In Fairy Tail, there are few wizards that are as powerful as the Dragon Slayers. With powers on par with the dragons themselves, and their powers having draconic origins, it's no wonder that these wizards are as feared as they are. The most notable Dragon Slayer is of course Natsu Dragneel, the main protagonist of Fairy Tail, but he is far from the only might Dragon Slayer.

While the series introduced multiple Dragon Slayers with different powers, it also categorized them into different types, or "generations" based on the origins of each Dragon Slayer's abilities. Interestingly enough, the way each Dragon Slayer received their powers actually affected how the magic would manifest within them, making each generation of Dragon Slayer rather unique compared to their counterparts. While Fairy Tail never fully explained all the intricacies for each specific Dragon Slayer generation, it did provide enough information and context for fans to get a general idea of how each generation worked.

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First GenerationFairy Tail Natsu And Gajeel

Starting with the First Generation of Dragon Slayers, who are the most notable amongst fans of Fairy Tail due in part to almost every major Dragon Slayer being part of this generation. These wizards include Fairy Tail's Natsu Dragneel, Gajeel Redfox and Wendy Marvel, as well as the villains Irene Belsarion and Achnologia. The First Generation Dragon Slayers are classified as wizards taught Dragon Slayer magic directly from dragons.

These wizards are granted the powers of the dragon that acted as their mentor, including immunity to whatever that dragon's magic power is, such as fire or wind. The ability to consume the element their power is based on from external sources in order to heal and recharge or enhance their magic, and all of their spells and attacks. Their senses also become enhanced which results in their greatest weakness: motion sickness. Once they reach a certain level of mastery and consume a great deal of magic, they can access an even stronger power known as Dragon Force, which greatly increases all of their abilities and gives them certain physical features of dragons such as scales. In this state their powers become greater and a demon's and potentially equal to those of actual dragons.

Unfortunately, First Generation Dragon Slayers unknowingly carry a great risk proportionate to their incredibly power. If they use their magic too much the Dragon Seed inside them that formed once they started learning the magic will bloom and start the Dragonization process. The Dragon Slayers will lose their human forms and turn into creatures that are essentially dragons but not quite.

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While there are some cases in which these Dragon Slayers being able to transform back into humans, such as Achnologia, others such as Irene were unable to under normal means. The only way to permanently avoid this outcome is if a dragon goes into the Dragon Slayer's body before the process starts, acting as almost a vaccine that helps the Dragon Slayer create antibodies to stop the Dragonization. This is how Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy all managed to avoid this fate.

Second GenerationLaxus emitting lightning in Fairy Tail

The Second Generation of Dragon Slayers is one of the more interesting groups, yet unfortunately the least explored. They have attained their Dragon Slayer Magic through the use of a lacrima that contain it within them. While not trained directly by dragons like the First Generation, these wizards are still granted seemingly all the same powers that their predecessors received. This has caused them to be labeled as "artificial" Dragon Slayers. Notable examples of these wizard would be Laxus Dreyar, Cobra and God Serena.

What is interesting though, is that there hasn't been any known instance in the series where any of the Second Generation attained Dragon Force. While there have been instances of Laxus and Cobra developing dragon-like features such as scales or claws, it was never confirmed to be Dragon Force. Throughout Fairy Tail and its sequel, Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest, it has actually never once been confirmed or denied that they can achieve Dragon Force.

However, it should also be noted that the same is true about them undergoing Dragonization. It might be that the lacrima implanted in them stops or contains the Dragon Seed, saving them from this outcome, but that has never been confirmed. If that were the case, then that could also potentially be why none of the Second Generations in the story have ever been shown using Dragon Force either. Hopefully, the 100 Years Quest will eventually shed some light on these questions.

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Third Generationthird gen dragon slayer

The Third Generation Dragon Slayers are rather special as they are a combination of the first two generations. They are taught by dragons directly as well as have a lacrima of that dragon's magic implanted within them. The only confirmed Third Generations are Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney. They have all the powers granted to the First and Second Generation as well as a few unique to them.

The first power they have is known as Drive. This technique harnesses the power stored in the lacrima and has it released throughout the Dragon Slayer's body at a faster rate, effectively supercharging them. All of their physical and magical abilities are increased tenfold, allowing them to take on much stronger foes with way less effort. While it is similar to Dragon Force, it's a different technique altogether that is exclusive to the Third Generation.

Speaking of Dragon Force, the Third Generation do have access to the ability and have a much easier time gaining it than the First Generation. Rather than rely on external sources of magic to power up enough to attain it, they can freely enter this mode seemingly without effort. While it looks a little different from the First Generation's, with the physical features being scale-like and not actual scales, it's been confirmed to be the same power. It should also be noted that the Third Generation is also susceptible to Dragonization, but can avoid it the same way the First Generation did.

Fourth GenerationThe Fourth Generation Dragon Slayers from Fairy Tail

The Fourth Generation Dragon Slayers are probably the most unique of the bunch as they aren't even real wizards but rather autonomous soldier powered by Dragon Slayer Magic. They aren't nearly as powerful as any of the other Dragon Slayer Generations and even non-Slayer wizards can take them out. The one thing they have going for them is their vast numbers but if their power source is interrupted, or they are overpowered by their enemies the fight is pretty much over.

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Fifth GenerationThe Fifth Generation Dragon Slayers from Fairy Tail

While they are the newest addition to the Dragon Slayers, introduced during the 100 Years Quest, the Fifth Generation is easily the most gruesome. Also known as the "Dragon Eaters", these wizards actually consume the flesh of the dragons whose power they are hoping to attain. Doing this grants them all the powers of that dragon, and they can seemingly do this process over and over again with different dragons, gaining as many new powers as dragons they consume. The only known examples of this generation would be the wizards of the Diabolos Guild.

While they have all the powers of the standard Dragon Slayer, their Dragon Force ability is rather special by comparison. While the First and Third Generation's version is a state that can be accessed on multiple occasions, for the Fifth Generation it's actually a one-time thing. Acting as something of a combination between the Dragon Force and Dragonization, once activated, it essentially speeds up the process of the latter exponentially, steadily transforming the user into a dragon more and more until they have completely and irreversibly been changed, hence why it can only be done once. For that reason, Dragon Force has been made a somewhat forbidden technique among the Fifth Generation.