Why Chapter 499 confirms Gray’s feelings for Juvia are mutual (RAW BREAKDOWN)
There has been a controversy regarding certain parts of the chapter when it comes to translations and what was actually said in Japanese. Mangastream’s version of the chapter seems off, and that is because of the translator’s interpretation. This post will explore other interpretations and explain why it’s completely clear that Gray does love Juvia romantically through the text (as if his tears and actions weren’t enough, pfff).
グレイ「仲間を…いや…お前をキズつけたくない…だからこうしたのに…」
Gray: "(I don’t want to hurt) my comrade(s)… No… I don’t want to hurt you. That’s why I…“
“Nakama wo… Iya… Omae wo kizutsuketakunai” <- He starts to say “comrade”, but then corrects himself (he actually says “no”), indicating Juvia is more than a comrade. That is why the original spoilers state that Gray sees Juvia as more than a friend.
Mangastream isn’t off here, as they actually emphasized Gray saying he could never hurt Juvia. Crunchy Roll as well:
They also emphasized Juvia is more than a friend. She is in a different category above that. Moving on…
Gray: "I wanted… To protect you… Yet… I…“
Juvia: “No… I’m happy… Gray-sama.”
Gray continues talking, telling Juvia he wanted to protect her. Since this follows his line about her being more than a friend/comrade/nakama, Juvia smiles and says she is happy. That is because she understands what Gray is saying. Even though Gray himself couldn’t even form the words he wanted to say (hence the “Yet… I…”). Juvia is the person Gray wanted/wants to protect in life.
グレイ「ジュビア…お前の事もっと真剣に考えるから…」
Gray: "Juvia… I think of you more seriously…”
Here is where the real controversy is. Mangastream inserted words that did not exist in the original Japanese RAW. I understand that sometimes it is essential to do that in order to get the meaning across in English, as not everything translates directly or well. However, there is a way to do that without butchering the meaning completely. Mangasteam’s translation makes it seem like Gray is only starting to take Juvia’s feelings seriously now (because she “died”), when that isn’t the case. Gray has taken Juvia’s feelings seriously since he promised her an answer back in chapter 453. Moreover, Gray did not even mention her feelings specifically. It’s not ONLY her feelings. It’s Juvia as a whole (explained below).
“Omae no koto…” -> “regarding/about you” That’s used when you’re talking about a person. Gray is taking Juvia more seriously. It’s not just about her feelings, it’s about his too, and yes, it’s all romantic. The above panels support this as Gray already placed Juvia above the friend category. And since he is talking about her as well, we know Juvia romantically loves Gray, therefore… this is not a platonic chapter in the least. Note: there is also no “I promise” in the original either. But I’m sure that was added to emphasize how serious Gray is. I’m going to mention the original spoilers again, because they also translated Gray’s line as “I’m serious about you”. So for the final time, Gray is serious about Juvia’s entire self. “About you… I’ll be more serious…”
This translation also makes sure Gray says he will take Juvia’s entire self seriously; everything about her and their relationship. He wants to give her a serious answer. Japanese doesn’t extinguish between present and future, so “I’ll take you [as a whole] more seriously” and “I take you seriously now” are both acceptable English translations. Either way, Gray is serious about Juvia.
Big thanks to @honyakusha-eri for helping with raw translations. Other translators such as @sarapyon and @chanting-to-u agree with this translation as well. See their posts here and here. There’s grammatical ambiguity, but putting together the context and the way Gray reacts (crying, holding her, etc) makes it more accurate to assume he meant “I [do currently] think of you more seriously, so…” and translate it this way into English. The ambiguity comes from the tense of "I think”. In Japanese, 考える can either be “I think” or “I will think”, depending on the context. Thanks @nobu-sensei!
Another note: “shinken” 真剣 also means “earnest”. Therefore, we can take what Gray said as he’s being more earnest about her now. As the series showcased, Gray hasn’t always been honest with Juvia or how he feels.
Gray and Juvia were going to die together. They both had the same idea and did it at the same time. This is extremely powerful and symbolic.
I noticed that Gray basically said “I love you” without actually saying the words. He said it and showed it in every other way. That is okay. In Japan, people don’t normally confess their love outright; it’s the culture. They have other gestures and phrases to make their feelings very known and obvious. This chapter containing Gray’s actions spoke so much louder than a massive page dedicated to a confession. This is a very good post that explains the difference between Japanese and western culture in regards to expressing romantic love, and how it pertains to Gruvia. This post as well, explaining that the most romantic act of love that a couple can do is double suicide, based on samurai history in Japan.
Take a moment to remember who Gray is. He is a character with a traumatic past who has a hard time opening up to people and being honest about his feelings. Of course, the one breaking that wall down is Juvia. But I think a reason we didn’t get a kiss or huge confession now is because Mashima is saving it for later… when Juvia returns. She will be alive to hear Gray’s direct answer, instead of unconscious. It’s more likely Gray will “show” Juvia how he feels rather than “say” it, though. That’s right, when she’s back Gray will show Juvia just how serious he is.
Gray and Juvia did the same thing (committed suicide) for the SAME reason. They did not want to hurt the person they LOVE. Gray, the guy that says he would live for his family and comrades, attempted to kill himself (again) because he would rather die than live a life without Juvia or hurt her.
Lets not forget to mention him screaming in agony after the realization of what Juvia did hits Gray, before remembering his interactions with her. He then proceeds to beg Juvia to open her eyes, cradling her in his arms, and placing his forehead against her’s as he cries. We have seen Gray and Juvia’s bond building since the beginning; this is love. And I doubt Mashima would throw it all away here, since Gray will no longer wait and take Juvia for granted. He has suffered so much loss, it would be unfair for his story to end tragically. With her gone, he would have very little to look forward to in the future. As sad as it is, I think Gray needed to see just how far Juvia was willing to go for him. He needed that push, and we needed a good build up to Gray’s answer. Mashima stated in an interview a few months ago that he will create an acceptable/fair ending for everyone (the readers), and that he cannot see himself writing a bad ending.
Gray and Juvia’s reunion will be worth the wait. They have so much to look forward to in life; I sincerely believe Juvia is not gone for good. She will be the one to come back to Gray, where everyone else did not. That was the point in the parallel (Ur, and to some extent, Reina). He’s failed to save everyone that has died for him, so Juvia’s case will be different.
The only unfortunate thing is that I can’t see Mashima reviving Juvia any time soon. That is because he needed to sideline her somehow; Gray has ambitions to fulfill alone. And I am fully prepared to see more signs that indicate her death is “final”, like Juvia’s image in Gray’s mind while he fights, or for her soul/voice to stop him from doing something horrible (like murder). Whether it takes 1, 2, or 100 chapters, they will both get their happy endings (with each other), for sure. In the extremely small chance Juvia does not come back, at least we know her feelings were finally returned and her last moments were beautiful. Nevertheless, I still expect Juvia to safely return to Gray’s side by the end of the war.
This might straying from the topic a bit, but it’s something I noticed yesterday and then I read a post about it which reminded me. The chain broke but Gray and Juvia were still alive. We see the chain breaking as both Gray and Juvia are dying, and then Invel walking away:
^There is no chain anymore. Yet:
Juvia is performing her blood transfusion magic (you see the IV looking thing attached to both their arms and the blood flowing) meaning she is still alive here. She could not perform a spell if she was already dead, and we see Gray is obviously alive too. The chain linking them ceases to exist, therefore it broke before Juvia “died”. Unless the chain broke from them being on the brink of death (but not actually dead), my guess is that Invel dispelled the magic because he found the situation pointless. I say this because the blizzard also stopped after he walked away from the battlefield thinking Gray and Juvia would just die there anyway. In the end, their love did undo the spell by foiling Invel’s plan.
