Gildarts Clive stands as one of Fairy Tail's S-Class mages and is widely considered the guild's strongest member—at least below Master Makarov, though people endlessly debate whether he might actually match the old man. His reputation extends well beyond the guild; even the Phantom Lord master Jose Porla acknowledged him alongside Erza and Laxus as a name known across entire regions.
The guy's basically never around. His reputation for taking on the toughest jobs imaginable means he vanishes for months or years at a time. He recently returned after being gone for three years, and rumor has it he's tackled both a 10-year job and a 100-year job—classifications that exist above even SS-rank, ranked purely by how long they're expected to take. Guild members typically just call him "that geezer."
His constant absences apparently factored into why Makarov never seriously considered him as a successor, and it's why the guild made no real effort to contact him during the war with Phantom Lord. The long stretches away meant he was out of the picture when it mattered most.
What's striking is how beloved he actually is. When word gets out that Gildarts is coming back to town, they literally ring a special bell to announce it, and the whole guild erupts. Unlike Mystogan, who barely anyone knows exists, or Laxus, who most people actively disliked for his attitude, Gildarts is genuinely popular with both the townspeople and his guildmates. His arrivals are legitimate celebrations.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
