Hiro Mashima Reveals Why 'Fairy Tail' Characters Never Died

If you have waded through Fairy Tail for a bit, then you know there is something a bit odd about the series. Hiro Mashima's story is not afraid to kill off characters, but they mages will inevitably be revived before too long. Recently, the creator sat down with Barnes & Noble to talk about the franchise, and Mashima owned up about his aversion to death.

During his interview, Mashima was asked how his manga is set apart from other shonen series. The creator admitted the story's reluctance to kill off heroes is something he sees as different.

"This has to do with the fact that in my previous work, Rave Master, a lot of characters died, and it turned out to be a sad story," he explained.

According to Mashima, any story that kills off too many of its heroes can become controversial. In Japan, serialized manga like Fairy Tail are published in weekly magazines, and their overall popularity is what 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.

"Knowing that, I really wanted to make sure that people don't die in my series," he stressed.

Of course, there are some characters in Fairy Tail who did really bite the dust. Characters like Grey and Juvia were all brought back from the dead, but others were not so lucky. Ur Mulkovich, Future Lucy Heartfilia, and Igneel all passed for real in the manga.

If you are not familiar with Fairy Tail, then it is about time you familiarized yourself with the story. The series follows a guild of young, powerful wizards who call Fairy Tail family. Set in a fictional Earth, a boy named Natsu teams up with an unlikely friend Lucy Heartfilia as the latter dreams of becoming a powerful wizard. To date, there are more than 250 episodes of the acclaimed series, and fans can expect more to come in the new year.