I've been playing a lot of Genshin Impact, so this post took me longer than anticipated. It also didn't help I had to rewrite it (and remove some pics) to focus more on NaLu instead of Gruvia. My bad!
So, the recent rematches in the Fairy Tail sequel had led several shippers to promote some odd arguments, such as chapter 82 and 85 proving a crack pairing would outmatch NaLu if it wasn't for Gruvia. Do these claims hold up when taking a look at the story? Let's test that:
The argument itself implies two things:
1) The moments displayed hold more weight than the NaLu bonding as whole
2) NaLu is completely dependent on Gruvia, as in, without that pairing, NaLu would've never gotten so many moments throughout the story
Are these reasonings factually correct? First, let's see what's the basis of shippers' argument. The first panel hyped by shippers from chapter 82, it's the characters getting ready to engage in battle with their respective opponent. While they ended up fighting solo battles, some people hyped the panel as shipping material and the proof of impactful teamwork
As explained in a previous analysis, this is a huge deal for shippers as one remarkable trait of Gruvia is their cohesive teamwork born out of their strong emotional connection, not to mention the NaLu teamwork, with the way they quickly adapt and respond to one another, actually inspired Mavis to think of romance
So, it's obvious that chapter 82 didn't add anything of substance that would make shippers' premise outmatch NaLu. What about chapter 85?
The overhyped panels from that chapter were a fan favorite helping a tired Lucy on her feet to return to their guildmates. Shippers claimed these moments show they would be lovers if it wasn't for Gruvia, which also implies these showings not only match every NaLu moment we've seen so far, they're also far more impactful than anything Lucy shared with Natsu. That's what shippers try to sell...
Is it true?
Let's go back to the GMG arc. When Lucy was crying on the ground due to how she was done dirty in her match against Flare, Natsu was the one who went to her not only help Lucy get her back on her feet, but also to comfort her and cheer her up.
Natsu offered not only physical but also much needed emotional support. Does chapter 85 featured something superior to this moment? Did their chemistry depended on Gruvia being a thing?
Let us go back to another iconic NaLu moment...
...Lucy was sad and pained at the loss of her new friend. And who's the person who gave her relief and comfort when she needed it the most? Can we say any of the scenes shippers were hyping so much is above this moment in terms of impact and significance?
That's the reason why I don't support anyone who rates a crack ship above NaLu, even if said shippers do a lot of END-infected Lucy edits, but I digress. So, if none of these arguments hold up, then why would shippers make such a bold statement? Maybe the reason are not the moments, but the character, shippers want for Lucy, and how his fans percieve him.
Natsu is proving to be more dense and inexperienced, when it comes to romance, than many people expected. So, shippers now don't see him as someone worthy of Lucy. Instead, they choose to hype her interactions with someone who's now far more romantic... for another girl
This also showcase ignorance on readers' part given that the character they're hyping wasn't always a romantic; their guy wasn't very open about romantic love, he usually tried to avoid such a subject, and even got briefly embarrassed into silence because of it during the GMG arc.
It was only due to his beloved's active effort in breaking through his emotional barriers that he became the romantic he is now. Shippers merely assume he would be this romantic with Lucy, without any of the effort needed to get through his emotional walls, which also shows shippers forget how shy and passive Lucy is when it comes to romantic love
However, we should remember that when all is said and done, Lucy would choose Natsu over physical looks or commonalities. Do I need to remind you of how the omake "Day of the Fated Encounter" ended:
Lucy chose Natsu's thoughtfulness and kindness, instead of dating someone who was good-looking and shared similar interests with her.
Natsu may not be as romantic as the guy shippers love to hype. But, despite all his flaws, he's still Lucy's most consistent choice.
They bonded and their relationship grew stronger, not because of Gruvia, but because both chose to draw closer and closer to each other.
