Analysis: NaLu Vs. Shipping?

 Original post: March, 2018

As explained in another post, more often than not, what several shippers tend to offer contradicts established characterization and completely disregard consistent bonding.

While some often find logical or obvious regarding the connection between Natsu and Lucy as a potent relationship, other people might have their doubts because the typical shipping mindset sometimes overshadows the impact of NaLu moments and their solid chemistry. How can this happen if NaLu is a logical/evident conclusion?

Short answer: Shipping Hype

Many stories feature a wide variety of characters, some of them are cool, others are stylish, and some of them have some sort of appeal meant to charm some specific demography. That results on fans of such characters overhyping any scene that features them. This hype can often overshadow NaLu or move shippers to either water down scenes between Natsu and Lucy or degrade their emotional connection.

For example, when Lucy got to see and missed the chance to go to the Hanami festival, Natsu not only felt down while the guild enjoyed their party…

…he took action and uprooted a rainbow sakura tree just for Lucy to see. A great and sweet gesture that touched Lucy.

At the end of the GMG arc, we saw how the remarkable emotional attachment she feels for Natsu gets to transcend time and space…

…as we get a closure for both the story arc and her future self

But moments like these are often rivaled by shippers overhyping Lucy getting a pat on the head, having a stylish guy trying to flirt with her, or being the subject of a glorified Freudian slip. Often marrying Lucy to those cool, hunky, or stylish characters

So, let us ask: does Lucy’s character demand such hype?

While she’s aware of her “sex appeal”, she easily gets flustered or even embarrassed, which is why her friends consider funny to playfully tease her from time to time. Still, Lucy doesn’t actively seek to become more “intimate” with the men several girls (and some guys) usually drool for.

Instead, what do we get from her?

We have a mix of both subtle and meaningful behaviors along an earnest disposition coming from both sides in a ton of both minor and major interactions

In tumblr, you’ll find some users tagging NaLu posts with the words Lucy uttered when they got into trouble and Natsu asked her to flee. She refused to leave Natsu, and while she risked her life, she stated: “it’s more fun when we’re together”

Some shallow shippers tend to use this tag too, even though they don’t think about how meaningful those words were. Even if Lucy made that statement under some pressure, what she said is another proof of how she feels when she’s with Natsu. When Lucy is with Natsu, she feels things are more lively, intense, and stimulating.

That fits in how Lucy’s feelings for Natsu progressively grew while her relationship with other better-looking characters didn’t get that much attention in the story.

One remarkable example comes from a moment when the author pandered shippers: Both Natsu and Gray catching Lucy as she fell. But the guy who was on Lucy’s mind as she was drifting off was Natsu

Even the scene featuring Lucy saying Natsu’s name was in full color. He is the person she thinks of the most 

Another example comes from the narration from the time Fairy Tail was temporarily disbanded. Out of all her guildmates, who was who Lucy wanted to see the most?

The answer remains consistent: Natsu

Who does she seek for emotional support?

Who does she a solid chemistry with? I don’t think I need to repeat how Natsu and Lucy affect each other

While shippers love to overhype several scenes or manga panels, Lucy herself doesn’t hype those moments or the characters involved in them. In fact, if we are to talk about in-universe hype, Lucy was quick to defend Natsu’s character from Dimaria’s comments on him being a “monster”, to the point she even got teased on how obvious her feelings for Natsu truly are.

So, in order for another premise to rival NaLu, you might need to overhype minor interactions, degrade NaLu consistent bonding, or both at the same time. No wonder why several shippers twist and corrupt NaLu to present their premises as something plausible. What Natsu and Lucy have is way too big and meaningful to leave untouched.

In conclusion, shipping hype shouldn’t rival the appeal NaLu has as a potent pairing. A relationship that’s not just based on something as shallow as hotness/sexiness, but instead it runs on the emotional impact of a long chain of significant moments and a chemistry compelling enough to draw people in. Their potential “steaminess” is merely a sweet (or spicy) bonus.