Hibiki Laytis

Origin

Hibiki has been a long-standing member of Blue Pegasus and his membership goes so far back that Bob, the guildmaster of the guild, entrusts him with the most sensitive and important information and even considers Hibiki his right hand man. At some point, he had a lover named Karen but their relationship ended after she had been murdered on a mission by Angel. Although he hasn't gotten over her death, he doesn't let it interfere with his work. In the Oracion Seis Arc, he becomes part of the designated team sent to ally with the legal guilds to help defeat Oracion Seis and stop its plan to reactivate Nirvana.

Creation

Hibiki, who is created by Hiro Mashima, does not have any notes from the author so far regarding any inspiration used to create him.

Character Evolution

Appearance

Hibiki has only appeared in one arc, hence his appearance has remained constant. Aside from that, he has a slim build with blonde spikey hair and has handsome facial features which is said to be the primary reason why so many women join the guild in the first place. And its because of this commodity that usually gets him in the top ranks of "Mage I'd Like as a Boyfriend" in the Weekly Sorcerer Magazine.

Time Skip: Hibiki did not change much only his clothing. 7 years later, he wears a vest with the white wings on the front. He wears a pink shirt underneath his vest.

Pre-time skip and Post-time skip

Personality

Hibiki, the sexiest man alive.

Like the other Trimen members, Hibiki behaves like a typical womanizer who flirts and attempts to woo any female he meets, regardless of age. And its because of his womanizing charms that had earned him a spot in one of the guild's most famous groups, The Trimens. Nevertheless, he is very dependable, kind and trustworthy as exhibited when he stayed behind with Lucy and Erza to protect them while the rest of the group split up to find Wendy. He is also capable of becoming serious when he wants to be and possesses considerable will power which was shown when he resisted the effects of Nirvana for a long period of time after developing feelings of hate towards Angel upon learning that she had killed his lover, Karen. Apparently, he can also be more perceptive and knowledgeable than he lets on since he's the only member of his team whom Bob had entrusted with information regarding Nirvana's capabilities.

Major Story Arcs

Oracion Seis Arc

Lucy: She's only 12!!!!!

Hibiki makes his first appearance with Ren and Eve when they greet Team Natsu upon their arrival in Bob's villa, the meeting location for the allied forces. However, they instantly approach Lucy and Erza (and later Wendy) and try to woo them over with their flirtatious comments and gestures while Gray and Natsu are left largely ignored and treated unkindly.

After Ichiya and Hibiki brief the representatives of the guilds Fairy Tail, Cait Shelter and Lamia Scale on who the Oracion Seis are, they all quickly run to find their target. But once they do, Oracion Seis easily dominates the alliance and kidnaps Wendy (and Happy) but team is then saved by Jura right in the nick of time. The group then decides to split up to find Wendy in order to heal Erza who had been poisoned by Cobra's pet snake, Cuberos, while Hibiki volunteers to stay behind to protect the two women and act as a guide the others back once they find their target.

Once Natsu finds and saves Wendy, Hibiki uses his magic to help him find their location, allowing the duo to reach and heal Erza. But no sooner than the task is done, Jellal activates Nirvana, which Hibiki knows about having been informed by Bob secretly. Natsu and Erza immediately split from the group and Wendy nearly succumbs to the Nirvana's magic due to her negative thoughts if it were not for Hibiki's quick action in knocking her out.

Hibiki getting shot at by Sagittarius.

As Hibiki carries Wendy, him, Lucy, Charle and Happy run towards Nirvana but on their way there, they come across "Gray" who was about to finish of Natsu after exploiting his weakness of motion sickness. Lucy summons Sagittarius to stop him and questions whether he's been affected by Nirvana's magic. "Gray" then transforms into "Lucy" and commands Sagittarius to strike Hibiki with his arrows and does so. Confused, Lucy force closes his gate but the other "Lucy" summons him again and orders him to shoot Lucy. Hibiki immediately jumps in and uses his magic to block his arrows while Charle takes Wendy to a safer spot. Angel then appears and "Lucy" then transforms into Gemini, revealing to be a Celestial Spirit with the ability to mimic any person completely.

Hibiki learns the truth.

As the fight between Lucy and Angel was about to ensue, Hibiki tries to join in but is unable to do so because of his wounded shoulder from Sagittarius' attack. Half way through the fight Angel mentions that she took Aries' key from Karen who she had killed which shocks Hibiki and causes him to generate feelings of hate towards the woman. But in doing so he nearly becomes affected by Nirvana. However he manages to suppress it.

Powers & Abilities

Archive Magic

Hibiki uses his Archive Magic to do some research.

This magic allows Hibiki to transfer information to and from people for various purposes. With this, he's able to give allies new knowledge, coordinate their movements, and know their present condition. As a result, he usually distances himself from the battlefield, acting like a command center, though when needed, he can defend himself.

Archive Magic Techniques	Description
Information Transmission Hibiki transfers a mind map to Natsu during their mission.	Hibiki is able to transfer information into a person's mind which is particularly useful in reconnaissance missions since he can send info on things, such as the surrounding environment, to his comrades. He also has the ability to upload maps into people's heads and data regarding how to cast spells such as Uranometria. However, bestowing someone with information has its limits whereby it induces mental strain and lasts for the duration of the download (as shown when Lucy couldn't remember anything after executing Uranometria).
Mind Manipulation Hibiki uses his magic to manipulate Wendy's mind.	Hibiki can manipulate minds, to a certain degree as shown when he used his magic to knock Wendy unconscious so that her feelings of blame would not take over and become affected by Nirvana's magic.
Force Shield Hibiki saves Lucy using his archive force shield.	This allows Hibiki to create screens from his magic to block assaults. Although its uncertain as to whether it can withstand magical attacks, it has been shown to be powerful enough to block physical attacks such as Gray's Ice Make spells.
Telepathy Hibiki uses his archive magic to communicate with Natsu via telepathy.	This magic allows Hibiki to communicate with other people telepathically. Although he is able to establish contact with comrades even over considerable distances, he can only do so with those he's known or met. In addition, other users who use archive magic can intercept the connection as Zero has demonstrated.