It’s common in the anime industry for authors to recycle characters and personalities with slight reiterations in their new series. Edens Zero is a prime example of this phenomenon as Hiro Mashima has reused several character designs and personages from his previous work Fairy Tail. While some similarities in characters are subtle and covert, others are far too obvious and glaringly similar.
One such character is Rebecca Bluegarden, who seems to be a spitting image of Fairy Tail’s Lucy Heartfilia. Many characters from both series share certain resemblances, yet none come close to the identical nature of these two characters. Apart from the obvious similarities in appearances, the two have many parallels that make them eerily similar, ranging from central roles in their respective shows to comparable characterizations.
Character Design and Characterization
The most obvious similarity between the two characters is Rebecca’s visual design being a carbon-copy rendition of Lucy. Apart from a few deviations, both characters share oddly similar color tones and appearances. For starters, the two have waist-length blonde hair, albeit with a slight difference in shades, defined and curvaceous body type with a tight-fitted attire, and a blue-white color theme in terms of clothing. The facial structure also remains unchanged, evident from the wide-eyed stature shared between the two.
In terms of characterizations, Rebecca seems to share characteristics of both Lucy and Natsu. She possesses the compassionate and tender side of Lucy and the self-assured and battle-ready nature of Natsu. While she does lean more towards Lucy in terms of her personality, negating her confidence on the battlefield and her assertive nature would be a crime. It’s worth noting that Lucy is a developed character since Fairy Tail has reached its conclusion. Rebecca, on the other hand, is only at the beginning of her journey, and comparing her personage to a more developed character would be rather unfair, despite how similar they may seem.
Significant Latent powers
Possessing dormant powers that lay in wait for the right moment is a common trope in most anime. However, the latent powers possessed by these two characters are quite significant, later becoming central pieces to the plot. Rebecca’s Cat Leaper power is a world-breaking ability that allows her to travel back in time to a different timeline, altering the cosmos itself.
While Lucy’s Celestial Spirit Magic was never really a hidden power that was yet to manifest itself, the true potential of her magic did indeed lay dormant in the beginning of the series. Lucy went from summoning just one Celestial Spirit at a time to maintaining three Celestial Gates simultaneously. She is also the only Celestial Spirit Magic user to summon the Celestial Spirit King, a feat that remains unrivaled. In both Rebecca and Lucy’s case, the two were considered the weakest in their respective groups in terms of power, yet they outshine everyone else with their unique powers.
Central Role in the Series
Rebecca and Lucy are both deuteragonists of their respective series, sharing similar roles in their journeys. The two also become centerpieces to several plotlines in their respective series. Rebecca’s role seems to be more prominent with her Cat Leaper Ether Gear, seeing how a few antagonists are desperate to get their hands on this world-breaking power. Her power is far from reaching its true potential, yet the overarching effects can already be felt in the series.
Lucy’s role in the series is somewhat similar, and while her Celestial Spirit Magic may not be as far-reaching as Cat Leaper, her magic has certainly become central to the plot on several occasions. The Key of the Starry Sky arc and Eclipse Celestial Spirit arc revolved entirely around Lucy’s magic, putting her at the center of most events. In the Tartaros arc, her magic becomes crucial in saving the entire Fairy Tail guild from stasis, cementing her power as an integral part of the plotline.
Similar Creative Aspirations
Another subtle yet major similarity between the two characters is their creative aspiration. While this might be a minor similarity compared to other aspects, it still remains an integral part of their characterizations. Rebecca outright states her goal of attaining one million subscribers on B-Cube, a type of social networking site for vloggers. She loves filming content for her vlogs, and while this goal usually gets side-tracked, it is still a major part of her overall personality.
Lucy also has similar creative aspirations, albeit a bit less technological. Lucy shares her passion for literature and her in-progress novel on multiple occasions, stating she had always wanted to pen a book. Unlike Rebecca, however, Lucy likes to keep her novel more private and always gets flustered whenever someone brings it up.