One of the very first members of Fairy Tail that is introduced as such in the so-named anime is Mirajane Strauss. While it is not said immediately her brand of magic is called take over magic, she shares this skill with her two siblings. Together the three of them were called the take over siblings. However by the time Lucy, and viewers, meet the family only 2 siblings remain, and neither is able or willing to attempt complete take over magic anymore. It doesn’t take long before they work through it and wow the audience with impressive feats of skill and strength, but how exactly does this unique magic work?
Fairy Tail follows the story of Lucy and Natsu as Natsu attempts to find his lost dragon father Igneel. Along the way, they team up with Erza and Gray, with a few members jumping in and out of the team as the need arises. While none of the Strauss family officially join the team, their backstory and magic are the centerpieces for more than a few episodes, making it one of the more deeply explored types of magic in the early seasons of the show.
What is Take Over Magic?
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Take over magic is extremely aptly named: it allows the caster to take over the power, and/or body, of another entity. In the case of monsters such as Vulcans, they more or less possess their targets and modify their body to suit them. This can be seen in the early episode where Natsu and Lucy save Macao from the Vulcans. Once one of the beasts is defeated it shrinks back down into the body of Macao who had suffered all of the blows that the monster had. However when humans use this magic it seems like it works in the opposite way, that is they simply change their own bodies into some other creature. What isn’t quite addressed is whether or not they are summoning and possessing the bodies of creatures, or if they are simply copying their forms in themselves.
Fundamentally it falls into the Caster-type category and also is a form of transformation magic. This means that it functions through the user's own magical prowess and not through a third party object such as a gate-key. While it is a form of transformation magic and therefore does follow the three levels rule, it is considered to be advanced transformation magic and has some different qualities, such as granting the user the abilities of the creature they transform into.
How Does Take Over Magic Work?
There are five currently known forms of take over magic: Beast, Animal, Satan, Machina, and God. Each allows the user to turn into creatures fitting into that category. However, every form requires that the user has had physical contact with the creature they wish to transform into. Additionally in order to be granted the abilities of that creature they must truly know them, although what that entails is only hinted at. There does not appear to be a limit upon how many forms a mage can know.
Elfman practices Beast Take Over Magic. This allows him to transform into the various magical creatures that he fights, most notably the one that they simply call “the beast”. It is believed that in order to record the form of a beast the mage must first defeat the beast. Lisanna used Animal Take Over Magic which allowed her more versatility than Elfman as it is far easier to record animal forms than beast forms, but unfortunately, it is not known how exactly she was able to record the forms.
Mirajane uses Satan Take Over Magic, which means she can take over the forms of various demons. She does state that in order to use this type of magic one must possess Demon Factor, although it is unclear how she acquired this Demon Factor since none of her siblings possess it. Little is known about the last two forms, but the first allows the user to conjure battle armor similar to Erza’s requip, though she does so through contact with machinery. God Take Over Magic allows the user to take on the form and abilities of a God, the only known example is Chronos and Dimaria.
Take Over Magic is an incredibly powerful form of magic, but it is also one of the more easily learned classes of magic. It is not easily mastered as the Strauss family demonstrates. By being able to take on the form and abilities of other creatures as the caster chooses it gives the users incredible versatility and ample opportunity for creative combat strategies. That being said should the magic user fail in their bid to take over an opponent, there can be dire consequences. Unlike most other forms of magic, the consequences tend to be dire for those around them and not to themselves, as was the case for Elfman and Lisanna.