 | ||
Original run July 17, 2014 – July 17, 2015 Similar Erased, Dimension W, All Out!!, First Love Monster, Kiss Him - Not Me | ||
Fairy Tail Zero (Japanese: フェアリーテイル ゼロ, Hepburn: Fearī Teiru Zero, stylized as FAIRY TAIL ZERØ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. The series is a prequel to Mashima's Fairy Tail manga, depicting the events leading to the formation of the titular wizards' guild. Kodansha Comics USA published it as a single volume in North America. The Fairy Tail anime television series included an adaptation of the spin-off, which aired from January 9 to March 26, 2016.
Contents
Plot
105 years before the events of Fairy Tail, six-year-old Mavis Vermillion lives on Sirius Island as a servant of the Red Lizard (
The group journeys to the city of Magnolia, where Blue Skull has established a brutal regime. Mavis fails to bluff the guild's master into returning the orb with her illusory magic, and she retreats into the forest with her outmatched allies. There Mavis encounters a young man who, unbeknownst to her, is the infamous dark wizard Zeref. Mavis expresses sympathy for the youth, who is afflicted with a curse that withers and kills all life around him, and convinces him to teach her and her allies how to use magic to combat Blue Skull. They successfully overthrow Blue Skull using their magic, but Mavis discovers that the orb has become contaminated with evil magic. When Yuri takes the orb for himself, he unwillingly fuses with a massive skeletal dragon utilized by Blue Skull and mindlessly rampages through the city. Mavis exorcises the magic possessing Yuri by casting Law (ロウ, Rō), a prototype spell learned from Zeref. As a side effect of using the spell, however, Mavis becomes permanently ageless.
After recovering and learning of Mavis's condition, Yuri dedicates himself to protecting her as a friend. He also reveals to Mavis that Zera is an illusion only she can perceive; Zera further confirms that the real Zera died during Blue Skull's raid on the island, and that Mavis subconsciously created her to cope with her death. Mavis accepts Zera as an illusion, causing her to disappear. To help the people of Magnolia rebuild, Mavis and the treasure hunters organize the Fairy Tail wizard guild in Zera's memory.
Characters
Release
Hiro Mashima began publishing the series in the first issue of Kodansha's Monthly Fairy Tail magazine on July 17, 2014. The series ended in the magazine's 13th and final issue on July 17, 2015.
The series is licensed in North America by Kodansha Comics USA, who announced their license at an event at Books Kinokuniya in New York on November 15, 2015.
Anime
An adaptation of Fairy Tail Zero was announced for the Fairy Tail anime television series on the jacket bands of Fairy Tail volume 52 and on the single collected volume of the series. The adaptation premiered on January 9, 2016. Funimation simulcasted the series with a broadcast dub in North America. The opening is "Ashita o Narase" (明日を鳴らせ, lit. "Ring in Tomorrow"), performed by Kavka Shishido, while the ending, "Landscape", is performed by Solidemo. For the episode 277, the ending theme is "Masayume Chasing", performed by BoA.
Reception
The tankōbon of Fairy Tail Zero ranked 11th in sales by the end of its first week of release, selling approximately 104,878 copies. The volume ranked 21st on its second week, and 40th on the third week. The New York Times listed the North American release as the 10th best selling manga at the end of its first week, and 8th on the second week.