Fairy Tail (TV series)

Fairy Tail is an American animated series developed by Syo Tortellini, Yonathan Ashad, Moses Mbungu, and Ulises Tobar, based on Tortellini's comic book of the same name. The series follows the adventures of Natsu Dragneel, a member of the popular wizard guild Fairy Tail, as he searches the fictional world of Earth-land for the dragon Igneel.

Plot
The world of Earth-land is home to numerous guilds where wizards apply their magic for paid job requests. Natsu Dragneel, a dragon slayer wizard from the Fairy Tail guild, explores the Kingdom of Fiore in search of his missing adoptive father, the dragon Igneel. During his journey, he befriends a young celestial wizard named Lucy Heartfilia and invites her to join Fairy Tail. Lucy forms a team with Natsu and his cat-like Exceed partner, Happy, which is joined by other guild members: Gray Fullbuster, an ice wizard; Erza Scarlet, a magical knight; and Wendy Marvell and Carla, another dragon slayer and Exceed duo. The team embark on numerous missions together, which include subduing criminals, illegal dark guilds, and ancient Etherious demons created by Zeref, an immortal dark wizard.

After several adventures, Natsu and his companions find Zeref living in isolation on Fairy Tail's sacred ground of Sirius Island. A battle over Zeref ensues between Fairy Tail and the dark guild Grimoire Heart, which attracts the attention of the evil black dragon Acnologia. The Fairy Tail wizards survive Acnologia's assault when the spirit of their guild's founder and Zeref's estranged lover, Mavis Vermillion, casts the defensive Fairy Sphere spell that places them into seven years of suspended animation. After later participating in the Grand Magic Games tournament, Fairy Tail wages war against Tartaros, a dark guild of Etherious that aim to unseal a book believed to contain E.N.D., Zeref's ultimate demon. When Acnologia returns to annihilate both guilds, Igneel – revealed to have sealed himself within Natsu – emerges to battle Acnologia. However, Acnologia kills Igneel in front of a helpless Natsu, who departs on a training journey to avenge Igneel.

After Natsu returns one year later, Fiore is invaded by the Alvarez Empire, a military nation ruled by Zeref, who intends to acquire Fairy Heart, a wellspring of infinite magic power housed within Mavis's preserved body beneath Fairy Tail's guildhall. While battling Zeref, Natsu is informed of his own identity as both Zeref's younger brother and the true incarnation of E.N.D., whom Zeref resurrected as a demon with the intention of being killed by him. When Natsu fails to do so, Zeref absorbs Fairy Heart from Mavis in a bid to rewrite the present timeline with one where he might prevent the atrocities he and Acnologia have caused. After Natsu defeats Zeref to stop the drastic changes to history his actions would create, Mavis lifts her and Zeref's shared curse of immortality by reciprocating his love, which kills them both.

Meanwhile, Fairy Tail and their allies detain Acnologia within a space-time rift created by the use of Eclipse, Zeref's time travel gate. However, Acnologia escapes while his disembodied spirit traps all of the present dragon slayers within the rift to maintain his godlike power. Lucy and the other wizards across the continent immobilize Acnologia's body within Fairy Sphere, while Natsu accumulates the other dragon slayers' magic and destroys Acnologia's spirit, killing him and freeing the dragon slayers from captivity. The following year, Natsu and his team depart on a century-old guild mission, continuing their adventures together.

Characters

 * Cam Clarke as Natsu Dragneel
 * Anndi McAfee as Lucy Heartfilia
 * Frank Welker as Happy / Vulcan
 * Neil Ross as Gray Fullbuster
 * Ashley Johnson as Erza Scarlet
 * Philece Sampler as Wendy Marvell
 * Adrienne Barbeau as Carla
 * Yeardley Smith as Mavis Vermillion
 * Paula Tiso as Mirajane Strauss
 * Alan Oppenheimer as Mystogan
 * Kevin Schon as Laxus Dreyar
 * Townsend Coleman as Gildarts Clive
 * Jennifer Hale as Flare Corona
 * Maggie Roswell as Cana Alberona
 * Gregg Berger as Loke
 * Jim Cummings as Macao Conbolt
 * Ronnie Schell as Romeo Conbolt
 * Phil Proctor as Wakaba Mine
 * Charlie Schlatter as Elfman Strauss
 * Cathy Cavadini as Levy McGarden
 * Max Casella as Gajeel Redfox
 * Jodi Benson as Juvia Lockser
 * Mayim Bialik as Porlyusica
 * Lauren Tom as Lisanna Strauss
 * Hamilton Camp as Freed Justine
 * Linda Larkin as Evergreen
 * Jussie Smollett as Bickslow
 * Harry Shearer as Panther Lily
 * Hank Azaria as Mest Gryder
 * Clive Revill as Zeref
 * Peter Cullen as Acnologia
 * Maurice LaMarche as Makarov Dreyar
 * Tom Kenny as Lyon Vastia
 * Aria Curzon as Sherry Blendy
 * Tara Strong as Sherria Blendy
 * Danny Mann as Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki
 * Richard Steven Horvitz as Sting Eucliffe
 * Carlos Alazraqui as Rogue Cheney
 * Candi Milo as Yukino Agria
 * Tress MacNeille as Minerva Orland
 * Thomas Dekker as Jellal Fernandez
 * June Foray as Ultear Milkovich
 * Carolyn Lawrence as Merudy
 * Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Kagura Mikazuchi
 * Steve Mackall as Igneel
 * Ellen Gerstell as Ur
 * Dan Castellaneta as Jude Heartfilia
 * Billy West as Jet
 * Jason Marsden as Droy
 * Cary Elwes as Alzack Connell
 * Sheena Easton as Bisca Connell
 * Melissa Joan Hart as Millianna
 * Kathy Gori as Cosmos
 * Sheen Vincent as Warren Rocko
 * Jill Talley as Laki Olietta

Additional voices

 * Rob Paulsen
 * Jess Harnell
 * Debi Derryberry
 * Dee Bradley Baker
 * Nancy Cartwright
 * Bill Fagerbakke
 * Kimberly Brooks
 * Brian Coukis
 * Phil Proctor
 * Susan Silo
 * Paula Tiso
 * Ulises Tobar
 * Stephen Root
 * Toran Caudell
 * Dan Gilvezan
 * Benjamin Diskin
 * Keith Szarabajka
 * Michael Daingerfield
 * Olivia Hack
 * Billy West
 * Ronnie Schell
 * Steve Mackall
 * Mark Hildreth
 * Brianne Siddall
 * Danny Mann
 * Adam Wylie
 * Blake McIver Ewing
 * Wendee Lee
 * Jeff Bennett

Development
According to the book The Complete Bear Bones Works, Syo Tortellini reportedly was pitching his Fairy Tail comic book to various animation studios throughout the 80s and 90s. In 1996, the animated series rights to Fairy Tail landed at Bear Bones Productions. Pre-production on the series began in early 1997.