'Fairy Tail' Totally Teased 'Edens Zero' Years Ago

Fairy Tail may be over for the time being, but Hiro Mashima hasn't published his last page. These days, the artist is working on a sequel to Fairy Tail along with a new series known as EDENS ZERO. But, if this new series looks familiar to you, then you're not going crazy.

You know, since Fairy Tail may have teased the title years ago.

For those unaware, EDENS ZERO is here, and the sci-fi series is unlike any Mashima has drawn before. In the wake of Rave Master and Fairy Tail, EDENS ZERO is set in space and tells the story of two travelers wanting to explore the cosmos. There's mecha cats and high-tech space suits — and all of this was seen in Fairy Tail's 330th chapter.

If you take a look back through Mashima's work, you will see something familiar in chapter 330. The issue, which went live in May 2013, features a black-and-white cover page featuring Erza Scarlet and Happy.

Mashima has apparently planned this, or at least had the idea for about 5 years now. from r/EdensZero

As you can see above, the iteration of Happy and Erza seen look like they came right from EDENS ZERO because of their sci-fi aesthetic. Happy has been turned into a full mecha robot with geared wings and a riveted head. This aligns with EDENS ZERO as fans learned just recently that Happy is an android; The character started out all organic, but Happy was turned into a robot after an accident forced him to take on a new body.

As for Erza, the Fairy Tail mage looks plenty deadly in her space suit. The character doesn't have a place in EDENS ZERO per say, but the new title does have a character who closely resembles Erza. The newcomer, who is named Elsie Crimson, is a space pirate who bares less skin than Erza. However, fans would not be surprised if the girl was wearing a suit like this underneath her big trench coat.

Want to learn more about EDENS ZERO? You can check out Kodansha's official synopsis of the series below:

"Eleven months after the grand finale of Fairy Tail, master mangaka Hiro Mashima is back with a great adventure beyond imagination! All the steadfast friendship, crazy fighting, and blue cats you've come to expect... IN SPACE!

A young boy gazes up at the sky and sees a streaming bolt of light. The friendly, armor-clad being at his side tells him gently, "That's a dragon." The fact that he's joking isn't important. What's important is the look of wonder on the boy's face... and the galaxy-spanning adventure that's about to take place! Join Hiro Mashima (Fairy Tail, Rave Master) once more as he takes to the stars for another thrilling saga!"

Do you think this throwback nod was the beginning of EDENS ZERO? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!