Recaps

Jiang Bai’s fight with Gildarts intensified when Gildarts used Disassembly to erode Infinity and force Jiang Bai to spend magic power maintaining it. Jiang Bai answered with an unfinished Hollow Technique: Purple as Gildarts unleashed his full strength, and their attacks collided over the plain.

• Jiang Bai attacked Gildarts from behind, but Gildarts blocked the blow and praised his speed and strength.
• Gildarts used Disassembly to break down Infinity’s magical structure, forcing Jiang Bai to actively repair the barrier and drain his magic reserves.
• Jiang Bai used Blue to collapse the ground beneath Gildarts, who stopped maintaining Disassembly to neutralize the gravitational pull with Crush.
• Jiang Bai appeared high above the battlefield and brought Blue and Red together to form an unfinished attack, warning Gildarts not to underestimate it.
• Gildarts gathered his full strength into a golden fist blast as Jiang Bai unleashed Purple, and the two attacks collided above the barren plain.

Jiang Bai and Gildarts ended their trial with a devastating clash, and Jiang Bai’s attempt to use Unlimited Void backfired. Gildarts declared the match a draw and confirmed that Jiang Bai had earned S-Class qualifications.

• Jiang Bai’s and Gildarts’s attacks fused into a black sphere before erupting in a blast that carved a huge crater into the plain.
• Makarov, Erza, Freed, and Laxus watched the distant destruction and realized how powerful the battle had become.
• Jiang Bai and Gildarts recovered from the blast, with both badly injured and Gildarts praising Jiang Bai for matching his Crush.
• Jiang Bai tried to activate Domain Expansion, but his magic power went out of control and left him gravely weakened.
• Gildarts stopped fighting, called the match a draw, and told Jiang Bai that he had earned the qualifications for S-Class.

Jiang Bai returned to Fairy Tail after drawing with Gildarts and was announced as the guild’s newest S-Class Mage. As the guild celebrated, Laxus left to train, vowing to defeat Jiang Bai next time, while Jiang Bai resolved to bring him back from whatever path he took.

• Jiang Bai returned to the guild hall with Erza, Makarov, and bandaged Gildarts, startling the waiting guild members.
• Erza announced that Jiang Bai had fought Gildarts to a draw, and the guild reacted with awe as Natsu challenged him.
• Mirajane congratulated Jiang Bai while pretending not to care, but Lisanna exposed her blush and set off a chase through the guild hall.
• Makarov declared Jiang Bai Fairy Tail’s newest S-Class Mage and called for a celebration.
• Laxus left the party to train, promising Jiang Bai that he would not lose their next fight.
• Jiang Bai watched Laxus depart and vowed to drag him back no matter how far he went.

Jiang Bai confronted Cana about her hidden connection to Gildarts, and she confessed that he was her father. She had still not told Gildarts, and Jiang Bai questioned why she kept her distance from him.

• Jiang Bai left the guild’s celebration and found Cana drinking alone outside.
• Cana teased Jiang Bai about Erza and Mirajane, and he explained why he was afraid to drink again.
• Jiang Bai asked Cana whether Gildarts had a special connection to her, and she denied it before he challenged her explanation.
• Jiang Bai described how Cana watched Gildarts, exposing the feelings she had tried to conceal.
• Cana admitted that Gildarts was her father.
• Jiang Bai asked why Cana did not tell Gildarts the truth and suggested she might be holding back because she thought she was too weak.

Jiang Bai encouraged Cana to overcome her fear of disappointing Gildarts and arranged for them to meet at the river. Cana finally called Gildarts her father, and he embraced her as Jiang Bai watched from hiding.

• Cana confessed that she feared Gildarts would be ashamed of her because she was weak, and Jiang Bai assured her he would welcome her as his daughter.
• Jiang Bai told Cana to meet Gildarts at the riverside clearing the next morning and warned her not to back out.
• Jiang Bai woke Gildarts by tricking him with a story about a female mage swimming, then led him to the river.
• Cana emerged from the woods and called Gildarts her father, leaving him stunned before he pulled her into a tight embrace.
• Jiang Bai watched them reunite from a tree and thought he needed to pick up the pace.

At sixteen, Jiang Bai returned to Fairy Tail after completing another Ten-Year Quest and found Laxus growing increasingly resentful of the guild and his strength. Laxus stormed out after declaring that only he and Jiang Bai could lead Fairy Tail, leaving Jiang Bai frustrated by his rival’s stubbornness.

• Gildarts announced that Cana was his biological daughter and thanked Jiang Bai for helping him discover her, then warned Jiang Bai not to pursue Cana because of Erza and Mirajane.
• Two years later, Jiang Bai returned to the guild at sixteen, where Erza scolded him for keeping an unlit cigarette in his mouth and Macao praised him for completing a Ten-Year Quest.
• Jiang Bai dismissed the ancient dragon as an easy opponent and was praised for completing numerous S-Class Missions and two Ten-Year Quests.
• Laxus insulted the guild and claimed that only he and Jiang Bai could lead it to true strength, provoking Natsu and angering the guild.
• Jiang Bai tried to reason with Laxus, but Laxus declared he would prove his way was right and stormed out; Jiang Bai wondered why he remained so stubborn.

Makarov appointed Jiang Bai to examine this year's S-Class Mage candidates, Erza and Mirajane, and Jiang Bai objected to being caught between them. He agreed to have both women fight him, with whoever lasted longer earning the promotion.

• Makarov told Jiang Bai he would examine the S-Class Mage candidates again because Gildarts was away on a 100-Year Quest and Laxus was unsuitable.
• Jiang Bai guessed Erza and Mirajane were the candidates and protested that he would be trapped between them.
• Makarov blamed Jiang Bai for his romantic entanglements, then cried with envy over Jiang Bai's youth and the two women.
• Jiang Bai threatened to cancel the exam, prompting Makarov to stop crying and listen to his proposal.
• Jiang Bai suggested Erza and Mirajane fight him together, with the one who lasted longer becoming an S-Class Mage, and Makarov accepted.

Makarov announced that Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss were the candidates for the S-Class Mage Promotion Exam. On an uninhabited island, Jiang Bai set the exam as a team fight against him, with both women passing if they defeated him.

• Makarov announced Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss as this year's exam candidates.
• Natsu offered to help them, but Makarov said they would not have partners; Natsu then vowed to qualify next year and argued with Gray.
• Makarov, Jiang Bai, Erza, and Mirajane traveled to an uninhabited island for the exam.
• Jiang Bai confirmed he was the examiner and ordered Erza and Mirajane to team up against him.
• Jiang Bai said both women would become S-Class if they defeated him, and Makarov approved the rules.

Jiang Bai faced Erza and Mirajane in a battle on the island and effortlessly countered their strongest attacks with Infinity and his cursed techniques. Erza and Mirajane were left overwhelmed and despairing, while Jiang Bai had not moved from his starting position.

• Erza used Heaven's Wheel Armor and Mirajane transformed with Satan Soul, then they launched a combined ranged attack at Jiang Bai.
• Jiang Bai's Infinity stopped their swords and dark energy just short of his body, and their attacks faded as their magic ran out.
• Erza and Mirajane tried to attack Jiang Bai at close range, but Infinity slowed them; Jiang Bai used Red to repel them across the clearing.
• Erza charged in Giant Armor while Mirajane hurled Soul Extinction, but Jiang Bai pinned Erza with Blue and made Mirajane's energy spheres collide harmlessly behind Infinity.
• Erza and Mirajane stood panting and despairing as they realized Jiang Bai had defeated them without moving, and he had not used Hollow Technique Purple.

Jiang Bai tested Erza and Mirajane for Fairy Tail’s S-Class Exam with overwhelming Spiritual Pressure, and Erza endured it longer to win. After Porlyusica confirmed the pressure had only put them into a beneficial deep sleep, Makarov announced Erza Scarlet as the new S-Class Mage.

• Jiang Bai ended the battle and used Spiritual Pressure to test Erza and Mirajane’s wills.
• Mirajane collapsed first, and Jiang Bai caught her before she hit the ground.
• Erza held on longer, so Jiang Bai declared her the winner before catching her as she fainted.
• Jiang Bai brought both girls to Porlyusica, who said they were unharmed and their magic power would grow after they recovered.
• Erza and Mirajane woke up, and Makarov announced Erza Scarlet as the new S-Class Mage.

Two years after the S-Class exam, Mirajane learned why Jiang Bai and Erza carried such a deep hatred of dark guilds. After hearing of their childhood trauma and escape from enslavement, she resolved to help Jiang Bai fight the darkness that had caused him pain.

• At the banquet, Mirajane and Erza teased Jiang Bai about their exam performance until Natsu and Gray started a brawl, giving Jiang Bai a chance to slip away.
• By X783, Mirajane had passed the S-Class promotion exam, with Jiang Bai serving as examiner again.
• Jiang Bai and Erza returned from a job subdued after destroying a dark guild, and Mirajane noticed their unusual gloom.
• Mirajane asked Makarov why Jiang Bai hated dark guilds, and he told her that Jiang Bai and Erza had survived their hometown's destruction and childhood enslavement.
• Mirajane understood the bond between Jiang Bai and Erza and vowed to destroy the darkness that caused Jiang Bai pain.

Mirajane took a suspicious request to the Ensini Region with Elfman and Lisanna, where a magic trap sealed them inside a barrier. The dark guild behind the trap revealed that it had meant to capture Jiang Bai and planned to use his companions to lure him in.

• Mirajane chose a request to destroy a dark guild in the remote Ensini Region and convinced Makarov to let her go with Elfman and Lisanna.
• Mirajane sensed that the region’s magic was thin and chaotic as the siblings traveled through the desert toward the listed stone house.
• A magic circle erupted beneath Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna, trapping them under a purple barrier that absorbed Mirajane’s Satan Soul attack.
• Mages in black cloaks emerged from the stone house and revealed that they had intended to lure Jiang Bai into a trap.
• The dark guild’s leader said Jiang Bai had nearly wiped out half their guilds and that they feared his rapidly growing strength.

After Mirajane and her siblings were taken hostage, Jiang Bai agreed to face their captors alone despite Fairy Tail’s protests. He demonstrated his overwhelming Spiritual Pressure to reassure the guild, then left to rescue them.

• A black raven delivered a blood-written message to Fairy Tail, demanding that Jiang Bai come alone to the Ensini Region desert or Mirajane and her siblings would be killed.
• Makarov, Erza, Natsu, Gray, and the guild members reacted with fury and prepared to rescue the captives.
• Jiang Bai insisted on going alone, warning that a group attack could put Mirajane and the others in danger.
• Jiang Bai unleashed his Spiritual Pressure for a moment, forcing most of the guild to collapse and leaving the survivors in awe.
• Jiang Bai left the guild, promising to bring Mirajane and her siblings back.

Jiang Bai entered Wayne’s magic circle to save Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna despite knowing it was a trap. Wayne revealed that the circle was designed to drain Jiang Bai’s magic power and leave him unable to maintain Infinity.

• Jiang Bai arrived in the desert and found Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna trapped inside a purple magic circle.
• Mirajane tried to warn Jiang Bai away, but he entered the circle to save her and was sealed inside.
• Wayne and the black-cloaked wizards emerged, and Wayne declared that he intended to kill Jiang Bai and his companions.
• Jiang Bai revealed that he had already detected the enemy’s other magic circle in the stone house, but Wayne remained confident in his plan.
• Wayne explained that his Magic Power End Magic Circle continuously drained the magic power of everyone inside, exploiting Jiang Bai’s long-distance Space Transfer and his reliance on magic to sustain Infinity.

Jiang Bai shattered Wayne’s Magic Power End Magic Circle, only to discover Wayne had used the first trap to conceal the real one. Wayne revealed the Absolute Reflection Prison and a third circle designed to drain everyone’s magic, leaving Jiang Bai, Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna trapped with the air running out.

• Jiang Bai analyzed the Magic Power End Magic Circle and destroyed its hidden weak point with Hollow Technique—Purple.
• Wayne revealed that his apparent panic had been a trick and activated the Absolute Reflection Prison beneath Jiang Bai.
• Wayne explained that the prison reflected Jiang Bai’s attacks, nullified Infinity, and would soon create a vacuum that threatened the unconscious Elfman and Lisanna.
• Jiang Bai looked toward Mirajane, but Wayne activated an enhanced Magic Power End Magic Circle that drained her magic and prevented her from breaking the prison.
• Wayne declared that Jiang Bai was trapped in a dead end with no air, no outside help, and no magic to spare.

Jiang Bai faced Wayne’s death loop, which would either leave him and the others to suffocate or reflect his Hollow Technique: Purple back at him. He reassured Mirajane and fired Purple at the Absolute Reflection Prison, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Wayne explained that Jiang Bai’s Purple would destroy the magic circle but be reflected onto Jiang Bai without Infinity to protect him.
• Mirajane realized Jiang Bai had no apparent way to escape the trap and pleaded with him in despair.
• Jiang Bai told Mirajane he was invincible and that Infinity was not his only defensive magic.
• Jiang Bai fused attraction and repulsion and unleashed Hollow Technique: Purple at the Absolute Reflection Prison.

Jiang Bai survived his reflected Hollow Technique: Purple by reaching a breakthrough in his control of magic and using Telekinesis to protect himself. Though gravely wounded, he stood before Mirajane and Wayne, leaving Mirajane awestruck and Wayne in disbelief.

• The Absolute Reflection Prison shattered after copying and reflecting Hollow Technique: Purple back at Jiang Bai.
• Jiang Bai realized his weak control over his enormous magic power was his fatal flaw and broke through to a new level of control.
• Jiang Bai covered himself with refined Telekinesis, concentrating most of it on his head as the reflected beam struck him.
• The blast destroyed Wayne's magic circles and hurled Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman across the desert.
• Jiang Bai emerged from the settling dust alive but badly wounded, while Wayne screamed in disbelief.
• Jiang Bai used the cigarette's ember to light it and told Wayne he had only wanted to borrow a light; Mirajane looked at him in awe.

Jiang Bai completed his strongest magic and used Unlimited Void to freeze the attacking dark mages, leaving Wayne overwhelmed by its power. After Jiang Bai collapsed, Mirajane transformed into Satan Soul and began slaughtering the immobilized enemies.

• Wayne realized Jiang Bai was badly wounded and ordered dozens of rune-dagger assassins to attack him.
• Mirajane tried to shield Jiang Bai, but he stopped her and revealed that he had completed his strongest magic after breaking through.
• Jiang Bai cast Unlimited Void, freezing the assassins and dark mages while Wayne experienced its immense flow of information and lost consciousness.
• Jiang Bai collapsed from exhaustion, and Mirajane caught him before understanding his warning about the enemies.
• Mirajane laid Jiang Bai down, transformed into Satan Soul, and attacked the motionless dark mages.

After waking from his injuries on the journey back to Magnolia, Jiang Bai reassured Mirajane that her failure on the quest did not mean she was weak and promised to take responsibility for future threats. Mirajane was moved by his acceptance and leaned against him, finally letting go of her self-doubt.

• Elfman offered to carry the unconscious Jiang Bai, but Mirajane refused and carried him herself.
• Mirajane stayed beside Jiang Bai throughout the three-day train ride, and he woke shortly before they reached Magnolia.
• Lisanna took Elfman to report to the guild master, leaving Mirajane alone with Jiang Bai on the station platform.
• Mirajane admitted that she felt weak and frustrated for needing Jiang Bai to save her during the quest.
• Jiang Bai told Mirajane that Wayne had caught them off guard, promised he would become the strongest, and urged her to pursue the life she wanted.
• Mirajane cried with relief, rested her head on Jiang Bai's shoulder, and quietly agreed.

After recovering from the desert battle, Jiang Bai saw Mirajane and Erza agree to stop fighting over him, though they soon resumed their rivalry. A year later, Lisanna vanished into Edolas during Elfman’s failed Beast King takeover, and Jiang Bai could not reach her without coordinates, leaving Mirajane grieving and without magic.

• Granny Porlyusica treated Jiang Bai’s injuries while Mirajane cared for him and Erza brought him cake.
• Mirajane asked Erza to make peace, and both admitted they would not give up on Jiang Bai; two days later, they argued over who would feed him medicine.
• Elfman’s Beast King takeover spiraled out of control, and Lisanna stepped in to protect Mirajane as Anima pulled both her and the rampaging Beast King away.
• Jiang Bai rushed back from another continent, but his attempts to find Edolas through space magic failed because he lacked coordinates.
• Jiang Bai told Mirajane that Lisanna was alive in another world and promised to bring her back, while Mirajane remained devastated and lost her magic.

After Lisanna disappeared, Elfman trained relentlessly with Jiang Bai, who perfected his Infinity technique into a passive ability. In Hargeon, Natsu and Happy chased rumors of a fire dragon, exposed no real dragon, and met Lucy, who offered to buy them a meal.

• After Lisanna disappeared, Mirajane stopped using magic and became the guild's smiling barmaid while Elfman devoted himself to getting stronger.
• Jiang Bai used Spiritual Pressure to train Elfman, then reflected on how he had refined Infinity into a tiny mark in his eyes that worked automatically.
• Natsu and Happy arrived in Hargeon by train, and Natsu struggled with his motion sickness as they searched for Igneel.
• Natsu rushed toward a crowd drawn to a man posing as the Fire Dragon, bumped into Lucy, and discovered the supposed dragon was only a showman.
• The showman's fans threw Natsu into a garbage pile after he discarded the man's autograph, and the fake Fire Dragon flew away on a magic carpet.
• Lucy thanked Natsu and Happy for interrupting the crowd's spell over her, then offered them a meal when their stomachs rumbled.

Jiang Bai met Natsu and Happy at a restaurant in Hargeon, where Lucy explained that the Fire Dragon they had encountered was an impostor who had used banned Charm Magic. Jiang Bai revealed that the title referred to Natsu in Fairy Tail, and Natsu prepared to confront the fraud at the party aboard a cruise ship that night.

• Natsu and Happy joined Jiang Bai at a restaurant, where they met Lucy, who was treating them to a meal.
• Lucy explained that the fake Fire Dragon had used banned Charm Magic and thanked Natsu for interrupting him.
• Lucy paid for the meal and left, while Natsu asked Jiang Bai to use Space Magic to take them home.
• Jiang Bai told Natsu that the title Fire Dragon referred to him in Fairy Tail, making Natsu furious that someone had used the guild's name to deceive people.
• Natsu asked where the impostor was, but Jiang Bai stopped him and suggested they confront him at the cruise ship party that night.

Jiang Bai and Happy rescued Lucy from the fake Fire Dragon, and Lucy used Aquarius to destroy the cruise ship. Jiang Bai stopped the resulting wave from flooding Hargeon Port and brought Lucy, Happy, Aquarius, and the unconscious Natsu to safety.

• The fake Fire Dragon stole Lucy’s Celestial Spirit Keys and tried to have his henchmen seize her, but Natsu and Happy arrived through the cabin ceiling.
• Happy carried Lucy away from the ship, then lost his magic power and fell with her into the sea; Jiang Bai’s magic returned Lucy’s keys to her.
• Lucy summoned Aquarius and ordered her to wash the cruise ship ashore, but the wave also threatened to destroy the port.
• Jiang Bai blocked the wave with a Telekinesis barrier and teleported Lucy, Happy, Aquarius, and the unconscious Natsu to safety beside him.

Natsu defeated Bora after revealing he was a Fairy Tail wizard, while Jiang Bai stopped Bora’s attack without being harmed. Bora recognized Jiang Bai as Infinity, and Happy explained why the wizard was considered the strongest.

• Aquarius left Lucy on shore and said she was going on a weeklong trip with her boyfriend.
• Natsu confronted Bora, revealed his Fairy Tail emblem, and ate Bora’s flames before defeating his men and battering Bora.
• Bora tried to take Jiang Bai, Lucy, and Happy hostage, but Jiang Bai stood between him and Lucy.
• Bora’s flames vanished when they touched Jiang Bai, and Bora recognized him as Infinity.
• Happy explained Jiang Bai’s reputation and said even their master did not know who could defeat him.

Jiang Bai killed Bora, dealt with the kingdom guards by showing his authority as Fiore’s guardian deity, and helped Natsu bring Lucy toward Fairy Tail. At the Magic Council, Yajima warned the councilors against confronting Jiang Bai and recalled how he had destroyed their headquarters after they tried to detain him.

• Jiang Bai erased Bora with Cursed Technique Reversal—Red after learning he had trafficked people.
• Jiang Bai stopped Natsu from fleeing the guards, showed the captain his golden token, and told the soldiers to handle the aftermath.
• Happy asked about Jiang Bai’s title, and Jiang Bai explained that the king had named him guardian deity after he completed a 100-Year Quest.
• Natsu invited Lucy to join Fairy Tail, and Lucy happily agreed to go with him.
• At the Magic Council, Yajima urged the councilors not to provoke Jiang Bai and reminded them that he had destroyed their headquarters after they tried to imprison him, before Makarov took him away.