbs. This spell has been described as being powerful enough to destroy the entire Magnolia Town, if all the orbs are used. Thunder Palace is also highly dangerous to nullify, posing a great risk to those who were to try and dispel it: if any Lacrima was to be destroyed by an outside force, the attacker would instantly be electrocuted through Organic Link Magic.


 * Lightning Body: Through the use of Lightning Magic, Laxus is capable of transforming his own body into electricity, turning himself into a lightning bolt, whose size can vary from mere, fast-moving sparks to large pillars of lightning. Together with the signature intangibility of Elemental Magic, which allows Laxus to let physical and Magical attacks pass harmlessly through his body when he's transformed, this form also grants him some traits typical of real lightning: he's shown capable of freely moving around at high speed and to travel over long distances, rapidly appearing at his destination from places away from sight as though as he was teleporting, as well as to electrocute everything crossing his path, with the voltage of his bodily electricity being high enough to wreak havoc throughout a large airship. However Laxus only seems to be able to maintain this form while in motion. (Unnamed)


 * Lightning Eruption: Aside from coming down from the sky and being created from his body, Laxus' lightning can also be generated from the ground itself to electrocute his opponents from below. This spell possesses enough strength to lift it's target several meters in the air. Such move was first used to defeat Zatô when the latter confronted Laxus in a bar, and later to strike Mystogan during the two S-Class Mages' clash in Kardia Cathedral.


 * Lightning Flash: A spell which employs Laxus' lightning in a peculiar way, revolving around the non-offensive properties of electricity: by pointing one of his hands towards the target with the thumb and index fingers partially bent in a claw-like manner and all the other fingers bent completely, the S-Class Mage can produce a large amount of intense light from his body, generating a "flashbang" out of lightning to momentarily blind opponents, granting him the time to leave undisturbed; something he did when employing this move against his fellow Fairy Tail member right after declaring the start of the battle of Magnolia Town.


 * Thunder Bullets: Placing one of his arms a few centimeters away from the other, held outstretched, with both of his palms open, Laxus creates a sphere of lightning around his outstretched forearm, from which a barrage of small, yet destructive lightning orbs is fired towards his enemy at high speed. Such oversized "bullets", striking in the same area, are powerful enough to produce an explosion on contact, which can engulf the target and knock them to the ground.


 * Lightning Storm: By placing his hands before him a few inches away one from the other, his palms open, Laxus can generate a sphere of electricity in the space between them, which rapidly grows larger in size. Such sphere is shown to send out lightning bolts of various size in an unpredictable pattern, making it hard to avoid them. The generated "storm" appears to remain active even after Laxus has released the initial sphere, striking his foes as he stands without the need to move.


 * Lightning Punch: Laxus envelops his hand in an orb of lightning and then punches his target, thereby increasing the resulting damage. (unnamed)


 * Lightning Explosion: Laxus gathers a large amount of lightning in his fist and then punches the ground, engulfing his target in a torrent of lightning and destroying much of the surrounding ground in the process. (unnamed)

Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic (雷の滅竜魔法 Rai no Metsuryū Mahō): A form of Dragon Slayer Magic which gives Laxus the power and characteristics of a Lightning Dragon, along with a Dragon Slayer's signature ability to eat external sources of his element to heal himself and regain power, thus making him immune to lightning. His attacks, still based on electricity like those of his standard Lightning Magic, are shown to be very destructive; however, they may be redirected by metal objects acting as "lightning rods", as shown when Gajeel used his Iron Dragon's Club to save Natsu from Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd. Laxus has been keeping the true nature of his Magic secret from all of his guildmates, even Makarov, stating that he is fed up with his grandfather's lectures. As it turns out however, the Magic was actually implanted within him through the use of a Dragon Lacrima by his father, as he was "frail" when he was younger, despite his Magical potential. This classifies Laxus as a Second Generation Dragon Slayer.


 * Lightning Dragon's Roar (雷竜の咆哮 Rairyū no Hōkō): Laxus' version of the trademark Dragon Slayers ' attack, he generates lightning in his mouth and releases it in a concentrated, destructive blast, capable of destroying everything in a wide area in front of him. The special effect of this attack, aside from the high damage it causes, is that, even if the target survives, the lightning paralyzes them to a degree, leaving them numb and preventing them from escaping Laxus' following attack. By moving his head around as he casts it, he can also employ this spell in an arched trajectory, in order to hit enemies which aren't directly in front of him. Unlike most other known Dragon Slayers, Laxus can apparently perform his Dragon's Roar without the need for particular preparations, something which makes it notably faster to use, as shown when he employed it against Hades and Flare Corona.


 * Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd (雷竜・方天戟 Rairyū Hōtengeki): Laxus raises both of his hands in the air at his sides and generates electricity between their open, facing palms. This is rapidly shaped into the form of a massive spear composed of lightning, which Laxus proceeds to hurl at the enemy. According to Freed Justine, this spell is strong enough to kill a weakened Natsu, least if it hadn't been redirected at the last second by Gajeel, who diverted its trajectory on himself with his Iron Dragon's Club, using it as a makeshift lightning rod and thus taking the brunt of the attack. Gajeel was shown to be electrified on contact with the spear, but, despite suffering heavy damage, managed to survive. The weapon generated by such technique resembles a Ji, a traditional Chinese halberd, in appearance.


 * Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist (雷竜の内訳拳 Rairyū no Hoken): Laxus gathers a large amount of lightning around one of his fists, bends the arm and then extends the fist forward in a punching motion. This prompts his Magic Seal to appear before him, from which an oversized version of his fist, completely composed of lightning, is generated and rapidly fired towards the target. When it connects with the enemy, aside from inflicting damage upon them, the electricity stuns them, leaving them open to Laxus' subsequent attacks.


 * Dragon Slayer's Secret Art (滅竜奥義 Metsuryū Ōgi):
 * Roaring Thunder (鳴御雷 Narumikazuchi): Laxus charges forward and punches his opponent with a lightning imbued fist. This is first seen used to defeat Jura Neekis.

Dragon Force (ドラゴンフォース Doragon Fōsu): Laxus, due to his Dragon Slayer powers being artificial, has been shown capable of entering this advanced form while making use of his abilities. Dragon Force further enhances his draconic traits, prompting his already massive body to bulge in size and muscle mass, elongating his canine teeth and making them pointy, and causing scales to appear on his massive arms. While Laxus activated Dragon Force to use his Lightning Dragon's Roar during his fight with Natsu and Gajeel, following instances had him use the technique without the need to enter this mode.

Thought Projection (思念体 Shinentai): Laxus can create a Thought Projection of himself, using one to threaten Makarov and the other members of Fairy Tail who remained trapped together with the petrified girls due to Freed's Jutsu Shiki during the S-Class Mage's attempt to to take over the guild. Such intangible, faithful image of himself, impervious to any attack, allows him to communicate over long distances without the need to leave his location or expose himself to threat.

Organic Link Magic (生体リンク魔法 Seitai Rinku Mahō): Laxus is capable of using this peculiar type of Magic, which allows him to link any type of damage inflicted upon given targets upon those who attacked them. His shown employment of it comes with his Thunder Palace spell, which generates a very large number of floating Lacrima orbs filled with Lightning Magic: through the use of Organic Link Magic, such orbs can instantly electrocute those who were to destroy them, striking them down with powerful lightning orbs, making the whole technique risky to nullify.

Fairy Law (フェアリーロウ Fearī Rō): A legendary spell and one of Fairy Tail's three great Magics, Fairy Law uses extremely destructive light to attack everyone the caster considers an enemy in a wide area. This rare technique is initiated by Laxus releasing an immense amount of Magic Power and then shaping it into the form of bright light between his hands; such light is subsequently released into a wave around him at the command "Fairy Law, activate!". Laxus made claim to have mastered Fairy Law, and, when employed by him, the spell actually engulfed the entire Magnolia Town with its light, going past the building Laxus was in and damaging it in the process. He attempted to use this spell against all of the Fairy Tail members scattered throughout the city, as well as the citizens themselves, during the final part of his battle against Natsu and Gajeel. However, despite being proficiently cast, the Magic failed, due to Laxus still considering such people his comrades in his heart.

Master Hand to Hand Combatant: Aside from his powerful, ranged Magic attacks, Laxus has shown a penchant for melee fighting, demonstrating great mastery in unarmed combat, being strong enough to easily keep the upper hand against Natsu for most of their fight, to fend off both him and Gajeel at the same time and to strike Hades different times in rapid succession with him being unable to retaliate. His fighting style is an offensive, brutal and straightforward one, relying on a great variety of punches, kicks and even headbutts, which are shown to be both strong and fast; such moves can also be combined with techniques from his Lightning Magic with extreme fluency to great effect: using this trademark Magic of him, Laxus can create lightning orbs around his arms and legs before connecting punches and kicks, increasing their striking power in a way similar to Natsu's fire, move around much faster, propelling himself towards his opponents, by surrounding his entire body with lightning, and empower his connecting strikes by summoning forth lightning from the sky to accompany his motions.

Immense Magic Power: Laxus possesses an immense level of Magic Power, which, befitting his Magic and theme, manifests itself in the form of electricity. This can appear from his body in various amounts, from simple sparks, when he wants to intimidate opponents or is annoyed, to a potent lightning aura around him, which damages the surrounding area, when he's enraged. In the latter state, lightning even starts to appear from his eyes and mouth. He was the only member of Fairy Tail (aside from Makarov and the back then absent Gildarts) shown capable of resisting Mystogan's Sleep Magic, with even Erza and Mirajane being affected by it (though the latter was weakened at the time), and is as a result one of the few people to have seen the former S-Class Mage's face. In addition, during his own fight with Mystogan, he displayed the ability to dispel even high-leveled illusions, seeing through the opponent's Skyscraper spell and nullifying it without much effort while mocking Mystogan for using such stupid Magic against him.

Immense Durability: Laxus demonstrated extreme durability, being sent crashing through a wall and landing without a flinch or a minor injury, suffering no damage at all from Mystogan's Sacred Song and emerging unharmed from most of Natsu and Gajeel's attacks during their battle, continuing to fight as if nothing happened, displaying an amount of resilience incredible even for a Dragon Slayer. He was also able to survive a full-power attack from Hades after lending all of his Magic Power to Natsu, and thus being struck by the spell in all of its astonishing might; a feat which was commented upon by the nearby watchers.

Enhanced Strength: Laxus possesses a large amount of physical strength, being capable of pummeling and overwhelming someone as physically strong as Natsu, even without his lightning. He was also able to easily block a kick from Erza Scarlet with a single hand.

Immense Endurance: Laxus has shown to possess a vast amount of physical endurance, being able to easily keep the upper hand against Gajeel Redfox and Natsu Dragneel, two fellow Dragon Slayers, at the same time after holding his own against Erza Scarlet and Mystogan, two fellow S-Class Mages, all the while showing almost no signs of weariness despite having cast powerful spells the likes of Thunder Palace and Fairy Law in rapid succession. Also, during his fight with Hades, after giving up all of the Magic Power he had within himself at the time to Natsu, he was capable of standing back on his feet just a little later to attack the opponent again.

Immense Reflexes: Laxus has displayed extremely sharp reflexes and a high degree of speed and agility: he was shown capable of evading a combo attack from Natsu and Gajeel, in which the former's fire acted as a medium to greatly enhance the latter's attack speed, without much effort, and could also keep up with the two of them in a fast exchange of blows, managing to parry their melee assaults and at the same time to counter-attack with his spells. He was also able to react to Hades' Magic chains fast enough to avoid their blows, making the chain Hades threw at him miss by a margin and subsequently ducking the gigantic globe Grimoire Heart's Master pulled back at him. His speed was enough for him to easily defeat the entirety of the Raven Tail guild's top members, including his father Ivan Dreyar, with Laxus rapidly reacting to his opponents' blows and then counter-attacking with his Magic and with melee moves.

Equipment
Magic Headphones: Laxus is almost always seen wearing Magic Headphones on his ears, which allows him to store music (his favorite type being Classic Rock & Roll) in a Magic Database and listen to it as he wishes. His model is a Sound Pod, possessing prominent spikes on the headphones and having its Magic sound player separated from them, being attached to his belt and linked to the headphones by a cable.

Memory Days
Laxus appeared in the third OVA, Memory Days. In the year X778, Lucy, while looking for Natsu, Gray and Happy, sees a young bored Laxus who decided to find and make fun of Natsu after seeing a waste paper littered on the floor.

Fairy Tail Portable Guild
Laxus appears as a playable character in the first Fairy Tail Video Game, Fairy Tail Portable Guild, and is playable from the beginning of the game. His element is lightning and he possesses the following Spells in the game:
 * Raging Bolt: Cost 1 MP, Default Technique
 * Sparking Bullet: Cost 2 MP, Laxus must be at lv10 to purchase it in the shop.
 * Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd: Cost 3 MP, Laxus must be at lv20 to purchase it in the shop.
 * Lightning Rush: Cost 4 MP, Laxus must be at lv30 to purchase it in the shop.

Fairy Tail Portable Guild 2
Laxus is a playable character in the sequel to Fairy Tail Portable Guild, Fairy Tail Portable Guild 2. He is unlocked through quests.

Fairy Tail: Zeref's Awakening
Laxus is a playable character in the sequel to Fairy Tail Portable Guild 2, Fairy Tail: Zeref's Awakening, and is unlocked through quests.

Fairy Tail Gekitotsu! Kardia Daiseidou
In the video-game Fairy Tail Gekitotsu! Kardia Daiseidou, Laxus Dreyar is a playable character. In this game, Laxus Dreyar possess the following moves:
 * Main: Thunder Bullets
 * Sub 1: Raging Bolt
 * Sub 2: Fairy Law
 * Sub 3: Lightning Dragon's Roar
 * Super: Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd

Trivia

 * Laxus' look changes after his first appearance in the manga, when he was depicted as a smoker, had metal greaves and wore a cape. However, later he was made to look like a gangster with a large coat with frills. The smoking was omitted.
 * His eye color is different in the manga and the anime. In the manga, it is orange/dark yellow, while the anime portrays it as greenish blue.
 * In his first appearance in the anime he already had his updated look from the manga and in the Fighting Festival arc he changed to a purple shirt and black pants.
 * Laxus' name is based off the unit of luminous emittance, Lux.


 * 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, Laxus' stats are:

Quotes

 * (To Mirajane Strauss) "I thought it was just a thieving cat running away with a piece of paper in its mouth. I had no idea it was Happy."
 * (To Makarov Dreyar) "I'm gonna surpass you one day. Not for my father, but for myself. So I can become a man in my own right."
 * (To Natsu Dragneel, regarding how he will take over the guild) "Through force!"
 * (To Makarov Dreyar) "Thanks for everything gramps. You take care of yourself."
 * (To Team Raven Tail) "Bring it, all of you at once. Master's enemies are my enemies after all."
 * (To Ivan Dreyar) "Fairy Tail is my family and I crush my family's enemies!"
 * (To Jura Neekis) "Stop. Right now, you're not some old guy with a fancy title, and I'm not anybody's grandson. We're just two men."