Silver Fullbuster

"The only thing I consume... are the souls of Demons."

~Silver

Silver Fullbuster was an Ice Devil Slayer, the father of Fairy Tail Mage Gray Fullbuster, and a member of Tartarus' Nine Demon Gates. He died in X774 along with his wife, Mika, but was then resurrected by Keith, serving as a test subject for his experiments.

Appearance
Silver is a tall, well-built man who appears to be in his thirties or forties. Like his son, his eyes are black and so is his hair, kept short and styled into a number of spiky strands pointing backwards, with some prominent ones topping his forehead; his thin sideburns reach down to the stubble covering the majority of his chin. He has a sharp face, marked facial features and a slight hint of wrinkles below his eyes. A long and massive scar extends from his hairline to his lower left ear; this appears to have been left by Deliora's attack on his and Gray's village. Both of his ears are adorned by silver-colored earrings, these consisting of a ring with a little chain ending in a cross pendant.

Personality
Unlike the majority of his guildmates, Silver appears to be a jovial, amicable, somewhat playful,[10] if calm, man. After recognizing Natsu Dragneel as the one who melted the ice covering the Sun Village, he thanked him gleefully, noting his mistake in freezing it in a casual manner,[11] and he also provided a naked and handcuffed Lisanna Strauss with a blanket to cover herself,[12] demonstrating some chivalry. He described the Tartarus headquarters as a "sickening piece of architecture",[4] highlighting a sense of beauty which is unlike that of his comrades. When reassuring a Tartarus messenger that he wouldn't have harmed him, Silver made claim that the only souls he's interested in consuming are those of Demons; something which contrasts with his membership of a guild entirely made up by Demons.[13] Franmalth, possibly aware of such trait (or merely considering the Exorcist Mage's Magic a deterrent, as speculated by Keith),[14] appears to have a certain degree of fear or unease towards him, sweating in his presence and respectfully referring to him as Silver-sama.[15]

Silver's personality appears to change drastically when Gray is involved: when Natsu compared the Ice Devil Slayer's smell to Gray's, Silver abandoned his previous cordiality and froze him solid, warning him not to pronounce that "disgusting" name, and, while posing as Deliora during the battle against his son, he proceeded to recklessly brutalize him, make fun of his efforts and claim that he would have killed Gray's friends next.[16][17][9][18] In stark contrast to this, Gray seems to have fond memories of his father[19] and to be genuinely attached to him,[20] and Silver himself went on to sincerely congratulate his son on his victory after Gray managed to overcome him.[21] However, the latter instance of sincerity seem to be Silver's true personality, as, after being revived by Keith, he devoted seventeen years of his new "life" to the killing of Demons for the sake of avenging the family that they took away from him. In the end, though, after learning that his son was indeed not killed by Deliora, Silver gave up his bid for revenge, as he felt that his hands were too soiled to continue to fight for his son and deceased wife. Going even further, Silver wishes to no longer be among those properly living, and very much regrets the way he went about trying to get Gray past the trauma that Deliora inflicted unto him, calling himself unworthy of being Gray's father.[22]

Sun Village Arc
Silver Fullbuster freezes the entire Sun Village along with the Eternal Flame, which held the lingering spirit of its guardian Dragon Atlas Flame, whom he mistook to be a Demon.[27]

Later, in an unknown snowy location, Silver stands in front of a grave when he is interrupted by a messenger informing him that he's being summoned to meet with the rest of the Nine Demon Gates members. He notices that the messenger is trembling in fear before him so he tells him to relax because he won't eat him as he only consumes souls of Demons.[28]

Tartarus Arc
Arriving back to Tartarus' headquarters, Silver gazes at the castle standing in front of him, expressing his utter displeasure at its architecture. Albeit, he calls it his home.[29] Shortly thereafter, he witnesses Kyouka's arrival, at the same time stating that she is looking stunning as always, with several characters clad in armor following her steps. He is approached by the demonic woman, who is shocked to see Silver in his human form, only to have Silver claim that his human form appeals him. As Kyouka ponders where the other two Mages of the Nine Demon Gates are located, Silver stands by her side as they are joined by five other members of the Nine Demon Gates and are told that the other two are out on missions.[30]

As the other Demons talk among themselves, Silver silently looks at the shrine in front of him, with Kyouka claiming that the hammers of Demons will descend upon mankind for the sake of their master: Zeref.[31]

Some time later, an angry Natsu Dragneel breaks into Tartarus' headquarters destructively, earning the notice of Silver .[32] Finding that Franmalth has engaged the intruder, Silver orders him to carry away the unconscious Crawford Seam while he takes over the fight. Once Natsu points out the sudden drop in temperature, Silver asks if he was the one who unfroze the Sun Village and is asked in turn if he froze it. Suddenly, Silver starts laughing, commenting that he froze the village due to a misunderstanding. Taking notice of him, Natsu tells Silver that his scent reminds him of someone. Upon hearing that he reminds him of Gray, Silver instantly freezes Natsu, telling him not to utter that disgusting name.[33] Following Natsu's imprisonment, Silver visits the Dragon Slayer's cell and hands Lisanna, a Fairy Tail Mage captured by Sayla, a piece of clothing. Natsu questions his actions, but Silver rapidly informs him that although he cannot free them, he will not allow his little "princess" to bare the embarrassment. Walking away as he hears him question his identity, Silver murmurs Natsu's name.[34] Later, when Mard Geer activates Alegria and Cube captures the Fairy Tail Mages, Silver states that "they" won't meet again, addressing an unknown someone. However, at that moment, he senses a certain Magic and it turns out that Lucy Heartfilia has managed to escape the effects of Alegria.[35]

After Lucy summons the Celestial Spirit King and destroys Plutogrim, Silver ponders the sudden quake.[36][37] After Jackal's defeat at the hands of Lucy, Silver makes a comment regarding the disappearance of Jackal's magical presence[38] and soon appears at the sight of the battle, threatening to freeze Juvia after she intercepts Keith's attempt at Lucy's life. His ice, however, is cancelled out by Gray's own, and when he spots the young man, Silver throws a smirk in his direction. After Tempesta and Natsu arrive as well, Silver stands with his three other Nine Demon Gates compatriots and stares down the group of four Fairy Tail Mages standing in their way.[39] Silver is then seemingly recognized by Gray, while Natsu states that he is the one who froze the Sun Village. Gajeel then notices Silver's smell being similar to that of Gray, however, with a grin on his face, Silver says no word and rushes towards Gray. While the Fairy Tail Mages are surprised, Silver exclaims that he'll take care of Gray and the two vanish.[40]

An exhausted Gray squats on the ground as Silver reveals that three thousand Faces will soon awaken. Consecutively, Silver is asked if that was his reasoning behind bringing him here, the former responding negatively; explaining that he hoped to see despair on the enemy's face. Gray contradicts his statement, leading Silver to reveal his true intentions, which relate to killing him. Gray promptly asks Silver if he knows him, the latter responding affirmatively. Silver can only smirk as Gray proclaims that he recognizes his face and his voice, but his identity is shrouded in mystery.[41]

Finally deciding to take pity on Gray, Silver reveals to the Fairy Tail Mage that he is his father. Gray however replies that he watched his father die, and angrily attacks with his Magic. Blocking his blows and sending Gray flying, Silver laughs at Gray's distress, and adds that though he is Gray's father, that isn't exactly his identity, as he is someone much more important who is destined to fight Gray.[42] When Gray questions the statement, Silver lies to Gray, saying his current human body is merely a vessel for the convenience of Demon that killed his family, Deliora, and that, due to the body's original owner, he and Gray may have been drawn together. Hearing that his father's body is being defiled, Gray screams that Silver has no right to it, and asks why he is seeking to kill him. Smiling maliciously, Silver reveals his true identity as the Demon who murdered Gray's family and forced Ur to relinquish her life, much to Gray's terror. As the Ice Mage quivers at the memories of what Silver did, the Demon baits him by offering to return to his Demon body; Gray responds by flying towards him in a fit of rage.[43]

Sneering at Gray, Silver proceeds to both redirect and parry Gray's attacks, as well as push the boy back; Silver devours Gray's next strike and laughs at him, criticizing him for his use of ice against an ice Slayer Mage, adding that he learned Ice Devil Slayer Magic for the sole purpose of destroying everything to do with Ur. Attacking Gray, Silver relishes in the Ice Mage's pain, exclaiming that he'll kill Lyon when he's through with him, and then move on to his friends. Though an angered Gray attempts to retaliate, Silver once again devours the boy's spell and counters with his Devil Slaying breath attack, further reveling in the pain Gray is being inflicted; in response to Gray's claim that he'll kill the Demon Gate, Silver tells Gray that his chances of winning are zero percent. Chiding Gray for his continued use of ice, Silver is then surprised when Gray creates a cannon with which to fire rubble, and after a barrage of typeless attacks, Silver freezes the entire area with a swipe of his hand to prevent such a thing from occurring again. Gray, however, then redirects Silver's Devil Slaying ice back at the Demon, as he cannot eat his own element to defend himself; Silver emerges from the assault without much further injury whilst stating that regardless of where it comes from, ice is still ineffective against him. Moving forward, Silver asks Gray if he's remembered the true terror that Deliora can bring.[44]

Silver continues to torment Gray, reviving the fear Deliora engraved upon him as a child. Overpowering Gray completely, he claims that humans will never be a match to Demons. Albeit, his opponent continues to arise, informing him that he will be victorious no matter the cost. Silver reminds Gray that ice has not effect on him, only to be taken aback then the latter assumes the position to cast Iced Shell. Regardless, Silver seemingly negates the attack by freezing Gray's Ice Dummies and canceling out his Iced Shell. However, the real Gray appears behind Silver, subsequently creating a weapon of ice to dramatically boost his throwing power, utilizing it to throw a steel ball at Silver's direction. The ball makes contact, shortly enough causing Silver to collapse on the ground. As he lies on the ground, Gray reveals that he is aware of his father's presence, leading Silver to display a disoriented expression.[45]

Lying on the ground, Silver expresses his desire for Gray to kill him before explaining that he was Gray's father, but adds that he is now no longer human nor Demon, and that he has been dead for seventeen years. Informing Gray that Keith revived him for the purpose of experimentation, Silver tells him that he used his new life to exact revenge on all Demons for taking his family away from him, until, that is, he discovered that Gray was alive. Ultimately deciding to forsake his plan for vengeance, Silver goes on to tell Gray that he can forget about him, as he is merely a dead man; when Gray calls him his father, Silver rebuts this, saying that no father would hurt their son. Begging to return to his wife's side, Silver eggs Gray on to kill him and sheds tears when his son finds himself unable to do so. Getting up and embracing his son, Silver tells Gray he's become a good man and that he and his mother are proud of him. After the fact, using Telepathy, Silver contacts Juvia and tells her to defeat Keith so that the revived chairman can be stopped from activating Face, knowing full well that he, too, will disappear; to stop her from refusing, he tells her that it's for the benefit of Gray.[46] Upon Keith's defeat by Juvia, Silver praises and thanks Juvia for freeing his soul, telling her to take care of Gray. Before he departs, Silver passes on his Ice Devil Slayer Magic to his son and leaves him with the task of defeating E.N.D.[47]