Episode 285

The Seventh Guild Master is the 285th episode of the Fairy Tail anime, and the 8th episode of the 2018 series.
The members get to work rebuilding their guildhall. They have faith that Makarov will return one day but they need to choose a new master for the time being, electing Erza in the temporary position. Suddenly, a familiar face appears and reveals many secrets about Fairy Tail's past, with Gajeel formulating his own agenda after overhearing the dilemma.
==Summary==
While relaxing in the bath of her old house, Lucy notes how her guildmates have managed to settle in back again in Magnolia. After getting out, she is, once again, greeted by Natsu and Happy in her house, who inform her that they have found a job, which in fact turns out to be just helping with the reconstruction of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, much to her dismay. As the various Mages continue to work, Natsu and Elfman start a fight, resembling the old days at the guild, which the rest of the guild soon enough joins in. Meanwhile, Levy is stuck on the paperwork of reviving the guild, stating that they ought to choose a seventh Guild Master, one who could temporarily maintain the vulgar members, until the original Master returns. Her question is then answered shortly when an irked Erza scolds the brawling Mages to get back to their work, freezing all of them on the spot.
Baffled by the sudden decision, and the immediate approval of the guildmembers, Erza stutters, but is interrupted by a young man, who claims that they are in fact the only hope for their Master, Makarov, much to their confusion, as most of them fail to remember his name. The man, who is actually Mest Gryder, quickly accompanies Erza into the underground area of the guild and introduces her to Lumen Histoire. While explaining that only Guildmasters are allowed in here, the rest of Team Natsu stumbles into the same room, having followed the two Mages in there. Surprised to see Mavis's body engulfed in a great crystal, Erza asks Mest for explanations, prompting the latter to state that he also hosts little information about it. He then, non-the-less reveals his own memories for the group, using his Memory Control, to update them on Makarov's whereabouts.
In their minds, they watch as a young Mest is tasked by Makarov to infiltrate the Magic Council, to obtain intel on the western continent. Determined to carry out his mission flawlessly, Mest erases his own memories, along with that of his guildmates, and assumes the persona of Doranbolt and is recruited into the Rune Knights. Occasionally, the two would meet, with the Master restoring Mest's memories to converse with him. One day however, Mest, now as Doranbalt, decides to infiltrate the guild itself in order to discover any shady deeds about them, explaining how he ended up at the S-Class Mage Promotion Exam, much to the group's disbelief. Following the seven-year time-skip, Mest meets Makarov once again during the Grand Magic Games, much to the former's immense joy. Makarov then asks Mest to leave the Council and return to the guild, to which he refuses, saying that he became close to obtaining the information Makarov needed.
After the battle with Tartaros and having received the last bits of information he needed, the Ten Wizard Saint decides to dissolve the guild, before exposing the embedding danger of the Alvarez Empire, who halted its invasion of Ishgar ten years ago, due to the Council's Magical artillery of weapons; such as the Etherion and Face, to a terrified Mest. Now, with the end of the Council and the nullification of its formidable weapons, the Empire will consequently soon invade Fiore to obtain Lumen Histoire. Makarov then goes on to explain the sheer power difference between the two parties, stating it will be a great danger on his guildmembers, his children. Determined to protect the Fairy Tail members, Makarov decides to halt Alvarez's invasion by travelling to negotiate and threaten to use the their secret weapon against them, despite Mest's pleas.
Astonished by such revelations, the group immediately calls for a recuse mission to retrieve their Master, to which Erza responds that the reestablishment of the guild is also important. In the end, she arranges for only the present members, Team Natsu and Mest, to carry out the operation secretly, infiltrating the said empire and saving their leader, without any unnecessary battles, much to their enthusiasm. Meantime, above at the guild's premise, Gajeel, having overheard the conversation, moves to create a "Team B", consisting mostly of members of Fairy Tail's second team during the Grand Magic Games, in order to return their "old thunder comrade".
==Characters in Order of Appearance==
==Battles & Events==
*None
==Magic, Spells, and Abilities used==
===Magic used===
*
*
===Spells used===
*None
===Abilities used===
*Hand-to-Hand Combat
===Armors used===
*
==Manga & Anime Differences==
*The following parts occur only in the anime:
**Lucy talking of the previous generation's influence on the guild.
**Loke punching Alzack before entering the brawl.
**Laki entering the brawl.
**Miscellaneous activities such as Mirajane and Kinana sewing the guild flag, Romeo and Asuka interacting, etc. 
*Lucy's bathing scene is shortened and slightly altered in the anime.
*Juvia's fantasy in the anime has Lucy in a bunny suit, while in the manga she's wearing regular clothes.
*Gajeel, Levy, Lily, and Lucy are among the ones whose attire differs between the two media. 
*Gray doesn't wear a bandanna in the anime. 
*Added dialogue between Mest and Makarov over Mest's undercover mission.
*Doranbolt and Lahar's conversation about Doranbolt's undercover as a Fairy Tail Mage takes place in the study room in the anime while in the manga it takes place in the cafeteria.
*A scene of Gajeel's enhanced hearing wasn't included.
==Navigation==
Category:Episodes