Erza vs. Azuma (Episode)

is the 114th episode of the Fairy Tail anime. It first aired on January 21, 2012.

With Erza's defeat meaning defeat for Fairy Tail, she squares off in an intense and close battle against Azuma, the only one who can restore the Fairies' power. With her bonds with Fairy Tail and Jellal making her stronger, Erza is able to take Azuma down.

Summary
With the Fairies' lives on the line, Erza Scarlet, filled with determination to defeat Azuma, goes on to battle him as his defeat assures the return of the Fairies' power. They exchange powerful blows, with Erza requipping at lightning speed combined with her masterful swordsmanship and Azuma controlling the roots for both formidable attacks and defense. Both Mages acknowledge the skill of the other and proceed to continue the fight with the addition of close hand-to-hand combat.

When she finds that she has run out of armor options and that she can't use something like the Seduction Armor, she requips into simple clothes in order to let go of all defenses and takes out a single sword. She puts all of her power into that single sword, the Demon Blade Crimson Sakura, in an attempt to take down Azuma once and for all. However, Azuma captures her using tree roots and casts Terra Clamare, sending the Magic of the whole island upon her. She collapses, seemingly defeated.

In his prison, Jellal Fernandes senses Erza's condition. His muttering catches the attention of the guards and they torture him, mistaking his muttering for an attempt to cast Magic. However, he pays them no mind and tells Erza to not lose. Despite the distance, Erza wakes up upon hearing his voice and remembers the times she had with him. She then manages to stand up to resume her battle against Azuma, much to his surprise. She overcomes his attacks and defenses with her newfound strength, although he still manages to bind her and unleash Terra Clamare once again.

In the midst of the massive Magic Energy, Erza sees the images of her fellow Fairy Tail members, and she recalls that she has always been the one being protected and not the other way around. She bursts through the island's Magic, which then surrounds her as protection, and manages to land a final blow on Azuma, defeating him once and for all.

Battles & Events

 * Gildarts Clive vs. Bluenote Stinger
 * Freed Justine, Bickslow & Lisanna vs. Rustyrose
 * Erza Scarlet vs. Azuma (concluded)

Spells used

 * Tree Fist
 * Tree Merge
 * Tower Burst
 * Tree Fist
 * Tree Merge
 * Tower Burst

Abilities used

 * Hand-to-Hand Combat
 * Swordsmanship

Manga & Anime Differences

 * Anime adds Lucy, Wendy, Natsu, Happy and Carla's falling exhausted.
 * In the manga, Erza is only able to slash Azuma once while in the Flight Armor, but in the anime, she slashes him multiple times.
 * In the manga, Azuma defends from Erza's follow-up slash (while in her Flight Armor) and then proceeds to using with Tower Burst. However, the anime added many scenes between the Flight Armor scene and the Tower Burst.
 * The anime lengthened the battle considerably, adding the following armors in the fight: Adamantine Armor, Lightning Empress Armor, The Giant's Armor and Purgatory Armor.
 * The manga did not have the hand-to-hand square-off like in the anime.
 * After being hit by Tower Burst, Erza reverted to her Heart Kreuz Armor in the manga, but in the anime, she remained in tattered pieces of her Purgatory Armor.
 * The Magic Council's prison looked different in the anime.
 * Many scenes were added between Erza's recovery and the second casting of Terra Clamare.
 * Daphne, an anime-only character appeared as cameo in the prison.