Famously known for Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima has many renowned works that have garnered significant attention from international audiences. While Eden Zero pulled in fans with its interesting fights and emotional stakes, Rave Master left an indelible mark on fans as a great comfort watch. However, Fairy Tail is undeniably his magnum opus and his most popular work.
Besides boosting Mashima’s net worth, Fairy Tail also helped him share his own life experiences through his storytelling. With its emotional roots, the series resonated with many fans who love everything it has to offer, especially the power of friendship. Somehow, the series’ selling point is also its biggest weakness according to many fans. Before we delve into that, here’s how it helped Hiro Mashima and his readers alike.
Hiro Mashima on His Idea Behind Fairy Tail
Fairy Tail doesn’t get nearly as much credit as it deserves for its extraordinary success. Many fans fondly remember the wide cast of characters and the interesting dynamics between them. Instead of committing to every shonen trope to ever exist, Hiro Mashima put the majority of his focus on the relationship between his characters and tried to portray it as best as he could.
That’s also what made fans resonate with the characters and the importance they gave to their bonds. The reason why fans found this trope so convincing became apparent when a question Mashima was asked during the New York Comic Con. When a fan asked if Fairy Tail was based on his personal life, Mashima admitted that to be the case (via Anime News Network).
To tell you the truth, I wrote the story because I had no friends. My loneliness is what you’re seeing in Fairy Tail.
It was probably the personal experiences that shaped the friendships in the series so honestly. A fan present at the event perfectly captured the impact of the series on its fans.
Fairy Tail helped me get through a lot of my struggles in high school and helped me connect with my friends on a deeper level.
Just like this, many others found solace in the relationships between the cast members, as they truly cared for one another. This aspect makes Fairy Tail highly emotional and wholesome, but it also weighs the series down significantly.
The Power of Friendship is Fairy Tail’s Biggest Strength and Weakness Simultaneously
Friendship as a theme is more prominent in Fairy Tail compared to other shonen anime-manga series. Mashima has incorporated it into the power system, so every time a character uses his powers, which is quite often, we get a reminder of what rules the fantasy world in the series. The emotions and feelings of the characters define their powers to an extent. So, oftentimes when the characters find themselves in a dire situation, their emotions are used to make them stronger.
Along with this, seeing a friend threatened in any shape or form triggers the characters, bringing out great powers in them. The incorporation of friendship in the main storyline makes it canonically sensible. Yet, there are many instances where the power of friendship resolves the fights, making the whole concept seem like a plot contrivance. Natsu’s Flame of Emotion is the biggest example of how it happens.
Every time the opponent is too strong for him to handle, his flames become stronger due to some emotional triggers. This happened against Zeref as well. While it can be seen how the convenient power-ups could be a pain for some fans, Mashima has been pretty clear with his intentions of prioritizing friendship as a theme. However, his execution of the same makes it a double-edged sword that both uplifts and weighs down his series.
Fairy Tail is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
