There are multiple Bleach characters, namely minor ones except Elfman, Fried, Jellal and Pantherlily whose Chad, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Ginjo respectively.
Mashima mentioned in Volume 10 that he once thought of Erza's entire adult life being All Just a Dream of young Erza, but decided against it when he realized what that would mean for the entire rest of the series.
Considering the problems she has as an adult (not the least of which is that the love interest she relied on so much as a child is Brainwashed and Crazy), this would have some serious Unfortunate Implications for her mental state if it were true.
Similarly, Erza's original character design had her as more of a Nubile Savage than the Magic Knight we know her as. Mashima's idea for her character was simply "a woman badass enough to scare Natsu" and everything evolved from there.
Makarov was supposed to die during the Tenrou Island arc.
You Make Me Sic: Post something along the lines of "Who's your favorite Fairy Tail character?" online and take a shot every time someone tells you the genre is actually spelled Fairy Tale.
Or on the flip side, look up Fairy Tail stuff and see how many images of/links to fairy tales you get.
