Discussion The Official Relationship/Pairing/Shipping Thread

[darkenedreality]

SENSE
COMMON SENSE
FINALLY

THough I wouldn't be shocked if Gray friendzoned Juvia hard.

Thanks, but I hope you are joking because that's not happening. What a horrible ending to their stories.

Why is everyone comparing these two pairings even though they're completely different starting from their interactions to the way they're handled. Also why are some of you saying that either one of the two static? I will admit that Nalu is very slow paced in comparison to the others but still doesn't mean that they're static.

I've said the comparison is pointless from the start, but you find you've gotten yourself into a heated discussion. NaLu is slow paced because they will go canon last, as main characters almost always do. I called them static in romance when compared to Gruvia, because they are. Already explained why.

Edit.

Initiating means he comes to her to start the conversation or him starting conversation first and all three of the page you just showed was Juvia coming to him and starting the conversation (or just starting the conversation). He has still yet to go up to her and start a romantic moment.

Gray is the one who grabbed Juvia's hand while they were riding together. HE initiated the actual moment.

Juvia went out there to confess something she did, and was about to give up on Gray (and loving him) and WALK AWAY forever. How the hell is that initiating anything? That's the opposite. Gray is the one who grabbed her and slammed his face down into her chest, following up with an embrace. HE initiated the moment.

Starting a conversation? Juvia may have said Gray's name to get his attention, but HE is the one who initiated the TOPIC of CONVERSATION, which is their relationship. HE is the one who just so randomly brings up he is grateful to have Juvia by his side, even offering her a bite of his candy bar. Gray initiated it. hence why Juvia was so shocked and caught off guard.

You are letting your bias cloud your logic and judgement.

 

[M3J]

It's not just what Lucy said about Natsu, but the fact she embraced him with a hug. When you look at an image like this, it's hard to deny that Lucy has feelings for Natsu.

The story thus far section of chapter 419 says that Natsu was the person Lucy most wanted to see. Words like this might not confirm full blown romance, but it certainly doesn't hurt their chances.

And really, just the sheer amount of fanservice that these two get.

That doesn't indicate anything but Lucy considering Natsu her closest friend and all. As far as I recall, haven't most female characters blushed around the guys they were interested in, acting shy and all? Similar to Chi-Chi around Goku, Hinata and Sakura around Naruto and Sasuke, Boa around Luffy, and etc? Lucy rarely acts like that, so by that definition we can say there's no interest/love interest between the two, and that it's more like Sakura and Naruto.

But that'd be bad logic because fuck tropes, and because it shows Lucy is comfortable around Natsu and trusts him implicitly and has full confidence in him, which can just as easily blossom into love, or be part of love if she already felt something for Natsu.

That's not cheering them up that's saving them from death what's going out of the way to cheer someone up is to go outside of battle and dig up a tree just so she can see a Rainbow Sakura Tree. Saving someones life =/= Cheering them up. Natsu didn't go console Erza after Jellal got imprison, Natsu didn't go console Juvia when they're gonna die by Acno, Natsu didn't go visit Lisanna when a war was coming at their doorstep, and Natsu doesn't describe Mira as she's Mira. There's a big line in which Natsu does for everyone and what he does for Lucy.

When? The only time was the PL arc (it really wasn't even whin)and that's because she felt bad for bringing harm to the guild. Can you name these moments?

Just like the time he wanted to tell her something before he got shot to death. The only thing that's changed his Gray is more sensitive when it comes to talking to her instead of being super blunt. Also he said the same thing to Erza when they talked about Juvia's feelings so again they're still static.


Initiating means he comes to her to start the conversation or him starting conversation first and all three of the page you just showed was Juvia coming to him and starting the conversation (or just starting the conversation). He has still yet to go up to her and start a romantic moment.

Also cheering them up, and he did more than that. Erza cheered up when she learned she wasn't alone and was happy that she had someone to believe in and trust, and Wendy knew that no matter what would happen, Natsu would save the day. It's going out of the way to cheer them up whether you like it or not,. Gray saving Juvia and dying in process is an example of saving someone from death, not cheering them up, because he died from the wounds whereas one of Natsu's goals was to give his allies hope.

Juvia had Gray. Where was Lisanna anyway? Wasn't she training? And likely because Erza is a tough woman, whereas Lucy is emotional and cries a lot. I can't because I'm not that much of a fan of FT that I'd remember stuff. The writing is mediocre for the most part, but it's entertaining.

Gray isn't just more sensitive, he's much kinder to Juvia. The relationship changed between the two, and we can see Gray worrying about Juvia more visibly now, and we know he definitely cares for her whereas in the past, not so much. I can't really see how anyone can deny that their relationship and Gray's interactions with Juvia changed for the better but defend Natsu and Lucy. Though to be fair, both pairings are apple and orange, only thing you can compare them in is which is the better fruit.



Though, I wonder if Gildarts-Kana is a thing. If it is, I'm disturbed for anyone who supports it, and verily disgusted.

 

[Axiomus]

That doesn't indicate anything but Lucy considering Natsu her closest friend and all. As far as I recall, haven't most female characters blushed around the guys they were interested in, acting shy and all? Similar to Chi-Chi around Goku, Hinata and Sakura around Naruto and Sasuke, Boa around Luffy, and etc? Lucy rarely acts like that, so by that definition we can say there's no interest/love interest between the two, and that it's more like Sakura and Naruto.

But that'd be bad logic because fuck tropes, and because it shows Lucy is comfortable around Natsu and trusts him implicitly and has full confidence in him, which can just as easily blossom into love, or be part of love if she already felt something for Natsu.

I can name examples where the female leads doesn't necessarily need to blush around the guys the like all the time because it's not really part of their personality. The one that comes to mind the easiest is Elie from Rave Master. I wouldn't pay too much attention to what other series or authors are doing when it comes to stuff like this.

Mashima doesn't really focus heavily on the romance. It's just a thing on the side for the fans to enjoy. While Natsu and Lucy has never openly admitted their feelings, the sheer amount of fanservice dedicated towards them is overwhelming. Like these are some of the pictures taken from Hiro Mashima' twitter (URL: https://twitter.com/hiro_mashima) in the past few weeks.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[Jko]

Thanks, but I hope you are joking because that's not happening. What a horrible ending to their stories.



I've said the comparison is pointless from the start, but you find you've gotten yourself into a heated discussion. NaLu is slow paced because they will go canon last, as main characters almost always do. I called them static in romance when compared to Gruvia, because they are. Already explained why.

Edit.



Gray is the one who grabbed Juvia's hand while they were riding together. HE initiated the actual moment.

Juvia went out there to confess something she did, and was about to give up on Gray (and loving him) and WALK AWAY forever. How the hell is that initiating anything? That's the opposite. Gray is the one who grabbed her and slammed his face down into her chest, following up with an embrace. HE initiated the moment.

Starting a conversation? Juvia may have said Gray's name to get his attention, but HE is the one who initiated the TOPIC of CONVERSATION, which is their relationship. HE is the one who just so randomly brings up he is grateful to have Juvia by his side, even offering her a bite of his candy bar. Gray initiated it. hence why Juvia was so shocked and caught off guard.

You are letting your bias cloud your logic and judgement.

He did not go seek out Juvia before the war and tell her this confession, Juvia came to him so she was the initiated point. Juvia is the one to spark the convo which led to Gray holding her hand which means she initiated. Juvia went to Gray to talk about Silver and sparked the talk which means she initiated it. She is the cause of each of their moments that's what it mean to initiate.

Your bias for Gray is affecting your judgement... Have I ever been bias against Gray??? Or is that you just speaking out of your butt?

That doesn't indicate anything but Lucy considering Natsu her closest friend and all. As far as I recall, haven't most female characters blushed around the guys they were interested in, acting shy and all? Similar to Chi-Chi around Goku, Hinata and Sakura around Naruto and Sasuke, Boa around Luffy, and etc? Lucy rarely acts like that, so by that definition we can say there's no interest/love interest between the two, and that it's more like Sakura and Naruto.

But that'd be bad logic because fuck tropes, and because it shows Lucy is comfortable around Natsu and trusts him implicitly and has full confidence in him, which can just as easily blossom into love, or be part of love if she already felt something for Natsu.


Also cheering them up, and he did more than that. Erza cheered up when she learned she wasn't alone and was happy that she had someone to believe in and trust, and Wendy knew that no matter what would happen, Natsu would save the day. It's going out of the way to cheer them up whether you like it or not,. Gray saving Juvia and dying in process is an example of saving someone from death, not cheering them up, because he died from the wounds whereas one of Natsu's goals was to give his allies hope.

Juvia had Gray. Where was Lisanna anyway? Wasn't she training? And likely because Erza is a tough woman, whereas Lucy is emotional and cries a lot. I can't because I'm not that much of a fan of FT that I'd remember stuff. The writing is mediocre for the most part, but it's entertaining.

Gray isn't just more sensitive, he's much kinder to Juvia. The relationship changed between the two, and we can see Gray worrying about Juvia more visibly now, and we know he definitely cares for her whereas in the past, not so much. I can't really see how anyone can deny that their relationship and Gray's interactions with Juvia changed for the better but defend Natsu and Lucy. Though to be fair, both pairings are apple and orange, only thing you can compare them in is which is the better fruit.



Though, I wonder if Gildarts-Kana is a thing. If it is, I'm disturbed for anyone who supports it, and verily disgusted.

That is not directly cheering her up and everyone went to save her just like they'd do for any comrade. That's not go out of the way as that's the way the plot is leading up which is Natsu fighting against the big baddie. Going out of the way means no life or death situation and just going there to cheer someone up which he has yet to do for Erza.

You keep saying Juvia had Gray but that isn't the point. The point is he has yet to do it for any those ladies. Lisanna was with her siblings by the guild. Erza a tough woman but still got consoled by Jellal and Gray (When they're younger). Lucy doesn't really cry a lot she only cries if something really emotional happened.

That's what I meant by sensitive as instead being as blunt as possible he's taking into consideration when Juvia has those affectionate outburst. I haven't said they weren't better from the GMG to now but romantically they are in the same place but have much more positive relationship. Like you said each relationship has a different dynamic so it's a preference on which is better. Kind of tired of this topic now anyway lol.

Eww who dafudge would ship a father and their daughter . I honestly hope that nobody is or they'd have some screws loose.

 

[Cat Sidhe26]

It's not just what Lucy said about Natsu, but the fact she embraced him with a hug. When you look at an image like this, it's hard to deny that Lucy has feelings for Natsu.

The story thus far section of chapter 419 says that Natsu was the person Lucy most wanted to see. Words like this might not confirm full blown romance, but it certainly doesn't hurt their chances.

And really, just the sheer amount of fanservice that these two get.

I hate to break to you but the story thus far and any other statements aren't Hiro's words but the words from the publisher of the weekly shonen magazine and it's is a marketing move by the publisher to make the manga more cheesy which has been done many times before.

 

[Raven]

I reread the chapter, and nothing really implies he got back the guild for her. If anything, that probably motivated him to make the decision and take action sooner.

Well, Natsu won't break into Erza's house without a good reason. I think Erza's the only person that scares Natsu unless he's fired up. But Lucy obviously trusts Natsu and has known him the longest, he's the one who got her into Fairy Tail. Of course she'll give him special treatment, just as she would if anyone else was in Natsu's place.

Doesn't matter whether they secretly love each other or not, the development is barely there, and there really is no proof or evidence other than "special treatment."


When Jellal was the enemy? Granted, I'm not an FT otaku so I don't remember the details, but I know Natsu has gone out of his way to cheer up Erza, along with few others. And why would he need to cheer up Juvia? It seems her mood is negative only when Gray is in danger or something, otherwise she doesn't seem to be bothered. It's Lucy who's usually a panicky crybaby, and Wendy who gets worried a lot, so Natsu goes out of his way to console them the most. Plus, they're both main characters, so they obviously get more screen time where we see their interactions. The manga literally started with those two, and then Gray was introduced, and many chapters later, Juvia came into the fold.

Because Levy and Gajeel and Juvia and Gray are pairings or hinted to be future pairings. Why would Natsu do that when they have Gajeel and Gray?

And didn't he have romantic feelings for Mirajane's sister? Definitely something left unaddressed, if I recall.



Static? wut

He obviously did it for her

Spoiler

Fairy tail is lucy's family , she trust everyone not just Natsu. If Natsu see lucy only as a friend he should give her the same treatment like Juvia Levy Mira or Erza. Lissana didn't care about Natsu after Edolas arc, She show no interest like the old days.

 

[Otaku shrink]

.........well then.....

Catching up on all the spirited discussion. The rebuttal that Juvia "started" the conversations so Gray did not initiate the romantic gestures? I can't say I agree with that. In both the examples given, Juvia was certainly not fishing for a romantic moment. Gray seems to do these things out of the blue when they are just interacting, and he has definitely done that more as time has gone on.

Now, for the Nalu is static statement. No, that's not true either. As the series has progressed, we have certainly seen their bond grow as a mutual need for each other. They certainly enjoy each other's company. Eventually, it's going to escalate as a romantic bond, but their friendship is the emphasized dynamic right now. As they are the two main characters of the series, this is to be expected. They will likely end up together in the end as the "slow burn, satisfying conclusion."

Like I said before, they are two different types of pairing, so the "who is better/who is more romantic/who is better developed" argument is futile. Gruvia is the one that started as the goofy, one-sided dynamic that has gradually turned into something very meaningful due to shared experiences. Nalu is the classic main/main ship that starts as the platonic story that evolves into friendship and eventually love through the course of time and plot. They look different and develop differently with the same conclusion...endgame.

 

[jellalsexualll]

I'm not going to take the time to quote every single thing I'm seeing in here, so I'll just post my thoughts on all of this in a nutshell basically. What I'm not understanding is why people vehemently deny what's right in their faces? I mean you're entitled to your opinion on a pairing and you can choose not to ship it, but when it's repeatedly rubbed right into your face, how can you be ignorant to what's right there? To the Gruvia and Nalu haters; hate the ship all you want. You are entitled to that and how you feel about it, but I see a lot of ignorance and denial in here as well... You can't compare a shounen ecchi manga to real life... that has seriously got to stop...

I see you trying to back up your hatred of a ship with supposed "facts" you're gathering from the manga; for example- Lucy is offended by Natsu doing this or Lucy has been sexually harassed by Natsu doing that, but where has it suggested that Lucy holds some lingering grudge against him nor even FEELS like Natsu has "sexually harassed" her? There is none because she doesn't and she doesn't feel that way either. It's made quite clear and quite obvious on panel just what Natsu means to Lucy. I reiterate; shounen ecchi. As for Gray and Juvia, I think that goes without saying. It started off one-sided and eventually grew into something way different. I won't slather this point with Gruvia facts, but there's no sense in denying what's happening here. The "Gray friendzoning Juvia" comment just made me laugh. Seriously? Ignorance/denial at it's best or worst I suppose. Take your pick.

I'm seriously trying to understand this volatile debate of "which ship has more romantic development" at all? I mean don't they both? Just because no real words have been spoken beyond Juvia declaring her love for Gray while Gray stating he's grateful to have Juvia, doesn't mean there is no romantic development. We've seen a lot on both sides of the plate here... so I don't get it? Friendship and romance are shown in two different lights in this story, in my opinion. Things like holding each other, crying in each other's chests, falling asleep on each other's chest, etc... (Gruvia and Nalu moments here) suggests something much more than just friendship. Not quite an actual romantic relationship just yet, but on a deeper level than just friendship. Anyway, these ships are both part of Mashima's endgame/will-be-canon pairings, so I guess I'm not understanding the pointless arguing going on in here about who has the most of what? Who cares? They both are ships with romantic development and that's that...

 

[Axiomus]

I hate to break to you but the story thus far and any other statements aren't Hiro's words but the words from the publisher of the weekly shonen magazine and it's is a marketing move by the publisher to make the manga more cheesy which has been done many times before.

Nevertheless, it certainly doesn't hurt Natsu and Lucy's chances, given everything else I've pointed out.

 

[Brandish μ]

I agree with those who say the pairings are pretty obvious.

I don't really bother if one has more development than the other, because I expect Mashima to wrap most of them up around the same time canonically. That is towards the end of the manga. Gruvia will become official when Gray gives his answer which he said is after the war. JeRza will become official after Zeref is defeated. NaLu I believe will become official at around the same time and definitely before they go off on their trip at the end of the series to find Natsu a surgeon and Aquarius' key for Lucy. GaLe could already be a thing without being obviously official, but I'd expect confirmation by the end of the war.

The ones that aren't obvious are up for grabs, and they're more fun in a way because you can 'hype' them based on the smallest details. Given FT isn't a romance manga, I actually do believe small hints are rather useful bits of information.

 

[Raven]

I agree with those who say the pairings are pretty obvious.

I don't really bother if one has more development than the other, because I expect Mashima to wrap most of them up around the same time canonically. That is towards the end of the manga. Gruvia will become official when Gray gives his answer which he said is after the war. JeRza will become official after Zeref is defeated. NaLu I believe will become official at around the same time and definitely before they go off on their trip at the end of the series to find Natsu a surgeon and Aquarius' key for Lucy. GaLe could already be a thing without being obviously official, but I'd expect confirmation by the end of the war.

The ones that aren't obvious are up for grabs, and they're more fun in a way because you can 'hype' them based on the smallest details. Given FT isn't a romance manga, I actually do believe small hints are rather useful bits of information.

i believe Nalu will be official after E.N.D.'s defeat by Lucy , Erza and Gray (Team Natsu).
Jerza is already official.
Gruvia as you said after Gray's answer.

 

[Otaku shrink]

I agree with those who say the pairings are pretty obvious.

I don't really bother if one has more development than the other, because I expect Mashima to wrap most of them up around the same time canonically. That is towards the end of the manga. Gruvia will become official when Gray gives his answer which he said is after the war. JeRza will become official after Zeref is defeated. NaLu I believe will become official at around the same time and definitely before they go off on their trip at the end of the series to find Natsu a surgeon and Aquarius' key for Lucy. GaLe could already be a thing without being obviously official, but I'd expect confirmation by the end of the war.

The ones that aren't obvious are up for grabs, and they're more fun in a way because you can 'hype' them based on the smallest details. Given FT isn't a romance manga, I actually do believe small hints are rather useful bits of information.

Yes!!! I am pretty much in complete agreement with all of this, but I feel like Gray's answer may end up slipping out a little earlier than we anticipate due to a scare about his or Juvia's safety (obviously with a happy ending though). The "after the war" thing seems so concrete and resolute, that it gives me an inclination that it's possible that Mashima might make it some dramatic battlefield thing since he is "experimenting" with romance. Who knows?

 

[darkenedreality]

He did not go seek out Juvia before the war and tell her this confession, Juvia came to him so she was the initiated point. Juvia is the one to spark the convo which led to Gray holding her hand which means she initiated. Juvia went to Gray to talk about Silver and sparked the talk which means she initiated it. She is the cause of each of their moments that's what it mean to initiate.

Your bias for Gray is affecting your judgement... Have I ever been bias against Gray??? Or is that you just speaking out of your butt?

Nice try, but it doesn't work that way. We are talking about the actual moments here, which Gray initiated. Juvia did not force Gray to hold her hand, embrace her, or talk about their relationship. She never had an intention to create some sort of romantic atmosphere in these scenes. Gray did it on own his, and again, that's why she was surprised at his actions in both chapter 416 and chapter 453. At the end of the Tartaros arc, Juvia came to confess she killed Gray's father and give up her love for him, the opposite of initiating a romantic moment.

By the way, Gray actually was the first one to speak before holding her hand.

Therefore your argument in this case is invalid anyway. Might as well mention these too:

Where Gray initiates both the conversation and moment.

Regardless, it's petty to say just because a person speaks first means they initiated the moment/action of someone else. It's outright wrong to say Juvia initiated those moments when Gray did everything. There have been times where Lucy initiated a conversation, yet the NaLu moment is all Natsu. I'm not going to repeat myself, as this is tiring and very straight forward. If you don't get it by now, you never will.

 

[M3J]

I can name examples where the female leads doesn't necessarily need to blush around the guys the like all the time because it's not really part of their personality. The one that comes to mind the easiest is Elie from Rave Master. I wouldn't pay too much attention to what other series or authors are doing when it comes to stuff like this.

Mashima doesn't really focus heavily on the romance. It's just a thing on the side for the fans to enjoy. While Natsu and Lucy has never openly admitted their feelings, the sheer amount of fanservice dedicated towards them is overwhelming. Like these are some of the pictures taken from Hiro Mashima' twitter (URL: https://twitter.com/hiro_mashima) in the past few weeks.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

THat indicates nothing about the pairing, at all. It's fan service on a Twitter page, not in the manga itself.

All anyone can say, best case scenario, is that they'll end up together, just as they can say that with Gray and Juvia as we do not know his true feelings yet.

That is not directly cheering her up and everyone went to save her just like they'd do for any comrade. That's not go out of the way as that's the way the plot is leading up which is Natsu fighting against the big baddie. Going out of the way means no life or death situation and just going there to cheer someone up which he has yet to do for Erza.

You keep saying Juvia had Gray but that isn't the point. The point is he has yet to do it for any those ladies. Lisanna was with her siblings by the guild. Erza a tough woman but still got consoled by Jellal and Gray (When they're younger). Lucy doesn't really cry a lot she only cries if something really emotional happened.

That's what I meant by sensitive as instead being as blunt as possible he's taking into consideration when Juvia has those affectionate outburst. I haven't said they weren't better from the GMG to now but romantically they are in the same place but have much more positive relationship. Like you said each relationship has a different dynamic so it's a preference on which is better. Kind of tired of this topic now anyway lol.

Eww who dafudge would ship a father and their daughter . I honestly hope that nobody is or they'd have some screws loose.

It is cheering her up, and he did everything to cheer her up as well, not just to fight the boss. Natsu went out of his way to make Erza feel better, and your definition of going out of the way is twisted to suit what you want. There's no specific definition, going out of the way means going the extra mile, doing something more than expected, which is what Natsu did.

The point is irrelevant as Juvia has Gray, LIsanna has her siblings, Erza has Jellal, and Levy has Gajeel. These people would cheer them up, Natsu is not needed, for pairing reasons. If these ladies were alone, then maybe you'd have some sort of a point about Natsu only cheering up Lucy.

They're not in a same place, Gray is treating Juvia much better, and they're getting along well and fighting well together. That's development, especially given how Gray used to get supremely freaked out or didn't want much to do with Juvia.

People like @Sky

He obviously did it for her

Spoiler

Fairy tail is lucy's family , she trust everyone not just Natsu. If Natsu see lucy only as a friend he should give her the same treatment like Juvia Levy Mira or Erza. Lissana didn't care about Natsu after Edolas arc, She show no interest like the old days.

Again, that's not proof that he did it solely for her. If anything, he made the decision sooner rather than later.
BUt she trusts Natsu the most because she spent more time with him. If Natsu didn't win most of his battles, I"m sure the trust wouldn't be as strong.

Again, bar Mira these ladies have someone else to cheer them up, and on top of that Erza's a pretty strong woman, so there's no need for Natsu to give them the same treatment.

The "Gray friendzoning Juvia" comment just made me laugh. Seriously? Ignorance/denial at it's best or worst I suppose. Take your pick.

As someone who made that comment, I can say this sentence is far more ignorant as it didn't take into account the possibility that it was a joke, or it was just as much of a possibility as Natsu/Lucy friendzoning each other.

 

[Axiomus]

THat indicates nothing about the pairing, at all. It's fan service on a Twitter page, not in the manga itself.

All anyone can say, best case scenario, is that they'll end up together, just as they can say that with Gray and Juvia as we do not know his true feelings yet.

It's the author's twitter page, and the images are drawn by Hiro himself. If the author is putting out fanservice on his twitter page then that's a pretty good indicator of what is to come.

 

[Tryndamere]

It's the author's twitter page. If the author himself is putting out fanservice on his twitter page then that's a pretty good indicator of what is to come.

After seeing the new ch. cover and Mashima's recent sketches- I'm convinced, that Lucy stays in Natsu's room/ bed, This ain't a fanservice he is giving us hints for those who see things more deeply and i think it's pointless to debate such obvious matters.

 

[M3J]

It's the author's twitter page, and the images are drawn by Hiro himself. If the author is putting out fanservice on his twitter page then that's a pretty good indicator of what is to come.

or it can be a teaser or something to troll the fans with.

 

[Axiomus]

or it can be a teaser or something to troll the fans with.

Maybe if it was just once or twice on twitter, but the fanservice is pretty heavy in the manga as well - especially in the recent arcs.

 

[Doughboy]

So StingYu is sailing on schedule... not bad, not bad

 

[Siniten]

I ship
Gajeel x Levy ( I don't mind the crossover F.Rogue x Levy)
Jellal x Erza
Gray x Juvia
Lisanna x Bixlow
Loke x Lucy