Panther Lily

Panther Lily (パンサーリリー, Pansā Rirī), spelled "Pantherlily" in the Funimation version, is a black-furred Exceed born and raised in Edolas. While a division commander of the Edolas Royal Military, he is exiled from his homeland Extalia after rescuing a young Mystogan.[ch. 189] As opposed to most Exceed, Lily has a large, humanoid body resembling an anthropomorphic panther. Using the magic sword Buster Marm (バスターマァム, Basutā Māmu), it can extend up to four times his size;[ch. 186][vol. 22:bonus] after this sword is destroyed, he replaces it with the similar Musica Sword (ムジカの剣, Mujika no Ken).[ch. 247] He duels with Gajeel Redfox while defending the lacrima crystal created from the residents of Magnolia as part of Faust's plan to exterminate the Exceed with it, but has a change of heart after seeing the Exceed gather to push the crystal away alongside Fairy Tail.[ch. 189] After being sent to Earth-land through the reversed anima portal, he joins Fairy Tail as Gajeel's partner.[ch. 198] In Earth-land, Lily's body shrinks to his species' typical small size, though he assumes his original form for limited periods of time in addition to using his Aera ability.[ch. 200] Lily's name is a play on "a famous character from a certain fairy tale".[vol. 27:bonus] Mashima commented on the character's popularity, saying, "I guess he's more popular now that he's small? Yeah."[vol. 32:afterword]