Episode 56

Dead Grand Prix is the 56th episode of the Fairy Tail anime. It first aired on November 29, 2010.

Natsu Dragneel heads to Erza Scarlet after recovering Wendy Marvell and being contacted by Hibiki Laytis. Gray Fullbuster, Lyon Vastia and Sherry Blendi confront Racer who they ultimately defeat after a hard battle through teamwork. However, Lyon later falls down a cliff with Racer while Brain awakes Midnight.

Synopsis
Inside the Worth Woodsea, Natsu Dragneel carries Wendy Marvell, Happy and Carla to Erza Scarlet's site, when he hears Hibiki Laytis' voice inside his head through his Archive Magic. Hibiki directs Natsu to him through a Magic app in order to get Erza healed.

Elsewhere, Gray Fullbuster confronts Racer of the Oración Seis. He taunts him with his speed and Gray is unable to keep up. Racer summons numerous Magic Motorcycles, the Dead Grand Prix. Gray soon mounts one and races with his opponent. Racer is impressed but he still has the upper hand, as Gray is unable to aim properly because he can't focus on both Racer and the motorcycle at the same time. Racer, on the other hand, is perfectly able to. While racing, Gray meets Lyon Vastia and Sherry Blendy, taking Lyon with him on the Dead Grand Prix. The two plan to split the work, Gray will drive, Lyon will shoot.

The both of them are undoubtedly fast, but still not on Racer’s level. Gray loses his cool, but Lyon encourages him, and the two concurrently strip. They hit and hit, but Racer speeds up and overpowers them. While falling, Lyon notices the speed of the birds in the sky and thinks of a plan.

Back in Magnolia, Makarov receives a report which links Brain to the Bureau of Magic. Not only that, he is linked to the R-System incident too. The Master is worried, but Mirajane tranquilizes him. She is, however, concerned that they will destroy something again.

Lyon discloses his plan with Gray. He then shouts that he is not longer needed, and freezes him. He calls on Sherry and the two commence their attack on Racer. Racer disarms Sherry first, but she was able to briefly distract him with her attacks. Lyon then flees while attacking him and shouts that he singled out his weakness: he might be fast but he is not strong enough to actually defeat them. He summons ice on his back for defense, but Racer quickly overcomes it with Gear Change: Red Zone. Lyon keeps running, but Racer is always one step ahead. In a last attack, Racer disarms him, and with an icicle, threatens his life.

Lyon then speaks the truth. He noticed that Racer's Magic was not to make him faster, it was to slow others down by making their sense of time slower, and in the moment one person gets out of his range, they overcome his Magic. At a distance, Gray breaks out of the ice and aims his Ice-Make: Super Freeze Arrow at Racer. Despite the distance, Gray hits the Oración Seis Mage and defeats him. In his last thoughts, Racer remembers his moments as a slave in the Tower of Heaven and his prayer of being faster than everyone because of the R-System guards.

For a while, everyone thinks it’s over, but at the last moment, he gets up and shows that he has explosive lacrima strapped to his body. Gray is out of Magic and is unable to defend them. However, Lyon, for the younger pupil, jumps and takes Racer down the cliff with him. As they fall, the lacrima explodes...

Back to the hideout, Brain feels Racer’s loss and one of his tattoos disappear. Forced to a corner, he wakes Midnight and orders him to kill everyone. Midnight complies, referring to Brain as “Father”.

Fights

 * Gray Fullbuster, Lyon Vastia & Sherry Blendy vs. Racer (concluded)

Spells used

 * Information Transfer
 * Dead Grand Prix
 * High Side Rush
 * Gear Change: Red Zone
 * High Side Rush
 * Gear Change: Red Zone
 * Gear Change: Red Zone
 * Gear Change: Red Zone
 * Gear Change: Red Zone
 * Gear Change: Red Zone
 * Gear Change: Red Zone
 * Gear Change: Red Zone
 * Gear Change: Red Zone
 * Gear Change: Red Zone

Abilities used

 * Hand-to-Hand Combat
 * Marksmanship

Weapons used

 * Magic Tires
 * Lasers
 * Explosive lacrima

Items used

 * Magic Motorcycle
 * SE Plug

Manga & Anime Differences

 * In the manga, Happy is unconscious as Hibiki speaks with Natsu; but in the anime, he is awake.
 * There is a moment in the anime when Lucy questions Hibiki for smiling, but this was not in the manga.
 * Racer's clothes are different; his jacket has both his guild's mark and name on the front and back of it in the manga, but only has the guild mark on the back of it in the anime.
 * There is a brief moment in the anime when Gray attacks Racer and vice-versa before the beginning of the Grand Prix, but this is not in the manga.
 * Makarov and Mirajane speak a little bit about Oración Seis and their connection with Jellal in the anime. This was not in the manga.
 * Racer holds a knife to Lyon's throat in the manga, but uses a sharp icicle in the anime.
 * The bomb used by Racer is different; it is circular in the anime with five outer explosive lacrimas joining to a centre one. However, in the manga, they are separate explosives sticks arranged in rows.