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NaLu isn’t “canon” - an unpopular NaLu shipper opinion

So I’ve had these certain ideas floating around in my head for a while now, and I felt it was time to share with the rest of the fandom my thoughts on NaLu and whether or not they are truly “canon”.

Before the final season of the anime aired, and before the 100 year quest spinoff came out, I began to slowly drift away from the fandom a bit. It wasn’t that I stopped liking Fairy Tail, it was merely a case of there was no new content to keep me amused, if that makes sense. Because of this, I began looking at Natsu and Lucy’s relationship in a more realistic manner, rather than a more biased NaLu shipper, like I used to be.

*side note I am not here to bash shippers or say that we’re all biased and crazy, I am simply here to roast myself and my own beliefs*

During the time of the Alvarez arc and as the final chapter drew near, it’s safe to say I was a pretty crazy NaLu shipper; any interaction between them I would obsess over, and I would constantly be searching for signs that they were canon. I still love NaLu with all my heart and soul, however taking a small break from the fandom made me realise something that was probably one of if not the most problematic parts of the final chapter: is NaLu canon?

People were saying there were canon, people were saying they weren’t, the fandom wikipedia pages were constantly being changed to prove people wrong. Let’s be honest, it was a mess. At the time, I gave my opinion on the final chapter and what Natsu and Lucy’s interactions meant, and I still stand by my claims to this day, (if you want to read that analysis, click here).

After calming my shipper heart down for a while, I came to the conclusion that NaLu is not canon. As much as it would have pained my NaLu obsessed heart to hear, I believe it’s true. Now, this may seem an odd thing to say considering I’m a pretty heavy NaLu shipper, so let me explain:

When I say NaLu isn’t canon, I mean that they are not in a relationship. In no way am I saying that is no romantic feelings or connections, because I would be totally lying to myself. We all know that Natsu and Lucy have been endgame since they first met, and the Alvarez arc along with the final chapter really put emphasis on this. The romantic feelings are clear as day, however by the end of the series, they are not canon, because I don’t believe they are in a relationship.

Some fans, including myself at the time, believed them to be canon, but not in a conventional “I love you” “I love you too” kind of way (as quoted from my chapter 545 analysis). Where this is true, Natsu and Lucy certainly are not a conventional pair, this still doesn’t mean they are in a relationship.

I believe that Natsu did confess his feelings that day/chapter, to an extent. As most shippers, including myself, believe, Natsu was planning to admit his feelings to Lucy, after saying:

However, he pussied out of it at the last second, because he was scared. I’m not going to talk about this, as I did a full analysis already, but this chapter and these words are key in figuring out both Natsu and Lucy’s feelings and determining whether or not they are canon.

In all honesty, I just cannot picture Natsu and Lucy in a relationship.

Hear me out.

Of course I can picture them being in love, after all we’ve pretty much seen this within the entirety of the Alvarez arc, however what I cannot picture is them calling each their boyfriend and girlfriend, and being entirely open about their relationship. The reason I cannot picture this, is because this a conventional relationship I am picturing, and NaLu is the complete opposite of that. It is so difficult to comprehend a non-conventional relationship for Natsu and Lucy because of how complex their dynamic is. They aren’t exactly secretive characters, it’s not as if Natsu hides his feelings for Lucy, (after all, everyone in the guild knows them as “Natsu and Lucy”), however he doesn’t go screaming from the rooftops that he is in love with her, nor does he make grand, dramatic gestures to express his love in an obvious, conventional manner. This doesn’t mean to say Natsu doesn’t make gestures though, as demonstrated with the rainbow cherry blossom tree:

NaLu is an incredibly complex ship to deconstruct and figure out, however with careful consideration and analysis from the viewpoint of a crazy shipper to a more realistic shipper, I feel I have figured it out.

In chapter 545, I strongly believe that Natsu and Lucy both made their feelings towards each other clear. Lucy thanked Natsu for all that he had ever done for her, and Natsu, although not explicitly revealing his feelings like he may have planned, reassured Lucy that they would be together forever. Now, this now means that both Natsu and Lucy are aware of one another’s feelings, (to an extent, as I said before they are a complex pair to analyse fully), however, neither of the two are in a state of “okay, let’s become boyfriend and girlfriend”. It simply isn’t in Natsu and Lucy’s nature to do something like that, or more, it isn’t in Hiro Mashima’s nature to make Natsu and Lucy do something like that. Mashima has always kept NaLu’s relationship open to interpretation, and has always told us he views them as “more than friends, less than lovers”, and I feel as though this is the first time I truly understand where he is coming from with that statement.

Natsu and Lucy are way more than friends, that much is obvious to anyone that has seen a single interaction between the pair. They both have these deep feelings towards each other that, despite not letting the world know, don’t do a whole lot to hide it. However, they are not lovers. They don’t kiss, they don’t call each other boyfriend and girlfriend, because it is not in their nature to do so.

NaLu is not a canon ship, because at the end of the series, they are not in a relationship. They are very much in love with each other, I strongly believe that, however they are not in a relationship. I don’t mean for this to come across in a rude way, and in no means am I trying to prove people wrong in their own personal beliefs, I am simply sharing my own opinion on the matter.

Natsu and Lucy are more than friends, but less than lovers, and only time will tell whether it stays that way. We’ll all just have to wait and see how the 100 year quest plays out, and I for one am incredibly excited to see new development within Natsu and Lucy’s relationship. :)

tl;dr: NaLu isn’t canon because they aren’t in a relationship, however they do still hold very romantic feelings towards one another.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! I would really love to hear everyone else’s thoughts! :)

188 notes View Post

vilshyk-ft

2 years ago

Інша русофобська країна з чудесною і напівбожественною культурою, саме як й Україна. Японська культура, особливо за часів сьогунів та їхньої Імперії, була прекрасною і страхітливою. 🇺🇦🇯🇵