Episode 180

Garou Knights is the 180th episode of the Fairy Tail anime, and the 5th episode of the 2014 series.
With Gray having defeated Rufus, Team Fairy Tail is now in first place. As the tournament continues and Sting mentally replays his vow to win, the Garou Knights arrive in Abyss Palace and the fighting commences between their members and Natsu and Wendy.
==Summary==
Having defeated Rufus, Gray gives Fairy Tail the chance to celebrate once again for their ranking and puts his guild in high spirits. After a revision of the guilds' points and the number of fighters left in each team, Orga and Rogue reveal that despite their loss, they're still determined to fight. Meanwhile, Minerva ponders whether Sting will be the one to save Sabertooth's fate, or if her guild will crumble.
At the same time, Sting reminisces that, after beating Jiemma when he apparently killed Lector, Minerva told him that it was the power of feelings that he lacked due to Jiemma's influence, and, with that power back, he could possibly be more powerful than Natsu. She also consoled him about Lector, explaining that she kept him away in another dimension with her powers and thereby saved his life, but demanded that Sting win the Grand Magic Games in order to get the Exceed back. When Sting insisted she return his friend, Minerva told him that, while she's not like her father, she must ensure Sabertooth's victory, and also that he should not harbor foolish thoughts about fighting her, as Lector's life is in her hands. Remembering this, Sting vows to win. Meanwhile, the Fairy Tail members remind themselves of all the strong opponents left in the tournament, as well as Natsu's mission to rescue Lucy, deducting that it's not yet the time to be celebrating.
In the dungeons below Mercurius, Lucy and the other members of the Rescue Team try to bring a fainted Natsu to his senses, which they succeed to do when Lucy tells him that he is upsetting Wendy. Despite being hungry, the Mages do not lose hope until Happy and Carla return from flying and reveal that they have found no escape route. When Lucy wonders how big the underground maze could possibly be, Yukino reveals that it's actually 10 times the size of Crocus itself. To lighten the mood, the members switch topic and Happy teases Natsu for wanting to be in the Rescue Team to save Lucy: the latter becomes flustered and tells Yukino that he also came for her. Yukino then proceeds to thank Natsu for storming Sabertooth the night she was kicked out, and, despite not remembering, Natsu becomes embarrassed and states that it was nothing. Mira also points out that Yukino resembles Lisanna, explaining to her that Lisanna is her little sister when Yukino is confused at the statement.
Suddenly, the earth starts shaking and, when it's over, a short passage for the Mages to pass through is created. After getting out, they notice Arcadios lying unconscious on the ground, wounded, who immediately tells them to run away. Despite his protests, Wendy proceeds to heal him, until she and the other members are ambushed by an unknown assailant. Soon, a second man appears, who sweeps the Mages away with a gust of wind, being later joined by three more mysterious people. Arcadios explains that the attackers are an independent group called Garou Knights: Crocus' strongest executioners. Renowned for both their strength and cruelty, their leader exclaims that they have authority to execute the Mages.
However, the Fairy Tail Mages are not intimidated and their first reaction is to mock their opponents for looking inconsistent because of their unmatched and different clothing and appearance. Arcadios tells them that it would be wise not to underestimate them, as they have Magic specifically designed to kill, but Natsu, Mira and Wendy, later joined by Panther Lily, decide to fight them and make them tell them where the exit is, while Yukino and Lucy take Arcadios away, since they are unable to fight without their keys.
The two women of the group, Kamika and Cosmos, go on the offensive first, with Kamika using Paper Magic against Natsu who, despite being attacked with red papers of flames, fails to both dodge and absorb them. Wendy soon joins in to help him, while Mira and Panther Lily wait to see what the other members can do. Despite Natsu and Wendy teaming up, their Dragon Slayer Magic is not enough to defeat the two women, as they are captured by Cosmos' plants. Mira and Lily plan to save them before they are consumed by the man-eating plants but Natsu orders them not to interfere, and saves both himself and Wendy by getting them to cooperate. Combining their powers, they manage to fight on par with the two, until the other executioners as well as Fairy Tail members decide to jump into the fight. In the confusion, Kamika traps Wendy in a paper prison, and then Cosmos uses this opportunity to set a trap for Wendy and have a plant consume her, while Natsu screams the girl's name in agony.
==Characters in Order of Appearance==
==Battles & Events==
*Grand Magic Game
*Lucy Heartfilia's Rescue from Mercurius
*Mirajane Strauss, Natsu Dragneel, Wendy Marvell & Panther Lily vs. Garou Knights (started)
==Magic, Spells, and Abilities used==
===Magic used===
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*Acid Magic
*Terrain Effect Magic
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===Spells used===
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*Paper Blizzard: White Dance
*Vines
*Flytrap
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===Abilities used===
*Flight
*Swordsmanship
===Weapons used===
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*Flag Pole
==Manga & Anime Differences==
*The anime extended both Mavis and Makarov's reaction to Gray's victory against Rufus. 
*Talk about the ranks of the teams left in the Grand Magic Game were added. 
*In the manga, Minerva was shown confronting Sting about Lector by moving in very close to his face and telling him to cease his snivelling. In the anime, she remains in place for the entire length of her speech to Sting. 
*There was an added scene in the episode of Makarov and Mavis worrying about the Rescue Team as the other members of Fairy Tail contemplate how their team is going to defeat some of the other participants in the Grand Magic Game.
*The anime added many additional clips surrounding the Rescue Team as they are trapped in the Abyss Palace, including:
**Natsu collapsing because he is too hungry, and Wendy crying because she can't heal him. 
**Yukino explaining the vastness of the Abyss Palace. 
**Yukino discussing her shock at being kicked out of Sabertooth and thanking Natsu for what he did when he stormed their guild building. 
**Yukino having a flashback of her own sister when Mirajane makes her comment about Lisanna. 
**Kama appearing in the caverns and snapping his fingers before the caves begin to rock ferociously. 
**Lucy accidentally falling onto Natsu's face and becoming flustered when Yukino questions her about it. 
**Wendy attempting to heal Arcadios before Neppa attacks the group. 
**The group discussing how the Garou Knights don't look like Knights because they all dress differently, and the Garou Knights explaining this. 
**Mirajane and Panther Lily debating whether or not they should join the battle and help Natsu and Wendy with Kamika and Cosmos, and Neppa attacking them when they do try to interfere.
*When Cosmos appears before the Rescue Team in the anime she morphs out of a flytrap. In the manga, she appears in a flower. 
*In the anime, Kamika and Cosmos state that they would like to attack first, and the other Garou Knights become upset by this. In the manga, they attack first without conversing with their teammates. 
*The anime added several additional spells during the fight sequence between Kamika and Cosmos and also showed Wendy and Natsu fighting together, extending the fight immensely. 
==Navigation==
Category:Episodes