Irene Belserion is a former antagonist in the anime/manga fantasy series Fairy Tail. She is Erza Scarlet's mother and the creator of Dragon Slayer Magic. She is considered the strongest female mage of the Spriggan 12, a member of the Alvarez Empire and the guardian of Emperor Spriggan. Within her Alvarez, due to her unparalleled size, she is called Scarlet Despair by others.
Like most of her companions, she leads her own personal squad known as Irene Squad. Due to her high position in the Alvarez Empire and her influence on major events and characters in the story, she can be considered a secondary antagonist throughout the series.