Fairy Tail is TRASH... NOT! (And here’s a retrospective)

She was abusive with her spirits and her name is Karen who would've thought

I don't care what others say, I really love Fairy Tail.

It wasn't my first anime, but it was the first anime to make me sit there and watch every single episode without multitasking, and that makes it good in my books

Natsu eating Laxus' lightning never seemed out of place to me as it's explained early that he attempted it before and it made him sick. Like any sickness I figured he would have gotten a resistance after attempting it. That would allow him to use it for a short time. At least, that's what I thought.

It's funny how Gajeel went from crucifying Levy, to them being a couple

Villain: (lightly punches another guild member) Natsu: so you have chosen death.

god, i'm only 21 minutes into this and i already started to tear up. no matter what, these arcs make me cry hard especially with loke and lucy's stories.

That moment Lucy tried summoning the spell in the Games and it was absorbed by that one guy got me so mad. Why do my girl dirty like that? I cried with her (who am I kidding, I cry every episode)

Natsu and Gajeel not being able to pass through Freed’s enchantments because of the Eclipse gate sending them forward 400 years is some INSANE foreshadowing.

When I was 14, I had afanficnwhere one of the planned twists was that Natsu and Zeref were brothers, but a friend back then advised me against it because it would be too weird and it woud never happen, so no one would like it. Who's laughing now, Danny????

To be fair, in terms of the "Power of Friendship" thing, doesn't Natsu's Fire Dragon-Slayer Magic get stronger the more emotional or passionate he gets? I feel like this was confirmed and I feel people HEAVILY ignore that. Like, maybe with other characters that makes the argument meh, but I feel like most of the arguments come from fights with Natsu winning randomly.

Dang. I know Fairy Tail is hype af but watching the whole thing play out in 3 hours puts into perspective how balls to the wall the whole thing is. I can't forget how my blood was pumping when Lucy took on the entirety of Tartarus to get her friends back. There are so many incredible moments back to back and somehow the hype is earned for all of them. I have a Lucy figure in my room. For me she is one of the most memorable shonen characters ever. I think she perfectly embodies the message of the story. Unlike everyone else, she doesn't have a wacky quirk that makes her fun. Regardless, everyone treats her like family and treasures her. There are plenty of anime about a cozy, close knit group of friends that have fun together but I think Fairy Tail goes the step beyond. Any other show would just leave it at that, that Lucy is unconditionally loved by her guildmates and she just has to be herself but she doesn't just do that. Lucy cares. She can't sit idly watching her family get hurt. She might be extremely underpowered but she intervenes all the same because she can't help it. It's because she loves everyone that she never gives up, always gets back up no matter how many times she fails and eventually breaks way beyond all established limitations. Fairy Tail's main selling point is it's feel good cast of characters and their family dynamic but it completely earns that atmosphere. It shows you time and time again that the foundation of bonds and friendship comes from mutually caring for each other. Lucy may have been accepted into Fairy Tail unconditionally but she earned her family.

ya know, this anime's fandom isn't as toxic as others.

Honestly, Fairy Tail is the perfect example of what shonen is. It's got over-the-top action, eccentric characters, friends throwing hands because reasons, tragic backstories, the power of friendship, and bonkers plots. But most of all, the heroes never lose and nobody effing dies unless it's a bad guy getting beaten by another bad guy. It's not perfect, but it's a good first shonen anime.

I'm a huge sucker for the "reformed villains" trope. It always got me hella excited when Gajeel, Laxas, Sting (etc) eventually join the good guys team, especially when they are toeing up against whatever the newest baddies are.

People say fairy tail characters don't change but look at erza she was so strict at the beginning that everyone was scared of her on galoona she held a sword to Grays neck erza at the end of the series would never do that

Zeref is SUCH a good villain, it makes SO MUCH sense why he's like he is... I just love the writing for Zeref

Fairy Tail was one of the first shows that allowed me to fully appreciate anime ost's and how well orchestrated they usually are

Let's not forget that Lucy opening all the gates of the keys she had early on was telling of her potential. When she pushes herself she can really be a beast.

I don't consider myself to be an "emotional guy". I'm not saying I don't appreciate moments that are supposed to be heart felt or gut wrenching, but I've never been a guy that actually tears up very easily. However, I have no problem admitting that Fairy Tail flat out broke me at points: Lucy breaking down at Makarov reinforcing to her that she is a member of their family, Erza's scream of anguish after Simon dies in her arms, Lucy's reaction to reading the final letter her dad wrote for her during her 7 year absence, Gray breaking down and thanking Juvia for saving his dad, Gajeel's confession to Levy, and the list goes on. This show made me care deeply for its characters, to the point I was more so emotionally invested in the struggles they faced rather than just being interested in how they overcame the physical threats in their way. For comparison, Dragon Ball is a lot of fun to watch in a "mindless action" kind of way, but nothing in that show has any real stakes because of the existence of the dragon balls themselves. I don't care about Majin Vegeta killing all the people at the World Tournament because it's all undone in a matter of hours, but Jellal killing Simon while possessed by Ultear is something he has to live with for the rest of his life and I sympathize with him because of that. Fairy Tail has some issues, not even the staunchest of defenders will ever deny that. However, claiming something has flaws is not synonymous with it being "bad". And while there are things about Fairy Tail that bug me, I will always say it's still a great show because what it does do well it does phenomenally. Sure, Erza should have been obliterated when she came between Gray and E.N.D.'s killing blows, but her tears being what restores Natsu's broken mind and her hugging them both while telling them how much she loves them is a moment that tugs at my heart strings so much that it's easy for me not to care that it doesn't make sense. (at least on a surface level, you can play some mental gymnastics to make it make sense but at face value yeah it's absolutely ridiculous)