Hiro Mashima is officially returning to the drawing board for a brand-new Fairy Tail manga series. Celebrating the legendary shounen franchise’s 20th anniversary, this short serialization marks the first time Mashima has personally illustrated the main cast since the original series concluded in 2017.
The new adventure is scheduled to launch on August 5 in the combined issues 36 and 37 of Weekly Shonen Magazine. While fans of magic anime have been enjoying various spin-offs, having the original mangaka back in the artist’s seat is a massive event for the community.
Celebrating 20 Years of the Fairy Tail Guild
To commemorate this massive milestone, a special promotional video was released alongside a heartfelt message from Mashima himself. He expressed his deep gratitude to the dedicated fanbase that has kept the series alive long after its initial finale.
“Being able to celebrate a manga that ended quite a while ago like this is entirely thanks to the unwavering support of our readers,” Mashima stated. “We are preparing a ton of new merchandise and events from this year into the next, so please look forward to it. Let’s celebrate the 20th anniversary together! I’m fired up!” Fans of action-packed battle anime will easily recognize Natsu’s iconic catchphrase rounding out his message.
Fan Reactions and the 100 Years Quest Connection
The announcement immediately sent shockwaves through the anime and manga community. Japanese netizens flooded social media with joyous reactions, dropping comments like, “I’m literally in tears,” “This is incredibly hype,” and “We finally get to see Natsu and the gang drawn by Mashima-sensei again!”
However, some fans were quick to point out Mashima’s notoriously insane work ethic. With the official sequel manga, Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest, currently ongoing, many wondered how he manages his schedule. As a premier fantasy anime and manga franchise, 100 Years Quest picks up right off the back of chapter 545. Yet, while Mashima provides the storyboards for the sequel, the artwork is currently handled by Atsuo Ueda. This upcoming short series will feature Mashima returning to both write and draw the pages himself.
What Is Fairy Tail?
Originally serialized from 2006 to 2017, Fairy Tail follows the adventures of Lucy Heartfilia, a young woman aiming to become a full-fledged mage, and Natsu Dragneel, a hot-headed fire Dragon Slayer. Together, they take on jobs for the titular Fairy Tail guild—meeting a lovable cast of eccentric mages along the way.
The series has printed over 72 million copies worldwide and spawned three highly successful television anime adaptations spanning from 2009 to 2018, alongside multiple feature films and video games. For more updates on your favorite magical series, be sure to check out our latest anime news coverage.
Source: Oricon
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