is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

who appears in the

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series ''

Fairy Tail ''Fairy Tail'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual chapters collected and published into 63 '' ...

'' and ''

Edens Zero ''Edens Zero'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese science fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It has been serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' since June 2018, with its chapters collected into twenty ...

'' created by

Hiro Mashima is a Japanese manga artist. He gained success with his first serial ''Rave Master'', published in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1999 to 2005. His best-selling work, ''Fairy Tail'', published in the same magazine from 2006 to 2017, ...

. He is depicted throughout his appearances as an

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

blue cat who accompanies the main protagonists on their adventures, often providing

comic relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

. In ''Fairy Tail'', Happy is a member of the magical

Exceed is a series of Japanese shoot 'em up video games developed by the dōjin circle (formerly FLAT). The first game, ''eXceed'', was released in 2005, and the latest game, ''eXceed3rd JADE PENETRATE BLACK PACKAGE'', was released in 2009. The series ...

race who possesses the ability to transform into a

winged cat The winged cat – a Felidae, feline with wings like a bird, bat or other flying creature – is a theme in artwork and legend going back to prehistory, especially Mythology, mythological depictions of big cats with eagle wings in Eurasia and North ...

with white, feathered wings, and serves as a friend and partner of

Natsu Dragneel is a fictional character and protagonist of the ''Fairy Tail'' manga series created by Hiro Mashima. First making his debut in ''Fairy Tail'' chapter #1, originally published in Japan's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' on August 2, 2006, Natsu is d ...

. For ''Edens Zero'', the character is re-envisioned as an alien android and companion of the female protagonist Rebecca Bluegarden, for whom he also functions as a convertible pair of blaster weapons. Happy has made appearances in various media related to ''Fairy Tail'', including an anime adaptation,

feature films A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

original video animations , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

(

OVAs , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...

s, and

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

. He is voiced by

Rie Kugimiya is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is best known for her voice performances in anime, which include Alphonse Elric in the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' series, Kiana in ''Honkai Impact 3rd'', Kagura in ''Gin Tama'', and Happy in ''Fairy Tail ...

in Japanese media, while

Tia Ballard Tia Lynn Ballard (born May 11, 1986) is an American voice actress and ADR director affiliated with Funimation and Sentai Filmworks. Some of her notable roles are Kusano in ''Sekirei'', Mizore Shirayuki in '' Rosario + Vampire'', Rin Ogata in '' ...

voices him in the English anime dub.

Creation and conception

Following the completion of ''

Rave Master ''Rave Master'', titled just ''Rave'' and, alternatively, ''The Groove Adventure Rave'' in Japan, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. The series follows Haru Glory, a teenager on a quest to find the five frag ...

'',

's initial idea for Happy was to create a "very chatty"

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

character that would contrast with Plue, ''Rave Master''s mascot, whom he had difficulty with writing as Plue did not speak. In the pre-production stage of ''Fairy Tail'', Mashima drew an illustration depicting two cat-like creatures resembling Happy with bird-like feet and feathered wings for arms. Mashima initially named the character after the Norse god

Freyr Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, and weather. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden an ...

, which he felt was "too much" for the character and changed to something "more suitable". When asked about the creation of his characters, Mashima replied that each character embodies a part of his own personality, with Happy representing how he acts when slacking off, later stating that Happy was based on his fondness of cats. Upon the introduction of

Carla Carla is the feminized version of Carl, Carlos or Charles, from ''ceorl'' in Old English, which means "free man". Notable people with the name include: * Carla, French singer and former member of the children's music group Kids United * Carla Abe ...

, Happy's female counterpart, Mashima's original concept for Happy underwent "a huge change", which inspired the author to write a

character arc A character arc is the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story. If a story has a character arc, the character begins as one sort of person and gradually transforms into a different sort of person in response to ch ...

for him shortly afterward. Mashima also mentioned that Natsu and Happy's midair battle against Cobra was "something ealways wanted to do", commenting that it was the first time Happy had been directly involved in one of the series' battle scenes. Regarding the anime adaptation of ''Fairy Tail'', Mashima commented that he enjoyed seeing Natsu and Happy "move around", stating, "There's a limit to the effects I can draw regarding the depiction of the magic in the manga, so seeing that in the anime is so much fun, and it looks very beautiful onscreen. It made me realize how fun my characters are when I saw them moving around." He considers Happy to have the best portrayal in the anime out of all the manga's characters. Yohei Ito, the producer of the film '' Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry'', described Happy as both "funny" and "really useful", as he "works in cute scenes and serious scenes." Happy is voiced by

in Japanese media, and by

in the English dub. While developing ''Edens Zero'', Mashima decided to reuse Happy as a stand-in for the series' primary mascot character, E.M. Pino, who was originally intended to debut in the manga's first chapter until further development led Mashima to delay her appearance; before settling on Happy, Mashima drew various concepts of different animal characters, which he described as a futile attempt as he felt the character was bound to become Happy. This iteration of the character has a black-tipped tail as opposed to a white-tipped one in ''Fairy Tail'', and wears a collar with a heart-marked "" instead of a green satchel. Kugimiya and Ballard reprise the role in Japanese and English media, respectively.

Appearances

In ''Fairy Tail''

''Fairy Tail'' depicts Happy as a sardonic member of the titular wizards' guild, and as a companion of the "Dragon Slayer" wizard

, with their partnership eventually expanding to include the newcomer

Lucy Heartfilia is a fictional character and protagonist of the ''Fairy Tail'' manga series created by Hiro Mashima. Lucy first makes her debut in ''Fairy Tail'' chapter #1, originally published in Japan's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' on August 2, 2006, as a ...

and two childhood friends,

Gray Fullbuster The ''Fairy Tail'' manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Hiro Mashima. The series takes place primarily in the Kingdom of Fiore, a country in the fictional universe Earth-land, where several of its residen ...

and

Erza Scarlet The ''Fairy Tail'' manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Hiro Mashima. The series takes place primarily in the Kingdom of Fiore, a country in the fictional universe Earth-land, where several of its resident ...

. He is a feline creature called an

that exhibits a natural ability to fly by producing white, feathered wings on his back with a spell called while his friendship with Natsu enables Happy to carry him without triggering the latter's

motion sickness Motion sickness occurs due to a difference between actual and expected motion. Symptoms commonly include nausea, vomiting, cold sweat, headache, dizziness, tiredness, loss of appetite, and increased salivation. Complications may rarely include d ...

. In his backstory, most of which is presented in an

omake ''Omake'' (, usually written ) means ''extra'' in Japanese language, Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga term to mean "extra or bonus." In the United States, the term is most often used in ...

chapter, Happy is laid as an egg by the Exceed couple Lucky and Marl, which is discovered and hatched by Natsu six years before the series' narrative begins; his birth immediately quells an argument the rest of the guild have over the egg, which inspires Natsu to give Happy his name as a symbolic

bluebird of happiness The symbol of a bluebird as the harbinger of happiness is found in many cultures and may date back thousands of years. Origins of idiom Chinese mythology One of the oldest examples of a blue bird in myth (found on oracle bone inscriptions of th ...

. Later in the series, Happy encounters a female Exceed named

, who reveals that she and Happy originate from Edolas, a parallel world to the series' primary setting of Earth-land where Exceed are revered as divine beings for their innate magical power, which the other inhabitants of Edolas lack. Happy is shocked to be told that 100 unborn Exceed, including himself and Carla, were transported to Earth-land by their kind with the directive of killing Dragon Slayers such as Natsu; the two later learn that the mission is actually a cover-up for an evacuation effort arranged by the

precognitive Precognition (from the Latin 'before', and 'acquiring knowledge') is the purported psychic phenomenon of seeing, or otherwise becoming directly aware of, events in the future. There is no accepted scientific evidence that precognition is a ...

Exceed queen Chagot following her prediction of their kingdom's destruction, with the pretense of hunting Dragon Slayers derived from her visions of future events. Happy continues to support Natsu and the guild for the duration of the series, which eventually results in Happy helping Natsu become human upon the discovery that he is an Etherious demon created by the dark wizard Zeref, and later assisting Fairy Tail and their allies' efforts to trap and eventually kill the evil dragon Acnologia within the defensive spell Fairy Sphere. By the end of ''Fairy Tail'', Happy accompanies his team on a "century quest", a guild mission that has never been accomplished in less than 100 years.

In ''Edens Zero''

Within the setting of ''Edens Zero'', Happy is a feline alien from a planet named He is the lifelong friend and partner the series' female protagonist, Rebecca Bluegarden, who gives him his name upon finding him as an orphan. After Happy is run over by a

drunk driver Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is invo ...

during Rebecca's childhood, the machinist Professor Weisz Steiner revives him by transferring his consciousness into an advanced android body. Happy's robotic features allow him to reconfigure himself into a pair of

raygun A raygun is a science-fiction directed-energy weapon that releases energy, usually with destructive effect.Jeff Prucher, '' Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction,'' Oxford University Press, 2007, page 162 They have variou ...

s that Rebecca wields in battle called which fire rounds of non-lethal "Ether" bullets to incapacitate targets; he gains a number of other functions as the series progresses, including an assault rifle mode, a laser blade form for his tail, and a "solo mode" cannon protrusion on his back. Together, Happy and Rebecca manage an account called "Aoneko Channel" on the

online video platform An online video platform (OVP), provided by a video hosting service, enables users to upload, convert, store and play back video content on the Internet, often via a structured, large-scale system that may generate revenue. Users will generally u ...

, with the pair's goal being to obtain one million subscribers by uploading videos of different planets they visit as members of Shooting Starlight, an adventurers' guild. Shortly into the series, Happy and Rebecca join the crew of the titular warship ''Edens Zero'', captained by male protagonist

Shiki Granbell The ''Edens Zero'' manga series features an extensive cast of characters created by Hiro Mashima. The story is set in a fictional universe called the , which comprises multiple planetary systems called "cosmoses" that the protagonists navigate u ...

, to search for the cosmic goddess

Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

as a way to achieve their goal.

In other media

In addition to the manga and its anime adaptation, Happy makes appearances in various other media related to ''Fairy Tail''. In the 2012 film '' Fairy Tail the Movie: Phoenix Priestess'', Happy joins his team in helping a priestess called Éclair reach her destination; he also makes an appearance in the

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...

created by Hiro Mashima for the film, as well as its animated adaptation. In the 2017 film '' Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry'', Happy and other Fairy Tail members are assigned by the king of Fiore to recover the stolen Dragon Cry staff from another kingdom; Happy's fur turns red for a portion of the film as a side effect of eating one of the local fruit, which persists until he finally breathes fire. Happy is also a character in all nine ''Fairy Tail''

(

). In the first OVA, he gives a tour of the guild's all-female dormitory to

Wendy Marvell The ''Fairy Tail'' manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Hiro Mashima. The series takes place primarily in the Kingdom of Fiore, a country in the fictional universe Earth-land, where several of its resident ...

and

; in the second, he is depicted as an

academy professor In some countries, an academy professor is a scientist appointed to function as professor and/or conferred to the official professor rank by the academy of sciences of that country, rather than by any university establishment. Such scientists are ...

; in the third, he is sent six years into the past by a magic book; in the fourth, Happy goes to a

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

to support his friends' training for the Grand Magic Games; in the fifth, he spends time at a

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

; the sixth is a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

OVA of ''Fairy Tail'' and Hiro Mashima's ''Rave Master'' series, where Happy meets ''Rave Master'' protagonists

Haru Glory is the main character of the manga ''Rave Master'' by Hiro Mashima. Born on Garage Island, Haru was left in the care of his older sister. In the beginning, Haru accidentally fishes Plue up, and his owner, Shiba meets him with terrorists from the ...

and

Elie Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked vi ...

; in the seventh, Happy participates in a penalty game; in the eighth, he tries to cheer Mavis Vermillion up by finding one of her missing belongings; and in the ninth, Happy attends a

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

party held at Lucy's house. He also appears in every

based on the series, including one set in the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, as well as one which is inspired by the ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

'' novel. Happy makes a minor appearance in the ''Fairy Tail'' spin-off manga '' Blue Mistral'', which focuses on the characters Wendy and Carla in their early membership of the guild. He also features as the main protagonist of the manga '' Fairy Tail: Happy's Heroic Adventure'', written and illustrated by Kenshirō Sakamoto. Happy is a

playable character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

in several ''Fairy Tail''

, such as the 2010

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

action video game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...

''Fairy Tail: Portable Guild'' developed by

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

, and its two

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

s: ''Fairy Tail: Portable Guild 2'', released in 2011, and ''Fairy Tail: Zeref Awakens'', released in 2012.

Reception

Happy has received positive comments from critics reviewing the ''Fairy Tail'' manga and its related media. Carl Kimlinger of ''

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...

'' (''ANN'') described Happy as "a misbegotten offspring of an alley cat and a bobblehead" in his review of the first manga volume, and called him "an excellent stooge" in the second volume. Dale North of ''Japanator'' praised the character's humor, commenting, "Happy's background gags will have you giggling chapter after chapter." For the anime adaptation, Carlo Santos of ''ANN'' called Happy "an entertaining diversion", praising his role as an animal sidekick that is "fun to listen to and not just a necessary annoyance". The reviewer found the story of Happy's birth in the anime to be "entertaining", but commented that it "could have been inserted anywhere in the series". Kimlinger praised Happy's role alongside Carla in the Edolas

story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...

, in which their status as Natsu and

's respective sidekicks is deconstructed, with the reviewer calling them "the arc's emotional lynchpin". While Kimlinger wrote that while Happy's partnership with Natsu and Lucy was bizarre, he felt that their "oddball teamwork" represented the core part of the series' ensemble. Rebecca Silverman of ''ANN'' praised Happy's moments of heroism and being underestimated by the series' villains, saying, "For a character who usually plays the comic relief, this is a good change and a nice way to make him more relevant as a character than just being Natsu's transportation." In a review of the film '' Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry'', Robert Prentice of ''Three If by Space'' considered the portion where Happy's fur turns red to be a "funny little side note".

Popularity and merchandise

In a ''Fairy Tail'' popularity poll published in the 26th issue of ''

Weekly Shōnen Magazine is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published on Wednesdays in Japan by Kodansha, first published on March 17, 1959. The magazine is mainly read by an older audience, with a significant portion of its readership falling under the male high ...

'', Happy ranked fourth with a total of 4238 votes. Merchandise based on Happy has been released, including a pin and café memo set.

Notes

References

{{Authority control Fairy Tail characters Fictional cats Anime and manga mascots Anime and manga sidekicks Anime and manga characters who use magic Wizards in fiction Fictional characters displaced in time Fictional familiar spirits Fictional pranksters Fictional androids Fictional extraterrestrial robots Fictional weapons Shapeshifter characters in comics Male characters in anime and manga Comics characters introduced in 2006 Television characters introduced in 2009 Comics characters introduced in 2018