Bickslow

Bickslow (ビックスロー Bikkusurō) is a 22 year-old Mage of the Fairy Tail Guild and, along with Freed Justine and Evergreen, makes up the Thunder God Tribe.

Appearance
Bickslow is a tall man with a mildly muscular build and broad shoulders. His hair is blue and black in color, with the black parts being almost shaven, and the blue ones, occupying the top and the sides of his head, being much longer, with the one of the top being styled in a mohawk-like crest, and the ones on the sides pointing backwards. Bickslow’s large eyebrows are also blue, and the upper part of his nose and his forehead bear the tattoo of a stylized man extending his long, curved arms outwards. His irises each have a concentric circle surrounding the pupils inside them. He also has prominent eyelashes ending in a spiraling curved motif, each placed at one of his large eyes’ sides; the pair of eyelashes pointing towards his nose are headed downwards, while the outer ones jut upwards. Below his eyes are two slightly curved lines pointing downwards. His black Fairy Tail Stamp is located on the upper part of his own tongue, often visible due to him sticking it out. Until recently, Bickslow applied dark nail polish to his fingernails.

Bickslow’s upper body is covered in a dark, mildly fitting cloth covered in vertical white stripes, which extend up to his head to cover it in a tight hood, exposing only his hands and face. The upper part of the latter, however, is almost always obscured by a metal visor reminiscent of a Medieval sallet, which comes covered with eight small, elongated holes, with four of them in front of each of his eyes, allowing him to see, but preventing others from being affected by his Figure Eyes. He wears large armbands, and he has large shoulder pads each with skulls on its center. His waist is circled by a simple dark band, which holds up a massive waistguard made of cloth, which comes in four long, light-colored pieces, each adorned by a dark “X”, reaching down below his knees. Under such waistguard, Bickslow dons a pair of extremely baggy, loose dark pants, with each leg being adorned by a pair of lighter-colored belts crossing in an “X” formation. Such pants are tucked inside a pair of light, armored greaves.

When Bickslow returned to Tenrou Island alongside Freed Justine and Gildarts Clive to save his guildmates, he was shown in a new attire: the upper part of his body is still covered by a dark cloth, which, however, now is almost completely plain, with the exception of a pair of lines on his chest, which slightly jut outwards in its upper part; his separate shoulder pads were replaced by an unique one, reminiscent of a mantle, bearing the same color of the cloth covering his chest and having lighter-colored edges, that connects to a leather collar. His hood now sports a furry red crest on the back of it, and his visor is replaced by a more elaborated one, with bolts on its center and secured to his head by many bands; which further accentuate his knight-like appearance. He doesn’t have armbands anymore, instead he sports three metal bangles circling each of his biceps, and his waistguard was replaced by a simple, long and fair skirt-like cloth, held up by a large metal belt bearing Fairy Tail’s symbol on its front. Bickslow’s pants and boots, on the other hand, seem to be the same he used to wear.

After returning from Tenrou Island in X791, Bickslow donned a yet new outfit. He wears a dark shirt that is covered by a black cape with black fur surrounding the neck and shoulders. The cape is held together by a metallic emblem and the edges are decorated by a band of the same metallic texture with small circles decorating the entire length of it. Bickslow's head is covered by a gray-colored clothing and his knight-like visor. He wears two gauntlets that are the same color as his cape and are edged by the same metallic material and the same spherical decorations. He also seems to wear the same mantle over his trousers and the same boots as his previous outfit.

Personality
Bickslow has a strong tendency of laughing out loud maniacally and sticking his tongue out. He enjoys fighting and dislikes weak people, seen when he said that he didn't consider weak people to be his nakama. He also appears to have a perverted side, as seen during his and Freed's "fight" against Lucy Heartfilia and Cana Alberona, where Freed suggested the girls to wear something over their revealing bikinis before engaging in battle. Bickslow's immediate response to this was dismissive, claiming that they were better that way.

Like the rest of the Thunder God Tribe, Bickslow holds great respect for Laxus Dreyar. He was willing to turn against the rest of Fairy Tail on Laxus's command, and he expressed open resentment when he learned that Makarov had excommunicated Laxus from the guild after the events of the Battle of Fairy Tail. During the S-Class Wizard Promotional Trial, he apparently partnered himself with Freed due to their shared desire to take Laxus' place as one of the top Mages of the guild.

Bickslow also seems to also have a lighthearted and carefree personality, when he and Happy were seen teasing Lucy about Loke. Also, he can get angry in a sort of comedic way- when Loke called Bickslow weak, as opposed to his dolls, he threw a fit.

Bickslow refers the dolls he controls with his Magic as his "babies". They, in turn, tend to repeat the last words in most of his sentences in an echoing manner. He claims to like souls, which fits in with his two types of Magic; but expressed a dislike for a currently unknown Magic, called "White Magic".

Fighting Festival arc
Bickslow was first seen together with the Thunder God Tribe in the Ghoul Spirit Guild while he and Evergreen defeat the Dark Guild's members. After defeating all of them, the three talk about something that Laxus is planning and head home to Fairy Tail. After Evergreen petrifies the Miss Fairy Tail contestants, Laxus, Freed and Bickslow reveal themselves. He listens as Laxus challenges Makarov and the guild to "The Battle of Fairy Tail", a contest to find who is the strongest in Fairy Tail. After Laxus explains the rules of the game, he and his bodyguards leave the building.

As the festival begins, Bickslow confronts Gray Fullbuster in a fashion house and the two prepare for battle. As the two battle it out, Gray manages to freeze Bickslow's dolls causing Bickslow to get distracted, giving Gray an opening to attack. However, Bickslow transfers his doll's souls into some mannequins and controls them. He uses X Formation to use the mannequins as shields to give him time to run away and trap Gray inside one of Freed's Jutsu Shiki. Inside the runes, nobody can use Magic, giving Bickslow the advantage since his Magic is long range; and using his dolls from outside the runes, Bickslow defeats him.

After defeating Gray, Bickslow continues to hunt down other Fairy Tail members. Among his victims are Nab and Laki Olietta, who ask him to stop saying, that they are nakama, but Bickslow just ignores them and defeats them swiftly.

Bickslow later comes across Lucy and Happy and fights them. He gains the upper hand quickly and tries to finish off Lucy with Baryon Formation, but Loke arrives at the last second and saves her. He explains that the power of his love for Lucy allowed him to get through the gate by himself. Loke tells Lucy to stay back, but she responds that she would fight alongside him. The two continue the fight with Lucy and Loke managing to stand up to Bickslow and his dolls, allowing Lucy to get close and attack Bickslow with her whip.

However, she fails and Bickslow releases his secondary Magic, Figure Eyes. Happy tells the other two to close their eyes since they may be turned to dolls and controlled by Bickslow, giving Bickslow the opening he needs to attack them. Bickslow gains the upperhand once again, but with Loke's strategy, Lucy manages able to use her whip to bind Bickslow. Loke then uses Regulus Impact to finally defeat Bickslow.

After Laxus' excommunication, Bickslow, along with the rest of the Thunder God Tribe, tries to convince Laxus not to leave. But Laxus denies their request and leaves, telling them to stay healthy. After the Fantasia Parade, Bickslow and Happy teases Lucy, asking her if she and Loke are getting it on.

Edolas arc
Bickslow and the rest of the guild celebrate the arrival of Wendy Marvell and Carla at their welcoming party. Later, he was sucked through the Anima that appeared in the sky of Magnolia Town and turned into lacrima along with the rest of the guild and the citizens of Magnolia. However, they were freed thanks to Mystogan, who returned everyone in the lacrima back to Earth Land through the Reverse Anima Process. He, like the rest of the members of the guild and citizens of Magnolia, is unaware of the events in Edolas.

Tenrou Island arc
Bickslow appears, along with Freed and Evergreen, at the Fairy Tail guild welcoming back Lisanna. Lisanna is surprised, saying that it was rare to see them around the guild. Moments later, he and Nab instigate a guild brawl. When Makarov announced Freed as a participant the S-Class Mage Promotional Trial, Freed chose Bickslow over Evergreen to be his partner for the exam.

Bickslow and the participants head towards Tenrou Island, where the trial will take place, and he doesn't seem to mind the heat despite wearing heavy clothing. Shortly after, the master arrives to explain the rules of the first trial, to get to shore and pick one of the 8 paths there. As soon as the trial started, Freed uses his Jutsu Shiki to trap everyone on the boat, except him and Bickslow, for 5 minutes. Freed uses his Dark Écriture: Wings and Bickslow uses Flight Formation to fly towards the island. When Bickslow asks why Freed didn't simply trap them for good, Freed replied that if he did, it wouldn't be a fair trial.

They arrive on the island first and have the luxury to choose any path they want. After they realize that their chosen path leads to a battle with Cana and Lucy, they smirk, since Lucy doesn't have Loke to fight Bickslow and Cana couldn't even touch Freed during their last encounter. Freed asks Cana and Lucy to cover themselves before starting the fight, but Bickslow says that they are better the way they are. Cana realizes Freed's weakness to women in bikinis and uses her Sexy Lady Card to attack him. With Freed fully distracted by the women holding him, Bickslow decides to take matters into his own hands.

Lucy calls on Virgo who appears in a bikini, distracting Freed even more. Bickslow claims that stuff won't work on him and easily defeats Virgo by hitting her with his dolls. He then proceeds to attack Cana and Lucy. Not wanting to lose, Cana plays The Prayer's Fountain card. Beams of water form in many directions but fail to hit any of Bickslow's dolls. From the water Cana just formed, Lucy summons Aquarius. She attacks Freed and Bickslow with a huge wave, defeating them. Once Cana and Lucy leave, Bickslow gets up and asks if Freed is really okay with the result. Freed reveals he's okay with purposely not fighting back because he owed those two. Bickslow still says he was excited to take Laxus' spot, though Freed tells him it doesn't matter right now and that Laxus will return one day. Bickslow and Freed think to themselves about how lucky those two were that they ran into them. After their defeat, they head back to the guild with Gildarts.

Along the way, Bickslow, Freed, and Gildarts see the alert signal and immediately head back to the island. He and Freed then arrive and take Levi, Lisanna, and Pantherlily's place in their battle against Rustyrose. Bickslow attacks with a Baryon Formation, but Rustyrose escapes and creates Belfast of the Hurricane. However, since it was an inanimate object, Bickslow manages to take control of its soul and tells it to crush and destroy itself. This allows him to create an opening for Freed to injure Rustyrose significantly. He and Freed then stand over Rustyrose and state that he is not getting off, since he hurt their friends. Rustyrose then uses the attack Ghosts of the Britear on Bickslow and Freed and the ghosts produced begin to wrap around Bickslow and Freed's bodies. Bickslow is later seen collapsing when Azuma destroys the Great Tenrou Tree.

After Azuma's defeat, he and Freed regain their power and attack Rustyrose together. Rustyrose summons his Tower of Dingir to capture them as well as Lisanna, Pantherlily and Levy. Bickslow uses his Figure Eyes to take control of Elfman, who attacks Rustyrose and releases him and the others from Rustyrose's Magic. Then, with Freed and Lisanna, they defeat Rustyrose.

When Natsu and the others return to the camp, Freed and Bickslow are seen reviewing the situation while Pantherlily informs them about the Grimoire Heart Battle Ship's location. When Natsu is ready to go battle Hades, he calls on Lucy and Happy. Lucy feels she would be better with defense, but Bickslow and Freed reassure her they will handle the defenses. Before the attack team, leaves Bickslow says he will protect them no matter what.

Bickslow and the rest of the injured Fairy Tail members later arrive at Grimoire Heart's ship. He celebrates their victory with the rest of Fairy Tail until he notices Laxus has returned and cries tears of joy. He then goes back to camp with the rest of his guild. Later, Acnologia appears, flying over the island, until it comes down to land and wreaks havoc on the island. Like the rest, he is blown away by the dragon, and when Makarov holds his ground against it, he and the rest of the Thunder God Tribe try to help him. However, by Makarov's command, he flees with everyone else.

However, he returns with everyone and attacks Acnologia, until it flies and gets ready to use its breath attack. In order to defend themselves, he joins hands with the rest of his guild, and Acnologia fires his attack, leaving no trace of Bickslow or anyone else left.

X791 arc
Bickslow, along with the rest of the Tenrou Team, is 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, returns to Fairy Tail and is welcomed back by Romeo.

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
After some time, Makarov gathers the guild to reveal Gildarts Clive as the fifth Fairy Tail master, but he doesn't show and leaves a note instead. In it, he resigns as master, but not before allowing Laxus Dreyar back into the guild. This gets the Thunder God Tribe very excited and happy. Gildarts also nominates Makarov to be the master again.

In order to prepare for the Grand Magic Games, Bickslow, along with the other members of the Thunder God Tribe, leaves to train with Laxus. During the 3rd day of the Grand Magic Games, he is teamed with Evergreen, Freed and Lisanna to keep an eye on Ivan Dreyar and the other four members of Team Raven Tail, and is shocked as he sees Ivan's illusion of Laxus losing to "Alexei" (who is actually Ivan in disguise). He, along with every other person in the areana, is confused after the illusion dissapates. Bickslow parties with the Fairy Tail Mages after the third day's events and battles come to an end.

Bickslow and Freed arrive to Ryuzetsu Land, Fiore's most well known rage spot, for a little fun. They sneakingly watch as Evergreen and Elfman argue over silly things, leading them to think that they, Elfman and Evergreen, aren't so bad together. A few moments later, after Gray, Lyon and Natsu destroy Ryuzetsu Land, half of Bickslow's body ends up covered by the rubble whilst the upper part is expose to the clearing.

After the game administration decides to reorganize the teams due to Raven Tail's disqualification;Fairy Tail as a result reorganizes its team consisting of five members. Bickslow alongside with his fellow Fairy Tail comrades are seen cheering their new "strongest team" comprising of Natsu, Gajeel, Gray, Laxus and Erza.

During the starting battle of the fifth day, Bickslow, along the rest of the guild members, is shocked as it is revealed that the rabbit from Blue Pegasus is Nichiya. Later during the fight between Natsu, Gajeel and the Twin Dragons Slayers. He sits with the other Fairy Tail members watching Natsu nervously, as he takes them on alone waiting to see who will emerge the victor. Following Natsu's victory against Sting and Rogue on the 5th Day, Bickslow is seen cheering him for it.

Not long after, the final day of the games gets under way. As Team Fairy Tail enters the arena, Bickslow stands in the crowd with Freed, Evergreen and the rest of Fairy Tail, cheering for the team. The Thunder God Tribe specifically roots for Laxus, with Bickslow excitedly calling out. When Erza meets Kagura Mikazuchi and Minerva and prepares to fight them, Bickslow, along with his guild mates, quietly watches the match, as they are all unable to predict its outcome. While Erza and Kagura battle one another, the latter draws her Archenemy, which results in a spill of blood, which Bickslow watches in shock. However, Bickslow watches as Erza manages to pick herself up and make a comeback, only to be confronted by Minerva seconds after.

Bickslow's attention quickly flips to Laxus' battle. Shocked to hear Makarov state that the end results will not be in their favor, he opposes said thought and affirms that Laxus will arise victorious. Later, Bickslow cheers for Laxus during a heart-pounding battle between Laxus and Jura, which ends with Laxus as the victor. Bickslow, alongside his friends, celebrates Fairy Tail's victory.

Magic and Abilities
Human Possession (人形憑 Hitotsuki): A type of Seith Magic that allows Bickslow to seal wandering souls inside objects and manipulate them as he wishes. The so-called "dolls" which are produced by this union can serve a variety of purposes, such as offense, defense and even transportation. They are capable of freely floating and maneuvering in the air, and their main offensive ability consists of firing barrages of powerful blasts, which possess enough force to generate explosions of various sizes, particularly destructive if all dolls focuses their assaults on a single point. They can threaten and confuse foes by flying around them, as well as physically assault them by throwing themselves against targets using the momentum gained from their flight, being capable of triggering melee barrages of attacks from every direction; in addition, Bickslow is able to deprive foes of objects through their use, as shown when one of his dolls stole Celestial Spirit keys from Lucy Heartfilia, and can combine them in different "formations" to perform particular actions, such as more powerful attacks. The souls Bickslow uses aren't bound to the specific dolls he chooses to insert them into, meaning that he's capable of changing their containers at his whim: this comes in handy if, for example, the opponent does manage to incapacitate Bickslow's usual containers. So far, he has always been shown controlling five dolls at a time; his standard dolls are quite small in size, appear to be made of wood, and are reminiscent of tribal totems, each possessing a colored face and little wooden wings at their sides. Aside from such signature dolls of him, Bickslow was shown implanting his souls into and controlling full size mannequins and toys from the Toy Store Tom in Magnolia Town, referring to the place as "a treasure trove of dolls. Bickslow's usual dolls are always shown floating beside him, and often go on to repeat the last words of the sentences he pronounces; such comedic trait isn't limited to their owner, however, as shown when the dolls could repeat what Lucy Heartfilia said before attacking her. Human Possession also grants Bickslow the ability to see human souls, something which, according to his own words, allowed him to determine Loke wasn't a human long before Lucy discovered his identity as a Celestial Spirit.
 * Line Formation (ラインフォーメーション Rain Fōmēshon): At Bickslow's command, all five dolls gather in midair and then combine by standing on top of one another. From such linear formation of dolls, a large, vertical crescent-shaped beam, roughly taller than a human, is released towards the opponent. Unlike normal beams, this type of attack cuts through its targets, and possesses enough cutting power to cleanly bifurcate both the ground and large pieces of furniture.
 * Victory Formation (ビクトリフォーメーション Bikutori Fōmēshon): Either an actual attack or a strategy, it is completely unknown what Victory Formation consists of, as Gray Fullbuster froze Bickslow's dolls before he could use it.
 * X Formation (エックスーフォーメーション　Ekkusu Fōmēshon): Bickslow crosses his arms before himself in an "X" shape, prompting four of his dolls to gather around him in a matching "X"-shaped pattern to physically block an incoming attack targeting Bickslow from above. This technique was shown employed using four mannequins from the store Bickslow and Gray Fullbuster were fighting in, and such makeshift dolls could shield Bickslow from the great force of Gray's Ice-Make: Hammer; it's unknown if he can employ such formation even with his standard dolls, and if the obtained defense is the same. A variation of this move was performed when Gray assaulted Bickslow frontwards: Bickslow positioned four of the mannequins to block the attack with their mass, their legs jutting outwards in a formation which again resembled an "X".
 * Baryon Formation (バリオンフォーメーション Barion Fōmēshon): At Bickslow's command, all of his dolls position themselves in a pentagonal pattern. A large whirlwind is produced around the formation, and from the latter's hollow center a massive and powerful Magical beam is generated, which is subsequently fired towards the target. Such attack is capable of causing mass destruction, creating a large explosion, and was shown performed with both some toys and Bickslow's usual dolls. While in the manga the dolls appear to be still during the preparation for this attack, the anime portrayed them spinning vertically. A baryon is a composite particle.
 * Zero Distance Baryon Formation: The dolls get very close to the target before blasting, increasing the power of the spell.
 * Flight Formation: All five dolls join together in a row by combining their top and bottom parts together, in the very same way used for Line Formation, but instead place themselves horizontally, with Bickslow mounting on the thin "footbridge" which is generated from their union. Thanks to the dolls' flying properties, this formation allows Bickslow to remain suspended in midair and move around as he wishes, making for a useful mode of transportation. (Unnamed)
 * Crush (砕 Sai): Bickslow raises one of his arms with the index and middle fingers outstretched, and, employing his Seith Magic, prompts a creature summoned by the opponent to burst into a powerful explosion generated inside its own body, which annihilates it. Such technique could destroy Belfast the Hurricane, a large monster generated by Rustyrose's Arc of Embodiment Magic, in an instant.

Figure Eyes (造形眼 Figyua Aisu): As a member of Thunder God Tribe, Bickslow possess exclusive Eye Magic which he employs as a secondary ability. In his case, the Figure Eyes allow him to take control of the souls of living things who come into direct eye contact with him, and to manipulate them as if they were his dolls. When he uses this Magic, the body of the living being controlled turns into a darker color. Such control can seemingly be nullified at Bickslow's will, with the target being returned to the old self and regaining possession of their body. Activating this Eye Magic usually forces Bickslow’s opponents to close their eyes, in order to avoid eye contact with him; this very action, however, leaves them open to the attacks of his dolls. Bickslow made claim that his Human Possession and Figure Eyes, together, make for a combination unbeatable by anyone in the world; something which seemingly proved itself right until his fight with Lucy Heartfilia and Loke.

Enhanced Durability: Bickslow has shown to be pretty durable and resilient: he could take direct physical attacks from someone as strong as Gray Fullbuster, being even sent falling several meters down by one of them, without much trouble; he could also undergo a direct blow to the face from Lucy Heartfilia's whip and take the full brunt of Loke's Regulus Impact without visible injuries afterwards. He was directly attacked by Yomazu's Kan spell, which pierced his torso from side to side, and retaliated without any restrains or injuries.

Master Acrobatic Skills: Bickslow has been shown able to easily perform amazing acrobatic feats high above the ground, positioning himself in places which enemies cannot reach while he uses his Human Possession Magic against them: during his fight with Gray Fullbuster in an alleyway, he could reach a point several meters above the street and remain still there in a split by standing with a foot on each wall without effort; later on, while chasing after some fellow Fairy Tail members, he was shown hanging upside down from a cord which was horizontally hanged over the streets, using his feet as "hooks" to remain suspended. During his fight with Lucy Heartfilia, he perched himself on top of a small steeple placed at the summit of the Toy Store Tom, standing there as his dolls attacked Lucy, and even managing to retain balance while switching positions without a single effort.

Fairy Tail Portable Guild 2
Bickslow appears as a playable character in the second Fairy Tail Video Game, Fairy Tail Portable Guild 2. In the game, he is unlocked through quests.

Fairy Tail Gekitotsu! Kardia Daiseidou
In the video-game Fairy Tail Gekitotsu! Kardia Daiseidou, Bickslow is a playable character. In this game, Bickslow possess the following moves:
 * Main: Line Formation
 * Sub 1: Figure Eyes
 * Sub 2: Victory Formation
 * Sub 3: Tome Man War Dance
 * Super: Baryon Formation

Fairy Tail: Zeref's Awakening
Bickslow, together with Freed, appears as a mini-boss in the PSP Game, Fairy Tail: Zeref's Awakening. He can later be unlocked as a playable character. He uses the following spells:


 * Human Possession: Cost 20 VP, Bickslow is having that spell from the beginning.
 * Line Formation: Cost 40 VP, Bickslow is having that spell from the beginning.
 * X Formation: Cost 60 VP, Bickslow must buy that spell in the shop.
 * Figure Eyes: Cost 80 VP, Bickslow must buy that spell in the shop.
 * Baryon Formation: Cost 120 VP, Bickslow must buy that spell in the shop.

Quotes

 * (To Nab Lasaro and Laki Olietta) "I don't have weaklings for nakama. Ain't that right, babies?"
 * (To Rustyrose) "From the start, we never had plans of doing this fair and square. Now, we're going to take you down."
 * (To Wendy Marvell) "Sometimes, the courage to leave a comrade is necessary!"

Trivia

 * According to the author, Bickslow's name comes from words like "Big" and "Throw".
 * His dolls are named Pappa, Peppe, Pippi, Poppo and Puppu.
 * Some dolls that he used when fighting Loke are based from the characters from Hiro Mashima's manga "Monster Soul".