Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.

When Gajeel sets his mind to do something, it gets done--no exceptions! Possessing a will so strong it makes iron look weak, this dragon will doggedly pursue his goals to the very end, whether that means spending seventy hours straight looking for a pet cat or chaining musicians up just so he can take their place at concerts (where the agonizingly brittle squeal of his lovely voice moves all the audience to tears). While this stubbornness makes him a hard beast to approach, it's that very same tenacity that makes him the most loyal of companions once befriended; he has more than once taken a blow meant for a comrade.

While much of Gajeel's time is taken up by running tasks for his guild, known as Fairy Tail, he also devotes a large amount of time to another pursuit--searching for his foster father, an iron dragon named Metalicana, who vanished without word one day and hasn't been seen since.