Happy

Happy (ハッピー Happī?) is a 6-year-old talking cat with blue fur who serves as Natsu Dragneel's best friend and sole traveling companion before Lucy Heartfilia's inclusion in the Fairy Tail guild. Hiro Mashima originally planned to name him "Freyr" after the Norse god of the same name, but found the name did not fit his character.[vol. 2:afterword] He possesses a magical ability called Aera (翼(エーラ) Ēra), which allows him to temporarily grow white feathered wings on his back and fly. He is only able to carry up to one person at a time in this form. He is generally cheerful as per his name, and often utters the catchphrase "Aye!" (あい! Ai!) or "Aye, sir!" (あいさ! Aisa!).He has a crush on Carla, who initially shuns him.[ch. 133] Eventually, he earns her respect after demonstrating his will to protect his friends.[ch. 175] He is found as an egg six years before the series' present by Natsu, who cares for him together with Lisanna until he hatches. His birth cheers up everyone in the guild while they are in the middle of an argument, for which Natsu names him "Happy".[vol. 15:make] Happy eventually discovers that he and Carla are two of 100 Exceeds originally sent from Edolas to Earthland as eggs for protection after the Exceeds' queen, Chagot, has a premonition of their realm's destruction.[ch. 198] While in Edolas, Happy encounters and bonds with an exiled Exceed farmer named Lucky[n 4] and his wife Merl[n 5] who, unknown to Happy, are his parents.[ch. 177,198] In the Japanese version of the series, Happy is voiced by Rie Kugimiya.In the English dub, he is voiced by Tia Ballard.