Gray is one of the main four characters, the rival to Natsu, and resident ice mage of Fairy Tail. His character's always been the cool-headed counterbalance to Natsu's hot-headed nature. That same coolness is in his body, leading him to be half-naked for good chunks of the series, normally for comic relief.
It should come as no surprise then that many cosplayers latch onto to that, opting for the shirtless look. You can't blame them either as it would certainly cut down a little on costs, plus, if you have the body some of these dudes have, you may as well show it off.
10 Ice Canon
Props can often be the best part of cosplay and with how long they can take to make, they really ought to be. This is one of those cases as Genefilim's ice canon is incredible. It's a suitable mix of light blue and white in coloring, giving it an ice-like appearance.
What really sets it apart is the glow inside, making it seem like there are four ice missiles locked and ready to go. We suspect whoever he's aiming that at won't be standing for much longer, soon to become nothing more than an ice sculpture.
9 Dual Wield
Not to be outdone, Aven Lee made a pair of ice weapons as well. They are a greater degree of white, giving a snow-like quality to them, something that fits in perfectly with Gray's ice-make magic. What's crazy about them is how long they are, bazooka being nearly as tall as he is, and the other weapon is so large it can't even fit all the way into the photo.
It's crazy that Aven is able to keep his balance with weapons like that. You could only imagine what a hassle it would be to haul around props like that all convention. When they are as well done as these are, though, it makes sense that you'd want to show them off to everyone.
8 Ice-Make
While props such as the weapons above are great, there's something special about the more practical effects that William As used. He has spikes of ice crawling up his arm as if Gray were using it as his own mini shield against an attack. That look on his face is showing that he's not afraid to use it as a weapon either.
He's also one of the few that has more than pants on, even if his coat is admittedly open to show off his abs. With most characters, this would just be sexualizing of the character, but with Gray, it works perfectly fine. Besides, with Fairy Tail characters, it's better to have their guild tattoo in view, and the only way to do that as Gray is to be a little exposed.
7 Shirtless
This cosplay by Spiderhan is a perfect example of knowing that you have the body to fill out a character and taking full advantage of it. He even has a shirt tied around his waist, hinting that he had one on at one point in time.
While everyone can cosplay as who they want, hobby being about having fun in the end, but there's no denying that some people simply look better as certain characters. The closer you look to a character, the better you're doing and that's what Spiderhan managed here. Outside of the wide smile, he looks like Gray would in the real world.
6 Never Give Up
Battle worn cosplay are some of the best, especially when parts of their outfit is torn up. Gurei doesn't do that here, but he does a good job of showing injuries along Gray's face and stomach, letting you know he's in a scrap with a particularly tough opponent.
Having him look like he's getting up only enhances that further. That look on his face is of pure determination as well, the calling card of the whole Fairy Tail series. They get up and keep fighting no matter the odds, never giving up on any situation.
5 Sharing A Beer
https://connorlykos.tumblr.com/post/148547453442/natsu-dragneel-and-gray-fullbuster-cosplay
Gray and Natsu are a more friendly version of the Sasuke and Naruto rivalry from a fellow shounen series. The two are always at odds with one another, especially early on in the series. The two even have a climactic skirmish towards the end of the series. They both have a very different reaction when Erza is in the room though.
What you see above is more akin to the buddies they pretend to be in her presence, sharing a beer, and acting like they love being around one another. Both cosplayers do a good job of portraying that here. Special kudos to both for having some of the better-looking hair of any cosplayer for their respective characters.
4 Demon Slayer
The paint job on this cosplay is incredibly well done by Tony Brown, even if it looks like some of it may have smeared across his wall. The black blends seamlessly into not only his hair but his pants as well. Honestly, you can barely even tell when the paint ends, and the hair begins a pretty great feat.
The best part of the cosplay is the different eye colors. On one side, you have Gray's usual shade, while on the other, you have the red, showing some of the darkness that his new magic carries with it. It's a simple and often cliche way of showing it, but it's super effective.
3 No One Touches Juvia
We love that it looks like Juvia is off for a casual jaunt in the woods, still holding her umbrella and just happy to be near Gray. Gray meanwhile already has his ice cannon out, ready to annihilate anyone who even looks at them the wrong way. That death glare he has hinting that he might have already found his next target.
Funny nature of the picture aside, both Gya-inc (Juvia) and Dualtsumi (Gray) both killed it with their cosplay. Dualtsumi's canon prop is spot on, but the real highlight is the fact Gya-inc actually got her hair to curl, something many Juvia cosplayers forget to do.
2 Come Back Gray-Sama
This photo is adorable for several reasons, first of which is that cautious reach forward Hinata-Chaan (Juvia) is doing towards Gray. She looks like she wants to stop him, tell him she's sorry for whatever embarrassing act she committed but is too scared to do so. Nestoal (Gray) meanwhile looks incredibly embarrassed, unable to even look at her any longer.
They both help capture the typical interaction the pair has in the series beautifully. That's not to mention their cosplay either, Gray's, in particular, being amazing done. He's one of the few cosplayers that opts to keep him clothed.
1 True Love
This is one of the few Gray cosplays that use the slicked-back hair he used during the Avatar arc, his brief moment as a villain that was revealed to be undercover work. From what we can see, his paintwork is spot on, red-eye glaring at us as Gray is off pretending to be an edge lord.
Memimells Juvia meanwhile is still smitten as can be, not caring what Gray does, only that he is hers and only hers. That shade of blue wig is stunning as well, looking as light as a clear sky, contrasting with the darker color clothing beautifully.