Gildarts Clive

"I hate going easy, whatever the task may be."

- Gildarts Clive to Natsu Dragneel in Who Is the Lucky One?

Gildarts Clive (ギルダーツ ・クライヴ Girudātsu Kuraivu) is one of the Fairy Tail Guild's S-Class Mages, the guild's Ace, its current most famous Mage,and was its Fifth Guild Master. He is the father of Cana Alberona.

Personality
Gildarts is a laid-back, easygoing person. He's also warmhearted and kind, and has great interest and faith in the new generation of Fairy Tail's Mages. He is well respected by the whole town and guild, with the citizens going as far as to literally rearrange the town's layout whenever he's around, creating a large, empty road for him to walk to the Guild, to prevent accidental damage.He also appears to be a bit absent-minded and oblivious, and apparently doesn't pay attention to what he's doing, such as not recognizing the guild or Mirajane. He also has a tendency to break through walls with his Crash Magic in order to pass, rather than simply using the door, something which prompted the inhabitants of Magnolia to create the town's rearranging process.

When he enters a fight, he often points out that he is bad at and dislikes holding back, and Happy made it clear that Gildarts is well known for obliterating his opponents.When fighting, Gildarts would often employ exclusively hand-to-hand combat while using Crash to destroy things other than humans, such as the ground or Magic attacks, to avoid human casualties.Should he be pushed to the limit, or choose not to hold back, his Magic power would react similarly to Makarov's Giant Wrath, except it doesn't destroy everything around him in terms of intensity.[ His fighting spirit is similar to Natsu's, as he himself admitted, in that he respects his opponents, neither taking them too lightly nor overdoing. He also won't turn down a fight challenge offered to him, but he may ask to fight later after some urgent business is first dealt with.

In many ways, Gildarts appears to be somewhat of a lone wolf. He left the guild three years before the start of the series to take on a 100-year mission by himself.He also left the guild once he was declared the fifth master, passing on the mantle of leadership once again to Makarov, suggesting that he may feel uncomfortable with a leadership position, or at least disliking the added responsibility. Once the title of master was passed, Gildarts immediately left the guild again, stating that while Fairy Tail would become the number one guild in Fiore once more, it was not his job to do that.In addition, during the fight between Bluenote Stinger and himself, he had his guild mates leave the area so that he could fight Stinger one-on-one (although this was most likely done to keep the others alive, as they would have been caught in the fighting).

Gildarts is a womanizer, having been with at least 13 women since leaving his (now deceased) wife 18 years ago.

History
 Gildarts went out of the guild 3 years prior to the beginning of the series. He is rumored to have taken both a 10-year-job as well as a 100-year-job, which is classified above the SS rank jobs as the difficulty is ranked on how long it has been since someone completed one.On this quest, he met  Acnologia  and was quickly defeated, losing both his left arm and leg, plus an unspecified organ in the process. Years ago, Gildarts met and fell in love with a woman named  Cornelia. Their relationship blossomed and the two eventually married each other. However, Gildarts was so fixated with his work that Cornelia left him 18 years prior to the beginning of the series, and he was unaware that she was carrying his  child.

Magic and Abilities
Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean  (破邪顕正・一天 Haja Kenshō : Itten ): Gildarts first breaks the spell cast by his foe, and then blows the enemy into the sky with a powerful punch imbued with magical energy. This technique was used to defeat Bluenote Stinger while battling on Tenrou Island.

Crash (クラッシュ Kurasshu): Gildarts' signature Magic, Crash is an extremely powerful Caster Type Magic that smashes everything the user comes into contact with into pieces. It can even be used to both crack Magic into pieces, nullifying its effects, as well as to reduce the Magic's power and to deflect it. Even the most powerful spells are rendered useless when faced with this destructive and highly advanced Magic, which is seemingly difficult to control even for an extremely powerful individual like Gildarts himself.

Disassembly Magic (分開 Punkai): Is a Caster Type Magic that creates a net-like pattern which runs straight through whatever it touches, whether tangible or intangible. However, instead of being destroyed, the objects that are touched split apart and form numerous, smaller versions of the original. When used on a living organism, the recipient gets reduced into small, doll-like versions of themselves, complete with deadpan expressions. In this case, the process is reverted after some time, but Gildarts is also capable of revoking the spell to recreate the original person.

Immense Durability: Gildarts has proven himself to be extremely durable, as he was shown taking the full brunt of Natsu's Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade (which was used to defeat an internally and externally weakened Laxus) and only take two steps backwards afterward, emerging completely unscathed.

Immense Strength: Gildarts is shown to be extremely strong, as when Natsu attempted to attack him, he casually threw him crashing into the ceiling with one hand.He is also shown to be able to not only move, but attack with surprising agility and strength under the influence of Bluenote Stinger's gravitational field, a remarkable feat as Natsu, a potential S-Class Mage known for his physical prowess, wasn't even able to stand.

Immense Magic Power: As an S-Class Mage of the Fairy Tail Guild, Gildarts has immense Magic Power, which he can release into a potent aura around him. People in the immediate vicinity can be brought to their knees by its power, even potential S-Class Mages, and its force can be felt at much greater distances. It's powerful enough to even force Natsu, who is renowned for his durability and perseverance, to his knees. When exerted, Gildarts' Magic Power is white in color.

Master Hand to Hand Combatant: Gildarts is an extremely accomplished unarmed fighter. During the S-Class Trial, he easily defended himself against and even overwhelmed a determined Natsu with his hand-to-hand skills alone without moving a single step.