Fairy Tail References You Missed In Edens Zero
One year after the "Fairy Tail" manga came to an end, Hiro Mashima released the first chapter of "Edens Zero." It begins with a simple premise: A boy and girl go on a grand adventure. In this case, the young man is Shiki Granbell, who is whisked away from his robots-only planet by a social media influencer named Rebecca Bluegarden. They embark on a search for Mother, the fabled creator of the universe, who has the power to grant any wish to those who find her. Naturally, their wild goose chase through the universe soon becomes an epically intergalactic saga, featuring awesome space deities and plenty of time travel.
Despite its sci-fi setting, "Edens Zero" continues the themes of friendship Mashima previously explored in "Fairy Tail." It often does so in darker and more realistic ways, but without losing any optimism. That's not where the similarities end, either: While "Fairy Tail" is gone, it is far from forgotten, as Mashima references it all throughout "Edens Zero." Some of these nods are clear as crystal, while others are hidden like a needle in a haystack. We're here to take a look at all of them. These are the "Fairy Tail" references you may have missed in "Edens Zero."
Happy vs. Happy
Happy the cat from "Edens Zero" is not the same creature as Happy the cat from "Fairy Tail." While both characters are incredibly similar in design, they are completely different in terms of origin story. The Happy of "Fairy Tail” fame is from Edolas, a parallel universe of Earth Land, and is a member of a feline race called the Exceed. Happy from "Edens Zero," however, is a cat from the cat-infested planet of Excede, who got run over by a drunk driver and was subsequently turned into a robot.
But both cats share plenty of similarities as well. They both take after their partners: One Happy emulates Natsu's rash actions and responses, while the other Happy takes on Rebecca's lazy traits, especially being a self-described shut-in who gets lost in video games. The similarities between "Exceed" and "Excede" are also obvious. However, only the robotic Happy can transform himself into a pair of "Happy Blasters" for Rebecca to use as weapons.
Rebecca, Lucy, and Elie
While Rebecca Bluegarden is an independent character, she shares many qualities with Hiro Mashima's previous heroines. For starters, both Rebecca and Lucy of "Fairy Tail" fame are beautiful blondes. They're also both aware of this, though they channel it differently: While Lucy often flaunts her looks, Rebecca is more reserved — Happy even teases her about this. However, Rebecca still knows she can use her looks to get more eyes on her content, and will occasionally take that route. Rebecca also shares certain qualities with Elie from "Rave Master," another Mashima series. When she's got her Happy Blasters in hand, she's more than a little reminiscent of Elie wielding her Tonfa Blasters.
What sets Rebecca apart from these other girls is her ambitious personality: She wants Aoneko Channel to hit one million subscribers on the popular video sharing website B-Cube. The reason Rebecca is even on a quest to find Mother is because she wants to use their journey to attract attention to her channel, and to wish to become a viral sensation.
Team Shadow Gear
In Episode 3 of "Edens Zero," "Adventurers," Shiki registers as an official adventurer on Rebecca's home planet, Blue Garden, also known as the "Planet of Adventurers." He then sets off to join the Shooting Starlight guild.
Levy McGarden of Shadow Gear can be seen among the Shooting Starlight with her two male colleagues, Jet and Droy. In "Fairy Tail," Jet and Droy are infatuated with their blue-haired leader. Unfortunately for those two, Levy never feels the same way about them. In fact, she hilariously never even notices they have feelings for her in the first place. They just can't compete with the time-traveling heartthrob that is Gajeel Redfox.
When the Fairy Tail Guild disbands, Levy becomes a member of the Magic Council, the main ruling body of the magic world. When the Fairy Tail Guild re-assembles, however, Levy, Jet, and Droy return to resurrect Team Shadow Gear. What does the future hold for their lookalike trio in "Edens Zero"? We'll probably never know, but it's certainly fun to think about.
Elsie and Justice and Ezra and Jellal
At first glance, Elsie Crimson and James "Justice" Holloway appear to be nothing more than doppelgangers of Erza Scarlet and Jellal Fernandes from "Fairy Tail." But they share more than appearance. For one thing, both couples have similarly tragic childhood backgrounds. Erza and Jellal were child slaves forced to construct the Tower of Heaven until Jellal became possessed by the Dark Mage Zeref and helped Erza escape. Justice and Elsie were once a betrothed young prince and princess from two different kingdoms. Their union was meant to unite their realms, but they ended up creating a civil war after uncovering a diabolical government plan that would have destroyed the Kaede Cosmos.
The similarities don't end there — but neither do the intriguing inversions. While Erza is portrayed as a heroine and Jellal as a main antagonist, their roles are reversed in "Edens Zero." She's nowhere near as evil as Jellal, but "Armored Space Pirate" Elsie is quite committed to intergalactic piracy. Her adversarial attitude gets under the skin of no-nonsense Justice, who has dedicated his life to protecting the cosmos as a member of the Interstellar Union Army. Finally, both couples are, well couples. But while Erza and Jellal's relationship is more of a will-they-or-won't-they thing, Elsie and Justice's dynamic is far more flirtatious, and even a little dangerous — the two have kissed while stabbing each other.
Blue-haired beauties
B-Cuber Labilia Christy of "Edens Zero" and Wendy Marvell of "Fairy Tail" couldn't be further apart, in terms of personality. As a child, Wendy is timid and polite. The grown-up Edolas version of Wendy is mature, confident, and kind. Labilia, on the other hand, is rude towards others and egotistical about her popularity as a B-Cuber. Rebecca, another B-Cuber, was once a friend of hers, until Labilia let fame get to her head — now, Labilia doesn't miss an opportunity to humiliate Rebecca for views. But things get thorny when Labilia develops a crush on Shiki after witnessing the gravity-defying powers of his Ether Gear in action. Naturally, Labilia's admiration of him grows even more after Shiki rescues her from a mysterious cyborg named Kris Rutherford.
What could Wendy and Labilia possibly have in common, you ask? Well, just look at them. Labilia and Edolas Wendy are eerily similar, appearance-wise: They both sport long navy blue hair, which falls over their shoulders and foreheads in similarly spiky ways, and favor cool colors in their wardrobe. They could be sisters, or even clones — albeit with very different personalities. What sets them apart are their eye designs: Labilia's green eyes are mischievously tilted upward, while Wendy's brown peepers are more soft and sympathetic.
Plue is man's best friend
Intentionally or otherwise, Plue has become the mascot for Hiro Mashima's work as a whole. In "Rave Master," Plue is Haru Glory's loyal "canine" companion, who travels with him and Elie to acquire the five pieces of the sacred Rave Stone. Plue also acts as a cute companion to Lucy Heartfilia in "Fairy Tail." While Plue originally retailed for 20,000 jewels, Lucy is able to acquire him at the discounted price of 19 000, due to Plue having zero combat abilities at his disposal.
In "Edens Zero," multiple Plues appear as waiters for Shiki and Rebecca. In this series, however, Plue is classified as a race of sentient dogs known as the Nikora. Interestingly enough, the Happy from "Fairy Tail" can tolerate Plue, despite being afraid of dogs. However, the Happy from "Edens Zero” is afraid of Nikora Plue, even though he still doesn't look anything like a dog.
The Fairy Tail Guild
While Easter eggs are typically a blink-and-you'll-miss-it affair, this Fairy Tail Guild reference in "Edens Zero" is anything but subtle. In Episode 3, Shiki joins the Shooting Starlight Guild after becoming a registered adventurer. But the guild isn't as welcoming as Shiki had hoped. At the Diner Fairy's — an establishment operated by a bunch of Plue-looking Nikora — Shiki tells Rebecca that he thought the guild would be a lot friendlier, "like a family."
As "Fairy Tail" fans know, the titular guild is often described as one big happy family of misfits — so much so that one of the rules of leaving it is to "never forget about your friends for as long as you live." To make it even more obvious that this is a hilariously inverted "Fairy Tail" reference, Rebecca replies, "There used to be a manga or anime like that, right?" At the same time, Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia are seen together in the background. It's very on-the-nose, and that's what makes it great.
Natsu and Lucy
Have you ever wondered what happens to Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia after the end of the "Fairy Tail" series? Look no further — "Edens Zero" has you covered. Throughout both the anime and manga series, Natsu and Lucy often pop up nonchalantly in the background.
That's not all. Natsu-Lucy shippers looking for more romantic moments from their favorite couple are positively spoiled by "Edens Zero": When the couple cameos, they're often walking arm-in-arm together. Sharp-eyed fans can spot them in Episode 3, when Shiki and Rebecca are talking about the Shooting Starlight Guild at the Diner Fairy's. They appear again in Episode 8, "Wind Howls on the Highway," when Weisz, Rebecca, and Shiki are at Blue Garden. Finally, Natsu and Lucy can be seen gambling away their earnings at Casino Paradise in Episode 19, "From the Planet of Eternity." As the series continues, there are bound to be more Natsu and Lucy cameos, so keep your eyes peeled.
Ichiya's unforgettable mug
Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki of "Fairy Tail" fame has a one-of-a-kind mug you'll truly never forget. He's a member of the Trimens, a team composed of womanizing men from the Blue Pegasus Guild. While Hibiki Lates, Eve Tearm, and Ren Akatsuki are all extremely dashing men, however, their leader, Ichiya, is anything but — although he certainly acts as though he's as handsome as his fellow members. This is why his attempts at wooing the ladies always fall flat.
Ichiya's, uh, unique looks grace "Edens Zero" as well as "Fairy Tail." In Episode 13, "The Super Virtual Planet," Shiki changes his avatar before entering the virtual planet Digitalis. Among the many looks he transforms into is that of Ichiya of the Blue Pegasus Guild. A robber wearing a mask resembling Ichiya's face can also be seen in Episode 19, alongside another robber wearing a mask of Plue's face from "Rave Master" and "Fairy Tail."
The Adventure of Iris
Lucy Heartfilia has many charming qualities, but perhaps her best trait is her deep appreciation of literature. Lucy's infatuation with books doesn't end with simply reading them — it has inspired her to become a writer. All through "Fairy Tail," Lucy documents the crazy adventures of the Fairy Tail Guild, and uses them as ideas for her novel. In the final chapter of "Fairy Tail," Lucy wins the Kemu Zaleon trophy, a prize bestowed upon new authors, for her debut novel, "The Adventure of Iris." As one would expect, the main heroine of the book, Iris, is heavily inspired by Lucy herself.
"The Adventure of Iris" must be one heck of a book, because it appears in Episode 4 of "Edens Zero," "A Man Named Weisz." In this installment, an electronic advertisement for Lucy's celebrated book can be seen on one of planet Norma's buildings, 50 years prior.
Cameos, cameos, cameos
"Fairy Tail" cameos can be spotted throughout "Edens Zero." But for every high-profile appearance of Natsu and Lucy, there are plenty of smaller-scale ones only the keenest fans will catch. In Episode 2, "A Girl and Her Blue Cat," Max Alors, Warren Rocko, and Risley Law are part of the crowd shocked by the bike that falls from the sky. Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser can be seen dining together in the anime's ending sequence. The Strauss sisters, Mirajane and Lisanna, appear in the bubbly pyramid of kidnapped B-Cubers featured in Episode 10, "The Great Naked Escape." And who could forget Sorano's brief appearance? A striking lookalike named Angelic Angela pops up in Episode 21, "Reset," when Nino suggests Rebecca cosplay as her.
Yet another tier of cameos exists below this one, consisting of characters who resemble certain "Fairy Tail" figures in striking ways. Consider Witch Regret, who looks like Bisca Connell, or Drakken Joe's Cobra-esque features. Is this intentional? We don't know — but it's fun to point out.
Lacrima
In both "Fairy Tail" and "Edens Zero," Lacrima is a rare and valuable substance. The Lacrima of "Fairy Tail" is a crystalline material with various magical uses. One could charge a Lacrima with a number of elemental properties, such as creating a Lightning Lacrima to cast a Thunder Palace spell. One could also use a Dragon Lacrima to bestow Dragon Slayer Magic upon a user. It can further be used as a communication device, a projector, a visual recorder, fuel for magical vehicles, or a deadly explosive. Basically, it's a jewel with one million uses.
In "Edens Zero," Lacrima is a glimmering shard of condensed Ether with tremendous value. It can be used to create Aquatic Adaptation Lacrima, which enables humans to talk and breathe underwater. As "Edens Zero" is still a young series, its Lacrima may be revealed to have many other uses and magical properties down the road.
The Oración Seis
One of the more unique elements of Hiro Mashima's work is the Oración Seis. A group of six intimidating and antagonistic figures, they show up all over. In "Rave Master," the Oración Seis is a band of hugely powerful warriors and leaders of Demon Card, the most powerful organization of evil and darkness in the world. In "Fairy Tail," the Oración Seis is a Dark Guild of skillful mages who have dedicated themselves to finding the Dark Magic Nirvana, which can transform good into evil.
In "Edens Zero," the Oración Seis Galáctica is an organization composed of the six most powerful outlaws in the cosmos. Unlike their counterparts, the Oración Seis Galáctica never works together as a team; its members don't even know what each other look like. But they're serious business — so serious, in fact, that the Interstellar Union Army has its own special forces unit dedicated to dealing with them, called the Oración Seis Interstellar.
Mashima HERO'S
Plenty of creators reference their own work with nods and Easter eggs, but only the elite few weave them together into something totally new. In October 2019, Hiro Mashima released a limited series called "Mashima HERO'S." This mega-mash-up is a "Rave Master," Fairy Tail," and "Edens Zero" crossover, spanning 10 chapters, plus a special hot springs story.
"Mashima HERO'S" begins with Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, and Happy, having a chill time on True Island. They are soon introduced to Shiki Granbell and Rebecca Bluegarden, who are searching for something called "Oasis" — which turns out to be what Haru Glory, Elie, and Hamrio Musica have come to the island to destroy. If all the "Fairy Tail" cameos in "Edens Zero" have whetted your appetite, then get ready to pig out on "Mashima HERO'S." It's also a must-read for anime fans who have always wanted a crossover series in the vein of "Avengers vs. X-Men." There's even good news for the future: As reported by Crunchyroll in 2020, Mashima is considering a sequel to the story.