Zeref has the appearance of a young man. He wears high-collared black 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 his former lover and himself.
Zeref is said to have been the darkest, most evil Devil in the history of the Underworld, mastering the Black Arts and creating many Demons, some of which still wreak havoc in the present. In the modern era, Zeref seeks to isolate himself and is very calm, sincere, and conflicted. He wishes to die to atone for all the sins he has committed, and may commit in the future. He shows concern for others when he warns them not to come near him, knowing that they would die if they did. He is also somewhat emotionally fragile, as when he realizes that Eira is not ready to kill him yet, he breaks down in tears. Zeref often kills with no prior incentive or knowledge. In spite of all this, Zeref is very vindictive, and will punish those who he believes to be evil. As a result of his immortal life, Zeref has developed a misanthropic loathing for humanity and its repeated idiosyncrasies of hatred, evil, and conflict.
Vast Demonic Power: As the head of the highest-ranking clan of the 72 Pillars, Zeref is an immensely powerful Devil. In fact, his power either rivals or exceeds that of a Satan-class Devil. Zeref, unlike many of the top-ranked Devils, got to the top on his natural abilities and talent, without using a King piece to strengthen himself. In fact, Szavelneas Beelzebub has refused to allow him any Evil Piece, especially a King piece for fear of what would happen to the world if he were in possession of a greater power than what he has presently.
Master Magician: Since his childhood, Zeref is mentioned to be a very skilled Magician. He is able to cast spells quickly without any time spent focusing, while retaining incredible power. What truly makes him a master is his ability to use the ancient Black Arts, which are an incredibly powerful form of Magic that has been lost since the first Satans.
Black Arts (黒魔法 Kuro Mahō): Zeref was able to master all forms of Dark Magic at a very early age, and brought countless Demons to life. His Demonic Power is enormous; so enormous, in fact, that he cannot consciously control his own Magic, though whether this was always the case is unknown. Zeref's lack of control over his Black Arts seems to come from his emotional state. He, himself, has stated that when he cares of the lives of others, his Magic becomes uncontrollable and randomly bursts outward, killing all those around him with the Power of Destruction, but, when he no longer cares about others, he gains complete control over his Magic, and becomes the ruthless, cold-hearted Zeref spoken of in legend.
Power of Destruction (滅びの力 Horobi no Chikara): As the last pure-blooded member of the Bael Clan to be born, Zeref has a form of the Power of Destruction that has far transcended its original state. When used by Zeref, it has been called a Black Art that allows Zeref to kill any living thing he desires. This power seems to be uncontrollable at times, causing it to burst out randomly, killing anything within a certain radius around him. However, when Zeref forgets the value of, and no longer cares about, another life, he can fully control this power. While the standard form of the Power of Destruction manifests as a black and red energy, Zeref's has been mutated through the generations leading up to him, and appears more like a void of darkness accented by purple.
Death Predation (死の捕食 Shi no Hoshoku): This usage of this spell creates a dark wave that kills everything in the user's immediate vicinity.
Death Orb: The user creates a black orb in their hand which, when thrown, destroys everything in its path.
Death Pillar: Zeref swipes both of his arms in a circular motion until the bottom of his hands meet. The hand on top has the index and middle fingers pointing upwards, while the other hand has the little and index fingers pointing downwards. While doing this, he is surrounded by a dark aura. This spell creates a huge vertical explosion which can seemingly strike a single target out of others nearby.
Stygian Blast Circle (暗黒爆炎陣 Ankoku Bakuenjin): The user charges their fist with a swirling mass of the Power of Destruction for a brief moment, releasing it towards their target when they come in contact with their hand. It is said that this direct application of Zeref's Power of Destruction is powerful enough to annihilate a soul, likely attributing to his alias.
Living Magic (生活魔法 Seikatsu Mahō): A very ancient, long-forgotten form of Magic that breathes life into an object. Some of Zeref's creations are sentient, and seek to further Zeref's former, as-of-yet unknown, evil desires. Most of the beings that Zeref created were Demons.
Immobilization Magic: A Black Art of Zeref's that allows him to freeze time for all except those he specifically chooses to remain mobile. After casting this Magic, the surrounding area and all those affected by the Magic appear inverted in color, whilst those unaffected remain as they are.
Immortality: Approximately 400 years ago, Zeref successfully attained immortality, which is revealed to be a byproduct of him being cursed by his own use of Black Magic. In addition, he is also unaging.
High-Speed Regeneration: Owing to his status as an immortal, if Zeref has gone at least a short amount of time with receiving damage occurring in successive intervals, his wounds heal without a trace.
