Episode 230

The Devil Returns is the 230th episode of the Fairy Tail anime, and the 55th episode of the 2014 series.
As Flare is fighting against the Hunters of the Sylph Labyrinth, along with Lucy and Wendy, Erza finds herself under Minerva's attack. Meanwhile, Natsu is still searching for the familiar voice, all the while Gray ends up encountering Doriate, falling victim to his Magic as well.
==Summary==
As Flare arrives to save the girls, Lucy and Wendy are confused to see her. When Wendy thanks her, Lucy wonders how Flare managed to find them, with the latter jokingly responding that she has been following her all along, before revealing that the Sun Village is actually her home, supporting her statement with the emblem she received. Flare then proceeds by saying that she found the giants that raised her frozen when she returned. She then accuses the Hunters of freezing the giants, but they respond that they've only come to take the Eternal Flame. Angry to hear those words, Flare states that the flame is the guardian deity of the village and thus cannot be taken. She then starts to attack with her hair but Hiroshi cuts it off. In order to restore her hair, Lucy summons Cancer to help her. 
 
Supporting Flare, Wendy and Lucy decide to fight as well, with the former being happy to hear that. Now strengthened, Flare attacks Hiroshi once more, albeit successfully, knocking him off the battleground. Rala then proceeds to attack Wendy with his Stronger but Wendy counters the attack with her Sky Dragon's Claw. Meanwhile, Drake starts shooting at Lucy, who is dodging the attacks and eventually summons Sagittarius, who pierces the bullets coming their way. Lucy then summons Virgo to attack Drake by burrowing into the ground, with the latter not being able to do so due to the frozen floor. After a brief moment, Drake manages to defeat Sagittarius. In the meantime, Flare attacks with Hair Shower: Wolf Fang but Hiroshi cuts her hair once again. Flare then expresses her pride as a member of the Sun Village, subsequently attacking with Hair Shower: Firefly Flame, temporarily besting Hiroshi. Rala then manages to catch Wendy with Stronger, holding her in his clutch, all the while Lucy is evading Drake's attacks. Flare tries to help the Celestial Spirit Mage but due to losing focus Hiroshi manages to tie her hair in a knot. With the girls now appearing to stand no chance, the Hunters point out their strength, ending up mocking the girls in the process. 
However, Lucy replies by telling them to never pick a fight against Mages like them, as Wendy uses Arms to free herself from Rala's clutch while Flare extends her hair to bind Hiroshi completely. At the same time, Lucy summons Leo, who kicks Drake out of sight. Wendy then uses her Sky Dragon's Wing Attack while Flare attacks with Hair Shower: Thousand Birds, all the while Lucy and Virgo kick Drake, ending up defeating the Hunters at the same time. Successful in stopping the Hunters, Flare shows a warm smile. 
 
Elsewhere, Happy and Carla are still looking for Natsu when they end up hiding from the mysterious Cyclops Monster. At the same time, Erza tries to convince Minerva to quit being a Dark Mage but the latter doesn't care as she starts her assault against a helpless Mage. Meanwhile, Natsu is still running away from Doriate. Back to the girls, Flare starts recounting her childhood story, being a human raised by giants who treated her as family but leaving due to being too different. She then proceeds by saying that she was scared when she first met humans and after some time ended up in Raven Tail, which she knew nothing about at that time, and Lucy and Wendy comfort her, making her cry. Thinking they can melt the village with the Eternal Flame, Flare decides to lead them there. Carla and Happy, however, are still hiding from the unknown monster. 
At the same time, Natsu is still following the voice, wondering when he will come back to his normal state. Back to Erza, she is still under Minerva's attack, who desires to continue her torment to compensate for the humiliation she received during the Grand Magic Games. Having nothing to defend herself, Erza starts wondering if the effects of the Magic will go away if the caster is defeated. 
Simultaneously, Gray ends up being lost and notices Doriate, being shocked to see his monstrous mouth. Doriate then responds by turning Gray into a child as well, subsequently starting to climb up the hill rapidly. Gray then suddenly starts remembering his painful memories, with Doriate telling him that it's another effect of his Magic. He then proceeds to grab him, mocking and at the same time angering Gray. Ultear appears in Gray's mind to give him enough power and help him and so Gray manages to free himself. He then asks Doriate if he is the one behind the freezing of the village, with the latter not revealing it. Thinking he is the one who did it, Gray desires to show him real Ice Magic. Meanwhile, Erza is still suffering damage from Minerva's attacks. The latter then proceeds to deal the final blow and manages to take Erza's sword and point it at her. While running, Flare swears she will bring the giants back to normal, all the while Natsu finally manages to find the source of the voice at the mountain formation.
==Characters in Order of Appearance==
==Battles & Events ==
*Lucy Heartfilia, Wendy Marvell & Flare Corona vs. Hiroshi, Rala & Drake (concluded)
*Erza Scarlet vs. Minerva Orland: Rematch (started)
*Gray Fullbuster vs. Doriate (started)
==Magic, Spells, and Abilities used==
===Magic used===
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***Summoned the Giant Crab, Cancer
***Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius
***Summoned the Maiden, Virgo
***Summoned the Lion, Leo
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===Spells used===
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===Abilities used===
*Hand-to-Hand Combat
*Flight
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*Marksmanship
*Swordsmanship
===Weapons used===
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*Sword
*Bow and Arrows
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===Items used===
*Celestial Spirit Gate Keys
**Gate of the Giant Crab Key
**Gate of the Archer Key
**Gate of the Maiden Key
**Gate of the Lion Key
==Manga & Anime Differences==
*In the manga, Sagittarius is already summoned when Lucy thinks of summoning Virgo. In the anime, Lucy runs around to avoid getting shot at, and then summons Sagittarius and hides behind a tree.
*In the manga, a wounded Sagittarius immediately vanishes after getting shot. In the anime, a wound is not visible, but he gets to say that he lost to marksmanship before disappearing.
*Before Erza fights Minerva as a child, there is additional dialogue in the anime.
*The anime expands the following events:
**Natsu searching for "the voice".
**Erza facing off against Minerva.
**Happy and Carla looking for Natsu and then hiding from the cyclops monster.
**Lucy, Wendy and Flare looking for the Eternal Flame.
*The anime added scenes suiting Flare's backstory, with a young Flare reaching a town, and then finding Ivan Dreyar. In the manga she just talks about her adventures, while no footage of them is displayed.
*As Doriate is about to kill Gray and he has a vision of Ultear talking to him, her behind is naked in the manga, while in the anime the figure is dark as to not show any nudity.
==Navigation==
Category:Episodes