Why was it so hard to include Loke as one of the main side characters (for lack of a better term)? And by that I mean like not the main Lucy/Natsu/Gray/Erza/Happy gang, but as important as Wendy/Carla, the Strauss siblings, Gajeel, Laxus/Thunder Legion, Levy/Panther, Cana, etc. Obviously I’m coming from a fav character bias, but I also think it would’ve made sense narratively and for his character development.
One of the running themes in Fairy Tail is “Found Family”. And out of place or not, while he is pretending to be a wizard, it’s evident that he’s made himself at home in Fairy Tail. It was a place to call home while he was suffering. Not only that, he did make genuine friendships there. Close enough that when he quit out of the blue, the whole guild went looking for him. So close, in fact, that Gray asked him to be his partner for the S-Class trials (which, by the way, was a super fun time having him back). Actually, Tenrou was probably the last time he was properly accepted as a member of Fairy Tail.
So, what? He gets saved by Lucy and because of that he just doesn’t care anymore? “All right, character growth chyeck ✔️. Hehe, glad I don’t have to worry about that character anymore. It’s not like he has any residual trauma left from previous abusive masters, and he doesn’t miss his Fairy Tail fam in anyway way shape or form!” Like, it’s almost absurd how little of his character is explored. What does it mean for him to be the leader of the Zodiac? Has he ever met a good celestial wizard before Lucy? How much power does he actually have when not limited by Lucy’s limited magical power? (Which is also annoying, btw, cuz supposedly he should be getting more powerful whenever Lucy gains power, and yet it feels like he keeps getting weaker while Lucy unlocks more abilities. How is that fair???) Even Kagura got more character development than Loke and she’s not even part of Fairy Tail (I love Kagura btw, just trying to make a point).
Also, just exploring what he himself represents could be so interesting. Between being Leo the Lion and wielding Regulus (AKA the light of the king), he should be a symbol of leadership and power. I’m not saying that means he shouldn’t be his goofy, flirty self. If anything, that’s a duality that he could learn to live with. It could be either a struggle or something fun about this phase in his eternal life where he’s sort of half spirit, half human. Why aren’t we allowed to experience that with him?
I have many more qualms about Fairy Tail and how it’s written, it’s just that Loke and the celestial spirits are my favs and therefore it’s easier for me to talk about them. But if anyone is curious about my other thoughts about other events or characters, I’d love to answer those lol. I love this anime for some reason and its characters and I have such a weird obsession with how flawed it is. But until Fairy Tail magically becomes the perfect story I imagine it to be, I need to vent my irrational frustrations somewhere and coming back to Tumblr’s been fun so far so imma be here from time to time lol.
