Highlights
- Fairy Tail takes a unique approach to tournament arcs by turning one-on-one fights into magic-based games, known as the Grand Magic Games.
- The Grand Magic Games have considerable importance due to the hefty prize money and the reputation of being Fiore's strongest guild.
- The true purpose of the Grand Magic Games is to gather enough magic power to activate the Eclipse Gate and travel back in time to slay Zeref and Achnologia, although the plan ultimately fails.
Tournament arcs are a staple in shonen anime, showcasing the series' main characters and their unique skills through long-hauled battles. However, Fairy Tail takes a novel approach with its only tournament arc, turning the concept of one-on-one fights into games involving the use of magic. These magic-based games have been deemed the Grand Magic Games, a competition that determines the strongest guild in all of Fiore.
While the Grand Magic Games were simply a prelude to a much bigger plot, the competition itself has considerable importance owing to the hefty prize and bragging rights that come with it. While the Grand Magic Games are advertised as a simple brawl between guilds, another grim reason exists for this extensive event.
History of the Grand Magic Games
The Grand Magic Games are only a recent addition to the Kingdom of Fiore's cultural scene, though its history is actually rooted in the Dragon King Festival. While the Dragon King Festival was never truly a festival but a war between humanity and dragons, the Grand Magic Games take the same essence but mold it into a competition that determines the strongest in Fiore, without the risk of bloodshed and doom.
Fairy Tail never revealed when the first Grand Magic Games took place, though it's likely the event initiated during the seven-year time skip on Tenrou Island since the event was never mentioned before. Makarov was unaware of the competition's prize, meaning the concept of these games was given birth after the guild lost its best members to the Tenrou Island incident. During the absence of Team Natsu and the other members, the Fairy Tail guild participated each year and was placed last in all events, becoming the worst guild in all of Fiore.
Rules of the Grand Magic Games
Since the event can be exploited in multiple ways, the organizers of the games have set several rules in place to bar unsportsmanlike behavior. If a guild is caught breaking any one of these rules, its team will immediately be disqualified from the games. Raven Tail was disqualified for a similar reason, as it broke the game's primary rule of banning guild masters from participating in the tournament. Moreover, to ensure that participants actually belong to the guild they are representing, bearing the insignia of their respective guilds is a must.
A few rules regarding the event's setup have also been set in place, and these rules are upheld each year. Since the games are distinct each year, the contents of each game will remain a secret till it's time for the event to take place, and the rules will only then be explained to the participants. Lastly, no single event can define the victors of the games as the Grand Magic Games follow a point-based system. Winning each event accumulates a certain number of points, and the guild with the highest points by the end of the games is declared the victor.
The Games' Prize
The guild that wins the Grand Magic Games receives two prizes. The first is prize money of 3 million Jewels, awarded by the Kingdom of Fiore to the winners of the games. While the value of Jewels was never exactly explained by the series, 3 million Jewels is considered to be a sizable amount since this was Makarov's only motivation to take part in the Grand Magic Games.
The second prize isn't a tangible object, rather it's the title of being Fiore's strongest guild. While this title can be deemed nothing more than bragging rights, it still aids a guild's reputation. Since guilds receive missions and tasks based on their reputation, being known as Fiore's strongest is bound to help the guild's overall revenue.
Where do the Grand Magic Games Take Place?
The Grand Magic Games are set in the capital of Fiore known as Crocus. The city comes alive with the preparations and festivities of the event, though the actual competition takes place in an arena located on the outskirts of the city. A colossal arena known as the Domus Flau is used as the grounds for the competition.
The massive arena is attached to the ground via chains from four sides, with pillars erupting from each side with statues engraved within them. The vast area of the arena allows labyrinths, tracks, and even buildings to be formed magically within its premise.
The True Purpose of the Grand Magic Games
The Grand Magic Games were initially disguised as a tournament meant to determine the strongest guild in all of Fiore. However, this was merely a facade as the real reason behind this large-scale event was to gather enough magic power to activate the Eclipse Gate. Since the battles would result in participants releasing a massive amount of magic power, Hisui E. Fiore, the princess of Fiore, utilized the games as a false premise to gather this power.
The end goal was to garner enough power to charge the Eclipse Gate and travel back 400 years to slay both Zeref and Achnologia, two of the greatest evils of the current set time. While the Eclipse Gate was successfully charged up and opened through this method, Hisui’s plan didn’t work out since the gate allowed dragons from the past to fly into the future.
Fairy Tail is available to stream on Crunchyroll.