Creating a good anime intro is a huge task, and every series does it differently. Picking the right music, setting the stage and tone for the current season or arc, keeping the minute and a half sequence cohesive, and possibly dropping some subtle hints and symbolism—it's a lot to manage.
For a show as long as Fairy Tail, there are too many openings to get it right every time. Sometimes an arc or section of the plot doesn't have the juice for a striking intro sequence. It's hard to judge what makes one OP better than another, but it's usually obvious when they phone it in. Here are ten times they nailed it, ranked.
10 Evidence (OP 7)
As far as music goes, most anime pick a lane and stick with it. Usually, the genre of the series is a good indicator of the music genre, and for shonen, it's almost guaranteed to be rock most of the time. One thing is certain—rock is an obvious choice for Fairy Tail intros.
"Evidence" is the opening for the Edolas arc's first section. The fast pace and guitar/string section fit the visuals well, showing off the rift that starts the plot of the arc. The softer sections of the song are used to introduce the somber backstory we learn about Natsu.
9 I Wish (OP 10)
Fairy Tail's tenth opening has a lot of good stuff going on, but there are a few issues that prevent it from climbing higher on the list. The song choice is on point for the series, the fight sequence during the chorus is choreographed in a way that lets you see every character in action, and there's even a little (gasp) foreshadowing with Zeref and Mavis.
Here's the issue. Love it or hate it, a lot of anime openings end up spoiling the plot of the season rather than setting it up, and Fairy Tail is especially guilty of this. This OP shows off pretty much all the matchups, including the final confrontation.
8 Tenohira (OP 12)
"Tenohira" is a pretty standard Fairy Tail intro. Meeting all the characters from the arc, seeing a bit of what's going to happen, another well-placed rock song—it's definitely textbook for the series. There are even some subtler moments, with Natsu racing to catch Lucy and stumbling.
The other side of the coin is that a textbook Fairy Tail intro means there's some bland stuff in there too. There's a lot of just sliding pictures of the characters' faces across the screen. To be fair, Fairy Tail isn't really known for having stunning, every-frame-a-painting styles of intros.
7 Break Through (OP 13)
Believe it or not, Opening 13 is a lot like Opening 12. "Break Through" is played during the first part of the Grand Magical Games, and as tournament arcs usually go, the beginning is all about getting pumped up.
The stakes are still low at this point in the arc, so the fights are tough but friendly. With that in mind, "Break Through" is a great pick since it's a little laid back in tempo compared to other rock used in the series' intros. One more plus is that there isn't a ton of downtime in this intro (sometimes they linger on the Fairy Tail logo for a really long time in other openings).
6 Down By Law (OP 24)
"Down By Law" is one of the bolder music choices Fairy Tail makes in its intros. This isn't the first time they’ve used electronic music, but it may be one of the only times they got it right. There are still some average Fairy Tail intro cliches, but OP 24 shines because of how it all comes together.
The best part of this intro is how synced it feels with the music. That seems like a given, but there are definitely a few openings that just seem like characters doing stuff while music plays. The characters fighting in time with the bassline during the chorus of "Down By Law" is worth watching every time.
5 More Than Like (OP 26)
As the last intro in the Fairy Tail series, it would be a shame if OP 26 was mediocre. Luckily, the cool visuals and killer track work really well. The intro also blends memories from the series with the plot of the final episodes.
There are plenty of memorable images in this opening—Natsu's flames flipping to become Acnologia's, Gray returning to the guildhall, stars shooting across the sky, Zeref and Mavis' last moments. There doesn't need to be a ton of hidden meaning to make a cool opening, as "More Than Like" shows.
4 The Rock City Boy (OP 8)
"The Rock City Boy" is kind of a weird song lyrically, but it rules as a Fairy Tail opening. The confident feel of the song's intro perfectly matches the images of the Fairy Tail wizards chilling together in Edolas. The acoustic rock and rap breakdown definitely help this opening stand out.
What's more, OP 8 does something that plenty of lesser openings neglect: it gives us more information than just what's about to happen. Certain important interactions are highlighted, and the scenes where the main characters are together set the tone for the rest of the arc.
3 Strike Back (OP 16)
For an arc this far along in the Fairy Tail story, "Strike Back" is exactly the kind of intro the show needs. The song choice is perfect for an action-packed time in the plot, and the audience gets plenty of information about the coming episodes without being outright spoiled.
OP 16 has some really cool moments where the music perfectly syncs with the visuals. A particularly nice touch is how the clock hand twitches in time with the drums during the intro, and some of the transitions during the rap section are really well executed.
2 Ashita Wo Narase (OP 22)
The opening for Fairy Tail Zero is hands-down the most stylish and cohesive intro in the series' history. The presentation of imagery, character introductions, and plot are so well coordinated with the music that it makes Zero seem like another show entirely in comparison.
Since this arc is about the creation of the Fairy Tail guild, it's great to see the return of actual fairies in the imagery, since this is lost in most of the series. Though this is hardly a requirement for opening, the framing of the series' characters, which are largely unfamiliar to the audience, makes them seem really cool.
1 Snow Fairy (OP 1)
The first opening of the series is its best, and that's not just nostalgia talking. "Snow Fairy" is the perfect representation of what Fairy Tail was as a series in the early days: a bunch of kids brought together under one magical roof.
It's an uncommon opening for the show because it actually lands some symbolism that helps the audience understand the main characters. A fairy passes by each protagonist alone at their origin point, catching their attention, and by the end, they're all together looking towards the future. The instrumentation is even surprisingly close to the rest of the soundtrack's, highlighting how in tune with the series this intro is.