All About the Raijinshuu!

First off, I believe this story will be around 10-15 chapters long. It could be more or less, depending on the story Mashima wants to tell, but I think it will be long enough for a single-volume printed release once completed. Or, at least, that's what I'm hoping for.

It’s already kinda been revealed, but this story is 100% going to be REvising the Harvest Festival/Fantasia Parade after all this time. (Hence the name Re:FANTASIA.) After the original BoFT, the guild never really got to celebrate Fantasia again. The seven year gap, Tartaros, Fairy Tail’s disbandment, Alvarez…. it has been YEARS since an official Fantaisa Parade has taken place. (Depending on when this story will take place, it's been about three years since the last Harvest Festival for those who where trapped on Tenrou, and almost TEN years for everyone else in the guild.)

Now that things have calmed down for Fairy Tail… they will finally get a chance to celebrate again.

Going off that, I think the story is going to center around Laxus’ (and hopefully the Raijinshuu’s) guilt about what they did years ago. How they tried to overthrow Fairy Tail… and everyone they hurt in the process. Not to mention how they ruined the last Harvest Festival Fairy Tail would have for years, as mentioned before. Laxus, Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow will probably still feel so guilty about it... they might not feel as though they deserve to participate.

Something will happen before the festival (whatever trouble Mashima has cooking up for the story) and it’ll be Laxus who steps up to defend the guild he once tried to destroy, highlighting his character growth now compared to the jerk he was back then. Kind of playing of the Re:FANTASIA name again, it might be like a re-do for Laxus. (And, again, I’m really REALLY hoping the Raijinshuu will play a bigger role in this story since they would naturally feel just as guilty as Laxus, back then and even now. This would be their chance to truly make up for what they did. It’s the perfect opportunity to let their story go full circle. To show how much they’ve grown since their introduction years ago. A way to show, not just Laxus’ growth as a character, but the Raijinshuu’s as well.)

I think the story will end with Laxus and the Raijinshuu finally getting to enjoy and participate in the Fantasia Parade. They finally find closure in their past mistakes and are able to move on.

I’m also hoping this will have some kind of foreshadowing or small hints towards Laxus being the next guild master. Maybe towards the end Makarov recognizes how much Laxus has changed over the years and he truly starts to consider him worthy enough to take up such a title. I think that would be the most fitting outcome for Laxus' character arc. Finally getting the title of guild master, but at a time where he has truly earned it instead of taking it by force.

(And I could totally see the Raijinshuu being like his advisors, so he wouldn't be running the guild alone. Though, by advisors, I mainly mean Freed. He would definitely be the most helpful, especially when it comes to writing apology letters or calculating guild expenses for the ineveitable property damage and repair bills lol.)

I know this will be a story mostly centered around Laxus, but I have seen people say it’ll focus on unexpected characters, plural, so I am seriously hoping it means the Raijinshuu too. My main wish is that Mashima treats the Raijinshuu as actual characters for this. That they also get some time to shine. And, I've mentioned this before, but I seriously hope that they don’t get the same terrible mis-characterization that they’ve been getting in the 100YQ.

There is more to their characters than just being blindly devoted to Laxus. And they deserve more than being treated as single-panel gags. Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow are Laxus' closest friends, an unbreakable team, and loyal members of Fairy Tail. That's why I hope they at least get treated as such. (Which somehow feels as if I’m asking a lot…)

I am super grateful Mashima is focusing on Laxus and that we are getting more Fairy Tail content at all, even 20 years later... but I will still criticize him as a writer if he somehow sidelines or even completely forgets about the Raijinshuu in a story like this.

Outside of the Raijinshuu, I’d also love to see maybe Ivan get involved or at least mentioned. We never saw him again after the Grand Magic Games and he has only been mentioned briefly in the 100YQ.

So much more could’ve been done with the Ivan / Raven Tail plot line, but it was mostly pushed aside. It would be interesting to see a little more be revealed from that if possible, or even just a bit more about the Dreyars in general, but I wouldn’t really be upset if that doesn't end up getting touched on for this. (I’m obviously much more invested on the Raijinshuu getting the attention they deserve than Ivan.) But that's just my thoughts on it.

He somehow ends up getting his soul taken.

Which, wow... that's not at all what I was expecting. But, I actually find it really interesting! (For reasons not related to the 100YQ.)

First off, I’m sure Laxus will be fine. If I had to guess, this is gonna tie back to the dragon soul Laxus consumed a while ago. I think, while this guy has Laxus' soul, the soul of that old dragon is gonna be controlling Laxus' body in the next fight to get it back. But, that’s just my theory.

The main thing I wanted to ramble about is, when I first saw this panel, I couldn’t help but think how freakin’ cool it would be if Bickslow was somehow there to help Laxus. Souls are his specialty after all. (Totally a missed opportunity if you ask me.) Hell, pitting Bickslow against any antagonist who can either steal souls or has no soul would be a real cool concept tbh.

I know it won’t happen in the 100YQ, especially since there are already way too many characters in play right now for the Raijinshuu to suddenly show up, but it’s fun to imagine.

Also, this might just be me, but I love that we get to actually see a soul depicted here. It's like getting a glimpse at what Bickslow sees when he looks at people's souls. It honestly just makes me wish his magic was explored even more. I'm still salty we've only seen him use his eye magic less than a handful of times, and it's only worked... like what? ONCE? And that was on Tenrou when Elfman let him take control.

I'm not including when he used it against Evergreen in the 100YQ. I absolutely hate that fight AND that interpretation of Bickslow's magic. Never before has his magic actually turned someone into a doll.... it's weird and doesn’t make any sense imo. Obviously he can control souls, and he can probably take souls OUT of people and put them into dolls, but NOT turn people physically INTO dolls... What he did to Evergreen was just a plot convenience to make sure every member of the Raijinshuu was KO’d quickly and in one go. Not only to give Gray the "easy" W, but also to make him seem clever and less guilty than hurting them directly...? I guess??

What I think should’ve happened was Bickslow taking control of Evergreen’s soul momentarily before instantly releasing it as he was turned to stone. But then Evergreen would've been left standing and probably release her magic too... and what's Gray gonna do then? Just beat the shit out of them like he did Freed? (¬`‸´¬)