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Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Gray, and Erza in an official art by mangaka Hiro Mashima
The main Fairy Tail guild group (Image via Hiro Mashima/Shueisha)

In what order must you watch Fairy Tail

Stuart RayBy Updated:9 Mins Read Anime

Fairy Tail is still one of the easiest anime series for newcomers to get into because of its simple plot, tremendous battles, endearing characters, and original world-building. Its filler arcs and anime-only content, like in any other shonen series, could, nevertheless, prevent viewers from fully engaging with the narrative.

The Celestial wizard Lucy Heartfilia is a novice to the notorious Fairy Tail wizarding guild in the novel. As they embark on their travels together, she is accompanied by the dragon slayer Natsu Dragneel and their flying blue cat companion, Happy. They encounter rival guilds, demons, and vengeful time-travelers that pose a threat to the long-term future of magic as an ancient prophecy plays out in the backdrop.

The best way to watch Mashima’s magnum opus may be something that new viewers are interested in learning, especially in light of the upcoming anime release of the sequel, Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest, and the popularity of Edens Zero. Hence, this guide will cover the ideal order to watch the anime, filler arcs to avoid, and other topics to ensure an optimal immersion experience in the world of dragons, demons, and wizards.

Fairy Tail comprises of anime episodes, movies, and OVAs, so it is essential to follow a correct order to get an efficient viewing experience

From August 2006 until July 2017, Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine serialised the well-known manga by Hiro Mashima. Satelight Inc. turned the manga into an anime series in 2009 before switching studios. As a result, Studio Bridge broadcast the second and third seasons in 2014 and 2018, respectively.

Based on Mashima’s sequel manga of the same name, Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest will soon be adapted into an anime. The show follows Natsu, Lucy, and other beloved characters on a mission that not many people have completed. Consequently, it is advised that viewers watch the anime in the following order:

  • Series 1 (2009): It is the first part of the anime and introduces us to the world and its conflicts.
  • Series 2 (2014): It covers the arcs centred around the major conflicts of the series, featuring new developments for existing characters while giving us an insight into the various allies and enemies the titular guild comes across.
  • Series 3/ final season (2018): It is the final arc of the original anime, that is set to conclude the series. 
  • Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest

What are the arcs in each season?

Season 1 (Episodes 1-175):

  • Macao Arc
  • Daybreak Arc
  • Eisenwald Arc
  • Sub-zero Emperor Lyon Arc
  • Phantom Lord Arc
  • Loke Arc
  • Tower of Heaven Arc
  • The Battle of Fairy Tail Arc
  • Oracion Seis Arc
  • Daphne Arc
  • Edolas Arc
  • Tenrou Island Arc
  • X791 Arc
  • Key of the Starry Sky Arc
  • Grand Magic Games Arc

Season 2 (Episodes 176-277):

  • Grand Magic Games Arc
  • Eclipse Celestial Spirits Arc
  • Sun Village Arc
  • Tartaros Arc

Season 3 (Episodes 278-328):

  • Avatar Arc
  • Alvarez Empire Arc

List of Fairy Tail OVAs

  • OVA 1: Welcome to Fairy Hill
    In a mysterious handwritten request, the client asks Lucy to find an item from Fairy Tail’s female hostel, Fairy Hills. She goes to confirm the position to make sure it’s not a joke. When she arrives at the hostel, she discovers that the client is Hilda, the head of the residence, who requests that she search for a “shining treasure” while donning an awkward cat costume.
  • OVA 2: Fairy Academy
    Fairy Academy: Yankee-Kun and Yankee-Chan is an Omake (side story) by Hiro Mashima that has been adapted into an anime. Instead of taking place in a magical realm, it tells the Fairy Tail characters’ journey in a high school context.
  • OVA 3: Memory Days
    The enigmatic Magic book, Memory Days, sends Natsu, Lucy, Grey, Erza, and Happy back in time. The group makes an effort to stay away from the people they encounter since they think they might have an impact on their experience. The party learns that their actions ultimately caused Lucy to join Fairy Tail and Natsu to get a scar.

  • OVA 4: Fairies’ Training Camp
    While unaware that the Fairy Tail members are heading to the beach for a training camp, Mavis chooses to accompany them because she is bored being by herself on Tenrou Island. Natsu and Grey put the group through a lot of hardships. What would occur if the females drank too much?
  • OVA 5: The Exciting Ryuzetsu Land
    It is basically a form of adaptation of the Grand Magic Games chapter 298 of the manga.
  • OVA 6: Fairy Tail * Rave
    Happy and Lucy are searching for Natsu, who seems to have gone lost, when they unexpectedly come upon a young child named Elie who had short brown hair. She introduces herself and inquires about a man with unkempt, spiky silver hair, to which Lucy replies that they are also looking for a man with pink hair who looks similar. A young man called Haru comes up to a sick Natsu in another scene and offers to assist him stay upright. Natsu spots a BBQ grill as they stroll through the city and starts to consume its flames right away, stunning both Haru and the cooks. This marks a segway into an epic crossover.

  • OVA 7: Fairies’ Penalty Game
    The sixth Fairy Tail OVA (OAD) in the series, Welcome to Fairy Hills, is an adaptation of the omake Fairies’ Penalty Game. After winning the penalty game, Fairy Tail B took one or two players from Team A as punishment. Natsu and Elfman are taken by Laxus Dreyar. Erza Scarlet is taken by Mirajane Strauss. Lucy Heartfilia is taken by Gajeel Redfox. Happy and Carla are taken by Pantherlily. Wendy Marvell is taken by Cana Alberona
  • OVA 8: Natsu vs Mavis
    Team Natsu and Juvia accept Warrod’s request to search for a hidden treasure that had been buried by Fairy Tail guild’s First Master and the OG fairy herself, Mavis Vermillion. 100 years ago after Erza convinces Natsu to help Mavis by letting her enjoy the benefits of a hot bath, albeit the assignment proves to be much more difficult than it was initially made out to be.
  • OVA 9: Fairies’ Christmas
    This is the quintessential Christmas episode, filled with typical Fairy Tail shenanigans. A Christmas party for some of Lucy’s friends is held in her flat. But as Erza coerces the rest of the Fairy Tail guild into playing the Guild Master’s Game with her, the celebration quickly descends into pandemonium. Erza displays her ruthlessness by ordering her friends to engage in embarrassing behaviours. At the conclusion of the game, Grey successfully exacts revenge on everyone and instructs Erza to return home naked. She runs into Jellal as she leaves the gathering, and he generously takes care of her and drives her home.

Apart from these, there are two movies, out of which we at least hope you check out Dragon Cry, which centres on the members of the Fairy Tail wizard guild infiltrating the Kingdom of Stella to recapture a stolen staff of cataclysmic power. It is set between Fairy Tail‘s penultimate and final plot arcs. The story even has a post-credits scene featuring well-known faces of the Alvarez Empire arc (Spriggan 12, anyone?) and directly segways into the three-way conflict between Fiore, Zeref/Alvarez and the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse Acnologia.

How to watch the show with the OVAs and films

The prequel manga, Fairy Tail: Zero (shown by means of a flashback from episodes 266-275 in the anime), nine OVAs, and two feature films can be avoided without many deterrents to the main plot. Yet, an alternative list of episodes, interspersed with OVAs, and films has been compiled so that the progression of the narrative feels natural.

  • Episodes from 1 to 68
  • OVAs 1-3 (Welcome to Fairy Hills, Fairy Academy, Memory Days) acting as a sort of trilogy
  • Episodes from 69 to 124
  • Movie 1: Phoenix Priestess delving into a non-canonical event
  • Episodes from 125 to 150
  • OVA 6 that features a crossover episode featuring characters from Mashima’s other manga, Rave Master, in the Fairy Tail universe
  • Episodes from 151 to 154
  • OVA 4: Fairies’ Training Camp
  • Episodes from 155 to 170
  • OVA 5: The Exciting Ryuzetsu Land
  • Episodes from 171 to 203
  • OVA 7: Fairies’ Penalty Game
  • Episodes from 204 to 233
  • OVA 8: Natsu vs. Mavis
  • Episodes from 234 to 283
  • Movie 2: Dragon Cry, which has been one of the anime movies to recieve most traction in recent times, and is the first time to showcase Natsu becoming draconine in terms of his physical features
  • Finale: Final few episodes
  • OVA 9: Fairies’ Christmas

Should you skip filler episodes?

Filler episodes are the bane of every shonen anime fan’s watching experience. We do not need to tell you the bad reputation Naruto has gathered due to its huge number of fillers, or the similar issues with One Piece or even Gintama, an anime that begins with filler! 

The aforementioned list does not take into account Fairy Tail fillers that do not adhere to canon and may prevent readers from fully appreciating the plot. Consequently, episodes 9, 19, 49, 50, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, the whole list ranging from 125 to 150 and 202 to 226, and 268 can be skipped due to their filler material. 

However, some episodes, aka, 20, 151, 201, 255, 260, 270, and 312 are essential viewing and are stuck in a weird transitory space since they combine filler episodes with canonical stories. Although some filler episodes are not necessarily official, they can help viewers understand a particular character better or provide a fresh perspective. 

If a viewer gives filler episodes 19, 74, 202, 220, and 225 a chance, they might even turn out to be just as good as some of the main storyline material! Do you agree with our list? Are there any episodes you wish were highlighted? If you have an alternative list for viewing, feel free to share it in the comments. We would love to know!

 

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Stuart loves anime, writing, and writing about anime. Someday, he hopes to illustrate his own manga from his novel!