Fairy Tail: Final Season

Episodes 310-311

Fanfiction writers, take note: in these two episodes of Fairy Tail, we get to find out which characters have had sex before. That's actually more important in one case than it sounds and generally less salacious, even though these are easily two of the raciest episodes of the series as a whole. All of it is due to Larcade, a member of the Spriggan 12 whose magic manipulates desires. As he puts it, most humans (and apparently Exceeds) have three basic desires: sex, food, and sleep. That means that he can weaponize those wants, and that's precisely what he does, starting with sexual desire. The caveat there is that only those who have experienced sexual pleasure are affected by the spell, so while Laxus, Mavis, and Irene are all overwhelmed, Cana, Erza, and Warren are not. (And naturally when Larcade uses a different form of the spell for the virginal, it involves tentacles of magic. Keeping it classy, Fairy Tail.) What's perhaps more interesting is that Larcade doesn't stop to consider that his spell may affect his allies as well as his enemies – we see that Zeref and Irene fall prey to it, and ultimately Larcade is told to knock it off with the wide area of effect magic. While there's absolutely a reason for seeing this that will begin to come clear in future episodes, it also says something about Larcade. One thing is certainly that he says that “humans” have these three basic desires, which phrasing can imply that he doesn't consider himself part of that category, but also that perhaps thinking ahead isn't one of his strong suits.

Granted, that's not really a strength of many of the characters in this series, but viewers certainly don't need to follow their example. We're definitely being given a lot of hints and clues about some of the characters in these two episodes, and if you enjoy playing around with foreshadowing, I urge you to really pay close attention here.

All of it does go back to the core idea of Fairy Tail, which is the strength to be found in friends and that family may be who you choose it to be. When Erza breaks up Gray and Natsu's fight, we're all reminded of the strong familial bond the three have, and how Natsu and Gray will do anything to keep Erza from crying. Ignoring the fact that sometimes crying is cathartic and good, for the two guys seeing Erza cry is more than just being upset that she's unhappy, it's frightening. Ever since the three joined Fairy Tail, Erza has been the strong one of their group, the big sister who keeps them on the right track and forms the bedrock for them to build on. While they certainly love Makarov as well, it's Erza who is their symbol of stability. To see her break down is an emotional earthquake for them, and her tears stop them in their tracks like nothing else could.

With Makarov gone, Erza needs her adopted little brothers to stand with her, and perhaps to be her strength in the moment when her father figure has died. That's what makes the symbolism of what comes after the end of their fight so bittersweet. Wendy and Juvia arrive on the scene, and Juvia and Gray reunite, basically collapsing together. Natsu then falls down, but Lucy is right there, coming up behind him with a hug to let him know that no matter what, he's not alone, and Happy completes their group. But Erza stands alone, upright and quietly crying. There is no one there for her, and she must remain the person who is strong no matter what, not really allowed to break down because people need her.

She has Jellal, of course, but he's not there. She's less injured (probably) than Gray and Natsu, and technically Wendy and Carla are both present and could offer comfort. But Erza can't let herself go, and in some ways that's her tragedy as a character – she's so busy being strong, so aware that it upsets people when she cries or breaks down, that she doesn't get a chance to just be human. It's entirely possible she likes it that way, but there's still something a little sad about it.

But now it's Sting's time to shine. With Larcade having exploited sex and hunger (only one of which really affected Sting), that only leaves sleep for him to use, and Sting's all powered up with Rogue's magic alongside his own. Next week should be a good one for him, and if Larcade thinks he's going to go easy into that good night, he's definitely in for a surprise.

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Fairy Tail: Final Season is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.