Episode 43

Defeat Your Friends, To Save Your Friends is the 43rd episode of the Fairy Tail anime. It first aired on August 23, 2010.

Synopsis
The episode begins with some town’s people noting that the Fairy Tail members are fighting against each other. As they speak, Vijeeter Ecor breaks out of a wall, and is apparently fighting with Nab. Vijeeter doesn’t want to fight, but faced with the fact, is forced to. Elsewhere, Max and Warren are fighting. Warren is seeing through Max’s plans with his telepathy, but Max feels that even though he can see, he cannot stop his attacks. Meanwhile, Macao and Wakaba are fighting and Wakaba is worried about Mirajane. Makao scolds him that he is a married man, but he responds by reminding him he is a divorcee. In the same time, Lucky Ollietta is fighting against 4 girls who think her new hair do is slutty. She beats them with her wood make, and simultaneously Alzack beats two other members of Fairy Tail.

Meanwhile, at the screen who blocks Natsu and Makarov, it is announced that Nab and Warren won, while Wakaba’s and Macao’s battle is in progress. Happy concludes that this is indeed the battle Laxus was looking for, and Natsu is furious, because… he can’t participate. Makarov scolds him for his wishes, adding that even if he was there all he would do was fight, and by doing so, he would help realize Laxus’s plans. What they really need to do, according to Makarov, is beat the Raijinshuu, so that the spell over the girls breaks. Surprisingly, Natsu doesn’t believe that Laxus is serious in killing the girls. He thinks it is only a bluff, since he is one of their nakamas. Natsu keeps trying to get out, but the age limit seems to weight over him. Meanwhile, Macao attacks Wakaba, who eludes him with his Illusions. In the same time, Reedus is trying to get out of town and to Porlyusica. He is prohibited from doing so by Fried’s Runes, and soon he engages in combat with Fried himself. Now, it’s Gray’s turn to fight. Bixlow engages him, while, some place else, Elfman is battling Evergreen. He uses his Full Body Take Over, but, being that he must fight blindfolded, Evergreen easily takes him out and petrifies him. In the boundaries of the city, Reedus has cast an illusion of Lucy to distract Fried. He sees through it, and incapacitates Reedus too. Back at Natsu, Laxus gives a though projection of himself. He tells Makarov that it must be hard to see his children fight themselves this way. Laxus argues that now that Natsu and Erza are unable to fight, victory is his, but Happy interrupts, reminding him of Gray. Laxus brushes this off, but Makarov concords with Happy too. Gray is strong.

So, he is fighting. He manages to evade all of Bixlow’s attacks, and even freezes his dolls, but he shields himself by controlling other, bigger dolls. Bixlow tells Gray that destroying his dolls is useless, so Gray decides to freeze him. Bixlow runs, and leads gray to a spot where no one can use magic, thanks to Fried. He counts Gray as beaten, but he retaliates, and is ready to punch him, but when he sees that the dolls are aiming at a little girl, he shields he using his body. Even so, he is able to deliver the punch, but he faints, because of the strain. Bixlow suggests him wearing more clothes, for protection.

Back to Natsu, Laxus is laughing because Gray has been beaten. Happy doesn’t want to admit this, guessing truthfully that he was tricked. They still count Gajeel in, but Laxus responds that he doesn’t care about the guild. Feeling that he lost, Makarov grants Laxus his win, but Laxus is not stopping at that. He wants Makarov to publicly announce his retirement as Master and to name Laxus as the new one. He wants him to choose between his position and his friends, and Makarov is happy to choose his friends, but he is not willing to let Laxus become the master. He lacks conviction and heart. As they speak, they hear Gajeel eating a pan, and he goes to fight Laxus himself, but is blocked by the Barrier. Elsewhere, the Raijinshuu are terrorizing the others, beating Lucky, Nab, Alzack, and others, to keep winning.

With the recent fights, the number of participants has dropped to only two, Gajeel and Natsu. Seeing as they can’t get out, Natsu decides to turn Erza to normal. He takes the statue and wants to rub his fiery hands in her, but a crack appears, and then another, and Erza is freed. We learn that the artificial eye has sucked the magic, and now that she is free, everything has changed. At the board, now three are listed as available, but the number soon changes to four, at everyone’s happiness. The fourth one is none other than Mystogan. Laxus is also aware of this, and concludes that the real festival includes the best. Erza then leaves to search for the enemies, and encounters Evergreen, who is jealous of her for being the fairy Queen, Titania. The battle begins…