Episode 34

Jellal is the 34th episode of the Fairy Tail anime. It first aired on June 21, 2010.

Team Natsu rescue squad arrives at the Tower of Heaven, where Erza Scarlet has been taken captive by her past friends who were her fellow slaves during their childhood. Erza's past and information about the Tower of Heaven and her old comrades is revealed. Meanwhile, the Magic Council argues about how to deal with the R-System in the Tower of Heaven, with one of their argued options being the firing of Etherion.

Synopsis
The Magic Council is discussing the probability of the existence of another R-System tower. They have a view of the eighth tower, and they suspect that the incident at the Akane resort was the doing of the people now occupying the tower. Siegrain, a member of the council and Jellal’s alleged twin brother, tells the council that the R-System is now called the Tower of Heaven. The council agrees that the Tower must be destroyed, but they flinch when learn that the builder is in fact Jellal, Siegrain’s twin.

Meanwhile, Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia and Juvia Lockser are traveling by boat to go after Erza Scarlet and Happy. When they approach the Tower’s boundaries, Natsu gets a feeling of danger and they see birds falling dead from the sky. On the surface of the water, lifeless fishes and debris of council ships float. In order to protect and hide them, Juvia uses her Water Dome.

In the meantime, Shô and Simon show Erza to her cell. Shô informs Erza that she has been chosen to be a living sacrifice for Zeref. Erza shivers, not because she is supposed to be a sacrifice, but because she is being held in the very spot she was captured and punished as a kid when her group of friends attempted to escape the tower. Erza remembers the guards finding herself and her friends as they plotted to escape from the tower. The guards decided to punish only the mastermind of the escape plan, claiming that they would be "kind" and let the other children off unharmed. It was Shô who came up with the plan, but he breaks down into tears and refuses to confess to the guards. Erza is about to confess and take punishment in Shô's place when Jellal stands and states that he was the mastermind. However, the guards aren't convinced and reason that Erza was the one who came up with the plan. Though Jellal and Simon both try to defend Erza, Erza is carried off to receive punishment.

Shô interrupts Erza's remembering and apologizes for not being strong enough to confess to the guards. Erza asks Shô of the repercussions of using the Revive System, but Shô brushes them off. He says that they are trying to create Heaven, with them as rulers and as such do not care of anyone else. Erza frees herself while Shô is euphoric and then knocks him out, but not without remembering how he was when they were kids and commenting on how people can change so dramatically. Her mission now is finding and neutralizing Jellal.

The Magic Council is still arguing, and Siegrain calls the members weak because of their resolve. He proposes using Etherion, an immensely powerful Magic, the Council’s Ultimate weapon. The council reacts in horror, mentioning the severity of such an attack, but Ultear Milkovich and another member concur with the use of Etherion. Siegrain sticks to his idea, even though it would mean the death of his twin.

Natsu and the others arrive at the shore of the Tower. Juvia finds an underwater passage into the tower, and creates water bubbles with air inside so the group can infiltrate the tower by via the passage. When they get inside the Tower they encounter some of the towers guards, engage them and come out winners. Just after they win a passageway opens, allowing them access to the tower. Jellal himself opened the passage so they can join in his "game". At the council, a fourth vote is raised for firing Etherion.

Upon climbing higher into the tower the gang then finds a room where there’s food. They eat, and ask themselves why they have been allowed to go this far. A group of guards comes in and Erza arrives and knocks them out. She is shocked to find Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Juvia in the tower and demands that they leave, but Natsu is the first to refuse, and leaves to look for Happy.

Erza says she will be responsible for returning Happy and Natsu home and that Gray, Lucy and Juvia must leave the tower, however the group still refuses, stating that because they are a team they should always be together. Erza cries, and begins telling them the story of her past and her connection to the Tower of Heaven. She explains that a black magic cult was responsible for creating the R-System. She, along with others, were used as slaves to build this tower and were constantly held prisoners. In the midst of all this chaos, she managed to make friends with fellow slaves, one of them being Jellal.

Erza then recalls being held in a cell after receiving punishment for plotting the escape plan. Though she was kept in chains and guarded, Jellal fought his way through her guards and came to rescue her. However, one of the punishments Erza received was the maiming of her right eye, rendering it useless for her sight. Jellal carried Erza from her cell, stating that they should no longer consort to being treated as slaves and that they should fight back. As they were escaping though, Magic troops appeared and halted them. The guards then took Erza back to her cell, where everyone was glad to see her, but sad as they knew that Jellal had been taken in her place.

Erza then remembers Jellal's words about fighting back against their captors and attacks the guards, starting a revolt. However, Erza claims that while Jellal was being held and tortured, he turned into a completely different person, one who can only be described as "evil".

Fights

 * Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster & Juvia Lockser vs. Tower of Heaven Guards

Magic used

 * (Summoned the Maiden, Virgo)
 * (Summoned the Maiden, Virgo)
 * (Summoned the Maiden, Virgo)
 * (Summoned the Maiden, Virgo)
 * (Summoned the Maiden, Virgo)
 * (Summoned the Maiden, Virgo)

Spells used

 * Water Bubbles
 * Water Hybrid Form
 * Water Hybrid Form
 * Water Hybrid Form
 * Water Hybrid Form

Abilities used

 * Hand-to-Hand Combat
 * Swordsmanship

Weapons used

 * Magic Guns
 * Various ordinary weapons
 * Heart Kreuz Sword

Items used

 * Magic Boat

Items Used

 * Gate of the Maiden Key

Manga & Anime Differences

 * The design of the Tower of Heaven varies greatly between the anime and the manga, with the tower in the manga being much more straight and symmetrical. The tower featured in the anime has a much more "jagged" appearance, looking like a huge twist of metal with giant bits of Lacrima jutting out of it.
 * The Magic Council in the anime is shown to be standing on a giant Magic circle. In the manga however, the Council is sitting around a table.
 * When the ruler of the tower is revealed to be Jellal, the members of the Council are all shocked and look straight at Siegrain, seemingly knowing all about his twin. In the manga, only Org is shown to know who Jellal is, with the other Council members reacting with confusion, claiming they don't know anyone by the name Jellal.
 * The anime adds clips of birds falling from the sky and fish floating dead in the sea as the team approaches the tower.
 * The appearance of the inside of the tower varies greatly between the anime and the manga.
 * The anime adds a clip of Juvia casting Water Dome to conceal the groups approach.
 * The guards of the Tower of Heaven have a different appearance in the anime compared to those seen in the manga. There are also large pink creatures shown with the guards in the anime. These creatures are not seen in the manga.
 * During their escape attempt, Erza and her comrades are shown to have their hands chained together. In the anime, they are only wearing cuffs.
 * In the scene where Erza is taken by the guards, Jellal and Simon are electrocuted by a guard. This is not seen in the manga.
 * In the manga, Erza kicks Shô unconscious before chewing at the cords binding her wrists to the wall and escaping. In the anime, Erza slips off the hook she is tied to and rushes Shô on the other side of the room before then chewing her cords.
 * The appearance of Erza's Heart Kreuz Armor differs between the two medias.
 * Before leaving to find Jellal, Erza has an extra flashback of a younger, more innocent Shô. The manga did not have this flashback.
 * In the manga, Erza attacks a group of guards in a hallway. In the anime, this attack occurs on some steps on the outside of the Tower of Heaven.
 * When Gray, Juvia, Lucy and Natsu arrive in a cave under the Tower of Heaven, the cave they are in appears different in the manga than in the anime.
 * Natsu is shown in the anime to have swum to the cave in his underwear. In the manga, he remains in his clothes the whole time.
 * To fight the guards, Lucy summons Virgo and in the aftermath of the fight Virgo provides Lucy with dry clothes. In the manga, Lucy summons Cancer instead, and he is the one to give her clothes.
 * The table in the anime has food on it.
 * There are some extra clips in the anime of Happy wondering where he is.
 * Whilst being tortured, Erza was held in a cell. In the anime, she is being held in a large room, the same room in fact where she later faces Jellal.
 * In the manga, Jellal finds Erza in her cell but is attacked from behind by a guard. In the anime, Jellal carries Erza down a hallway when Magic troops appear and subdue him.
 * When Erza starts the revolt in the manga she is seen attacking her guards. In the anime, this attack is off-screen.