Defending the indefensible
There’s been many theories floating about, varying from possession to Gray being undercover. It took me a while to come to terms with it myself, but I’ve finally decided on how to interpret this situation with Gray.Please note that I’m not trying to be poetic when I post this. I’m just trying to cut down on text:
The Gray we are seeing is the real Gray. Or rather, the Gray we are seeing was the original Gray. The Gray we are seeing is the same lost boy that Ultear found with his heart filled with vengeance. See the eyes?
The same Gray that would do whatever it takes to destroy Deliora no matter the cost.
The same Gray that was ready to cast aside all those around him to achieve his goals.
This darkness had always been inside Gray, but was sealed by Ur’s sacrifice.
Fairy Tail prevented it from coming back out.
But it was always there, and sometimes it seeps through:
Yet Gray manages to keep it suppressed
But then came the Tartarus arc: Enter Silver, and his warpath against demons.
Gray inherits Silver’s vengeance, opening the doorway to his darkness:
And Fairy Tail, the one thing keeping his darkness at bay, disbands right when this happens:
What is the one thing that Gray has that he didn’t last time?
Power. The look on Gray’s face when he tells Juvia not to worry about it. It almost looks like he’s…happy. Like he’s finally achieved something that he wanted.
Before, he didn’t have the power or motivation to go after his vengeance. Nor did he have a target for his vengeance. Now he has inherited Silver’s hate and vengeance for END and made it his own. Without Fairy Tail to hold him back anymore, he was free to pursue his dream and goals.
Also, Gray learned from his mistakes. Last time he got hurt because he got those who he cared about involved. This time, he’s made sure not to do the same - and sever his remaining weakness.
To the point where he doesn’t even care:
Now Gray has proven he will do whatever it takes - and I mean whatever it takes - to achieve his revenge.
To me, the current plot isn’t about what Gray has up his sleeves or what he’s planning to do with Avatar. Annihilating Avatar is child’s play for someone like Natsu. If Gray wanted to destroy Avatar, I’m pretty sure he could do it by himself. I don’t think Gray is undercover or working with an ulterior motive. His motives are quite clear. To ally himself with Avatar and use them to achieve his goal of hunting down END. Is he evil in the conventional sense that he wants to cause harm to others? No. He is like Silver. Silver didn’t hesitate to make casualties when freeze over an entire village of giants. Much in the same way, Gray doesn’t seem to care who is in his way so long as END is destroyed.
No, the current plot to me would be how much it would take for Natsu to finally be willing to face Gray as proper enemy, and fight him seriously. Up until this point, he’s basically been playing. You see a smile on his face as he spars with Gray. As far as he’s concerned, he’s probably just saying hello. He doesn’t realize how bad the situation is. To make matters worse now he has to try to deal with Gajeel, who is someone who won’t show Gray any mercy. Whereas Natsu has promised to save his friend at any cost, Gajeel has promised to stop the purification at any cost. Talk about conflict of interest.
