perceptivewise:

i’ve been reflecting on Gajeel’s emotional maturity and romantic capacity ever since the Tartaros Arc, and appreciative of his character growth ever since the Grand Magic Games. After today’s chapter, 451, I was happy, but not surprised to see Gajeel approach the topic of love so frankly, and here’s why:

It was stated in Gajeel’s monthly magazine (translation by the Fairy’s Tales) that “He has no interest in love, and he will need more time before he’s conscious of Levy as a woman.” We can see this struggle from Levy’s side, as Mashima has provided many examples of her determination to make Gajeel realize her as more than just a potential fighting opponent. A lot of the Tenrou Arc explored their relationship, and while Gajeel respected her intelligence and assured her of her doubts of being “small and not physically strong,”

he still regarded her as a comrade, if not someone precious and worth protecting already. And I like that, I like that most of the Fairy Tail journey for Gajeel was his personal character growth because there were a lot of issues he needed to have some closure with, such as: his acceptance of Metallicana’s disappearance, which hit him very hard and turned him cold and angry for most of his childhood, his slow warming towards his understanding of Fairy Tail as more than a guild, but a family, and finally, trying to make a deserving man out of himself. Because that’s what I think Gajeel’s main internal strife in the story is: a man with a very troubled past, a hard personality, and with no ascertain life goals eventually finding a family, love, and a future. And Levy is a smart woman; if Gajeel wasn’t ready for a romantic relationship, then she was by his side as his best friend. Until recently, and from here on out, it will be Gajeel’s turn to reciprocate Levy’s feelings.

Remember when Gajeel was like this?

I believe that the Tartaros Arc was Gajeel’s resolution arc, where he finally conquered the last of his past conflicts. Council Member Belno and Gajeel’s grief for her was introduced and resolved so beautifully in the chapter, for here was a woman, an older lady who compared him to her own son, who watched over his efforts to find the path he wanted to take in life, and who advised him and believed in him to make the right decisions. He regrets the words he never told her, saying, “I was never even able to repay your kindness.” This is a deep regret; words never said, and it makes me think that he’s also regretting the anger he felt for Metallicana too. So after her passing early Tartaros Arc, and during his battle with Torafuzar, Gajeel comes to a decision: he finally chooses and understands the magnitude of who he wants to be, and this moment is so, so important; after years of being lost and alone, he now knows himself.

The reason that I believe Gajevy may become cannon first is because of his resolve post Tartaros Arc. That arc was the turning point in the story of Fairy Tail, and no character walked away from it emotionally unscathed or without a different goal. As much as I would like for Jerza to have become cannon during the time-skip, as both partners are deeply in love with each other, we haven’t seen any resolution from Jellal yet, as he is determined to walk in the darkness and support Erza from behind the scenes. As for Gruvia’s case, while Juvia has matured greatly in her love for him, Gray has almost regressed in a way; he may have lived happily with her, but his drive to fulfill his father’s goal to the bitter end and his suppression of his growing feelings for Juvia are all things that will prolong his romantic development until the final battle, where I believe they will have some form of a fight reminiscent to their first one. As for Nalu’s case, Natsu and Lucy are the end game of fairy tail, they will be cannon last, for this coming arc is Natsu’s arc, with matters involving his past and his relationship with Zeref, and Lucy will be heavily involved and very influential in the events to come.

What I am trying to say here is that Gajeel, and by extension Gajevy, out of all four ships, is the one that is the most ready and emotionally stable for a romantic relationship. After the timeskip, we saw further proof of his stability; he got a job as a council member, stayed close to the person who loves him, and went from being a destroyer to an enforcer; if that’s not a 180 degree turnabout, with a believable transition from being lost as an abandoned boy to being found as a man, then I don’t know what is.