Zeref Dragneel (ゼレフ・ドラグニル Zerefu Doraguniru) was considered to be the strongest, most evil Mage of all time, who possesses extremely dangerous, and powerful Magic. He is the founder and former Emperor of the Alvarez Empire, under the alias of Emperor Spriggan (皇帝スプリガン Kōtei Supurigan), the older brother of Natsu Dragneel and father of August.

Despite being hundreds of years old, Zeref has the appearance of a young man. He wears high-collared red (black in the anime) and tan robes with gold trim, along with a large, flowing white toga draped around his torso. He has short black hair, dark eyes, and abnormally sharp canines. He also wears a pendant, where he keeps a childhood picture of Natsu and himself. When Zeref returned to the Alvarez Empire, he changed his wardrobe to a black and white outfit.

When angered, Zeref’s irises become red and gain a black ring around the pupil, giving him a much more menacing appearance.