Hiro Mashima’s Other Series is the Real Reason No One Stayed Dead in Fairy Tail
It is not uncommon in shonen manga series for the creator to kill off some popular characters to build on the emotional tension and generate more reactions from the fans. However, this does not apply to Fairy Tail, as even the characters killed off are revived not too long after. It is a curious thing that fans of Fairy Tail have noticed, that no important characters are permanently taken out.
Most shonen mangas, especially series with darker undertones, don’t hesitate to kill off the popular characters. The mangakas even take pride in it, but Mashima owned up to his aversion to death. During his interview, the creator admitted the series’ reluctance to kill off heroes is something he sees as different.
Hiro Mashima Revealed Why Fairy Tail Characters Never Died
In an interview at New York Comic-Con in 2017, Hiro Mashima revealed why the characters in Fairy Tail never died permanently. The interviewer commented that sometimes characters died in Fairy Tail but they always returned. Then they asked Mashima about his decision and he replied:
This has to do with the fact that in Rave Master, a lot of characters actually died and it turned out to be a sad story. When you are working on a manga in a magazine, it is up to the reader’s polls and feedback whether you can actually stay in the magazine.
He further continued:
To be quite honest, the chapters that have the death of a really important character get a lot of reaction. Knowing this, I really wanted to make sure that people don’t die in my series.
According to Mashima, any series that kills too many of its characters can become controversial. In Japan, serialized mangas are published in weekly magazines, and their overall popularity determines if they can continue.
When characters are killed, fans usually react strongly, and Mashima didn’t want his readers to turn against him for taking out the wrong character.
Hiro Mashima Desired a Different Ending For Fairy Tail
Mashima made his first American comic-con appearance at San Diego Comic-Con in 2008. Mashima met his fans at autograph sessions and a spotlight panel appearance, hosted by Del Rey Manga. Before the panel, Mashima answered a few interview questions giving insight into his works.
In that interview, Mashima said that he wanted a different ending for Fairy Tail and to accomplish something different with this work. Unlike Rave Master, which ended on a sentimental note, he wanted Fairy Tail to have a happy ending.
The main difference is that in Rave Master, the goal was to save the world. In Fairy Tail, it’s all about this guild of wizards, and the jobs they have to do. It’s about their everyday lives. Over time, this might change, but that’s for the fans to find out as they continue to read this story! (laughs)
Hiro Mashima further shared that he wanted to be a manga artist for as far as he could remember.
When asked which artist or story inspired him to become a professional manga artist, he replied that he was inspired by Toriyama Akira, the beloved creator of the Dragon Ball series.
