Makarov Dreyar

Makarov Dreyar (マカロフ・ドレアー Makarofu Doreā) is the 3rd, 6th and 8th Guild Master of the Fairy Tail Guild, as well as one of the Ten Wizard Saints.

Appearance
Makarov is an extremely short, elderly man. He has black eyes and is growing bald with only the outer rims of his head containing white hair. He also has a thick white mustache. He has a black stamp of the Fairy Tail guild mark that covers his entire chest area. On his first appearance, he was shown dressing in a casual manner, with an attire consisting of a white shirt with a black Fairy Tail stamp in the middle under an orange hoodie. His attire was completed with matching orange shorts and an orange and blue striped jester hat.

Later on, following the Phantom Lord assault he was shown with a more formal attire, with him wearing a white tunic with the Fairy Tail symbol on the left collar, and black pants, all in which was covered by a formal white coat with white fur around the edges and with the Ten Wizard Saints' symbol on the back. During the Battle of Fairy Tail arc he was again shown having a less formal attire, which consisted of a white shirt with a red vest over it and black pants. Instead of his Wizard Saints' robe, he wore a more casual high collared cape.

Makarov is one of the characters who changes his attire frequently. He once dressed only with a Hawaiian Shirt and black shorts. Although he changed his attire from time to time, he's still frequently shown wearing his Wizard Saints' attire.

In X792, Makarov, in addition to his mustache, has grown a white beard that covers his entire chin.

Personality
Makarov is a person who is able to love and believe in people, which is the reason Precht chose him to be his successor and take the position of Guild Master of Fairy Tail. He also dislikes being called a kid by Master Precht for someone his age.

Makarov shows extreme dislike for the Magic Council and all the rules they try to impose on guilds, believing that the skills and Magic of his guild members will not be able to grow if he makes them conform to the rules of the Council. He frequently attempts to balance reprimands from the council and the eccentricity of his guild. Despite this, at times he has to grow to his giant form to stop the insane revelling and destruction of the guild, and acts as a parent to the guild members, looking after them and encouraging or inspiring them. This parent attribute is noticeable when he worries over the destruction that the guild members may cause and tells them to try tone it down. This trait is especially obvious when he is disinterested in revenge for the damage caused to the guild by Phantom Lord, but grows enraged and vengeful when he finds three of his "children" have been hurt. However, one can say this love for the guild takes priority over his own family as he has excommunicated both his son and grandson, Ivan Dreyar and Laxus Dreyar, for being a threat to the guild. He appears to hold little qualms over the age, strength or history of a prospective member as seen when he lets Gajeel Redfox and Juvia Lockser join despite them being former members of Phantom Lord.

He also has his own eccentric side, wearing an unusual hat or doing insane poses. Another trait is his docile perverted nature, an example being when he hit Natsu Dragneel, Happy and Gray Fullbuster on the head for doing an S-class mission without permission but spanked Lucy Heartfilia, and spanked her again even though it was Natsu he was telling off. He also worries over the excessive damages caused by the guild members particularly Natsu, Gray, and Erza and even more so when they are grouped together.

Although, he is shown to be wise and has a calm personality. It has been shown that in his younger years, Makarov was quite an impatient man who did not hesitate to pick a fight with his other guildmates. A rather implicit traits that could be seen on the Guild's members.

History
Born at the guild headquarters, his birth was celebrated by all its members. The then-master, Mavis, was given the privilege of naming him, and she picked "Makarov", after a prince she once read about. Unfortunately, Makarov's mother, Rita, died shortly afterwards, due to the effects of Mavis Vermilion's Ankhseram Curse.

At age 40, Makarov became the third Guild Master of Fairy Tail in the year X736. In the year X741, Makarov received the title of being a Wizard Saint. Having been the Guild Master of Fairy Tail for 48 years, Makarov held the record of being the longest Guild Master of Fairy Tail. During this time, he oversaw the guild's rise in fame of its Mages and their power. Some time during those years, Makarov excommunicated his son, Ivan Dreyar, for unknown reasons, despite the sensitive information he carried about the guild. He mentioned this decision to his grandson Laxus, saying that Ivan was a danger to the guild.

Makarov also held great affection and a strong relationship for his grandson Laxus during the boy's childhood. Somewhere around that time, during a Fantasia Parade, a young Laxus points his index finger in the air in hopes that his grandfather would remember that he was watching him. As a teenager, Laxus started detesting his grandfather because people felt he was only successful due to the fact that he was Makarov's grandson, and then swore that he would one day surpass Makarov and prove himself a man in his own right. Since then, Makarov had regretted his grandson's drastic personality change.

He met Jose Porla six years in the past at the regular meeting where they fought, because of Makarov's bragging and Jose's bad-mouthing of Fairy Tail, ending with Makarov brutally defeating Jose. Jose says that it had been six years since they had stood "face-to-face" indicating they may have fought. It was also around this time that Makarov welcomed Mirajane, Elfman and Lisanna into the guild, and explained to the oldest sibling that her demonic form was a result of her Take Over Magic.

Makarov has been friends with Porlyusica for a considerable amount of time, as she mentions that he had caused a great deal of trouble, even since the "old days". Makarov also took Erza to Porlyusica when she joined the guild in order to fix her damaged eye; from then on, he viewed Erza as sort of the daughter he never had. Because of this favoritism, Erza became unquestionably loyal to him.

In X783, Makarov requested that member Mest Gryder infiltrate the Magic Council to gather as much information about the Western Continent as he possibly can, as the Council had destroyed all documents pertaining to it, and feed it to him. When Mest asked about the reason why, Makarov asked him to just do it to protect the guild. Then, Mest said that he would erase all his memories to make his infiltration smoother, which Makarov wasn't exactly too keen on, however he gave his Guild Master the means to temporarily undo the tampering. Over the course of the next near one year, Makarov is fed various bits of information about the Western Continent by Mest, until Mest, as Doranbolt, unknowingly reinserts his original self into their memories in order to infiltrate the S-Class Trial.

Macao arc
Makarov is first introduced dispelling a huge brawl between the guild's members started by Natsu when he and Happy lead Lucy to Fairy Tail. After doing so, he reads them the reports of the large scale destruction they have committed, and informs of the fury of the Council members at this, but tells them to just ignore the council members and "do whatever you think right". When Romeo, a son of a Fairy Tail member, comes looking for his missing father, Macao Conbolt, and shouts at Makarov that he should be looking for his father, Makarov dismisses him, saying Macao can look after himself; angered, Romeo punches him in the face and runs off.

Daybreak arc
When the Fairy Tail guild member Levy McGarden laments about not being to take the Everlue Mansion mission, Makarov comments that it's probably for the best and reveals that the mission's reward had been increased ten times to 2,000,000 jewels.

Lullaby arc
While at the Regular Meeting for Provincial Guild Masters, Makarov gets a message from Mirajane informing him of a new team formed by Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy and Erza Scarlet. He begins to sweat profusely as the potential havoc this team could possibly create, such as destroying an entire town. Later, Kageyama of the Eisenwald Guild manages to reach the meeting site and bumps into Makarov. Kageyama asks him if he could listen to a song from the lethal lullaby flute, and Makarov agrees. But, Kageyama can't bring himself to do it and Makarov dissuades him with a talk about camaraderie while Natsu and co, with two other Guild Masters, watch.

Then, to their surprise, Lullaby begins talking and the Living Magic belonging to Zeref manifests and attacks them. Natsu, Erza and Gray rise up to the challenge, and quickly defeat it, but their wanton destruction results in the meeting site building being destroyed and the Fairy Tail members having to make a quick getaway.

Galuna Island arc
After Erza is arrested for property destruction, Makarov waits patiently with the rest of the guild members for her return. Natsu is apparently trapped under a glass, transformed into a salamander, but Makarov reveals to everyone's surprise that it is actually Macao, not Natsu. With Natsu and Erza released from jail, Makarov is seen sitting on his usual spot on top of the bar's counter when he starts to feel sleepy, hailing the arrival of the reclusive Mystogan. Makarov is the only one able to resist Mystogan's Magic. He then stops Natsu as he tries to run up to the second floor to fight Laxus Dreyar and tells the two to quiet down. The following day, Makarov hears the shocking news that one of the S-Class missions is missing, and that Natsu and Happy are the culprits. He shouts at Laxus to bring them back but he refuses. Instead, it falls on Gray to bring them back.

Phantom Lord arc
When Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza and Happy return to find the guild attacked, they find that their master is seemingly indifferent to the destruction. He first gives all but Erza a hit to the head, except Lucy who gets smacked on the butt, and tells them not to worry about the Phantom Lord Guild's attack since "there's no need to get cross with someone who resorts to surprise attacks." When Makarov runs off for a "leak", Mirajane tells them that Makarov is as shocked as them but warfare between guilds is illegal and it would be unwise to retaliate. However, after seeing Jet, Droy and Levy severely injured, he grows enraged and declares war on Phantom Lord.

Traveling through the night, he along with other Fairy Tail members, arrive at Phantom Lord's guild in the Town of Oak and storm in, with Makarov easily defeating many of them.

He then quickly rushes to find Jose Porla, the Phantom Lord's master, on the top floor with his fury turning into Magic Power and causing the building to tremble. However, he had been led into a trap by Jose as Aria, one of the Element 4, suddenly appears and attacks him with a Magic that drains his Magic Power. Due to the massive loss of strength and morale the other Fairy Tail members receive from the loss of Makarov, they are forced to retreat.

When they return, he is taken to a friend of his and a healing Mage, Porlyusica who looks after him. It is discovered that the spell, Metsu, that was used on him causes the user's Magic Power to disperse into the air and eventually disappear. Makarov wakes up as Natsu goes full power and leaves Porlyusica with his thanks and apology for the trouble he's caused. Just after Makarov leaves her home, she finds that it was Mystogan who helped gather Makarov's Magic Power.

During the battle with Phantom Lord, Makarov appears near the end of the battle just in the nick of time to save Erza who had been fighting Jose. They begin to fight, Makarov striking first with Jose quickly firing back, and are initially equally matched. Makarov then warns him to surrender, but Jose barks in refusal so Makarov activates the extremely powerful Fairy Law. The attack easily defeats Jose and all of his shades. He tells him to go back and prepare for the reaction of the council. Just as he leaves, Aria suddenly attacks him again; this time Makarov simply defeats him with a punch, warning him that he'll exterminate them if they continue.

The Fairy Tail members return to their trashed guild where Makarov gives Lucy a speech on the bonds of guild members, causing her to cry, although he begins to cry as well when he thinks he may be arrested by the council. Makarov helps in the remaking of the destroyed guild.

Although not arrested, at the hearing, he falls asleep during it, only being woken up when one of the helper frogs calls out his name. Luckily, the guild is found not guilty, thanks to self-defense charges and the aid given by one of the Council members, Yajima, who was a friend of Makarov's. Shitou tells him that Fairy Tail should be more careful, as even two more members of the council, Org and Michello are now calling for their guild to be disbanded. Shitou then tells Makarov that it may be time for him to retire. Makarov muses over it back at the guild's building site. He can think of a suitable master and finds he especially can't retire after hearing that Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy and Happy destroyed a stretch of road during their job.

Sometime after Phantom Lord was disbanded, Makarov finds Gajeel, who sits alone in wreckage, eating iron. He informs Gajeel that Juvia joined the guild recently, and then asks if Gajeel wants the join the guild as well. Gajeel is surprised and cannot believe Makarov had asked him that. Makarov then tells Gajeel he cannot watch a man fall into the darkness by loneliness. Makarov reaches out his hand and tells Gajeel what he is giving him is not salvation, but simply a guiding light. Gajeel looks at Makarov and then accepts his offer.

Loke arc
Together with Mirajane, Bob, Goldmine and Yajima, Makarov goes to watch Team Natsu perform the play, Frederick and Yanderica.

Battle of Fairy Tail arc
Makarov introduces the newly rebuilt guild to Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza and Happy and two new members: Juvia Lockser and Gajeel Redfox. Though they dislike the idea of Gajeel joining, he states that Gajeel was only acting on Jose's orders but agrees with Erza that he should be watched. After Fairy Tail gets in a brawl again, Makarov gets angry at the guild being a mess, as a reporter for the Sorcerer Magazine was going to come tomorrow.

When Makarov goes grocery shopping with Mirajane, she tells Makarov that even Laxus is returning for the Harvest Festival. This shocks Makarov and gives him a bad feeling. At the start of the Harvest festival, Makarov attends and watches the Miss Fairy Tail contest, occasionally getting a nosebleed. With the arrival of Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe, he stands helpless as the contestants are turned to stone by Evergreen, effectively made hostages. Laxus then tells all of the Fairy Tail mages to fight against each other, to find out who is the strongest Mage, and the winner will fight Laxus himself. Makarov wants to participate to beat Laxus, but he is trapped by Freed's Jutsu Shiki, which doesn't allow Mages who are eighty years or older to participate. After the room is emptied, Makarov spots Reedus, who didn't want to fight, as he is scared of Laxus. Makarov ignores the reason and asks Reedus to escape to Porlyusica's House, as she might have a potion to cure Evergreen's Stone Eyes spell. Natsu then gets up and goes to participate, but is stopped by Freed's runes, stating Mages of age eighty or older cannot participate. Makarov, Reedus, and Natsu gape in confusion.

Trembling with anger, he watches the battle progress reports. Makarov is shocked when he sees Freed has taken out Reedus, now knowing he has no chance of Porlyusica's help. Eventually, Laxus appears and tells him to resign the position of Master to himself before the 3 hours are up in which the statues will turn to dust. Makarov, and Natsu refuse, still believing Gray would prevail. After Gray is seen to have lost, Makarov admits defeat, and asks Laxus to stop. Laxus, however, says that isn't good enough and asks Makarov to resign and declare him the new master of Fairy Tail.

When only two members remain, Natsu and Gajeel, he tries to prevent Natsu from 'reviving' Erza but finds that the stone around her breaks due to his antics and figures that since half of the Magic was taken through her artificial eye, the effect was also halved. Now with Erza and the arrival of Mystogan, Makarov orders a counter-attack.

When Evergreen is defeated, and the contestants are released, Laxus reappears and instates a new rule: Thunder Palace, which effectively takes the whole town hostage by surrounding Magnolia with thunder Lacrima that will eventually explode. Makarov shouts in an angry rage, but just as he does, he gets a sharp pain in his chest and falls to the ground. Eventually Makarov is brought to bed to rest. Porlyusica tells Levy that Laxus is the reason why Makarov is in critical condition. Porlyusica then cries as she tells Levy to call Laxus, as his grandfather has little time left.

After Laxus is finally defeated and with the aid of Porlyusica, Makarov recovers. Laxus visits him in the medical ward. Makarov tells Laxus that the guild does not belong to him or anyone else and that the guild was built to honor each member, and build strong bonds with one another. Makarov says he cannot forgive Laxus for his crime this time. Laxus admits he just wanted to make the guild stronger. Makarov tells Laxus that he never cared about him being strong or smart when he was growing up and that all he wanted was for Laxus to be happy. Makarov then turns serious and excommunicates Laxus from Fairy Tail. Laxus is content and thanks his grandfather as he leaves the medical ward. Makarov turns around and cries, telling his grandson to just leave.

The following night, he takes part in the Fantasia festival and gives a sign that Laxus invented when he was younger to show that he'll always be watching over him. The rest of the guild follows up with the sign, as Laxus tearfully leaves Magnolia. Afterwards it's revealed that Makarov had given Gajeel a mission to work as a double agent to find the location of his son, Ivan, which he completed.

Oración Seis arc
A week later, after Laxus' exile, Natsu still yells at Makarov for banning Laxus. Erza tells him to leave the master alone. Makarov tries to resign as master, but the guild prevents him, and Freed comes to his door and tells Makarov that Laxus would be devastated if he learns he caused Makarov's retirement, so he stays.

Later on, Makarov goes to a regular meeting and reports back to the guild to tell them that an alliance of four legal guilds, including their own, are going to take down one of the most powerful Dark Guilds, the Oración Seis. For unknown reasons, he chose Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza and Happy to represent Fairy Tail in the alliance.

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

Edolas arc
Makarov welcomes Wendy Marvell into the guild alongside Carla. However, despite his happiness at the new recruit, he knows that a prophecy is coming true.

He then welcomes Gildarts Clive back to the guild when he returns from the 100 years mission. Gildarts tells the guild that he failed his mission, not leaving Makarov surprised. He later talks to Erza asking if he should hand the mission over to another guild. He was sucked through the Anima and turned into Lacrima like the rest of Magnolia. Mystogan eventually returns the huge Lacrima back to Earth Land so Makarov and the others returned to normal, and were sent back to Earth Land, unaware of the events that had happened.

Tenrou Island arc
As the guild is celebrating the arrival of Lisanna as well as creating a ruckus, Makarov is seen talking to Gildarts, commenting on how sad it was that Mystogan ended up leaving the guild. Hoping Mystogan would be okay wherever he was, he asks Gildarts if he would be staying in town.

Days later, he presents the announcement of the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial, saying the location of the event will be Tenrou Island, the "holy ground" of Fairy Tail. He then presents the eight participants of the trial including Natsu Dragneel, Elfman, Juvia Lockser, Gray Fullbuster, Freed Justine, Levy McGarden, Mest Gryder, and Cana Alberona. He gives everyone a week to prepare and expects them in their top conditions. After Erza and Mirajane state the rules for choosing a partner, Makarov ends his announcement by saying the details of the exam will be given at Hargeon Port, where they will meet up, and to expect hard challenges, as S-Class Mages like Erza, Mirajane, and Gildarts will be roadblocks in their tasks.

When the participants spot Tenrou Island on the boat before the exams start, Makarov appears and states it was rumored Fairies once lived on that island and that Fairy Tail's first master, Mavis Vermilion sleeps there. Gray then asks what was up with his shirt which had Fairy Tail symbols all over it. Makarov says that it's hot and proceeds to say information about the first trial. He tells the participants to first go to the smoke coming from the island where they will find eight paths. Only one group can go through each path. Makarov then shows them a map of what the challenge will look like. This includes three battles with S-Class Mages in three of the paths, two battles against other teams in two other paths, and a safe path where nobody fights anyone. Whoever gets to the end will pass the first part. He states that to win, power and luck are required. Makarov then points out only six teams maximum and three minimum will make it through the first part. This makes Levy nervous but Gajeel excited. With that, Makarov starts the exam. When Freed uses runes to trap everyone in the ship, Lucy asks if that's legal, but Makarov says that it's not even a race. He is left on the boat when everyone else leaves.

Shortly after Gray clears the first trial, Makarov reappears and asks if everyone had arrived. He announces that Cana and Lucy defeated Freed and Bickslow, Natsu managed to clear Gildarts' trial, Levy and Gajeel got the quiet path, and Gray and Loke managed to defeat Mest and Wendy. However when Gray asked about Juvia, the master put up a speechless face by saying she and Lisanna met up with Erza, who doesn't know how to hold back, and that they lost. When everyone wonders about Elfman and Evergreen, they quickly figure out that their opponent had to have been Mirajane, and that they are somewhat unlucky. However Elfman, being helped by Evergreen, shows up at the last minute and says that they cleared the first trial, somewhat surprising him. But he quickly brushes this off and tells the contestants that passed that it is now time for the second trial.

Makarov announces the second trial to find Mavis Vermilion's grave, and that the contestants have six hours. Makarov sits at the grave waiting. He is later seen staring high into the sky in shock at the signal flare that Erza fired above Tenrou Island.

Makarov talks to Mavis Vermilion, questioning why Tenrou Island had invited enemies, and that he would take full responsibility for his actions. In exchange, Makarov asks Mavis to protect the guild members on the island. As the Grimoire Heart airship nears, Makarov stands between it and the island in Full Giant Mode, ready to face off with the Dark Guild. He smashes the starboard side of the battleship, and fends off a Jupiter Cannon attack from it. After Caprico escapes the ship with the rest of his guildmates in tow, Makarov exclaims that it doesn't matter where they run, and he prepares to envelop the enemies with Fairy Law. However, he is thunderstruck as Hades casts his own malefic version of Fairy Law, named, Grimoire Law. Hades then explains and lectures Makarov on the nature of the Magic, and tells Makarov if he releases his spell, both their guilds will be destroyed. Makarov then extinguishes his spell. When he gets a better look at Hades, Makarov flashes back to watching the second master of Fairy Tail, Precht, entrusting Fairy Tail to him. He realizes that Hades is none other than Precht himself. As

Hades sends Makarov onto the island, with his Chain Magic, and he reverts to his original size to confront Hades. Hades then attacks Makarov with Amaterasu Magic Seals, overwhelming Makarov. He becomes weary with exhaustion, but continues to question Hades' reasoning behind his decisions. Hades then explains that he found what could be called the "Essence of Magic", and that Magic came from the darkness and from there he arrived at Zeref. Hades walks away after thinking Makarov is finished, but Makarov is determined to defend his guild and tries to land an unexpected blow to Hades. However, he fails to do so and is pierced by Hades' magical beam. Makarov is seen in the air, sending his will across the lands to reach his previously excommunicated grandson, who apparently senses the danger. He then lands on the ground unconscious, close to death.

Natsu, having been launched near Makarov's position by one of Zancrow's attacks, then remarks on his wounds. Makarov, still alive, tells him to take everyone and run away. Zancrow then arrives, informing Natsu that Hades defeated Makarov, and Makarov is shocked that of all people, Natsu experienced fear. Natsu awakens a power from deep inside him and decides to face Zancrow, saying that his fear is from the fact that someone other than himself could defeat Hades.

When Natsu gets caught by Zancrow's Flame God's Supper, Makarov uses his Giant Magic on his hand to attack and grip Zancrow. Makarov says that Zancrow is hurting his kid before his eyes and that he will grind him into nothing. He doesn't relent even when Zancrow starts burning his arm. Makarov then says, "Do not underestimate Fairy Tail!". He then senses that Natsu's Magic Power had disappeared. All of a sudden, Natsu emerges, eating Zancrow's flames. He realizes that by nullifying his Magic Power, he created a vessel to eat the flames with; when Natsu says it was just a special way to eat the flames, Makarov thinks that this strategy was brilliant. He then releases Zancrow into the air and watches as Natsu combines Zancrow's flames with his own to defeat the dark mage. Makarov then looks on as Natsu tells him that they have to fight Grimoire Heart and make them pay for messing with Fairy Tail. However, he collapses from his injuries, prompting Makarov to call out his name.

Makarov wakes up bandaged and notices Wendy healing Natsu. He claims to be alright and tells Wendy to take care of Natsu, and she tells him that she is going to help both of them. Then, when Wendy wonders why her healing Magic is being inhibited, he tells her it's because of the tainted evil in Natsu's scarf. Then he asks if she can remove it, to which she replies she will. He then either falls asleep or faints.

After Hades is defeated by Fairy Tail, Makarov shows up at Grimoire Heart's airship along with the Thunder God Tribe, Lisanna, Mirajane, Cana, Levy, Elfman, and Gajeel. They all scare off the remaining Grimoire Heart members who tried to attack Happy, Panther Lily and Carla. Then, Makarov walks up to Laxus, who earlier had returned to help defeat Hades, and yells at him for coming to Tenrou Island during his excommunication. Makarov then walks up to a defeated Hades. Hades asks Makarov to kill him, but Makarov refuses, and tells him to get off the island. Makarov then asks Hades why he fell into the darkness. Hades explains he went on a journey to find out the truth about Magic, and found that the true nature was "darkness". Hades felt the world he was living in was a lie, and wanted to live in the Ultimate Magic World, and obtain the "Magic of One". Makarov tells Hades it never mattered if Magic did come from darkness because either way, Magic is alive, and can be felt as anything, whether its lightness, darkness, red, or blue. Makarov concludes his speech by saying he learned this all from Hades himself, and then walks away.

After returning to camp, Makarov tells everyone that he had no choice but to suspend the S-Class examination which greatly shocks Natsu, Gray, Elfman and funnily enough, Gajeel who exclaims that he wants to become S-Class even though it's his partner, Levy, that was the candidate. After Natsu's ranting, he decides to make a special exception for him and allow the exams to continue, telling Natsu that if he was able to defeat him, then he would pass the exam. However, before Natsu can even begin, Makarov dispatches him with his giant fist, sending him crashing into a tree.

Makarov, like everyone else, soon realizes a Dragon has come to the island. He instantly acknowledges it as Acnologia, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse. It lands on the island and starts going on a rampage, destroying everything. The guild members run towards the ship. As Acnologia approaches the guild members, Makarov assumes his Giant form, and holds off the Dragon. The wound on his side reopens, as he wrestles with it. The guild members want to help as well, not willing to leave Makarov behind, but he tells them not to disobey his final order. As they all cry, Makarov, to himself, tells everyone to live on into the future.

As Makarov fights the Dragon, he is eventually thrown to the ground by it. Thinking he is going to die, he finally feels like a parent. Just then, Natsu and all of the Fairy Tail members on the island come back and start attacking Acnologia themselves. As they attack, Laxus walks up to his grandfather, and asks him if he seriously thought they would retreat and leave him behind, as they were Makarov's guild after all. After Acnologia flies into the sky, all of the Fairy Tail members hold hand, as Acnologia destroys Tenrou Island with its Dragon Breath.

X791 arc
Makarov, along with the others, 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, return to Fairy Tail and is welcomed back by Romeo.

During the party that follows, he states that he wishes Macao to remain master of Fairy Tail for a while (despite the fact he knows the other members would be disappointed). He is later seen speaking to Jura Neekis and asking about an unknown guild.

Later, Makarov goes to the Twilight Ogre Guild with Erza and Mirajane accompanying him to discuss the rent with the Twilight Ogre Guild Master, Banaboster. Banaboster is disrespectful towards Makarov, demanding money no matter the circumstances. However, Makarov, along with Erza and Mirajane, state that they would pay Twilight Ogre for everything they were owed, including all the misery, pain, and trouble they caused Fairy Tail during their 7 years of absence. They then proceed to beat the entire guild up.

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 and Gildarts visit the old guild. Makarov leads Gildarts to a secret underground passage, where Makarov unseals a door to show Gildarts Fairy Tail's greatest secret: Lumen Histoire. Makarov says this is Fairy Tail's true nature, and he, like Gildarts, was at a loss for words when he first saw it. Makarov then reveals the reason he has shown Gildarts this is because he will be the next Fairy Tail master.

Later, as he announces that Gildarts will be the fifth Guild Master of Fairy Tail, he finds Mirajane in his place with a note from the ace of the guild, who states that he is not suitable for the position and is going traveling. However, he allows Laxus to return to the guild and nominates Makarov Dreyar as the sixth Guild Master of Fairy Tail, much to the latter's surprise, who angrily states he will never retire again.

Months later, after the Fairy Tail members train, Makarov chooses Team Natsu, and Wendy to represent Fairy Tail in the Grand Magic Games. He and the other members of Fairy Tail cheer on Team Fairy Tail after they pass the preliminaries and expresses his shock and anger for the preposterous entry of Raven Tail into the Grand Magic Games. When Fairy Tails' B Team enters, Mavis, who had come to watch the games, notices Makarov had allowed someone not of the guild to enter the Games under the guise of Mystogan, but she still allows him to participate.

As the first Event begins, Makarov laments on how Ivan's guild is purposely going after Gray only. It was then revealed how Makarov decided to form a Team Fairy Tail B. Though the potential members were not thrilled with the idea of a B team, Makarov made a deal with them, the team that loses has to do whatever the winning team wants for a day, which they agreed to.

After the end of Grand Magic Games' first day, all Fairy Tail members celebrate their defeat. Makarov announces that next day will be the start of Fairy Tail's victory, and will never give up until their guild will be no. 1 in Fiore. As Laxus and Ivan talk, Makarov is mentioned during their conversation. Laxus remembers the time he had a conversation with Makarov, asking if it was fine to leave Raven Tail be and take no actions. Makarov replied that it was fine as long as they do not have "that information". He also says that Ivan would not dare reveal this information to anyone else and also that Ivan did not do anything harmful to the guild these past 7 years and Makarov does not want to make things worse.

After Laxus had defeated Raven Tail, Ivan's illusion is dissipated and Makarov is dumbfounded to see the scene before him. Makarov, eyeing the scene, thinks that Ivan played a dirty hand. Following the incident, Wendy Marvell from Team Fairy Tail A and Sherria Blendy from Team Lamia Scale are chosen to fight the last battle of that day. A fierce battle between Mages that use different variations of a same Magic start, and gets tougher at every attack, with one of them blowing Makarov's mustache up to his face. At a point of the battle, a powerful spell of Sherria fails to hit Wendy, which Romeo mistakes as if Wendy has dodged the attack, but Makarov replies that Sherria actually missed the attack. Makarov keeps watching the match with tension, but it ends up as a draw, finishing the Games' third day.

Implied to be at the end of the Third Day, Makarov takes Doranbolt aside and undoes his memory manipulation yet again, and the two greet each other after a seven year absence. Makarov apologizes to Mest for putting him through so much pain and asks him to come back home, but Mest refuses as he is close to gathering the information about the West that Makarov has been looking for this entire time.

At the end of the day, while the other guild members party, Makarov sits down with Laxus in the Crocus gardens. Laxus inquires about Lumen Histoire, adding how Ivan said it was their guild's darkness. Before Makarov can answer, Mavis arrives and objects to Ivan's words, saying it is the light of the guild. Makarov tries to stop her from saying any more. He then asks how Ivan was able to learn about Lumen Histoire and is told that Precht is most likely the one who told him; the latter comment from Mavis causes her to start breaking down and Makarov, clearly shocked, cries out for Laxus to comfort her.

The three later go to Ryuzetsu Land to let Mavis have some fun in the pool. As she plays around holding her breath underwater, Makarov smiles, happy at her happiness, and the three are spotted by Lucy, who questions why they are there. In the same evening, Natsu manages to blow the building sky high trying to melt some of Gray and Lyons ice, and Makarov cries alongside Mavis when he hears that Fairy Tail will be charged for all the repair costs. After the Naval Battle event on the fourth day, Makarov goes to the infirmary to check on Lucy -who was injured during the event- and is surprised to see both Fairy Tail teams present. He informs them that administrators ordered the teams to combine to balance out the uneven numbers in the tournament for the Tag Battle and the final day, since Team Raven Tail has been disqualified, and listens as the Mages discuss who to send out. Later, the tag battle between Team Quatro Puppy versus Team Blue Pegasus involving Bacchus and Rocker versus Ichiya and The Rabbit takes place. Makarov is seen in the audience shocked to see the identity of the Rabbit to be none other that Nichiya, the Exceed.

Afterwards, the battle between Team Sabertooth and Team Fairy Tail is announced: Natsu and Gajeel will be fighting Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney. Makarov watches the Mages intently. He says towards Natsu and Gajeel that he won't have anything to say to them as long as they go all out on Sabertooth. As he watches them take down the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, Makarov claims it's because of three months of training and unlocking their Second Origin that they were able to accomplish such a task. Makarov then shows surprise when Sting and Rogue begin to activate their Dragon Force. Makarov watches in shock when Sting's roar destroys the floor of the arena.

Despite receiving some heavy injuries, Natsu stands up once more and goes to take the Twin Dragons by himself. Seeing him fight and begin to gain the upper hand, Makarov watches stoically from the audience. However, when Sting and Rogue go to perform a Unison Raid, Makarov becomes shocked at the two's ability to perform such a technique. Upon Natsu's victory over the two, Team Fairy Tail is declared the winner. As the announcements for the fifth and final day are made, the other Guild Masters declare that they will defeat Fairy Tail, with Makarov responding by telling them to bring it on.

Later, Makarov hears that Lucy has been captured. He thinks that the palace is using Lucy as a hostage to prevent the Eclipse plan. When Natsu breaks out of his ropes, Makarov smashes him and tells him to cool down. He says that this is the King so they can't just act rashly, but they are not cowards either. So the next day, Makarov is seen watching as the guild cheers for the arrival of team Fairy Tail. He explains to Mavis that if they win, they might be able to get Lucy back legally. But if they don't, they have sent a search party to free Lucy. As the event of the final day begins, the members of the various teams scatter for the battles. However, Team Fairy Tail remains together in place with their eyes closed, much to Makarov's frustration. As the battles continue, Makarov asks why the team isn't moving, at which point Mavis explains her observations over the last several days and the strategy she prepared for the team, much to Makarov's shock.

Makarov's shocked expression continues as Mavis instructs the team with her strategy as they start facing opponents. Upon noticing the effectiveness of the strategy, Makarov recalls Mavis' nickname from the times she led her forces to victory in battle with her strategic ability, The Fairy Tactician. As Gray begins a battle against Rufus Lore, Makarov listens to Mavis as she explains that Rufus is key to Sabertooth's plans and that Gray needs to win. Makarov raises his hands and celebrates Gray's astonishing victory over the Memory-Make Mage, Rufus Lore. Afterwards Makarov disturbs the others who are watching the event when he reveals to them that he suddenly had an image of the pile of apology letters to write, to which he does not reveal the purpose for when asked. Lisanna then asks herself if Natsu and the others are doing okay, with Makarov's reply being that they can only wait and believe in them.

After a while, Mavis cries for her miscalculation, and Makarov tries to get someone to comfort her. Then with the battle between Erza, Kagura Mikazuchi and Minerva about to begin, Makarov waits for the battle to begin with the rest of Fairy Tail. As the fight goes on, Kagura starts to overpower Erza, which makes him worried. Shocked, he watches on as blood spurts when Kagura unsheathes her Archenemy. However, Makarov is happy when he sees that Erza was quickly able to block Kagura's attack with her own sword, and smiles on as the female knight stands to continue the fight.

When Erza then Requips into her hakama clothing and quickly slashes Kagura, Makarov mentally comments on how fast her attack was, and how he wasn't even able to follow it with his eyes. Later, during Gajeel's battle against Rogue, Makarov seems slightly troubled by Rogue's behavior as he takes the lead. When Laxus' battle against Orga and Jura begins, Makarov is left in dismay after Orga is taken out by one devastating attack from Jura believing this battle won't end well for his guild's team or his grandson.

Makarov, however, is surprised to see his grandson being able to match Jura's strength, cheerfully holding his fist out as he blushes at the battle's outcome: Laxus is victorious. Following Erza, Juvia and Gray's victories, Makarov is overjoyed to hear his guild is, once again, the number one guild in Fiore. Makarov faces the Mages in his guild as he holds out his arms, celebrating the recent victory.

With the Games over, Makarov joins a massive crowd of Mages as they are called to the center of Crocus by the King of Fiore, the man telling them of the incoming 10,000 Dragons that have been stated to attack Fiore on the seventh of July. Hearing this, Makarov stares on in great shock, but agrees alongside all of the other Mages present that he will fight to protect the Kingdom.

Preparations soon begin for the incoming attack, with Makarov stating that the Fairy Tail Guild Mages will remain the central park in order to protect it. Makarov and the rest of Fairy Tail are then confronted by the Dragon, Atlas Flame. Upon the Dragon's arrival, Makarov shouts to his Guild members to stand their ground, as Atlas then releases a Dragon's Roar, dispersing the members of Fairy Tail.

Leaping back from the attack, Makarov uses Giant and enlarges his body so that he stands above Atlas, punching the Dragon square in the face whilst declaring that he and his guild members are not just Mages, rather comrades connected as a family. Atlas though merely proceeds to burn Makarov's fist, the Guild Master jumping back in pain as his hand is scorched. Seeing him pull back, Atlas attacks again, stating that no matter what power they use, mere humans cannot defeat Dragons.

After the crisis has been overturned, Makarov joins the feast at Mercurius. He states that he never thought he'd ever be invited into the castle, with Yajima replying that living a long life has its benefits. When guilds starts arguing over Yukino, he expresses a desire for not letting her go without a fight. However, the quarrel is immediately stopped by Arcadios and when the King is about to arrive, Natsu appears instead, wearing the King's crown and clothes, leaving Makarov and everyone else in shock.

When Makarov and his Mages return back to Magnolia, the whole town celebrates their coming first in the Grand Magic Games. The mayor also congratulates the Mages and, much to Makarov's shock and compassion, the whole city contributed to the reconstruction of the Fairy Tail guild building to its former glory. Makarov cries tears of joy, saying that he loves his town.

Sun Village arc
Some time after returning, the guild sees a great deal of requests asked of them due to their recent surge in popularity. As Makarov sits on the table, he is approached by Mirajane, who tells him they have an urgent job and hands him request poster. Makarov calls out to Natsu and Gray as the two are the ones being specifically requested. Continuing to read the request, Makarov tells Gray and Natsu that despite this inhibitions towards working together, they must do so again and they must not fail as their emergency request is from one of the Four Gods of Ishgar.

Tartaros arc
Upon the team's return from their mission, Makarov has a talk with Erza about her recent discoveries. Hearing that Minerva has joined a Dark Guild, Makarov asks about her father Jiemma, to which Erza states that his whereabouts are unknown. As he hears Laki and Kinana talk about the young and handsome Sting Eucliffe having become Sabertooth's new Guild Master, Makarov is left silent before breaking it by suggesting a report to the Magic Council. Soon after, Jet and Droy run into the building exclaiming that something terrible has happened, getting Makarov's attention.

Makarov and the guild are later sent into a panic when Laxus, Yajima and the Thunder God Tribe return from a mission having been attacked by Tempester of Tartaros. The guild call Porlyusica to examine them, and a worried Makarov is informed that the group were attacked by Magic Barrier Particles, a form of poison that can easily cause death. Whilst none of the group seem to be at risk of such a fate, Laxus in particular is badly injured, and Porlyusica questions if they will be able to fully recover. Heading in to see the group, Makarov listens as Freed states the town they were in was saved by Laxus, whom he believes destroyed the Magic Barrier Particles before they spread. Unbeknownst to Freed, the particles actually spread anyway, causing the death of hundreds and rendering the town inhabitable; Makarov however lies to keep Freed happy, telling him that thanks to the group the town was saved. When he leaves the infirmary, Makarov finds the guild all questioning Tartaros and their appearance, with Natsu vowing to start a war with them for what they have done.

As Natsu throws a temper-tantrum over wanting to defeat Tartaros, he yells out that they need to defeat the Dark Guild as soon as possible. Despite agreeing with that statement, Makarov ponders over the fact that they do not have enough knowledge of their opponents. After confirming a plan to protect the remaining ex-Council members, Makarov raises his arm high to solidify their intentions of defeating Tartaros, in conjunction with a speech about how they have previously defeated the other corners of the Balam Alliance, how the pain of their allies drives them to defeat their opponents and how they will defeat their family's enemies.

Via Communications Lacrima, Makarov talks with Gray and Juvia about the fate of the Council member they were sent to protect, to which he is told by the pair that the man is dead and that the scene in which they found him is rather grizzly. Just then, Gajeel and Levy tell Makarov, also via Communications Lacrima, that Belno was assassinated in her home. Later, Makarov manages to patch through to Lucy, where he is informed that Michello is alive and well, as well as that Natsu was badly injured in his victorious fight over Jackal. Asking if they managed to weasel any information out of Michello, he is pointed in the direction of the man, where he hears the utterances "White Legacy" and "Face", the latter of which intrigues Makarov; Michello tells everyone that Face is one of the Council's weapons, and that they are arranged in order of lethality and priority. Extremely worried, Makarov shouts at Michello to tell him what Face truly is, exasperatedly adding on that the time to keep secrets isn't now. Michello finally caves and tells Makarov that Face is a Magic Pulse Bomb: a weapon designed to, when dropped, nullify all Magic across an entire continent, causing Makarov to shake in fear. It is then that the Fairy Tail Guild Master shouts for everyone to locate the address of the former Magic Council chairman, as he knows the identities of the three ex-Councilors that sealed Face with Organic Link Magic, though he is met with the reply that they have found him and dispatched Erza and Mirajane to his location.

With the Mages he sent out to protect the councilors now back at the guild, Makarov is informed by Lucy's group that they were unable to locate Natsu and the others. Questioning if there is a way for them to get the information on Tartaros' headquarters, Happy comes flying through a window revealing just that. Additionally, Makarov listens to Happy claim that the former chairman is nothing but a traitor. Makarov ponders deeply about the moving island, but hears Levy claim that she will draw out a map; the guild cheers her on. Just then, Elfman returns to the guild. Upon his return, he reveals that Lisanna has been captured and Yuri could not be rescued, silencing Makarov. After Levy announces that she has pinpointed Tartaros' base, Makarov and the rest of the guildmates praise her. However, just before the guild is caught in an explosion, Cana traps Makarov and the rest of her guildmates in her cards and has Happy, Carla and Panther Lily fly them to Cube. When they arrive, the guild is released and quickly spring into battle with Tartaros troops, Makarov playing his part to help drive them off. Seeing the wounded that Cana was forced to bring along all lying vulnerable out in the open, Makarov screams out to his guild, demanding to know if anyone has figured out a way into the headquarters. As he speaks, Erza suddenly bursts through the ground, having been in battle herself inside Cube and using a spear to create a large hole that the guild soon decide to use in order to breach the building.

Later, Warren is able to contact the guild with his Telepathy Magic, and Makarov learns from Happy about their encounter with Hades' spirit. Being told that the former master wanted him to 'release the light', Makarov realizes that he must be referring to the Lumen Histoire. Unwilling to believe this, he further questions Happy on what Hades had meant, only for the Exceed to reply that he doesn't know. Their communication is then interrupted by Mard Geer, who threatens their lives with a powerful Curse which results in the petrification of the entire guild.

After the Celestial Spirit King casts Galaxia Blade to dispel Alegria, all Fairy Tail Mages, including Makarov, are freed from its effects. Makarov then goes back to Magnolia, noting that what happened to the city is a horrible sight to see. He then thinks about the words left by the second Master to him about "releasing the light". As he arrives at the Fairy Tail Guild, Makarov listens to his guild members panic about the firing of Face through Warren's telepathy, though consoles them that all is not lost, as they have their own wild card: the body of Mavis—Lumen Histoire—stored beneath the guild. Makarov tells everyone he doesn't have time to explain but tells them to head for the guild. Droy says the building is in ruins but Makarov says they need to go to the basement. As Elfman states he will stay behind, feeling guilt over the destroyed building, Makarov assures him it was not his fault. He then tells Doranbolt to come too as his help is needed to erase Lumen Histoire from everyone's memories when everything is over. Doranbolt concludes he must then wipe his own memories too, which Makarov confirms, but says that he must.

However, he lowers his head in regret as the many Faces around Earth Land start up, asking for forgiveness. He later looks towards the sky, as the Dragons return and destroy Face at an incredible speed. With all the Faces destroyed, Makarov states that they were saved by the dragons and he had not the courage to unleash Lumen Histoire. Mavis, however, comforts him, telling him that it simply means it was not time. A week later, Mirajane, standing in front of the destroyed guild, asks Makarov if he is not going to rebuild the guild this time, to which he confirms. He states this is probably the end of an era Later, Doranbolt tells Makarov that he has wiped everyone's memories of Lumen Histoire, but states he doesn't want to mess with his own memories. Makarov tells him that its fine and that it is time to relieve him of his duties. Makarov then tears Doranbolt's sleeve off, as the Fairy Tail guild mark appears. Doranbolt is stunned as Makarov then tells him he was always a member of Fairy Tail but he erased his own memories to make it easier to infiltrate the Magic Council. Doranbolt continues to be stunned as Makarov tells him he was always the kind of guy to sacrifice himself to protect the guild. Doranbolt questions the events of Tenrou Island as Makarov tells him that he was instructed not to erase his memories, citing that he's a pain for having done so anyway; he is then told that Fairy Tail will henceforth disband.

He then undoes Mest's Memory Control one last time and reiterates that he will disband the guild in light of the information he has been fed about the West over the years in order to protect the guild. Mest questions his decision, but Makarov merely says that the country within, Alvarez, is too dangerous, and after Mest mentions their failed invasion ten years ago, Makarov says they invaded to steal Lumen Histoire; they also did not fail, they were stopped by Etherion and the threat of Face. With Face and Etherion now gone due to recent events, Alvarez's next invasion is imminent, and that Fairy Tail cannot stop them, for they are a continent of 730 united Dark and Legal Guilds united under the banner of the Alvarez Empire. Makarov likens Fairy Tail's threat to them as that of a newborn's own, and when Mest asks what they can do, Makarov says he will go to Alvarez and threaten to use Lumen Histoire in an attempt to stall them, hoping that the Council will be rebuilt in time for the invasion. Makarov then shouts that he'll forsake the guild's legacy and history if it means protecting his family, which if he fails and dies, will mean the massacre of his family should Fairy Tail remain together. When Mest tearfully tells Makarov that he's walking off to his death, Makarov says that he has the feelings of his family on his back, and that such is the duty of a parent to his children.

A while later, Makarov enacts his decree, for he gathers all of Fairy Tail's members, sans Natsu and Happy, who already left on a journey, and tells them all that Fairy Tail will end, adding that they should all follow their dreams. This is met with outrage by the guild, however Makarov angrily shouts that Fairy Tail is forever done, and that anyone who utters that name in his presence again will regret it.

Avatar arc
Makarov was nominated as a new member of the Magic Council alongside the other Ten Wizard Saints, but he did not appear at the meeting, as he has covertly entered the Alvarez Empire to keep their impending invasion of Ishgar at bay. He is mentioned to be missing since Fairy Tail's disbandment.

Alvarez Empire arc
In the Alvarez Empire's capital of Vistarion, a year after his absence, Makarov is playing a card game of Rejenca with Yajeel, the former bringing up Emperor Spriggan himself to the topic due to his surprisingly kind nature, treating him as a guest rather than being dictatorial as he was thought to be. As he says to Yajeel that he is spoken of in Ishgar as an absolute ruler by force, Yajeel tells him it's one of his sides, along with his habit to disappear from time to time. Soon after Makarov loses yet another game to Yajeel, he hears a noisy announcement on the emperor's return. As he gets ready to meet him and, subsequently, negotiate with him, Yajeel tells him just to stay calm. Listening to him, Makarov starts explaining his duties as a parent to his family, but immediately stops upon seeing the emperor's identity, being none other than Zeref himself.

Upon Zeref's arrival at the palace, Yajeel soon presents Makarov to him. The latter bows to the emperor and Zeref decides to speak with him in private, dismissing everyone else in the room. On an outside balcony of the palace, Makarov asks Zeref about his true identity, to which the latter responds by saying that he is both Zeref and Spriggan but that he ultimately prefers the former over the latter. Makarov then asks him about his motives for obtaining Lumen Histoire, and is shocked to hear that Zeref knows the real name of it, Fairy Heart. Zeref tells him that he will use Fairy Heart's power to start an extermination of humanity, and Makarov angrily expresses his disapproval, only to end up trapped by the Zeref's Magic. Makarov goes on to call Zeref an ugly demon, to which he replies that Spriggan is actually the name of an ugly fairy. Zeref prepares to kill Makarov in an attempt to attract Natsu's attention, however, just as he is about to do so, Mest arrives in time to use his Teleportation Magic and save Makarov, whom he teleports to Team Natsu's location, the Mages all overjoyed to see him.

Their joy is cut short, however, as Emperor Spriggan's true identity as Zeref is revealed, and Makarov sheds tears over his actions over the past year which he views as pointless, however, his guild members provide him reassurance. He and his Mages then attempt to leave, however, they are halted by Ajeel Ramal of the Spriggan 12. Even though Erza and the others prepare for battle, Makarov orders them not to fight and escape instead, with Erza equipping an SE plug to drive their Magical Vehicle after throwing numerous blades at Ajeel as a means of distraction. Despite how fast they are going, Ajeel appears right behind them, standing on a golem of sand. In spite of their best efforts, Makarov and the others eventually end up stuck in a pit of sand, losing the vehicle. However, Natsu manages to save them and punches Ajeel. However, after this, Ajeel sends more of his sands their way, but Makarov interferes, growing massively in size and grabbing his Fairy Tail Mages in order to protect them. Facing the Sands of Death, Erza and others beg Makarov to get away, but before anything can happen, a bolt of lightning shot by Laxus Dreyar plummets down, dispersing the sand attack. Mest then teleports Makarov and the others onto Blue Pegasus' Christina, the ship that Laxus and the others used to reach their location and, with Laxus launching one more attack, they safely fly away. Afterwards, Makarov tears up over finally being reunited with his great family.

Arriving at the Fairy Tail Guild, Makarov receives a warm welcome from all the guild members, who are happy to see him and, thus, throw a party to celebrate his return. As the party then starts making noise, Makarov suddenly asks for everyone's attention; he begins by apologizing for destroying the guild, for which everyone has already forgiven him. Moving on, Makarov tells about his unsuccessful attempt to stop the Alvarez Empire from attacking as well as their future invasion. As Natsu subsequently gives an encouragement speech to everyone, Makarov, along with the others, expresses his readiness for a showdown. Afterwards, though, Makarov decides to inform everyone about Fairy Heart, but that topic is then handled by Mavis herself, who starts talking about her past and the sins she committed.

Makarov listens as Mavis tells her story, and when she's finished, she gets upset over dragging everyone into battle, however everyone agrees that it's not her fault. Afterwards, the topic of Zeref's immortality is brought up, and Natsu mentions that his right arm is something that can do the job, though he refuses to tell anyone what his secret technique is. Makarov then tells everyone all the information he has gathered about the Spriggans while in Alvarez. Later, Makarov sits in the guild with Warren, Macao and Wakaba, trying to keep a lookout for the Alvarez Empire by scanning the area with Lacrima, which he remarks is hard to do because he has no idea what way they're going to come from. Mavis then arrives and offers her input, but adds that she checked up on the guild members' morale and that they seem to be doing fine. Makarov, however, tells her that they are instead fearful and are clinging to each other for support, and that as he is afraid and is their parent, then they too are naturally going to fear. He finishes by stating that it is a parent's job to stand for their children in the face of said fear, which earns him a commendation from Mavis; at that moment, though, the scanners go off and fifty Alvarez Empire airships led by Ajeel Ramal arrive seemingly instantly over the top of Magnolia, a number which Makarov remarks is but a small fraction of the empire's might.

The Empire wastes no time in attacking, but the town is saved by Freed's giant Jutsu Shiki barrier, but Makarov still expresses his worry as Freed won't be able to keep the barrier erected for very long. Not much later, as the Flying Dragon Squad is stopped in their assault of Ajeel's ships by their weakness of motion sickness, Makarov looks on dejectedly and wonders why the first sent them to battle on vehicles, which he learns was because she forgot about their motion sickness. Makarov then watches as Erza saves the Dragon Slayers, but remarks that even someone of her caliber will have an extremely hard time against one of the Spriggan 12. Makarov's cool soon breaks when he learns that another of the Spriggan 12 is in Magnolia, and that he has pierced Freed's Jutsu Shiki. Makarov then hears from Warren that a third Spriggan is in Magnolia before the readings ultimately that the other nine members of the Spriggan 12 are on their way to Magnolia as well, leaving Makarov aghast. Makarov then watches as Warren enters mental collapse due to the entire empire surrounding them, and continues to do so as Max snaps him out of it, in an albeit crude way, and apologizes to Mavis for his guild's unrefined behavior. As sand begins to cover the entire town, Makarov looks out in awe and shock wondering what is happening. Later, after Erza and Bisca defeat Ajeel, Makarov celebrates the guild's victories against Wahl Icht and Brandish.

After the brief celebration of the defeat of Brandish and Wahl, Makarov, along with the rest of the Fairy Tail Mages congregated within the Guild Hall, become utterly shocked when Warren picks up a new force heading straight for them at an astonishing pace. Initially, Makarov mistakes it for a new enemy before Mavis corrects him, believing it to be a single long range attack.

As the second day of the war dawns on Magnolia, Makarov stands in contemplation, recollecting how they have so far managed to defeat the enemies' initial vanguard offensive. However, whilst the Guild members remain euphoric about the previous day's results, Mavis remains downcast about the prospect of other guild mages becoming injured as a result of what she deems to be Fairy Tail's war. Laxus and Makarov remind the First Master that whilst it might be the case, the probability of other guilds becoming involved was all but a guarantee; Makarov stating that they must now graciously and gratuitously accept the other guild's assistance. Later on in the day, as news comes through about the complete collapse of all of Bosco's Guilds, Mavis begins giving deployment orders to the prominent guild members to head north and south as reinforcements for Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus, and Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale respectively. With the guild's strongest forces given their deployment orders, Makarov questions Mavis about what their actions should be for the approaching eastern and western forces should be. After it is revealed that the Four Gods of Ishgar will handle the eastern front, Warren manages to locate the presently missing Natsu; heading west straight to intercept Zeref directly, much to Makarov's disbelief.

After Natsu is brought back to the guild with an Anti-Ethernano Tumor and is remedied by Brandish, Makarov visits the unconscious youth in the infirmary, where he angrily remarks upon his recklessness and is scolded for being irritable by Porlyusica. When the latter makes a point that Brandish wields an impressive type of Magic, Makarov comments that he's surprised they were saved by the enemy instead of being exploited. Porlyusica, however, wonders if Brandish is truly their enemy; Makarov tells her he'll disclose the details after the war is over, and thinks back to mere minutes ago when Brandish requested her coat back and return to her cell, where he finds Brandish to be quite the confounding woman. Later, Makarov requests status report on Erza's squad in the south. As he gets a response that one of the Spriggan 12 has been taken down, a group of Mages jump to a conclusion that Fairy Tail will win the war. However, Makarov disproves their belief, stating the lack of backup units as well as lack of information regarding Zeref's whereabouts. Kindly requesting Mavis' help, Makarov is left wondering as Mavis asks for some time to ponder in order to discern the way how to defeat Zeref.

Later, with the defeat of Dimaria, Makarov watches his guildmates celebrate another of the Spriggan 12's defeat, but as they rejoice, Mavis voices her concerns over two of the non-moving Spriggan 12 markers; just then, Jacob Lessio arrives in the guild, taking them all by surprise. After he reveals that the Mage August has falsified their locations on his radar, Jacob demands a drink, a request that Makarov vehemently refuses. After learning that Jacob was just offering him the respect he deserves on Respect the Aged Day, Makarov and everyone else in the guild is erased by Jacob's Magic. According to Jacob, Makarov and everyone else who was affected by his Magic is alive, but extremely wounded. Shortly thereafter, Lucy successfully tricks Jacob by summoning Gemini to copy Marin's Spatial Magic and return everyone from the alternate dimension. Promptly after, angered for Jacob's mistreatment of Mavis, Makarov punches the Shield of Spriggan away and sends Natsu flying to him, who finishes him off with Fire Dragon King's Demolition Fist, delighting everyone to see another of the Spriggan 12 being taken care of.

Later, however, Makarov apologizes for destroying the part of the guild building, but, hearing from Warren that his Radar is malfunctioning, he treats the threat August may pose seriously once Max remembers Jacob mentioning the Magic King and his doing. Hearing Natsu wanting to fight August, Makarov disapproves his wish, for his foe is too powerful. Adding to that, Brandish suddenly arrives and states that while August is the strongest man among them, Irene Belserion is the strongest woman, going by the title of Scarlet Despair. Makarov assumes that their former prisoner is finally willing to cooperate, but settles for taking her up on her offer when Brandish states that she will simply help them negotiate a ceasefire with August.

Magic and Abilities
Giant (巨人 Jiyaianto): Makarov’s signature Magic that makes up for his small size, Giant', as the name suggests, allows him to enlarge his body to gigantic proportions. Such enlarging power is immense, even allowing Makarov to grow himself to the size of Tenrou Island. Additionally, it can also be employed on selective parts of Makarov's body, elongating them and making it look like he possesses elastic properties of sort, coming in as a very versatile Magic. Giant’s effects can also be transferred to other people aside from Makarov himself, as shown when he could use it to grow Reedus Jonah's chest to the latter’s request, in order for his Pict Magic to work better. When he employs his complete Giant form, Makarov’s muscles bulge in size, with prominent veins becoming visible (though, when he first employed it, he instead gained a slender figure ), and his mustache becomes wilder, pointing upwards. He’s also shown to emit light from his eyes, possibly a result of his Light Magic. His physical prowess is enhanced exponentially while in this state, allowing him to partially destroy a large airship with a single punch, subsequently damaging it further by lifting a gigantic wave with a kick. He was also able to easily crush Natsu to the ground and punch him around, breaking down a tree in the process, with only his enlarged arms. Even when heavily injured, he managed to stop Acnologia's charge and hold the Dragon at bay. His great physical resistance is also immensely increased while in his gigantic form, allowing him to take the blast from Grimoire Heart’s Jupiter cannon head on with only a moderate burn on his arm. He was also shown capable of enduring some of Acnologia’s attacks despite all of the grievous injuries he had sustained from battling Hades.

Maximum Defense Seal (最大防御魔法陣 Saidai Bōgyo Mahōjin): Makarov releases several magical seals, which float around him and seemingly inhibit another seal-based attack performed against him, acting as a defense. Makarov has also been known to perform hand gestures and create seals in the air while on the verge of being struck on other instances, using them to shield himself from incoming magical attacks.
 * Three Pillar Gods (三柱神Sanchūshin): Apparently a powerful defense spell, Makarov crosses his arms before him with the fists clenched. This prompts three ethereal pillars composed of dark seals to appear, two before Makarov, at his sides, and one behind him. This spell is strong enough to protect Makarov from the effects of Hades' Amaterasu Formula 100, which engulfed a large part of Tenrou Island in an explosion, with Fairy Tail's Master receiving only minor injuries; even Hades himself went on to praise Makarov for his use of such a spell.

Light Magic (光魔法 Hikari Mahō): A type of Elemental Magic which relies around the use of light. Makarov is known for being capable of manifesting his immense Magic Power in the form of light, as well as to use it to attack opponents. During his fight with Jose Porla, he was shown drawing ethereal spheres of light in the air, joined together by beams reminiscent of constellations, to perform unseen spells.
 * Giant Wrath (巨人の逆鱗 Kyojin no Gekirin): Makarov exudes a constant surge of destructive light energy that surrounds him, which shakes the surrounding environment and destroys everything within the vicinity. Used when Makarov goes to find Jose Porla, during Fairy Tail's raid on Phantom Lord.
 * Rain of Light: Makarov creates his Magic Seal in front of himself, from which multiples light blasts are generated and sent flying at his opponents.

Fairy Law (妖精の法律, フェアリーロウ, Fearī Rō): One of the three legendary spells exclusive to Fairy Tail, Fairy Law is described as Makarov's most powerful Magic: when activated, a bright light envelops a wide aura around him and inflicts heavy damage on whoever he perceives from his heart as an enemy, leaving friends and bystanders completely unharmed. Makarov's mastery over such spell is so great that he defeated Jose Porla, Phantom Lord's Guild Master and a fellow Wizard Saint, in a single blow.

Fire Magic (火の魔法 Hi no Mahō): Makarov is able to use this type of Magic, generating fire around his hand to burn some documents he received from the Magic Council, subsequently throwing the burning sheets at Natsu, who ate them.

Wind Magic (風の魔法 Kaze no Mahō): Makarov has been said to possess Wind Magic, a form of Magic which, as the name implies, allows the user to generate, manipulate and control wind. It's as of yet unknown, however, which spells he's capable of using.

Ice Magic (氷の魔法 Kōri no Mahō): Makarov is known for being capable of employing different types of Magic, among which is Ice Magic'.

Requip (換装 Kansō): Makarov has been shown capable of using this type of Spatial Magic, summoning his Ten Wizard Saints robe and boots after being attacked by Hades.

Dispel (解除魔法, ディスペル, Disuperu): Makarov has been shown capable of dispelling certain and advanced spells with relative ease such as shown dispelling Macao's Transformation Magic' and Alive in a Dark Mages' village.

Telepathy (念話, テレパシー, Terepashī): Makarov has shown the ability to be able to communicate telepathically with others.

Flight: Makarov has shown capable of flight or rather levitating in the air such as shown during his battle with Jose Porla who also possess the same ability.

Master Sensor: Makarov possesses great skill in sensing and discerning the nature of Magic Power. He could read through Macao's attempt to impersonate Natsu without effort, while all of the other members were fooled by his transformation. He was also able to find out about Grimoire Heart's presence near Tenrou Island before the Dark Guild managed to land, sensing the Magic Power of its members from far away.

Master Acrobatic Skills: During his first appearance, Makarov was shown performing an astonishing acrobatic feat, jumping from Fairy Tail's first floor to the balustrade above him with a series of fast somersaults, covering several meters of flight in midair (despite the maneuver failing in the end, with Fairy Tail Master hitting the banister in a comedic way, but nonetheless managing to remain on the second floor) and demonstrating at the same time a considerable lower body strength and great acrobatic prowess, with the entire feat made greater by his small build.

Immense Durability: In spite of his advanced age and small build, Makarov has proven himself to be considerably durable: despite all the damage dealt to him by Hades during their battle and his own critical state of health, he was still able to speak freely and even help Natsu in combat against Zancrow, enduring the black fire from the latter's Flame God Slayer Magic burning his arm, a feat which was noted by the member of the Seven Kin himself.

Immense Magic Power: Makarov is known for possessing a monstrous amount of Magic Power. By manifesting it in the form of light, something which is known as Giant Wrath, he can destroy the area around him and make it shake prominently. Most notably, a battle between him and his fellow Wizard Saint Jose Porla was described as capable of causing extraordinary natural occurrences, and their real clash did actually alter the surrounding environment in a wide radius: clouds focused around the place of their confrontation, lightning was produced, and high waves were raised.

Fairy Academy: Yankee-kun and Yankee-Chan
After school one day, Makarov talks with Macao, telling him he knows a great bar, which prompts Lucy to ask if they are really high school students.

Megane-Fairy
Makarov is approached by a few kids who wish to work at his company, but Makarov informs them that Fairy Tail is not a company. Inside the guild, Macao asks Makarov to retrieve a balloon which floated to the ceiling. Makarov uses Giant to retrieve it, shocking the new comers. Izumi then asks how he can stretch his body like that and Makarov decides to teach him. Later, Makarov asks all non Magic users to leave the guild, so Izumi decides to show off his new found Magic, growing to many times his size.

Natsu and the Dragon Egg
Natsu, having found a egg he believes to be a dragon egg, asks Makarov if he can hatch it. Makarov however replies that there is no Magic which can make an egg hatch as life is a force born of love. Natsu however, does not understand, leading Makarov to believe he is too young. Later, as everyone begins to get into a fight, Wakaba states that he thinks there is something wrong with that generation, but Makarov says they only fight because they accept each other and that everything is fine. Makarov then watches with the others as Happy hatches from his egg.

Welcome to the Fairy Fountain
Makarov decides that he is going to open the swimming pool to the public once a week and asks the members of the guild to create attractions. He asks Lucy to spend the day testing each out, which she is hesitant about. Makarov then leads Lucy to each attraction, announcing the name before Lucy is forced to try them out. After they go through each attraction, Lucy tells Makarov that he can't let people in those attractions as there will be fatalities. Makarov is saddened by this, but Max comes up with a new way of earning cash, selling photos of Lucy in a bikini.

Rainbow Sakura
Out one day with the guild, Makarov cheerily enjoys watching the cherry blossom trees. Later, after Natsu uproots the rainbow cherry blossom tree, Makarov storms into the guild in a rage, asking who uprooted the tree and saying the mayor is very angry.

Happy in Boots
Makarov, king of the kingdom, is presented with many gifts from Happy as the cat tries to win the favor of the princess.

Fairies' Penalty Game
Makarov decides he will address the elephant in the room of if Fairy Tail A or B is better. In doing so, he sets up a rock, paper scissors game in which the loser will have to be the servants of the winners for a day.

Welcome Back, Frosch
As Sabertooth talks about their guild being the only one with an indoor pool, Makarov sneezes (as his guild is having a party in their indoor pool as well), which warrants him Mirajane's attention.

Welcome to Fairy Hills!!
Makarov tries out the pool the male Fairy Tail Mages have recently cleaned. However, unbeknownst to him, his Mages found his secret peeping room and, by using the glass inside it, they see him swimming. That causes him to panic, and lose his swimsuit as he tries to distance himself from his Mages' eyes. Much to Makarov's embarrassment, he is seen naked by Natsu, Gajeel and Gray, whose reactions cause the pool facilities to be destroyed. Mirajane scolds Makarov for his actions, and he apologizes.

Fairy Academy - Yankee-kun and Yankee-chan
Makarov is a student of Fairy Academy. During lunch time, Makarov has his lunch along with Macao and Wakaba. When he wishes that he had some alcohol to accompany his lunch with, Makarov tells him that the headmaster would expel him. He then watches the fight between Gray and Natsu, saying that it's idiotic. After school ends, Makarov, Cana, Macao and Wakaba decide to go have a drink together, which makes Lucy wonder how old the four of them really are. The next day, Makarov is found pinned on a tree, along with Wakaba and Macao, after being beaten by Gajeel's gang and serves as an invitation to a fight between Fairy and Courage Academy.

Memory Days
Makarov is the first one to discover Lucy when she returns to the past, calling her "Bunny-chan". He is later the one to discover the Memory Days Book and bring it to the guild's storage in the first place.

The Exciting Ryuzetsu Land
On the evening of the third day of the Grand Magic Games, Makarov heads for Ryuzetsu Land, a water theme park, along with Mavis and Laxus. There, he babysits Mavis as she plays around, along with his grandson. When Lucy and Erza run into them, since various Mages participating in the tournament also had the same idea to visit the park, Makarov explains the situation to them. When Mavis suggests they warm up first, Makarov immediately agrees with her, urging Laxus to join as well, who is also followed by Freed and Bickslow. When the combined efforts of Natsu, Gray and Lyon Vastia end up destroying the theme park and as a result Fairy Tail ends up in debt once again, Makarov and Mavis both burst into tears.

Sunday VS Magazine: Shuuketsu! Choujou Daikessen!
Makarov makes a cameo appearance in the game, Sunday VS Magazine: Shuuketsu! Choujou Daikessen!, along with Happy, Gray and Erza.

Fairy Tail Gekitou! Madoushi Kessen
Makarov is a playable character in the game Fairy Tail Gekitou! Madoushi Kessen as one of the starting characters.
 * Main:
 * Sub 1:
 * Sub 2:
 * Sub 3: Fairy Fist (妖精の拳骨 Yōsei no Genkotsu)
 * Super:

Fairy Tail Gekitotsu! Kardia Daiseidou
In the video-game Fairy Tail Gekitotsu! Kardia Daiseidou, Makarov Dreyar is a playable character. In this game, Makarov Dreyar possess the following moves:
 * Main:
 * Sub 1:
 * Sub 2:
 * Sub 3: Fairy Fist (妖精の拳骨 Yōsei no Genkotsu)
 * Super:

Trivia

 * Hiro Mashima gave him the name "" because he wanted his name to sound Russian. While Precht wanted to name him Pippoko, Mavis eventually named Makarov based on the name of a kind king whom she had read about.
 * In the anime, Makarov's magical seal has a design almost identical to the Fairy Tail Guild's insignia in the center.
 * When he's asked by the reporter from Weekly Sorcerer about the guild's ambition, he states that it is to let love and justice fill in people's minds, though Lucy noted it was clearly a lie.
 * Makarov was ranked second in "Meredy's Most Important People to Kill" list.

Quotes

 * (To Fairy Tail) "Do whatever you think is right! That's the way of the Fairy Tail Mages!"
 * (To Nab Lasaro) "No one can decide what someone else should do with their life."
 * (To Gajeel Redfox) "There are people in this world that enjoy being alone, but there isn't a single person who can bear solitude."
 * (To Natsu and Lisanna) "In this world, there is no Magic that defames life. Life is given birth from love, and no Magic can change that"
 * (To Hades) "It doesn't matter if you say the true origin of Magic is "Darkness", It doesn't matter if you say it's "Light" either. Magic is alive. Its place changes over time and it grows along with us. Magic is anything you can think of. It can be felt in infinite ways... as light, as darkness, as red, or as blue and it is living freely, together along side Fairy Tail. All of this I learned from you."
 * (To himself about his guild members) "Soon, the time for you to understand these things will come... that tears themselves are empty. Will you be sad because someone got killed? Will sadness kill a person? The answer lies in each of your hearts. My damn brats, full of pride. Live on! To the future!"
 * (To Acnologia) "I don't know what it is you're after, but... I won't let you pass any further ahead! Because behind me are all my little brats!"
 * (To Banaboster) "7 years worth... of tears cried from the pain felt by these children... Hey, child. Here's what we owe to war."
 * (To Fairy Tail) "Our comrades were mortally wounded, their pain amounts to our own, the blood they bleed is our own, this pain, this suffering will fuel our fighting spirit to take down our enemies! We are not justice, we move by our own wills! "
 * (To Mest) "The guild's history, legacy, all of it be damned! If it means protecting my family, then I will disband Fairy Tail without a moment's hesitation! I am proudly carrying my family's lives on my back. That's what it means to be a parent!"