What are your thoughts on the Simon x Erza ship? 🤔
Hi!
Oh interesting ask! @thegraylushipper
I’ll be honest I don’t have good opinions on it. And I’ll be honest again and say I really don’t understand why so many people do.
Okay I get it—people see on the surface Simon died for Erza, the music swelled, he wasn’t the clear villain of the arc then and think that because he ‘loved her’ that he would be a good ship for her.
Respectfully, I wholeheartedly disagree.
Because a crush/love does not always mean it’s rooted in innocence or benevolence.
Because when you inspect Simon as an actual character and outside of the lens of him dying ‘for Erza’ then the whole tragic hero narrative falls apart.
I went into this in a lot of detail in my post/reblog here actually:
💬 22 🔁 5 ❤️ 21 · Alright I went back and read the rebellion chapter and I stand corrected—Grandpa Rob died after Simon got hit in the face
But admittedly, in that post I talked more about Jellal’s treatment from Simon rather than Erza’s. And because this ask is about what I think about the Simon x Erza ship, I’ll expand on that.
If you take away Simon dying for Erza, what did he actually do for her?
Canonically he did these things :
- Got irritated when Jellal tried to give her a name
- Erza wanted to rebel for the freedom of everyone and they finally had a chance, and he fixtated on Jellal (which to me I still can’t get my head around.)
Because hello? You dying should be more of a concern than the petty rival you have on the kid being tortured to death in sector 8.
- When he meets Erza again 8 years after he doesn’t have trust in her strength or ability to take down Jellal and resorts to emotionally manipulate her instead
- Was expecting Natsu to do the dirty work despite being an accomplice who literally built the tower with the villain of his life for 8 years
(And before anyone says that Simon had no choice. Okay but then why didn’t he try to rebel against Jellal or do something himself to prove his own disdain for what he’s doing. No he just pushed it off onto someone else so the problem isn’t his, when it’s more personal to him.)
- Also let’s add in there Simon didn’t seem to have a word of help or safety to say to the other tower kids who he grew up with; knowing they were believing a lie and working for someone who was using them for a means to an end (but yeah Simon here decided to keep them out of the loop for why?)
- Oh and when Simon dies, was it really for Erza or was it for him to do something so he wasn’t just a distant thought in her head compared to the man she loves.?
Like let’s be real about it, Erza just got betrayed, hurt by the man she’s loved from young (and Simon clearly knows this), she has seen people die before her already (Grandpa Rob) and now to add to the baggage and trauma she ALREADY has, Simon goes “I’ve always loved you.” whilst dying in her arms.
It’s not an earned confession. He didn’t do anything to act like his love came from a noble place. It came from resentment. Bitterness. One more hope to overshadow Jellal because in every other way he couldn’t.
And just to compare how Simon’s ‘love’ fares against others who actually love and care for her, I’m going to list all instances off the top of my head below.
Jellal: First and foremost - before he went mad he had many canonical instances of showing love and care for Erza. He gave her a name, belonging in a place where she didn’t have any. Where he didn’t need to.
He gave her strength and morale in a time when it was hard to have any.
He took the place of being tortured for those who she cared about (obviously not just for Erza but a sign of his genuine care and altruism).
The Tower Kids: (i.e Milliana, Sho, Wally) - All see her with respect, some of them literally call her ‘sister’ and were angry on her behalf when they found out what was actually happening.
Grandpa Rob: Gave Erza something to focus on other than the doom and gloom of the tower. Allowed her to be spirited, indulged in her dreams with her, believed in her and protected her with his life with nothing asked of it.
Makarov: Took Erza in as parental figure, gave her guidance and a place of belonging when she felt at odds with the world. Literally sees her as his ‘child’ and would put himself in harms way before anyone harms her (or any of his children.)
Polyursica: Gave Erza a fake eye after she lost her own and has been protective of the girl against Makarov’s antics.
Hilda: Matron of Fairy Hills but also another familial like figure for Erza. Promises to give her real jewels when Erza was a grown woman because she was upset as the costume jewellery ran out before she could have any. Continues to watch her and the other girls from above in her spirit.
Wendy: Sees Erza like a big sister after they comforted each other. Willing to put herself on the line for Erza’s safety, regardless if she didn’t know if she was capable or not. Listens to Erza and respects her word entirely.
Lucy: Admires Erza, sees the side of her people don’t readily see since they are enamoured by her strength and feats. Cherishes her softness and kindness. Believes in her and is loyal to her regardless of the situation.
Gray: Saw Erza vulnerable and never used it against her. Respects her strength, respects her softness and was willing to put his life on the line for her and go against her wishes to leave the tower because that’s what Erza meant to them.
Natsu: Again grew up with Erza, went insane seeing her pain, literally it activated a higher plane of his power. Had a grudge against Jellal just based off his protectiveness of Erza for arcs until he realised Jellal actually was not bad and he is the man Erza always believed in.
Even when he was fighting Jellal, he told Jellal to free himself. Meaning he clearly understood what happened to Jellal wasn’t of his own accord and believed Erza’s words on him.
And going back to Jellal again, after all his descent, he never forces himself onto Erza. Never guilt tripped her. Never was angry at her. He knew he hurt her and respected her space and punished himself accordingly.
He didn’t even see himself worthy of her love because of all the harm that had happened.
Yes he fell, the fact he could take recognition for what wrong happened, is a mark of love Simon didn’t possess.
And to put the nail in the coffin (pun not intended), let’s turn to Simon’s own blood.
Kagura: Was angered by her brother’s death and literally trained just in the hope to avenge him. Erza saved her when they were young and Kagura never stopped being thankful for it when she realised. Eventually even saving the man that Erza’s loves despite her feelings about him because she respects Erza’s love for him.
There’s so many more than just these named but so this ask doesn’t span forever I’ll stop with Kagura.
Now knowing all of this…seeing all the instances of love in Erza’s life….Where does Simon match up to any of it?
His acts of nobility? Stewed in bitterness. His view on Erza? Minimised for his sake unless otherwise. His regard for others? Nonexistent.
Erza has all this love from so many people in her life and Simon’s just seems..odd in comparison.
Self serving.
And for all these reasons, I not only think Simon is a terrible ship choice for Erza, he’s a terrible friend to her and person period.
And just in general.
Consistently through out his life he’s serving no one but himself. Got irritated and passive aggressive with Jellal as a child. Didn’t seem to have any concern or thoughts about the others around him. Was so fixated on his obsession with Erza that it cost him his eye and jaw.
This is not a man who loves her.
This is not a man who loves anyone but what serves himself.
And respectfully, Erza does not deserve that.
Thank you very much for the ask, I enjoyed answering it!