NaLu analysis: Significant moments from the GMG arc

Original post: October, 2017

It’s no secret that this story arc did wonders for the development of Natsu/Lucy emotional bonding. However many NaLu moments are not what we would call subtle, and some of them capitalized on fanservice. So it’s becomes a little hard to notice how NaLu scenes showcase the chemistry between the characters as well as how delusional some shallow pairings truly are

First of all we have the prelude to the arc. When Lucy recieved the news of her father’s death, Natsu and Happy were with her. Even though Lucy was effectively repressing her feelings about the whole situation, Natsu not only grasped how she possibly felt but was so depressed about it he let get away a chance to join a fight…

…given his character has some traits of a “blood knight”, this is actually pretty impressive. It shows how much can Lucy affect Natsu even without putting effort into it, and that’s a sign of a strong emotional connection with a good chemistry

It’s also consistent with something we saw in the “Rainbow Sakura” special. To sum it up, Lucy is very excited about the prospect of going to the festival and seeing the cherry blossoms, but she gets sick the day of the Hanami festival so at the end she couldn’t go. During the party, while every FT guild member is enjoying the festival…

…we see Natsu and Happy are the only ones who are not enjoying themselves, all because Lucy couldn’t come and she’s missing something she was dearly looking foward to

Instead of enjoying the party like the rest of the guild, the Fire Dragon Slayer, in a very touching and quasi-romantic gesture, uproots an entire Rainbow Sakura tree just for Lucy to see. Needless to say Lucy knew who did that for her and appreciated it a lot

So, the moment when Natsu is feeling so down about Lucy’s situation is consistent with their relationship. And it makes even more sense given Natsu can’t do much to comfort her this time and he knows it. Luckily for him, Lucy found closure and let go of the sadness she felt in the same chapter.

We can also rely on an overlooked but nice detail. This and the following NaLu moments, all happened after Lisanna’s return. So instead of trying to re-connect with his childhood friend, Natsu consitently stuck closer and closer to Lucy. Proving a remarkable emotional attachment to the blonde celestial mage.

Moving on, the next moment I’d like to highlight is the aftermath of the Lucy Vs. Flare battle. Yes, Lucy lost because they were getting cheated and she was really upset and frustrated about it. But who’s the guy who walks up to her after the battle is over? Natsu! Who both praised and comforted her. This is an important element of chemistry between characters, when one (or both them) seek to provide with emotional support

Sadly this gets overlooked because many fans (including those who support NaLu) overhyped Juvia’s paranoid delusion of a passionate GrayLu encounter that very same night. This is was taken way too seriously by many readers, but the fact remains both Lucy and Gray completely dismissed that crazy delusion, and during that late night party Lucy stuck close to the person that comforted and supported her earlier after going through such a bad experience in the GMG

Next moment is very controversial. When Lucy was brutally beaten by a Minerva, both Natsu and Gray catched her as she fell. Some manga readers are very familiar with the concept of “pandering”. At times an author try to please as many fandoms as possible to either sell more of their work or avoid losing their audience. Even some western writers indulge into this. However, while the FT author tried to pander shippers here, and pretty much added fuel to the shipping war that was raging on back then; he also provided something, during the following chapter, that made some people understand who was the person Lucy felt the strongest about…

…by having her to say his name as she drifted off to sleep. Quoting Heisenberg: “Say my name”

Again, this is consistent with something we see later after the Tartaros arc; when FT disbanded Lucy spent a year tracking every single FT member. But after seeing Natsu’s return we get a very interesting narration from the manga:

FT readers already know how the rest goes during the GMG. In their 2v2 fight, Natsu BFR’d his partner, Gajeel, so he could stomp by himself the members of the guild that brutalized Lucy.

Next moment is something similar to the first one I mentioned. Once again we know Natsu shares some traits typically found in the “Blood Knight” trope. He enjoys a good battle, and the GMG final offered many chances to fight very strong opponents. However under a series of plot-driven cirumstances, Lucy was put under arrest alongside a fellow celestial mage in the King’s castle. Natsu was so infuriated by this that his guildmates had to tie him up in order to prevent him from storming the castle to rescue Lucy

While all the guildmates were mad about it, Natsu had the strongest emotional response and he chose to pass the chance to fight in the GMG final just to rescue Lucy

Lucy’s reaction to this is both amusing and cute. Since she knows how much Natsu enjoys the thrill of a fight. Still, this is probably one of the smallest moments they had, as the following showings hold more significance and a greater impact.

From this point onwards the plot gets a little complicated for it introduces time-travel. A Lucy from the future comes with a warning about an invasion of dragons that will wipe most life on earth. Even though this is a fantasy setting, dragons haven’t been seen in centuries. So naturally to imagine an army of them poping out of nowhere would seem hard to believe. Yet as soon a Lucy of the future finishes with her story, Natsu is already preparing himself for the attack much to her surprise. When she questions if her comrades will believe her, Natsu reaffirm his trust and faith in Lucy.

When Future Lucy laments not having a plan to deal with the attack, Natsu comforts her reassuring her they’ll take care of the matter and in a very touching manner…

…he expressed his gratitude for Lucy’s determination to protect their future

Makes me wonder why NaLu fans often disregard their meaningful moments for the sake of weaker premises. Style over substance is getting very old!

However, the plot gets even more complicated when we get another time traveler trying to ensure the bad future when nearly everyone dies actually happens. At first he tries to fool everyone by claiming Lucy is the one who triggers the upcoming apocalypse, when in reality she’s one of the persons who can stop it! Yet Natsu, despite being as clueless as he is, doesn’t buy the act and holds onto his trust/faith in Lucy. When the guy strikes down Future Lucy, Natsu his tears in his eyes and anger in his fist delievers this little yet meaningful line:

The tears

His line

Natsu stating how much Lucy means to him. This is consistent with another showing from the last arc. When Natsu thought Lucy was killed by their current enemy, he went into a berserker rage (and a new superform) in which he was killing everything that was getting in his way. Touch Lucy and you’re getting burned to a crisp

I could actually mention the next one, but given the amount of fanservice it involved I prefer to overlook it and leave it to any real NaLu fan to explain what made it a great moment aside from the “frolicking” in the nude. For now, I’m going to jump straigh to this arc’s conclusion:

As the ‘dragon apocalypse’ was prevented, we see Future Lucy reuniting with her comrades in what the chapter calls the “golden plains”, the meaning of this place as well as its placement in time and space is up to interpretation, but who’s there to recieve her. I’ll give you three guesses, the first two don’t count…

Natsu is there and as he enthusiastically takes her to reunite with the rest of their guildmates from her own timespace, she tears up for the joy she feels. The chapter focuses on Future Lucy’s emotional response to seeing the Natsu of her timeline once again, which is consistent with the first time she sees Natsu in the present during the GMG. This effectively gives her character a closure and a happy ending. But that’s not all, back to the present Lucy experiences all the feelings her future self felt in those moments at the “golden plains” and tears up as well, acting on those feelings she runs to Natsu and hugs him from behind while the chapter closes with the following words: 

“You don’t need a reason to cry. All you need is to feel the warmth that dwells in your chest”

A highly poetic line that conveys Lucy’s feelings in that scene. This is more than enough emotional build-up leading to a logical conclusion:

A NaLu child XD (the other kid is a Gruvia child)

Joking aside, this arc provides with a consistent protrayal of Natsu/Lucy bonding and their solid chemistry. Something not many are able to notice, but those who do come to appreciate even more the beauty, the appeal, and the strength of their emotional connection