Hey everyone! Today I'm going to start a series of threads that I believe are quite relevant to the progress of the Alvarez Arc in Fairy Tail currently.
As we all know, the Spriggan 12 were actually supposed to be just 5 or 6 antagonists, but were spread to 12 because the number had some significance to Hiro. What that exactly is, we don't know.
In any case, because of one of Hiro's choices and the subsequent rushing this arc had to take, a lot of potentially amazing characters within the Spriggan 12 had to have very rushed or no development/screentime at all in order to work in the confines of a weekly Shonen manga.
That being said, Hiro is a master at giving subtle hints. Or I'm a master of making information out of virtually nothing. So, I've decided to create a series of threads called the "What If?" Spriggan Edition. (Although there was no edition before this so the title retrospectively makes no sense.) I will discuss every member of the Spriggan 12 in detail, with the "What If?" referring to the following scenario: What if ___ of the Spriggan 12 was an antagonist that had a proper character arc to themselves?
These features will be done in chronological order to the Spriggan's "proper" appearance (as in, when they decided to pull out their stuff.) That being said, today's feature is of our favorite bikini-wearing "Country Demolisher", Brandish μ!
Brandish μ is a young member of the Spriggan 12, aged approximately 24 (according to canon statements, which put Brandish and Lucy at similar ages when they were still children. Counting the seven-year timeskip Lucy underwent while she was frozen in time, this is a rough estimate.)
Her epithet is the "Country Demolisher", for she wields Command T, a Magic that, in her hands, is able to adjust the mass and size of any object, animate or inanimate, that comes into her proximity, with the exception of those that possess greater power than her own.
She is a near-apathetic woman on the surface who cares very little for her subordinates nor for the affairs of others. She actively avoids unnecessary conflict and it is only her fealty to the Emperor that prompts her to move against Fiore in the first place.
Hidden under this veil of apathy is a woman driven by her love for her mother and the necessity for vengeance against those she was told were responsible. To this end, she is capable of manipulating any circumstance and will not fear to resort to underhanded methods to gain her vengeance.
But what happens when said vengeance is meaningless, and she no longer has a point in partaking in a meaningless slaughter?
It is precisely that last point that needs addressing. As we know, Brandish and Lucy entered the "Star Ocean" for a lack of better terms in order to observe the true circumstances behind Grammy (Brandish's mother)'s death. Brandish's entire life and motivation were a complete lie.
The incident should have scarred her, lead her to isolation, or just do something significant. However, in the time given in the narrative, she healed herself remarkably quickly. This makes the sudden transition to "ally" another product of the now-despised word (that hasn't been used in ages, mind you) "nakama" power of Fairy Tail.
So, that being addressed. What if Brandish μ was given a proper character arc?
Well, for one, the trauma from learning her entire life was a lie would leave her far more confused than the manga let on. Should she continue on the path of vengeance even though it's ultimately meaningless by twisting the blame back onto Layla and Lucy? Or should she ally herself with Lucy, who showed her the truth? But what about her loyalty to her Emperor and her Empire?
This struggle was briefly shown in the manga, but was overshadowed by a rapidly developing friendly relationship with Lucy and debt that was seemingly out of place for a situation like this. If anything, what needed to occur was some sort of conflict. The nature of Brandish's abilities makes her an excellent combatant to fight in a group. A hint towards her fighting style against Lucy was shown and the fight between Lucy and Brandish was one of the better fights in terms of pure choreography throughout the whole arc. Applying that to a larger scale would not only give a better sense of tension to the narrative, but flesh out Brandish's desperation even further.
What Brandish needed to make her character arc cement and make us appreciate the development she got as a "loyal citizen of Alvarez, but a woman who pays back her debts" was confusion about her where she belongs. Brandish hailed from Ishgar originally, but moved to Alvarez with her mother as a child. She is affiliated to her Empire, but possesses ties to Ishgar by ways of her debt to her.
"What should I do?" is the question that would run in her mind as she attempted to fight Fairy Tail. She would have fought with what appeared to be killing intent, but in reality was confusion. "Is there any point?" she would ask, as she continued to try, but subconsciously failed to crush those she was supposed to consider her enemy.
So that is what I believe would allow Brandish to become more fully fledged as an antagonist within this arc. A proper transition into the "neutral" flag that she now waves, as she prays that both her Emperor and Lucy get out of this meaningless massacre alive.
If you have any comments, or you think that there's something else that needs to be done to make Brandish fully fleshed out within the FTverse, pop a comment below.
