What Happened To Lisanna In Fairy Tail?
Though we do not hear of her until 20 episodes into "Fairy Tail," Lisanna Strauss stands as one of the series' most important characters. In some ways, she is one of Natsu's oldest companions, befriending him in childhood and serving with him as a member of the Fairy Tale Guild. Even just two years before Lucy Heartfilia became a member of the Guild, Natsu and Lisanna were thick as thieves, raising a mysterious egg they both found. However, for a long time it seemed as though their friendship was not meant to last forever.
Fast forward to Episode 79, and Natsu and the gang are moved to tears at the sight of Lisanna. Evidently, they thought that she had been dead the entire time. Yet, there she stood, alive and well. This scene begs the question, what happened to Lisanna during those two years? Thankfully, the show has an easy, albeit somewhat complicated answer to that.
Lisanna was stuck in a parallel universe
Rewind back to Episode 24, and we see what exactly happened to Lisanna that caused her disappearance. Back then, Lisanna would undertake missions with other Guild members, including Natsu and her siblings, Elfman and Mirajane. However, one mission went awfully awry when Elfman lost control of his Full Body Takeover ability. Transformed into a mindless beast, Lisanna tries to help her older sibling, but is knocked away and, from the perspective of her allies, dies. For the next few years, Natsu, Mirajane, Elfman, and the others mourn Lisanna.
However, Lisanna (obviously) did not die. Instead, as Mirajane tended to her wounds, a gateway to another world known as the Anima activated, and Lisanna was transported to a parallel universe called Edolan. There, Lisanna begins adventuring with the alternate versions of Natsu and the others, replacing their Lisanna who actually did die. It wasn't until years later that the Anima opened again, and Lisanna was able to encounter her original companions, though she chose to remain in Edolan until the Anima eventually forced her to return to the main universe.