Fairy Tail is one of the most popular shonen manga and anime to release in the last two decades, and with the anime adaptation of 100 Years Quest scheduled to air on July 7, 2024, there’s no better time for new fans to dive in to the franchise.
Like many other shonen franchises with long-running, epically proportioned storylines, Fairy Tail has been running for the better part of the last two decades, officially beginning in 2006 as part of Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine.
The best way to read every Fairy Tail arc, in order
Fairy Tail follows Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, and other important members of Fairy Tail, one of the most powerful wizard guilds in the world. The story goes through several different story arcs that develop the eccentric cast of characters, the guild, and the world they inhabit, all while dropping hints about the mysterious Zeref and the age of dragons, two of the main plots during the latter half of the series original story line.
The current arc follows the sequel series, Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest, using the same cast of main characters trying to complete the impossible mission known as the “100 Years Quest”, which will be receiving an anime adaptation during the Summer 2024 anime season by studio J.C. Staff.
Fairy Tail Story Arc | Manga Chapter | Anime Episodes |
Zerø arc | Chapters 1-13 (whole Fairy Tail Zerø manga) | Episodes 266-275 |
Macao arc | Chapters 1-3 | Episodes 1-2 |
Daybreak arc | Chapters 4-9 | Episodes 3-4 |
Eisenwald arc | Chapters 10-23 | Episodes 5-10 |
Sub-Zero Emperor Lyon arc | Chapters 24-46 | Episodes 11-20 |
Phantom Lord arc | Chapters 47-69 | Episodes 21-29 |
Loke arc | Chapters 70-74 | Episodes 30-32 |
Tower of Heaven arc | Chapters 75-102 | Episodes 33-40 |
The Battle of Fairy Tail arc | Chapters 103-130 | Episodes 41-51 |
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Oración Seis arc | Chapters 131-164 | Episodes 52-68 |
Daphne arc | Episodes 69-75 (Filler arc) | |
Edolas arc | Chapters 165-199 | Episodes 76- 95 |
Tenrou Island arc | Chapters 200-253 | Episodes 96-122 |
X791 arc | Chapters 254-257 | Episodes 123-124 |
Key of the Starry Sky arc | Episodes 125-150 (Filler Arc) | |
Grand Magic Games arc | Chapters 258-340 | Episodes 151-203 |
Eclipse Celestial Spirits arc | Episodes 204-226 | |
Sun Village arc | Chapters 341-355 | Episodes 227-233 |
Tartaros arc | Chapters 356-417 | Episodes 234-265 |
Avatar arc | Chapters 418-437 | Episodes 276-284 |
Alvarez arc | Chapters 438-545 | Episodes 285-328 |
100 Years Quest arc | Chapters 1-Ongoing | TBD |
As can be seen above, Fairy Tail is an expansive franchise, and one of the longer running shonen epics. Something that’s also important to note when looking at the differences between the anime and manga is that the original anime adaptation, which was handled by A-1 Pictures, Dentsu Entertainment, and Satelight.
What is the longest arc in Fairy Tail?
The longest full existing arc in Fairy Tail is the Alvarez Arc with 107 chapters in the manga, although, the longest arc in the anime is the Grand Magic Games arc with 52 episodes compared to Alvarez’s 43 episodes.
We recommend following the Fairy Tail arcs in order, but for those who want the most comprehensive experience of the series. There is a lot to get through; it will be worth it in the long run if you think you will really enjoy the world-building and characters.
Why did Fairy Tail have a time skip?
Warning: The following section contains major spoilers for the rest of the series!
There was a seven-year time skip due to events in the X791 arc which involved the main cast being trapped in a frozen-like state for seven years. This happened a long time ago, showcasing just how long Fairy Tail has actually been running.
Now that you know all of the Fairy Tail arcs you are prepared to go and experience this series for yourself, especially with the series finally making a big comeback this summer with the 100 Years Quest arc finally getting animated and reigniting what fans’ love about the franchise.
Published: Jan 17, 2024 07:17 am