Makarov is the "Master" of Fairy Tail and one of the Ten Great Holy Mages, though at eighty-eight years old he's well past his prime. He's known for butting heads with the Magic Council over their endless rules and regulations—he genuinely despises their interference. It's a constant balancing act between keeping the Council off his back and letting his guild members be themselves, which he believes means trusting their instincts. That said, he's openly worried that Natsu, Erza, and Gray might literally destroy a town one of these days.
Magic-wise, Makarov's no joke. His signature ability is Titan magic, which lets him enlarge specific body parts or transform his whole body into a giant version of himself. On top of that, he's got control over fire, ice, wind, and other forms of magic that make him genuinely formidable. The guild members call him Ji-san or grandpa, and he genuinely sees every one of them as his own kids—he'll protect them at any cost. Though he's also got a creepy perverted streak that fans note but would rather forget about.
When Phantom Lord first attacked the guild, Makarov was weirdly unbothered, pointing out that guild wars are technically forbidden. But when Shadow Gear got ambushed and crucified to a tree, something snapped. He led a full assault on Phantom Lord, only to get blindsided by Aria and lose his magic entirely, forcing Fairy Tail to retreat. It took him recovering and coming back to finish Jose with Fairy Law—a devastating spell that only hurts people he considers enemies. He then easily took down Aria again, making it clear their first victory was just a lucky hit.
Retirement has crossed his mind given his age, but he's ruled out every potential successor: Laxus is too cold, Gildarts is impossible for reasons he won't explain, Mystogan's too isolated, and Erza's too young and reckless. After hearing about the destruction caused by the Natsu-Lucy-Gray-Erza-Happy team, he pretty much gave up on the idea.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
