Talk:List of Fairy Tail characters/Archive 3

Use the Japanese tankobon volumes?
Since some of the English volumes of Fairy Tail have not come out yet and there are still some statements fact-tagged, should we use the original Japanese tankobon volumes wherever possible? Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 23:24, 25 March 2012 (UTC)


 * I think it's alright to use the Japanese ones for the latest chapter references. I'll try to get that gnn/gnr thing up soon. AngusWOOF (talk) 23:53, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

Name preferences
I'm noticing there are quite a few spelling variants in the character names, guild names, and special abilities. Most I can resolve by using Nihongo format, with alternative names listed afterwards, but what priority should we use for names?

1. Official spelling per Del Rey and Kodansha English manga AND Funimation anime when they agree. (e.g. "Ur")

2. Del Rey/Kodansha English manga, since it comes out before the anime (e.g. "Ultear") and since they make a big deal in the early volumes about having the official Hiro Mashima approved spelling.

3. Funimation English dub.

4. Fan approved spellings. (Grandine / Grandeeney, Loki / Loke, Gerard / Jellal) AngusWOOF (talk) 18:53, 26 March 2012 (UTC)
 * I'm going for #1. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 21:14, 26 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Option 1's the straight-forward one. But there are still some that aren't as clear, as I haven't had a chance to verify those in the Funimation anime (e.g. Freed Justine appears as such in Del Rey/Kodansha). The notice about claiming proper spelling is in the Translation Notes of every Del Rey/Kodansha volume I've read so far (volume 14), so I'm favoring #2 after #1 AngusWOOF (talk) 23:07, 27 March 2012 (UTC)
 * I've gone ahead and changed some of the spellings per the Del Rey/Kodansha English translation. Granted this may still have errors, but over time, the spellings should become more consistent. As a side note, I noticed in Volume 14, Freed and Bickslow's names were exchanged when they are first introduced. Dunno if Mashima made that error or the translator. Given the rate that Funimation is releasing the anime (only 48 episodes so far), there's no telling when they'll ever catch up. AngusWOOF (talk) 18:05, 28 March 2012 (UTC)
 * I was reading the Kodansha USA Volume 16 and it looks like the translator used Raijin Tribe and Fried again so I cleaned those up as anchors. It is uncertain whether he will continue to use those names in the future volumes as he committed to the Thunder God Tribe and Freed for Volumes 13 and 14. AngusWOOF (talk) 18:33, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

Proposing some conventions
There is a lot of Japanese names and terms with their equivalents in the Del Ray/Kodansha Comics USA manga and Funimation anime adaptations on this page. With that said, I would like to suggest the following conventions, using Talk:List of One Piece characters as a model. Feel free to add your own proposals to this thread. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 20:03, 14 May 2012 (UTC)

Take List of Tokyo Mew Mew characters (FL) as example for voice actor wording
I believe that List of Tokyo Mew Mew characters is treating the issue with the voice actors and names sensibly by mentioning name changes along with naming the voice actors. That has several advantages. Therefore, we may at least imitate that list's wording in regard to voice actor information and use it wherever possible. Specifically, I think we should use the following variations. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 20:03, 14 May 2012 (UTC)
 * It gives due weight to adaptations (less weight to the Japanese anime adaptation than to the original manga and even less weight to English adaptations thereof).
 * It reduces redundancy.
 * It makes the text easier to read by reducing the amount of information provided inside parentheses.
 * For Japanese voice actors
 * In the anime adaptation, her/his/its voice actress/actor is ____.
 * In the anime series, her/his/its voice actress/actor is ____.
 * She/He/It is voiced by ____.
 * ____ provides her/his/its voice in the anime.
 * His/Her/Its voice actor/actress is ____.
 * In the original Japanese series, he/she/it is voiced by ____.
 * For English voice actors
 * In the English dub, she/he/it is voiced by ____.
 * In the English dub, her/his/its voice is supplied by ____.
 * In the English dub, her/his/its name is changed to ____ and she/he/it is voiced by ____.
 * In the English dub, her/his/its name is changed to ____ and her/his/its voice is supplied by ____.

Differentiate between outright name changes and spelling differences
I would also like to recommend for English voice actors whose names are a spelling difference and not something major. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 20:03, 14 May 2012 (UTC)
 * In the English dub, her/his/its name is spelled ____ and she/he/it is voiced by ____.
 * In the English dub, her/his/its name is spelled ____ and her/his/its voice is supplied by ____.

Please use present tense
As a note, we are supposed to write from the perspective of the reader, not from the perspective of the characters. (See WP:INUNIVERSE.) These above wordings are all examples of what we should not write. Cheers, Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 18:11, 17 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Karen Lilica, Hibiki's former lover.
 * Its master and founder is Ivan Dreyar, Makarov's son and the father of Laxus, whom he implanted Dragon Slayer magic-infused lacrima inside as a child


 * Past tense may be appropriate in some cases, although very limited: (See WP:TENSE) I'll see if I can rewrite Hibiki's statement soon. AngusWOOF (talk) 19:16, 17 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I agree with the appropriate usage of past tense. However, I am concerned over using it, as WP:INUNIVERSE is clear that "using past tense when discussing the plot or any of its elements" denotes it as a problem. If we are writing a summary for a flashback episode, we wouldn't do it in past tense. When reading the flashback, the flashback's present is the present for the readers.


 * Ultear being experimented on. Past or Present? In the manga and anime, it's a flashback. It might be tough for me as a reader to think of the Tower of Heaven incident as a past incident, but that's what we have to do here at Wikipedia. Also, there is no present and no events "occurring in the moment." Right now, Fairy Tail is playing in the Grand Magic Games, right? Wrong! Right now, Fairy Tail is a group of fictional characters who in some story participate in the Grand Magic Games. They are just as much as a group of fictional characters who visit Tenrou Island and disappear for seven years. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 19:43, 17 May 2012 (UTC)


 * We did a pretty good job with keeping Erza and Jellal's descriptions in present tense with respect to Tower of Heaven. As for Ultear, we can do something similar: I'll try to flesh that out when I get to those chapters. AngusWOOF (talk) 21:12, 17 May 2012 (UTC)

Peer review
This article is shaping up to be a potential FL candidate. However, we may need to get the article peer reviewed by someone else. Unless someone objects, I am going to start adding a peer review in the next couple of days. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 00:34, 14 May 2012 (UTC)


 * It think we should give it a week from today and take a look through the Writing better articles article before anything. Plus there are incorrect plot details that need fixing. User:Immblueversion (talk) 00:58, 14 May 2012 (UTC)


 * Very well, then. We should halt the peer review immediately. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 02:06, 14 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I know it's a little late, but I restarted the peer review. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 18:53, 3 June 2012 (UTC)

Nihongo foot commas
Do you think we should move the commas and related punctuation inside the Nihongo foot, for example, in Bickslow's entry:

BEFORE He can only control up to five puppets at a time, referring to them as his "babies" and naming them Pappa (パッパ), Pippi (ピッピ), Puppu (プップ), Peppe (ペッペ), and Poppo (ポッポ).

AFTER He can only control up to five puppets at a time, referring to them as his "babies" and naming them Pappa, (パッパ) Pippi, (ピッピ) Puppu, (プップ) Peppe, (ペッペ) and Poppo. (ポッポ)


 * I think that would work. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 19:37, 30 May 2012 (UTC)

Popularity polls
I noticed these were removed from the character list recently, I suspect per WP: POPULARITY, and wanted to ask where that data could be helpful in analyzing the reception or notoriety of the characters in the culture. Do the character designers need to win some award for it to be notable? AngusWOOF (talk) 17:58, 18 April 2012 (UTC)
 * We should post it in the reception section. However, I am seriously concerned that the character polls in lists are undue weight. As for individual character articles, that is a different matter. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 22:02, 13 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I'm looking through Manual of Style/Anime- and manga-related articles and they do mention polls as being okay. I agree with considering undue weight of in-universe polls like Miss Fairy Tail though. The manual also has some good structure of what details to include in the character pages, well, more for standalone characters. AngusWOOF (talk) 16:36, 18 June 2012 (UTC)

Some rearrangements?
I know the article is shaping up as it is now, apparently enough to remove the "lack of citations" thing, but I still feel there are a number of things that are out of place with it. Looking back, I've been wondering if the current arrangement of characters really is the best for this article. I like the format already, but there are just some things that still bug me.

First, the "Protagonists" section. Yes, the members of Fairy Tail are the protagonists. But it has a subsection called "Fairy Tail members", almost as if Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Carla aren't members. As inspired by the Featured Article List of Tokyo Mew Mew characters, I propose we rename "Protagonists" to "Fairy Tail", and "Fairy Tail members" to "Other members".

Second, a Balam Alliance subsection. I propose we make one under the "dark guilds" section and include Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart under it.

Third, the "Other wizards" section. I've been wondering if it's really necessary for certain characters in that list to have their own subsections, especially when their roles as fictional characters can potentially be adequately described in other characters' subsections. For example, Layla Heartfilia. I'm sure her involvement will have major importance to the story, but is it really necessary to give her a whole subsection, particularly when Lucy's father has none? Maybe the basics of their stories should be relegated to Lucy's subsection until the significance of their roles in the story becomes clear. The same goes for Ur; we already know her role just from reading Gray, Lyon, and Ultear's subsections. Since Gray is a main character, maybe we could redirect her link to his subsection. Then again, considering it spans three characters, I can see why she'd have her own section, but still. And Bora...I know he's significant as the villain who starts off the story's events, so I am a bit more inclined to let him stay, but still. I also suggest we move Meldy here (or however her name is spelled, though this postcard illustrated by Hiro Mashima calls her Meldy).

Fourth, the use of bullet points. It seems adequate enough for listing the minor Fairy Tail members, but what if we were to use it to list the celestial spirits? Or would that be too informal?

Fifth, the use of furigana in the manga. As you may notice, several phrases are written using kanji, but pronounced using katakana phrases, some of which have entirely different meanings, such as the guild names or spell and attack names. Are we to just leave the pronunciations in parentheses next to the kanji, or should we utilize this new "Notes" section we've been using? In other words, spell out the katakana pronunciations in the article, and mention the kanji and their meaning in the "Notes".

Speaking of which, how are we using the "Notes" section? I can see it's for character names, but what else should it entail? Because to tell the truth, I've been occasionally looking at the new article and using my sandbox to help me keep track of certain sections I feel still need rewriting, be it for grammar or incorrect details. I've also been using the notes for a lot of things, and as a result, it does look really cluttered:

User:Immblueversion/sandbox

It's still a work in process and slightly out of date with the way the article looks now, but it at least contains a better idea of how I personally envision the article to be arranged. I advise you look at it and tell me what you think. User:Immblueversion (talk) 20:10, 13 May 2012 (UTC)


 * The section regarding Protagonists has been changed per the above suggestion, and the Balam Alliance subsection would work. However, I think that we might have to hold a discussion whether minor or secondary characters appearing in a story arc in the Other Wizards section should be removed, kept or merged. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 20:22, 13 May 2012 (UTC)


 * Mashima likes to introduce a bunch of characters in a cluster (Phantom Lord/Element 4, Tower of Heaven, Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart), have them fight the main Fairy Tail folks in a story arc where they showcase various abilities, and then move on. I threw in the bullets on the miscellaneous Fairy Tail members so it could be easily read, but I've also seen options like bolding their names or subsectioning on other character lists. Whatever scheme you like, but the list formats seem most useful when you want to know who exactly are counted among the Seven Kin, Oracion Seis (6), and Element 4. Anchors can be thrown in for all cross-references regardless.
 * I'd like to keep the details on the Translation Notes and related pages as it add information about character creation and name selections. If those need to be separated from the simple Nihongo notes, that can be done. AngusWOOF (talk) 21:50, 13 May 2012 (UTC)


 * An Antagonists section was also suggested for One Piece, but I don't think we need that here as almost every person and group they encounter can serve as an antagonist, and sometimes changes alliances afterward. AngusWOOF (talk) 21:50, 13 May 2012 (UTC)


 * Looking at the Sabertooth section, I think it's a little too soon to give each of the prominent members subsections, so we should probably turn the whole thing into a single paragraph or to. I mean, the dark guilds don't have subsections for each member, yet the official guilds do. I've even considered doing the same for Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale, but have held back because of characters like Lyon, who were not introduced as members of such a group.


 * And about Raven Tail, considering it's no longer a dark guild, should we keep it in the "dark guild" section or move it to someplace like the "minor characters" section (given they've only been central to a single arc thus far)? Because as I understand it, characters or groups that have influenced multiple story arcs belong in the "major characters" section, while groups that have only influenced single arcs are "minor characters". Of course, that brings up other questions, such as the placement of "celestial spirits" and whatnot. But they're more like "supporting" characters and haven't really been too central, but then again, they're always there... Such are the questions that I've been plagued with since we first started reformatting the article.


 * Another thing I've noticed is that for sections that refer to other groups, particularly villainous groups, they seem to mention their leader or master before anything. But I've been thinking that we should start each of those kinds of subsections with a paragraph describing what the group is, what their general goal is, and what happens to them in the end, and have subsequent paragraphs talk about its members as individuals. Let's use Grimoire Heart as an example:


 * Paragraph 1: Grimoire Heart is the strongest dark guild of the Balam Alliance. The guild wants to reawaken Zeref for such and such. Its members travel around on their causing havoc to do it. They find Zeref, they fight Fairy Tail, they lose, they find out Zeref was always awake.


 * Paragraph 2: The master of Grimoire Heart is Hades, who was once the master of Fairy Tail. He wants Zeref so he can to learn stuff. He keeps a mechanical heart that makes him strong. He gets beaten when his machine is destroyed, and he's killed by Zeref later. He's voiced by Gary Stu.


 * Paragraph 3: The other members are Bluenote Stinger and the 7 Kin of Purgatory. Ultear and Meldy were once part of the 7 Kin. Here are the other members: yada yada.


 * Because we're talking about groups, they should probably be talked about as groups before we go into the juicy details such as members. After all, it's done for Fairy Tail. But of course, these are smaller sections, and making them too big may prove cluttersome. User:Immblueversion (talk) 23:57, 13 May 2012 (UTC)
 * We should move Raven Tail to the minor characters section. The section Sabertooth is consolidated for now. The idea about subsections starting with what the group is, their general goal and what happens in the end, and the later paragraphs talking about the members or individuals should help. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 03:20, 14 May 2012 (UTC)


 * Liking the latest changes so far! Those character descriptions are really coming together! AngusWOOF (talk) 04:16, 14 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I still have reservations to giving Ur her own subsection because, as I've mentioned above, we already know everything about her from reading Gray, Lyon, and Ultear's subsections. User:Immblueversion (talk) 13:58, 14 May 2012 (UTC)


 * Also, I think the Reception section needs to be expanded upon a little more with additional DVD and manga reviews as well. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 16:34, 14 May 2012 (UTC)


 * Regarding Ur, it seems that she is always presented in the context of the other characters. If they had an Ur special episode in the anime like with Broly in Dragonball Z, I'd be more inclined to keep her separate. If you need the anchor, you can put her with Ultear. On the flip side, Mavis Vermillion also has her own subsection within Fairy Tail, even though she doesn't have a profile chapter cover page. AngusWOOF (talk) 20:46, 14 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I bullet listed the groups that involve numbers: Element 4, Oracion Seis (6, well 5 excluding Brain), and Seven Kin of Purgatory. AngusWOOF (talk) 17:01, 6 June 2012 (UTC)

Cleaning up Citation overkill
I did a bunch of cleanup on the chapter references per WP: Citation overkill, grouping some chapters to the end of the paragraphs or sentences, for example, Loke's story spans chapters 72-74, and Jellal's story has a few clusters. If there are any that should still be reverted to split by phrase, feel free to fix those. AngusWOOF (talk) 18:08, 7 July 2012 (UTC)
 * I would also propose that we should trim excessive detail for the individual characters to make it more concise per the peer review suggestion, using List of Naruto characters and List of One Piece characters as models. Also, with the widespread positive reception of the manga and Funimation's release of the anime, which characters should be split from the page? Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 23:04, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Creation section suggestions?
I noticed Wendy's background got pushed to the Conception/creation section? Was that notable or can it go back to the character section itself (like Lucy / Beatles)

Also might want to mention Rave Master influences on the material - Siegrain, Plue, Oracion Seis. - most of which are in-joke crossovers but if Mashima has any interviews/writings about things he did or intended in Fairy Tail that he couldn't do in Rave Master, that would be worthy to note. AngusWOOF (talk) 05:50, 17 July 2012 (UTC)

Split protagonists
I am nominating the following sections to be split into individual articles: Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel, Happy, Gray Fullbuster and Erza Scarlet. With Funimation's announcement of their licensing of season two and Fairy Tail reaching its 22nd volume, the characters have gained significant reception lately. I think they satisfy the general notability guidelines and have been covered with reliable, third party sources. However, we must be aware that Wikipedia is not a collection of plot summaries. Please leave your thoughts in the individual sections or in the general section below whether you would support or oppose these splits. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 05:46, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

I also would like to propose a split of the other characters: Carla and Wendy Marvell. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 21:41, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Manual_of_Style_(anime-_and_manga-related_articles)

Lucy Heartfilia
Lucy's section (and others) are getting a bit slim that it might not need the split? AngusWOOF (talk) 16:26, 15 August 2012 (UTC)


 * Oppose split: even though she is a major character, but does not need a split for now due to AngusWOOF's concerns. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 21:41, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Natsu Dragneel

 * Support split: has a role as a major character. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 21:41, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Happy

 * Oppose split: Sad to say, even though he has a role as a major character, it may need more third party references. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 21:41, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Gray Fullbuster

 * Oppose split: for the same reason as Happy. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 21:41, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Erza Scarlet

 * Support split: - a major character appearing in several major arcs, also per the same reason as Natsu Dragneel. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 21:41, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Wendy Marvell

 * Oppose split - for the same reasons as Happy and Gray Fullbuster Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 21:41, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Carla

 * Oppose split - for the same reason as Happy. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 21:41, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

General
I'm a bit on the fence here considering there hasn't been much coverage regarding influences on the anime culture, not like Chi (Chobits), where professors have written essays on her, or Haruhi Suzumiya. But it does allow for more details on the characters themselves plus allow for a lot more reception commentary. If there are crossover references that would help their case as well. I can picture Natsu and Erza, maybe Lucy, but not sure about Happy (he ain't Pikachu) or Gray. AngusWOOF (talk) 17:37, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

As long there are decent reception sections with comments by reviewers, the articles should pass notablity.Tintor2 (talk) 22:32, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Peer Review checker
I put the article through the Peer Review checker tool and got this:

Suggestions generated by an automatic JavaScript program, and might not be applicable for the article in question. You may wish to browse through User:AndyZ/Suggestions for further ideas.
 * Consider adding more links to the article; per Manual of Style (links) and Build the web, create links to relevant articles.[?]
 * You may wish to consider adding an appropriate infobox for this article, if one exists relating to the topic of the article. [?] (Note that there might not be an applicable infobox; remember that these suggestions are not generated manually)
 * Per Manual of Style (headings), headings generally do not start with articles ('the', 'a(n)'). For example, if there was a section called  ==The Biography== , it should be changed to  ==Biography== .[?]
 * Per Manual of Style (headings), avoid using special characters (ex: &+{}[]) in headings.
 * Per WP:WIAFA, this article's table of contents (ToC) may be too long – consider shrinking it down by merging short sections or using a proper system of daughter pages as per Summary style.[?]
 * This article may need to undergo summary style, where a series of appropriate subpages are used. For example, if the article is United States, then an appropriate subpage would be History of the United States, such that a summary of the subpage exists on the mother article, while the subpage goes into more detail.[?]
 * There are a few occurrences of weasel words in this article- please observe WP:AWT. Certain phrases should specify exactly who supports, considers, believes, etc., such a view.
 * is considered
 * might be weasel words, and should be provided with proper citations (if they already do, or are not weasel terms, please strike this comment).[?]
 * The script has spotted the following contractions: don't, doesn't, don't, if these are outside of quotations, they should be expanded.
 * Please ensure that the article has gone through a thorough copyediting so that it exemplifies some of Wikipedia's best work. See also User:Tony1/How to satisfy Criterion 1a.[?]

It also found 7 dead links from Checklinks. I'll try to fix those up. AngusWOOF (talk) 20:25, 18 September 2012 (UTC)


 * The dead links were false alarms. AngusWOOF (talk) 20:34, 18 September 2012 (UTC)

Evaluating character importance
As the series gets longer and longer, characters who are previously not prominent enough to merit a section may do so overtime. Likewise, characters who were important in the past, may no longer be. In doing so, I think we should evaluate character importance. Feel free to bring up any other characters as well.

Arcadios
New significant character who appears as an important character intending to use a celestial spirit for his plan for Zeref. I think he should get a section of his own. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 06:02, 30 July 2012 (UTC)


 * Sounds like the next major antagonist in the series that isn't in a guild? AngusWOOF (talk) 17:56, 30 July 2012 (UTC)


 * Hmm, given the recent events, maybe we need a paragraph on Fiore Kingdom instead. AngusWOOF (talk) 06:12, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

Igneel
Igneel continues to show up, first in flashbacks, then at the Tower of Heaven, and now, the Grand Magic Games. I think we should have him get a section of his own. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 06:02, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
 * It sounds like Igneel will probably be like Zeref, so I support this. AngusWOOF (talk) 17:55, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Mermaid Heel
Mermaid Heel has appeared in the Grand Magic Games. One of its members, Millianna was a minor character in the Tower of Heaven, and since then, her latest significant appearance is in the Grand Magic Games. Another one of its members, Kagura Mikazuchi has some plot relevance to Jellal, since she wants to kill him. I think we should use a section devoted to the guild. Darth Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 20:20, 30 July 2012 (UTC)


 * Support - Same reasons as Sjones23.
 * Support - Same reasons as Sjones23. - SuperTiencha (talk) 06:18, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
 * I suggest adding this guild in the Minor guilds and characters section along with Quattro, the latter can house Bacchus if they continue with more chapter details on them. AngusWOOF (talk) 16:18, 17 October 2012 (UTC)

Gajeel Redfox
I believe that Gajeel should be taken out of the other members section and be put up with the Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, ect. I mean we have Wendy and Carla up there and he is just as important if not then more important then they are. - SuperTiencha (talk) 02:26, 19 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Support per SuperTiencha. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 02:36, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

Bora
I believe that Bora is too minor to be on this list. Sure he was the first antagonist but that was only for the first chapter and episode. He may have made around two minor cameo's later on but he practically has nothing else. There are tons of characters that have the same amount of screen time as him that aren't on this list as well as characters that have appeared longer and more prominently that aren't on this list as well such as Duke Everlue, Daphne and the Legion Corps. We should probably remove him from this list to make more room especially since his minor role is something that can easily just be mentioned in some plot or episode summary. - SuperTiencha (talk) 03:28, 3 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Remove him from the list - minor character appearing in only one story arc. He appears as the first antagonist in the first chapter, only to make cameo appearances in the later chapters. Devoting a whole section to him seems too much, especially considering the fact that Erigor, Jose Porla, Brain, Faust and Hades (all primary antagonists in their respective story lines) are discussed in less detail. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 04:36, 3 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Was there a one-shot of Fairy Tail with Bora in it? If so that might be the only reason to keep him around. AngusWOOF (talk) 05:02, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale
I don't intend to remove these two sections, but to give several select characters their own subsections while ignoring others doesn't seem completely fitting with the rest of the article, especially if they don't receive much development that can be summed up in more than two sentences. I propose we remove the subsection headers and rewrite the sections accordingly, save for Lyon Vastia, whom I believe has significant enough development to warrant his own section in the "Others" subsection of the article, much like Yukino Aguria. That being said, I think we should also reevaluate the general character sections themselves, since determining "Major groups" and "Minor groups" seems to be getting confusing. User:Immblueversion (talk) 20:48, 31 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Yep. We should use the List of One Piece characters as a model to split the guilds into the "other groups, guilds and organizations" section. That way we can split the characters into the "other characters" section. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 20:57, 31 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Believe it or not, I considered doing the same thing back when I worked on the original rewrite of the article. I just wasn't 100% on it. I still think we should absorb the other character subsections besides Lyon into their respective sections. User:Immblueversion (talk) 21:56, 31 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Yep, and I proposed that idea. I also support the idea that we should absorb the other characters in the article. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 22:11, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

Manga names
The last time this was discussed, Funimation just released the fourth box set of the anime, Kodansha Comics was not that far with their English adaptation and Crunchyroll is keeping up with the simulcast of anime episodes. Since I read and watch the different versions, my native language being English, I think we should decide on one and stick with it throughout this article at the very least. Last time, if I recall correctly, we decided to use the Kodansha Comics USA's names as they contain the non-fan-made terminology for the lot of characters. However, Crunchyroll has also provided the available terminology as well. That should leave the choice between Crunchyroll, Kodansha Comics USA and Funimation's dub and sub. Now, seeing as Kodansha will eventually overtake Funimation when it catches up to the Japanese manga this upcoming March, and because the manga is the primary medium (we do not cover filler characters in this list either), I think we should consider switching some of the recent names to Kodansha's names. Opinions or objections? Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 02:50, 9 December 2012 (UTC)


 * Is the Crunchyroll translation done by Funimation? I don't know how up to date the anime is compared to the manga. The article can favor the Kodansha manga although names like Grandine can be debated. The variants can be mentioned in the footnotes with the voice actors. AngusWOOF (talk) 04:04, 9 December 2012 (UTC)


 * Um, I don't think so. Crunchyroll does their own translations and has aired the latest episodes, but most of the characters' names remain the same. However, I also see that Kodansha will eventually overtake both Crunchyroll and Funimation when the company catches up with the Japanese manga with two digital volumes and one print volume, which will begin in March 2013. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 05:57, 9 December 2012 (UTC)

use of "protagonist"
I was checking an article that was trimmed for WP:FILMCAST where they got rid of all the protagonist, antagonist, main character deuteragonist verbiage, and wanted to see how it can be applied here. The lead sentence for the main characters is one of the few spots where protagonist should be retained as that makes sense, but do we need it for every character listed? AngusWOOF (talk) 19:13, 14 January 2013 (UTC)

The funny part is Natsu is listed as the protagonist even though the story primarily follows and revolves around Lucy and her friends in the guild. If anything this series is better described as protagonist-less because it's very well balanced around the guild vs a single character.Wasamonkey (talk) 21:40, 7 April 2013 (CDT)

Create page for Fairy Tail guild
As it stands, the page has grown extremely large at over 150 kB, which, according to article size guidelines, is enough to warrant page division. Now, I have read the proposal to create individual character pages below, so odds are that will significantly decrease the article size. Nevertheless, I propose we split the entire "Fairy Tail" section of the article into its own article; since it features the central group of protagonists, the characters featured therein may collectively satisfy the general notability guidelines and have reliable, third party sources as well. For reference, see the Japanese character list, which already has a separate page for the guild. User:Immblueversion (talk) 03:43, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

On another note, I would like to propose a split of the character Jellal Fernandez for the same reasons as Natsu Dragneel and Erza Scarlet below. User:Immblueversion (talk) 03:43, 31 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Sounds like a good idea if an editor can do a decent job of splitting the two. Jellal would need a lot more work with having to create a reception section for the character from scratch. DragonZero  ( Talk  ·  Contribs ) 04:28, 31 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Well, Jellal will be playing a major role in the upcoming set of episodes ordered for release by Funimation, so hopefully he'll get some coverage then. User:Immblueversion (talk) 04:56, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

Volume 24 translations
Volume 24 of the manga has been released, and it has some new translations.

First, "Tenrou Island" is now translated as "Sirius Island". Here's the rationale in the volume's translation notes: The Japanese name for this island is Tenrô-jima ("Heaven Wolf Island,") but Tenrô is also the name for the Dog Star of the heavens, Sirius. I have edited the name accordingly.

Also, the volume extensively spells the character name "Freed" as "Fried", first introduced in Volume 16. I believe the time has come for this name to take precedence over the Volume 13 spelling. User:Immblueversion (talk) 21:10, 3 April 2013 (UTC)

Gajeel's nickname
I went to the library today and tried to find "Black Steel" but it is not mentioned at all in the chapter 105 cover profile in volume 13. Can someone provide a chapter or article that confirms his nickname? AngusWOOF (talk) 01:33, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Did you check Chapter 47 (volume 6) (his debut)? In the scanlations, he is introduced as "Iron Dragon". 五代  (talk) 13:35, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I just looked at the Del Rey book. It says "Kurogane Gajeel". AngusWOOF (talk) 20:40, 1 December 2012 (UTC)


 * And just watched the anime episode where they introduce "Black Steel Gajeel" -AngusWOOF (talk) 04:53, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

New page format
I was inspired by various Harry Potter character pages for a new page setup: we turn this page into a bulleted list of prominent named characters in alphabetical order by their first names, using brief, one- or two-sentence descriptions of each character highlighting their most important aspects, particularly what guild(s) or group(s) they're from and perhaps what kind of magic they use. We then split the "Fairy Tail" section into its own page talking about the guild, its members, and the creation, development, and reception of both. Lastly, we make another page for the various other guilds and characters in the series. User:Immblueversion (talk) 22:24, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Rewrites
I've tried experimenting with new article formats on my sandbox, but while I'm still open to keeping the current format as it is, there are some sections I think should be rewritten, much of which I have already done in my sandbox. First, I've rewritten the Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale sections to be more in line with the other guild sections as I think the depiction of characters like Ichiya and even Toby can just be summed up in a handful of sentences. Lyon should be moved to the "Others" section. Also, I've been debating whether or not characters like Sting, Rogue, and Minerva warrant their own sections. If possible, I think the Fairy Tail section could even be split into its own article, seeing how much of the "Reception" section is about them, and the rest is about one single character.

As you can see in my sandbox, I modelled it after the List of One Piece characters article: one section for the protagonists; one for the general guilds and groups and the people who make them up; and one for individual, noteworthy characters. Again, if you're against this format I can attune what I've written to the current format, but I think some of the changes I've mentioned above (definitely the BP/LS thing) should be made, or at least considered. User:Immblueversion (talk) 02:12, 15 September 2013 (UTC)

Expand Flare Corona section?
I am thinking about expanding Flare Corona's section. Given her importance and notability after the Grand Magic Games, is it possible to split it into the others section? Thanks, Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 02:54, 6 November 2013 (UTC)


 * Agree, Flare should be her own section in others. If we have characters like Jose and Bora having their own section then she definitely should have her own. On a related note, I believe Minverva should also have her own section, she has appeared as a major antagonist of every arc after her introduction. - SuperTiencha (talk) 05:29, 6 November 2013 (UTC)


 * I think this raises the question: do Jose and Bora even need their own sections? I don't know, when I look at the article in its current state, I think it's too detailed in places... For months I've been trying to wrap my brain around the most presentable format for this character page, and it's been a nightmare. User:Immblueversion (talk) 18:55, 11 December 2013 (UTC)

Followup on Edolas parallel universe characters
As a follow-up on Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Anime_and_manga/Archive_60, the Funimation episodes concerning Edolas have aired, and the closing credits confirm that the main characters' Edolas versions are indeed not credited twice (e.g. Erza Scarlet and Erza Nightwalker). -AngusWOOF (talk) 16:41, 16 October 2014 (UTC)

"Unneeded limit" on TOC?
It was my idea to limit the TOC box to Level-3 headings based on various other Featured Character Lists like Characters of Final Fantasy VIII and List of Naruto characters (the latter of which some may consider to be a travesty by current Featured Article standards, but still), but it was removed because it was deemed "unneeded". Frankly, I think the Content box looks incredibly large and uneven without it, especially with the massive "Other members" subcategory that honestly makes no real sense to me. Unless other people are willing to keep the limit or hold a vote, I'd like to know when exactly such a limit will be necessary. User:Immblueversion (talk) 02:09, 21 February 2015 (UTC)


 * Well, the original editor put the limit back, so I guess this has been resolved. User:Immblueversion (talk) 14:05, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

"Carla" or "Charles"?
Now, I know this is far from the article's biggest issue (expanding the Creation/Reception), but I'd like to know if we should rename "Carla" as "Charles" on Wikipedia since that is stated in the bonus pages of Volume 27 to be her name in Japan, or if the this is written and explained as it is now is sufficient. User:Immblueversion (talk) 14:10, 21 February 2015 (UTC)


 * We were standardizing to Viz English manga spellings so Carla should still be the section although having all the explanations below for the acceptable spellings for the different media (Funimation dub, Japanese's romanization and their English spelling. -AngusWOOF (talk) 21:25, 21 February 2015 (UTC)
 * Are you asking if we should make her an exception like how Zolo became Zoro? -AngusWOOF (talk) 21:31, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Create "Fairy Tail (fictional guild)" page
I've been experimenting with how to shorten the page, and I've come to the conclusion that maybe we should split the Fairy Tail guild into its own article. I've been working on a draft with my sandbox based on articles like Order of the Phoenix (fictional organisation), Dumbledore's Army, and Hogwarts staff; basically, we keep the "main characters" (Natsu, Lucy, etc.) on the main page and put a Template:See also at the top of the section, while everyone currently under List of Fairy Tail characters (as if Natsu, Lucy, etc. weren't members...) gets put on the new page. The problem: getting it to pass notability. If it's going to survive, it's going to need its own "Creation/conception" and "Reception" sections. Unless, of course, there's a rule saying that notability doesn't apply when making readable prose.

By the way, I'm working on reformatting and rewriting the rest of the page. I believe the "Other guilds and organizations" and "Other characters" layout is what's making it so big. I'm also considering bumping Laxus and Juvia up to "main character" level. User:Immblueversion (talk) 02:08, 19 February 2015 (UTC)
 * Frankly, the creation and reception sections need more work and performing a split them without more development here would be borderline crufty. Hypothetically, if the parent list was well developed with the FT characters having substantial coverage especially in those sections, then a split may be a no-brainer. As the list stands right now, I don't believe its absolutely necessary to split since focus should be aimed at bringing this parent list back up to a modern featured standard and eventually declared so. You should probably ask the main project page for more opinions on the notability of fictional organizations.  —KirtZ Message 17:13, 20 February 2015 (UTC)
 * I would Oppose it, unless you have real world information on how it is notable enough for a stand alone article. - Knowledgekid87 (talk) 02:29, 5 March 2015 (UTC)

Sentai Filmworks version of Fairy Tail
Is there going to be a Sentai Filmworks version of Fairy Tail? Really, did they acquired it?--Hongqilim (talk) 18:57, 21 December 2015 (UTC)
 * I think it was simply factual errors, which could be considered WP:VANDALISM. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 19:45, 21 April 2016 (UTC)

Reevaluating some character importance, again
Hello. As Fairy Tail gets longer, characters previously not prominent enough to merit a section may eventually do so. Likewise, characters who were important enough in the past, may no longer be. I think we should reevaluate the status of the following characters. Feel free to bring up other characters as well. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 08:22, 14 November 2016 (UTC)

The Tri-men
The Tri-men and Ichiya were major characters in the Oración Seis but are minor characters in the Grand Magic Games arcs, and they have most recently appeared in the Alvarez Empire arc. Devoting a whole section to them seems too much, considering that Mermaid Heel and the Seven Kin of Purgatory are discussed in less detail. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 08:22, 14 November 2016 (UTC)

Jura Neekis
Jura was another major player in the Oración Seis arc, but he continues to show up in the Grand Magic Games, Tartaros and now the Alvarez Empire. Is it important to get a section of his own? Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 08:26, 14 November 2016 (UTC)

How should we approach the summaries?
So, in the past we used various character lists like List of One Piece characters (a B-Class) and List of Naruto characters (a FL) as a reference. Of course, while we're trying to avoid plot summaries for characters per WP:NOTPLOT, limited amounts of plot are acceptable, even necessary, and we give plot information as we see fit; for example, some power-ups and upgrades, as well as important plot information like their deaths, can be mentioned after certain time-skips.

While I'm trying to rewrite and trim down plot summaries to explain readers who are unfamiliar with works in general, I'm concerned about trying to rewrite them to make it flow like listing the plot summaries for the characters in chronological order, Lisanna's assumed death in Mirajane's section (we should mention that Lisanna disappears), as well as adding "at some point" in some of the summaries for the Fairy Tail guild members in general. I'm also concerned about merging citations for summaries like how they upgrade their powers.

Rather than edit warring (which is forbidden), I'm taking the discussion route to get some ideas on how should we approach writing the summaries for certain characters like those featured in List of Tokyo Mew Mew characters, List of Dragon Ball characters, or even List of D.Gray-man characters; all of which are FLs. Any thoughts? Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 04:09, 3 September 2018 (UTC)
 * I agree that a degree of plot summary is unavoidable in several cases, but I feel that the descriptions have been veering towards nothing but plot summary by describing how characters become who they are at the start of the narrative, without specifying where their role in the narrative actually begins. It's like more of the focus of this article as it stands is how the plot and story affect the characters, as if getting strung along by the plot is all they're used for. User:SubZeroSilver (talk) 13:43, 3 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Also, going back to the use of fictional present tense, fiction naturally should be predominantly written in present tense where applicable (e.g., "When Mirajane is seventeen" over "When Mirajane was seventeen"). But when it comes to describing "past" events, then so long as it's relative to what is happening in the "present" being described in that sentence, it is appropriate to use other tenses wherever necessary (e.g., "Kagura remembers how Erza saved her life when they were children" over "Kagura remembers how Erza saves her life when they are children"; the act of a character remembering a past event is what roots the sentence in the fictional present). That's why we use phrases like "in a flashback" and "in the present", or "when X is Y years old", to describe how past events are being conveyed to readers and audiences, thereby allowing past events to be written in present tense without appearing contradictory or awkward. User:SubZeroSilver (talk) 14:02, 3 September 2018 (UTC)
 * The Tokyo Mew Mew page directly mentions volumes in the series in describing character introductions and events (e.g., "Deep Blue does not appear until the end of the sixth volume of the manga"). Much like how several other non-animanga GL and FL reference separate films, episodes, or seasons, this would work wonders in taking us out of thinking in an in-universe mindset like referencing "this event happens X years later" without providing a reference point for readers of where that actually happens within the series (i.e. "at the end of the series" instead of "one year after Acnologia's defeat"). User:SubZeroSilver (talk) 18:19, 3 September 2018 (UTC)
 * One other thing: we shouldn't go too overboard with the whole "volume" thing, just using in ways that would be significant. Zeref, for example, has large gaps between his first mention, his physical appearance, and the revelation of his identity, so the mention of volumes would be appropriate. User:SubZeroSilver (talk) 19:45, 3 September 2018 (UTC)

Looking at the other articles, it's fine if details aren't strictly done in chronological order when it comes to revelations of characters' pasts done much later in the series, as it shows how they are utilized as devices in the story. User:SubZeroSilver (talk) 22:20, 3 September 2018 (UTC)


 * I would say only leave character defining moments that mark his characterization like maturity, common traits or abilities (I'm not familiar with this series). Also, I would suggest using Characters of the Final Fantasy XIII series as a model because there is a good balance between in-universe and out-of-universe information in each character. The reception section could also be divided. It could be one paragraph of of their response, one about designs, and one about the voice actors.Tintor2 (talk) 22:43, 3 September 2018 (UTC)


 * Maybe we can write "Before the beginning of the series...", "Before meeting Lucy", etc.? There was a relevant discussion on how we should handle the tense on the One Piece character page not long ago. As we know, there is no present, no past and no future. We can write in what order things occur, but we can't treat any point in the series' timeline as "the present". Try to put it this way: In front of every sentence, it says something like "in Volume X, Y does Z". Just that these bits aren't written out and instead placed at the end of the sentence in form of citations. Mentioning certain events that happen in a "flashback" such as "In chapter X, during a flashback, Y does Z" are unimportant.
 * When writing summaries for flashback episodes as what Goodraise pointed out in that discussion, we wouldn't do it in past tense either. While reading a flashback, the flashback's present is the present for the reader. For example: Erza losing her eye and escaping the Tower of Heaven occurs as a flashback in both the anime and manga. In this case, we would write it in the present tense. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 23:15, 3 September 2018 (UTC)
 * That's what I said about tense above. The way I see it, past tense should only be used when it's relative to a present action, and only when there's no convenient or unconvoluted workaround. For instance: "X fights Y because Y killed Z." User:SubZeroSilver (talk) 23:45, 3 September 2018 (UTC)
 * I know. I would also agree with Tintor2's idea, using Characters of Final Fantasy XII list as additional references, in addition to the ones I've mentioned above. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 01:48, 4 September 2018 (UTC)