History WhatCouldHaveBeen / AnimeAndManga

* According to the ''Manga/GetterRobo Bible'', the prototype for Getter Robo was actually a ''racing manga'', which Ryouma, Hayato and Musashi riding old-fashion race cars and performing stunts with them.

* ''Franchise/{{Jewelpet}}'':

* ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'''s third television series (called "The Bolar Wars" in ''Star Blazers'') was originally meant to be a 52 episode extravaganza, over twice the length of the first two series. It was truncated to the usual 26 episodes only because the producers were starting to feel that the melodramatic SpaceOpera style of ''Yamato'' was starting to become less relevant to audiences in the wake of newer, [[DarkerAndEdgier grittier]] shows such as the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise. So West Cape Corporation considered the low initial viewer ratings of the show and elected to truncate the series. It shows in the final work. Numerous subplots were removed. Also, the premise of Yamato III was to focus on the Next Generation characters with the original Yamato crew hanging around as mentors. The newer characters got little development and were quietly pushed back into the background. The 1980 film ''Be Forever Yamato'' proved successful in its use of subplots, character development, and focus on newer characters, so these concepts were to fare into a 52 episode TV series where these elements could be used to even more potential. Among the things that we would have seen in Yamato III are 1) An outer space version of Aushwitz 2) A baby born on the Yamato 3) Tension between Yamato and Dessler as Yamato now seeks a new home planet much like Dessler did in the original series 4) A touching story focusing on the Space Battleship Arizona (included as a tip to perhaps the most famous of the American ships sunk at Pearl Harbor) 5) An interstellar empire based on America 5) An overdue RomanticInterest for Sanada (Sandor), 6) Much more character development for Captain Dan Hammer whose role was cut short after his brief appearance and 6) More exploration of the Shalabart religion. The loss of all of this caused Yamato III to be a weak point in the saga, even to ''Star Blazers'' fans.

* ''Manga/SoreGaSeiyuu'' has an in-universe example. Futaba was supposed to cover the bit part of a little boy in the first episode of ''[[ShowWithinAShow Buddha Fighter Bodhisattvon]]''. She couldn't do it due to nervousness and Rin covered the part instead. We do get to hear what she would have done at the end of episode 3 though.

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia,'' Bakugo was actually going to be Izuku's ''best friend,'' if you can believe it. He was originally pictured as a nice guy with a tendency to be InnocentlyInsensitive; this wasn't very funny, though, so he got reworked into a JerkAss [[TheBully bully]] with some HiddenDepths.

** Izuku Midoriya went through a lot of changes. In the ''MHA'' prototype ''My Hero'', he was a sickly adult salaryman named ''Jack'' Midoriya who wore a costume similar to Iida's. When he was redesigned as Izuku, he had bushier hair that covered his eyes, his costume was similar to his modern day BetaCostume but more menacing and set to be a BadassNormal. The sickness Jack had would be passed over to All Might.

* ''Anime/MaiHime'' has two [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxHVe2SO1Xk prototype]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZjAeWS7Eac videos]]. Several characters have different hair colors and uniforms, some of the Elements and Childs are different (Natsuki has two double-barreled pistols and a golden Duran).

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' had ''two'' prototypes before the chapter that eventually became the first one, and there was heavy rewriting between them. We'll just say that Luffy's character was ''way'' toned down and close the discussion. Also, there was no titular [[MacGuffin treasure]] (Luffy pretty much became a pirate for the hell of it), and the series was called ''Romance Dawn'' (which was used as the name for the manga's first chapter and volume).
** In the second ''Romance Dawn'', which was submitted as the pilot, Luffy's grandfather([[spoiler:who's a Marine '''vice-admiral''' in the actual manga]]) played an equivalent role to Shanks, which Oda did so that Shanks would have more of an impact when he was introduced in the actual manga. There's a character named Ann with a similar design to Nami and the position of a swordswoman [[FauxActionGirl of limited skill]], but she doesn't join Luffy's crew in this version. Plus the BigBad of this pilot is Pirate Captain named Spiel the Hexagon whom to this date is the ONLY One Piece villain who uses magic, such as having the ability to ride on a broomstick, set a subordinate ablaze, summon a hammer, and control water to sink his own ship.
*** In the other Romance Dawn, Oda's attempt at a Nami-like character was named Silk and she and Galley do join Luffy's crew according to the {{Time Skip}}ped epilogue.
** The story of the first prototype was adapted into an animated special made for the JUMP Super Anime Tour that's set in the continuity of the main series between the Thriller Bark and Sabaody Archipelago arcs (following the manga, as the anime hadn't gotten to this point yet). Even before this, the villain named "Crescent Moon-Galley" made a cameo appearance in the anime version of the Loguetown arc.
*** Captain Kuro makes a [[{{Lunacy}} reference]] to the crescent moon that would otherwise be a throwaway line if not for the possible reference to Romance Dawn.
** In other development news, Zoro was originally conceived as ''one of Buggy's bodyguards''.
** In Oda's initial draft for the tenth movie ''Anime/OnePieceFilmStrongWorld'', the BigBad Gold Lion Shiki was building a WeatherControlMachine on a sky island which needed four GreenRocks to power it (said GreenRocks were actually referenced in the very first teaser), and this was presumably the genesis for the kidnapping plot. It was also written to be an intense and [[TearJerker tearjerking]] piece, but Oda threw the whole thing out because he felt that it was too forced.
*** Other supplementary materials for the movie reveal that the giant snake from the Skypeia arc was originally intended to be an octopus, and Shiki's distinct injury of getting a steering wheel lodged in his head was originally going to be [[BearsAreBadNews Kuma's]] distinguishing feature.
** The Green Databook reveals more information about the parts of the series that did not make it into the manga - among other things, Dadan was going to be a man, Usopp (though with an older design) was going to be the first mate, the shipwright was a short Fishman with a mallet (Franky was there, but he looked completely different and was considered the weaponsmith), and Sanji was originally named "Naruto", but JUMP rejected this as they were still optioning the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' pilot to become a series. Well, that explains his eyebrows...
*** Even more: Moria was originally conceptualized as a kindly-looking ''priest'', while Doflamingo looked like a DJ/rapper, Blackbeard's first name was "Everything", Akainu had glasses and Kizaru was cheerful in a jovial sense instead of the creepy one. Also, Don Krieg had made himself into a mecha and the Amazon Marguerite had a Zoan Devil Fruit called the Cat Cat Fruit: Model Black Cat which made her look like a CatGirl when transformed.
** In a Log Book, a series of sketches were printed, one of which was Chopper with Robin's arms, legs, and eyes on his back. When asked about this, Oda said he was originally intending on Robin to transport the unconscious crew via this method at the end of the Skypeia battles, but he realized this would be such horror for his younger readers that he replaced the idea with something simpler. Still, it brings up an untapped idea of how Robin could easily dispose of enemies without using her basic "Clutch" attack.
** And on the dub side, before Creator/FUNimation or even Creator/FourKidsEntertainment got hold of ''One Piece'', there was a dubbing group in Vancouver that [[https://soundcloud.com/onepiecepodcast/episode-370-barbecue-time attempted to pitch an English-language version to Toei. Twice.]] In this dub, Luffy is voiced by a male actor, talks like a surfer, and seems to love barbecue. Roronoa Zoro would've been voiced by Creator/SamVincent. One of the demo tapes also added in Franchise/ScoobyDoo-esque sound effects too. Toei rejected both pitches.

** In the same interview describing the initial plot of chapter 36, Isayama stated he originally had Eren knowing all along he could turn into a Titan, but later dropped the idea.

** On the English dub side of things, Creator/JohnnyYongBosch mentioned that, at first, many ideas were thrown around about what to do with the "[[GroundhogDayLoop Endless Eight]]" episodes of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''. Among the ideas were making different accents per episode and switching the roles among the voice actors for each episode. Bandai ultimately decided to go for a straight dub.

* Minor/only-dub-related one: Creator/JohnnyYongBosch mentioned that, at first, many ideas were thrown around about what to do with the "[[GroundhogDayLoop Endless Eight]]" episodes of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''. Among the ideas were making different accents per episode and switching the roles among the voice actors for each episode. Bandai ultimately decided to go for a straight dub.

* ''Anime/PowerPuffGirlsZ'':
** Initial artwork gave the girls hairstyles similar to [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls their American counterparts]], and they had different weapons (Blossom had a pair of hula hoops, Buttercup had a pair of juggling clubs and Bubbles had a skipping rope).
** Likewise, the pilot trailer that was revealed on [[SincerityMode April Fool's Day]] had Ken serve ''in place'' of Professor Utonium, had the girls' transform with their weapons instead of their henshin belts and using their weapons in melee combat closer to the originals. Rolling Bubbles was long-ranged, with bubbles that ''disintegrated'' Mojo's machines and Hyper Blossom and Powered Buttercup were mid-range and point blank respectively, but far more violent in their handling.

* ''Anime/DemashitaPowerPuffGirlsZ'':

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'':
** The character of Belarus is a scary blonde {{Yandere}}. [[http://himaruya.blog61.fc2.com/blog-entry-525.html She was actually supposed to be a brunette and quite more mellow]].
** A remnant of this original idea can be seen in Belarus's first color appearance in volume 1 of the published manga. Though she still wields a knife, her hair (and eyes) are colored brown and her expression seems to be a little less severe.
** Also, South Korea was initially [[http://hetalia.wikia.com/wiki/File:FemaleKorea.PNG female]] and with aspirations of becoming an IdolSinger. The original designs would be re-used in Sena, the lead of Himaruya's web-manga ''Moe Kan''.
** Hell, Korea in general, speaking only for the anime. He was going to be in it, but protest from South Koreans forced Korea off the show. The series would have been broadcasted on Kid's Station in 2009, but was cancelled after the protests Kid's Station apparently had no knowledge of. South Korean protesters claimed he was an offensive sterotype because his clothing and birthday are incorrect, his behaviour perverted and "not understandable", and the fact that he obsesses over Japan, even though [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Occupation_of_Korea this usually is World War II we're talking about]].
*** More fun with gender changes! Hungary was to be a male crossdresser (while Poland would be a female character), but Himaruya switched him to an actual female and made Poland the WholesomeCrossdresser. [[http://hetalia.wikia.com/wiki/Hungary#Trivia For added fun]], Hungary was supposed to be more of a "witchy" character, with a shorter fuse and the habit of shooting arrows at whoever thought of her as a male.
*** Also, before settling on [[{{Moe}} a sweet-looking teenage girl]], Himaruya had [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/hetalia/images/9/9b/Taiwandesigns.gif several designs for Taiwan:]] a cute little girl, an old bald man, a short-haired {{Bokukko}}, a young boy with a SimpleStaff, an older boy with BigOlEyebrows, a DragonLady, etc.
*** Himaruya has noted that he once considered making Switzerland a female, with her true gender only being realized by Germany when he'd see her out of uniform. This idea did later get recycled with Hungary (who was a massive {{Tomboy}} when she was younger) and [[BoisterousBruiser Prussia]], with the latter only realising that the former is female when her uniform gets ripped to AbsoluteCleavage levels.
** In the third volume of the manga, a special pamphlet revealed various designs that could have been (including the witchy Hungary): Cuba as a cute little boy instead of a gruff JerkWithAHeartOfGold, Italy with no IdiotHair, Russia as a dark-haired drunken uncle kind of man, Greece with sleek hair and glasses, England with normal eyebrows, a meaner-looking Liechtenstein, and China with short hair and glasses.
** Before what we now know as ''Axis Powers Hetalia'' was formulated, Himaruya was originally intending on writing a manga set in New York City with a cast of characters that were "useless heroes". Since he wanted the characters to be of different ethnicities, he did an online search of ethnic traits. Instead, he got pages of ethnic jokes, one of which went something like, "The only weapon the Italians had during WWII was a white flag." That was how Italy's character came to be. From then on, he retooled the whole series by giving it a historical/geographical angle and making the characters into allegorical portrayals of nations. Oh, and in the end, Italy was the only character who was a "useless hero."
** For the dub, Creator/ToddHaberkorn was originally cast as England, with an unnamed voice actor cast as Italy. Said unnamed voice actor dropped out, and Todd had to drop England to try out for Italy (owing to the fact that the voices were too similar for scenes the characters shared). England was taken over by Scott Freeman. And before Todd was finalized for the voice of Italy, he was in competition with Creator/VicMignogna, who later was cast as Greece. Also mentioned was that Todd auditioned for Germany, using a voice not unlike what was later used for Prussia. (The story can be heard [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzIKIKveL8g here]])

* ''Anime/{{Doraemon}}'':

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' had numerous character redesigns before the final product: Negi was supposed to be named ''Negi T. Silverberg'' and be older looking, Nodoka was to be named ''Meiko Miyazaki'', Ako was to be named ''Ayu Izumi'', who had a large scar across her chest instead of her back, Makie Sasaki was originally going to be a different person entirely named ''Kozue Migara'', who was best friends with the lead girl (a role filled by Konoka) and who played on the lacrosse team (an idea which lead to the creation of Sakurako Shiina), Yuna and Chizuru had several connections in their designs, starting with the character of ''Yuko Akashi'', an [[GenkiGirl energetic]], [[CloudCuckoolander random girl]], who worked part-time at the academy's daycare, while the character of ''Tsutsumi Nadai'' was a character with a strong [[DaddysGirl father complex]] who was good at cooking and housework. These various traits went to both Yuna and Chizuru. [[ActionGirl Kaede]] was at first intended to be a clumsy and incompetent ninja. Not to mention the school itself possibly being a giant tower reaching to the sky, or a large island in the sea of Japan. These are given as notes in the back of the manga volumes, along with other characterization notes that, at least unless/until the manga contradicts them, are considered {{fanon}} for the series.
** Speaking of Negima, the [=OADs=] count as well. Website/AnimeNewsNetwork has listed Negi (adult) being voiced by Creator/HiroshiKamiya. Seems to be good considering the fact that he won the Third Annual Seiyuu awards. Cue the third OAD and it's still Creator/RinaSato who voiced Negi in his adult form. Not that bad all things considering, but it would have been nice if Hiroshi Kamiya did the job (then again, at this point, he [[Anime/AngelBeats was]] [[Manga/ArakawaUnderTheBridge voicing]] [[LightNovel/{{Durarara}} four]] [[Manga/{{Working}} major]] roles).

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia,'' Bakugou was actually going to be Izuku's ''best friend,'' if you can believe it. He was originally pictured as a nice guy with a tendency to be InnocentlyInsensitive; this wasn't very funny, though, so he got reworked into a JerkAss [[TheBully bully]] with some HiddenDepths.
** Tooru was originally going to be a male character, hence the [[GenderBlenderName traditionally male name]]. The creator decided that [[InvisibleStreaker her gimmick]] was more amusing for a girl.

** Ochako was originally Mt. Lady, but Hoshikori thought a main hero with that set of powers would be too troublesome, so he transferred the civilian name, superhero name and Quirk to the Mt. Lady we know now.

%% Image moved to Anime and Manga subpage per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1590822488009377400

[[quoteright:250:[[Franchise/DragonBall https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5210f567_4d7d_48e4_a0ae_5988420afc09.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:No, not [[Manga/DragonBall Dragon]] ''[[Manga/DragonBall Ball]]'', Dragon ''Boy,'' silly.]]

!!Subpages:

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* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** The original pilot for the manga was called "Dragon Boy". Its hero, Tanton, was a boy with bat wings that would evolve into the monkey-tailed Goku. The pilot interestingly featured an artifact called a Dragon Ball, but it was pretty useless (all it did was release a puny dragon). The story was also heavily based on ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' and had Tanton escorting a princess that strongly resembles Bulma back home to her country. When the story ends, the heroes still have nine-tenths of the way to go. Just think of all that could have been here...
** Harmony Gold had done an obscure and short-lived English dub of the ''Dragon Ball'' anime in the late 80s, with many {{Dub Name Change}}s; Goku was named [[MyHeroZero Zero]], Bulma was Lena, Krillin was Bongo... Only a few episodes (and the first two movies) were dubbed, and the project was axed when test markets failed to hold an audience.
** The Android/Cell arc changed its intended BigBad a lot. Originally, Android #19 and Android #20/Dr. Gero were supposed to be the main villains of the arc (Trunks even specifically naming them as the androids ruling his time in the manga), but Toriyama's former editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, mocked the pair's designs, seeing them as ill-fiting for such a big threat. Thus, Toriyama created Androids #17 and #18 to be the new villains. Torishima called him ''again'', disappointed that now the enemies were "brats", so Toriyama ultimately created Cell.
*** Even when Cell appeared, it wasn't over. His Imperfect form was conceived as his ''only'' form, but Toriyama's ''current'' editor, Yū Kondō, saw him as ugly and suggested he transform like Frieza. His Semi-Perfect form was intended to be around for a lot longer (likely due to being Toriyama's self-admitted favorite character design), but Kondō now felt he looked like "a moron" and pressured Toriyama to have Cell reach his final form quicker.
** Gohan was intended to take over as lead in the Buu arc, with Goku staying dead following the Cell arc. However, for one reason or another, Toriyama felt he wasn't right for the role of protagonist, and gave it back to Goku.
** ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods'' underwent many changes:
*** Initially, Beerus was conceived as a more villainous character [[HatePlague who infected people with evil]] (such as the Saiyans, to whom he gave their violent BloodKnight traits). His design was also first seen as a lizard, before Toriyama changed it to resemble his friend's cat.
*** Before the party in the film became Bulma's birthday, it was first thought of as Krillin and Android 18's wedding.
*** Super Saiyan God's design was originally more muscular, complete with a cape and a hairstyle resembling a mix of the hair on Super Saiyan 3 and Super Saiyan 4 from ''Anime/DragonBallGT''. The final design went in a completely different direction from this.
*** Many storyboarded scenes were cut for time. Among them was a scene of the supporting cast coming to Goku's aid when he finds himself in a pinch, despite being fully aware of how outclassed they are against Beerus.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' had numerous character redesigns before the final product: Negi was supposed to be named ''Negi T. Silverberg'' and be older looking, Nodoka was to be named ''Meiko Miyazaki'', Ako was to be named ''Ayu Izumi'', who had a large scar across her chest instead of her back, Makie Sasaki was originally going to be a different person entirely named ''Kozue Migara'', who was best friends with the lead girl (a role filled by Konoka) and who played on the lacrosse team (an idea which lead to the creation of Sakurako Shiina), Yuna and Chizuru had several connections in their designs, starting with the character of ''Yuko Akashi'', an [[GenkiGirl energetic,]] [[CloudCuckoolander random girl,]] who worked part-time at the academy's daycare, while the character of ''Tsutsumi Nadai'' was a character with a strong [[DaddysGirl father complex]] who was good at cooking and housework. These various traits went to both Yuna and Chizuru. [[ActionGirl Kaede]] was at first intended to be a clumsy and incompetent ninja. Not to mention the school itself possibly being a giant tower reaching to the sky, or a large island in the sea of Japan. These are given as notes in the back of the manga volumes, along with other characterization notes that, at least unless/until the manga contradicts them, are considered {{fanon}} for the series.

** It has ''no ninjas'', as the titular boy was a Fox Demon in human form on a quest to learn how to make friends in the Human world. Naruto's personality was even ''more'' mischievous and [[BrattyHalfPint bratty]]. The Sexy Technique was still around there, but it was comparatively more clothed than its official manga counterpart (a minimal top and daisy dukes, [[GlamourFailure showing the fox tails).]] There were still equivalent characters for the Third Hokage and the Nine-Tailed Fox (the latter of which was ''Naruto's father''), but no other characters. The one-shot story was actually published, and takes place in the modern world -- much of the SchizoTech in the series may result from this. Also, the original Naruto wore goggles on his head from riding his motorbike, and the mangaka says that he loved the visual, but found it too complicated to draw constantly -- hence the whole business with the forehead protectors.

** In the second ''Romance Dawn'', which was submitted as the pilot, Luffy's grandfather([[spoiler:who's a Marine '''vice-admiral''' in the actual manga]]) played an equivalent role to Shanks, which Oda did so that Shanks would have more of an impact when he was introduced in the actual manga. There's a character named Ann with a similar design to Nami and the position of a swordswoman [[FauxActionGirl of limited skill,]] but she doesn't join Luffy's crew in this version. Plus the BigBad of this pilot is Pirate Captain named Spiel the Hexagon whom to this date is the ONLY One Piece villain who uses magic, such as having the ability to ride on a broomstick, set a subordinate ablaze, summon a hammer, and control water to sink his own ship.

* ''Manga/PandoraHearts'' was originally a short story drawn in the author's early career, featuring an early-design of Liam as the main character, a priest named Harris Watson, Oz as a kid who had his sister killed by the {{Serial Killer}} B-Rabbit whom the main character was pursuing for no other reason but because of his [[WordOfGod 'God']] [[spoiler: Or Was It,]] and Old!Gilbert whose face was hidden in the shadow (only recognized by the viewer because of his BadassLongcoat and NiceHat). And despite having B-Rabbit in the story, Alice was Oz's sister instead.

** [[https://boards.fireden.net/a/search/image/1cUtepQ_vsiuz_J7bj4Rwg/ The anime was originally planned to stream online as a 15-minute show.]]

* While nothing definite has been revealed, one has to wonder WhatCouldHaveBeen with ''Franchise/YuGiOh'', had the [[TabletopGame/YuGiOh card game]] PlotTumor been nipped in the bud as was planned. Kazuki Takahashi, the [[Manga/YuGiOh manga's creator,]] never intended the card game story to last more than a few chapters, putting it on a rotating list of children's games to base stories on. He also based the Millennium Puzzle and the spirit of Yami Yugi within on ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}'s'' puzzle box and Pinhead, playing the Shadow Games in a similar manner. Had the card game not garnered such popularity and forced him to rewrite the rest of the series LighterAndSofter, who knows how DarkerAndEdgier it could've been?

** ''5D's'' as a whole was a serious victim of RealLifeWritesThePlot. Originally, the Crimson Dragon and the Nazca elements were supposed to be much more pronounced, and Carly was supposed to be an OfficialCouple with Jack. That is, until it was discovered that Carly's voice actress was involved in a doomsday cult much like the one in the anime that was making headlines in Japan at the time. Konami, trying to salvage their PR ([[ValuesDissonance as in Japan this incident would seriously hurt the company's reputation]]), [[TheOtherDarrin fired the actress,]] Carly got DemotedToExtra and the plot was rewritten to remove as many of the supernatural elements as possible.

** On a related note, any of the licenses Bandai had when they stopped producing new series in early 2012. Among them was ''Anime/TurnAGundam'', which is one of the "Lost Four" ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' series that fans never thought would get licensed. [[note]]The others being ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Gundam ZZ,]]'' ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam V Gundam,]]'' and ''[[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Gundam X.]]''[[/note]]

** Apparently, Creator/{{CLAMP}} was originally made the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIO8YQnR5t8 storyboard]] for the second season opening of ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''. But it got rejected by Creator/BeeTrain in place for the current second opening which was slide show. Also, the second season would have been closer to the manga itself which divulged into the DarkerAndEdgier territory. However, [[ExecutiveMeddling NHK]] made the show more kid-friendly and lighter which resulted to [[CreatorBacklash much dissatisfaction from CLAMP.]] In the end, CLAMP pulled the plug for a possible third season and had Creator/ProductionIG continue it instead in a form of [=OVAs=].
* Before the ExecutiveMeddling that turned the second season of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' into [[BrokenBase what it is today]] kicked in, the writing staff had originally planned for Lelouch to win the duel at the end of the first season. After that, there were several possible routes the story could have taken. One of the proposed scenarios involved Lelouch being imprisoned after being defeated by Emperor Charles, only to later break himself out of prison and run in a political election against Schneizel. The other scenario involved Jeremiah's sister Lilicia, [[DistaffCounterpart who would look like a female Lelouch,]] becoming Zero and taking control of the Black Knights, [[UnsettlingGenderReveal confusing them greatly when they find out their leader's gender.]] Because of this, Lelouch is forced to join the Black Knights as himself, and gets picked on by [[TheFool Tamaki]], who has a crush on Girl!Zero.

* The ''Manga/DeathNote'' pilot manga had a young student named Taro finding a notebook that would kill anyone whose name was written in it... and ''also'' [[ResetButton an eraser that would resurrect those people if you erased their names!]]

** "Vol. 13: How to Read" implies that the creator had considered [[spoiler: having L win with Light dead]] and that an error between editor and artist [[spoiler:switched Mello and Near's character designs.]]
*** It was also said that Naomi Misora was originally going to be a more major character, but since she wound up being too clever, [[spoiler: she had to be killed off fast.]] Also, Ohba had considered [[spoiler: having Mello be the one to win against Light, but since he was also too "smart", he had to be killed off to provide suspense.]]

** An early idea was to have Near and Mello be L's ''twin sons'', but this was eventually dropped because L is implied to be about 25 years old [[spoiler: when he dies,]] when Near and Mello are both about 14 years old. Which would imply that L became a father [[TeenMom incredibly young.]]
** Allegedly, early concepts for the Shinigami would have made Ryuk, Gelus, and Rem resemble attractive humans, but the decision was made that Gelus's brief appearance worked better if he looked somewhat pathetic and Ryuk and Rem being beautiful did raise concerns that [[DracoInLeatherPants fans might side with the team of killers just because of their looks.]] The designs were soon changed to give the Shinigami a more appropriately inhuman feel, not that it stopped anybody.
*** Ryuk's original design can be seen [[http://i27.tinypic.com/rw17o0.jpg here.]]

** Initial artwork gave the girls hairstyles similar to [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls their American counterparts,]] and they had different weapons (Blossom had a pair of hula hoops, Buttercup had a pair of juggling clubs and Bubbles had a skipping rope).

** In early discussions about the premise of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'''s sequel series, it was suggested that Tai and the others remain the main characters while [[TheLancer Matt]] had broken off from the group to join the enemy's side. Kaiser!Matt anyone? [[http://digitalscratch.pmsinfirm.org/?p=795 From the footnotes of this interview.]]

** The manga was originally supposed to end after the chapter "Goodbye Doraemon", due to the Fujiko Fujio duo being busy with other works. However, the series wouldn't leave their minds and they decided to resume it by making the chapter "The Return of Doraemon", that has [[spoiler:Doraemon returning from the future after Nobita stated to himself that Doraemon wouldn't ever come back. This was caused by a potion he drank earlier in the chapter that made everything he said true. The chapter then ends with both of them reuniting and tearing up in happiness.]]

** Harmony Gold had done an obscure and short-lived English dub of the ''Dragon Ball'' anime in the late 80s, with many {{Dub Name Change}}s; Goku was named [[MyHeroZero Zero,]] Bulma was Lena, Krillin was Bongo... Only a few episodes (and the first two movies) were dubbed, and the project was axed when test markets failed to hold an audience.

** A very early design has Natsu as a HornedHumanoid, [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/fairy_tail/v01/c006.5/6.html seen here.]]

** On the subject of Lucy, there are early sketches of her with a different hair style and wielding cards to summon the stellar spirits instead of keys, but Mashima decided that was too similar to [[Manga/YuGiOh another manga.]]
* ''Anime/FinalFantasyUnlimited'' was going to be fifty-two episodes, making two seasons, but it was canceled after its first season. The story continues [[TheResolutionWillNotBeTelevised in other media.]]

* In supplementary materials for ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', the author avatar first says that if Akito had [[spoiler:actually been a boy,]] then she would have been tempted to pair [[spoiler:him]] with Tohru. Later, she says she had also been tempted to pair Tohru with Momiji. Kyo is very unhappy about hearing that.

*** [[spoiler:Pucci's final Stand was originally named Stairway to Heaven when the Part was being published in Shonen Jump. [[OrwellianRetcon However, the collected versions, as well as all future projects featuring the Stand have its name changed to Made in Heaven.]] Many fans believe this is due to Araki feeling [[Music/{{Queen}} Made in Heaven]]'s lyrics represent Pucci's motives better.]]

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' had numerous character redesigns before the final product: Negi was supposed to be named ''Negi T. Silverberg'' and be older looking, Nodoka was to be named ''Meiko Miyazaki'', Ako was to be named ''Ayu Izumi'', who had a large scar across her chest instead of her back, Makie Sasaki was originally going to be a different person entirely named ''Kozue Migara'', who was best friends with the lead girl (a role filled by Konoka) and who played on the lacrosse team (an idea which lead to the creation of Sakurako Shiina), Yuna and Chizuru had several connections in their designs, starting with the character of ''Yuko Akashi'', an [[GenkiGirl energetic,]] [[CloudCuckoolander random girl,]] who worked part-time at the academy's daycare, while the character of ''Tsutsumi Nadai'' was a character with a strong [[DaddysGirl father complex]] who was good at cooking and housework. These various traits went to both Yuna and Chizuru. [[ActionGirl Kaede]] was at first intended to be a clumsy and incompetent ninja. Not to mention the school itself possibly being a giant tower reaching to the sky, or a large island in the sea of Japan. These are given as notes in the back of the manga volumes, along with other characterization notes that, at least unless/until the manga contradicts them, are considered {{fanon}} for the series.

* While nothing definite has been revealed, one has to wonder WhatCouldHaveBeen with ''Franchise/YuGiOh'', had the [[TabletopGame/YuGiOh card game]] PlotTumor been nipped in the bud as was planned; Kazuki Takahashi, the [[Manga/YuGiOh manga's]] creator, never intended the card game story to last more than a few chapters, putting it on a rotating list of children's games to base stories on. He also based the Millennium Puzzle and the spirit of Yami Yugi within on ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}'s'' puzzle box and Pinhead, playing the shadow games in a similar manner. Had the card game not garnered such popularity and forced him to rewrite the rest of the series LighterAndSofter, who knows how DarkerAndEdgier it could've been?

** Originally, Seto Kaiba was meant to be a one-shot villain for the manga. However, Takahashi decided to add more to his character, including a tragic back-story for his present-day character and ancestor, give him a little brother, and make him somewhat appealing. Never knew that, did you, Kaiba fans?

** Originally in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' Crow was supposed to be a minor recurring character who was a thief and then be revealed as the final Dark Signer. But because his Blackwing cards exploded in popularity it was decided to make him a hero, as it was feared that making Blackwings belong to a villain would hurt their popularity.
** ''5D's'' as a whole was a serious victim of RealLifeWritesThePlot. Originally, the Crimson Dragon and the Nazca elements were supposed to be much more pronounced, and Carly was supposed to be an OfficialCouple with Jack; that is, until it was discovered that Carly's voice actress was involved in a doomsday cult much like the one in the anime that was making headlines in Japan at the time. Konami, trying to salvage their PR ([[ValuesDissonance as in Japan this incident would seriously hurt the company's reputation]]), [[TheOtherDarrin fired the actress]], Carly got DemotedToExtra and the plot was rewritten to remove as many of the supernatural elements as possible.
** Also from ''5D's'', Rua was going to have a rematch against Bommer in the Dark Signer arc and he was also meant to get Life Stream Dragon during the same arc.
* ''Anime/YuYuHakusho'' was originally going to be brought to the states by Creator/AnimEigo before Creator/{{FUNimation}} showed interest, and Creator/AnimEigo pretty much decided not to pick up the series. Imagine if Yu Yu Hakusho had been dubbed by Coastal Carolina Studios and give Creator/AnimEigo, who doesn't license ANY anime anymore, a mainstream hit!
** In addition, Media Blasters had dubbed the first movie (which has been redubbed by Creator/{{FUNimation}}), imagine if the series had been dubbed by Animaze instead of Creator/{{FUNimation}}!

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' had numerous character redesigns before the final product: Negi was supposed to be named ''Negi T. Silverberg'' and be older looking, Nodoka was to be named ''Meiko Miyazaki'', Ako was to be named ''Ayu Izumi'', who had a large scar across her chest instead of her back, Makie Sasaki was originally going to be a different person entirely named ''Kozue Migara'', who was best friends with the lead girl (a role filled by Konoka) and who played on the lacrosse team (an idea which lead to the creation of Sakurako Shiina), Yuna and Chizuru had several connections in their designs, starting with the character of ''Yuko Akashi'', an [[GenkiGirl energetic,]] [[CloudCuckoolander random girl,]] who worked part-time at the academy's daycare, while the character of ''Tsutsumi Nadai'' was a character with a strong [[DaddysGirl father complex]] who was good at cooking and housework. These various traits went to both Yuna and Chizuru. [[ActionGirl Kaede]] was at first intended to be a clumsy and incompetent ninja. Not to mention the school itself possibly being a giant tower reaching to the sky, or a large island in the sea of Japan. These are given as notes in the back of the manga volumes, along with other characterization notes that, at least unless/until the manga contradicts them, are considered {{fanon}} for the series.

** It has ''no ninjas'', as the titular boy was a Fox Demon in human form on a quest to learn how to make friends in the Human world. Naruto's personality was even ''more'' mischievous and [[BrattyHalfPint bratty]]. The Sexy Technique was still around there, but it was comparatively more clothed than its official manga counterpart (a minimal top and daisy dukes, [[GlamourFailure showing the fox tails). There were still equivalent characters for the Third Hokage and the nine-tailed fox (the latter of which was ''Naruto's father''), but no other characters. The one-shot story was actually published, and takes place in the modern world -- much of the SchizoTech in the series may result from this. Also, the original Naruto wore goggles on his head from riding his motorbike, and the mangaka says that he loved the visual, but found it too complicated to draw constantly -- hence the whole business with the forehead protectors.
** Outside of the pilot, Akatsuki was originally supposed to be composed entirely of inhuman monsters. This is probably why the majority of them are humans but with massively altered bodies[[note]]Orochimaru has snakes and/or is a snake, Deidara has mouths in strange places and is a bomb, Sasori is a puppet, Hidan's appearance and abilities were meant to show him as a {{Shinigami}}, Kakuzu has multiple hearts and is a optical fiber cable network, Zetsu is a plant, Kisame has sharks AND is a shark.[[/note]]. In the third databook Kishimoto mentioned Hidan's scythe was supposed to have a bunch more special abilities that he didn't have time to show.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' had ''two'' prototypes before the chapter that eventually became the first one, and there was heavy rewriting between them. We only say that Luffy's character was ''way'' toned down and close the discussion. Also, there was no titular [[MacGuffin treasure]] (Luffy pretty much became a pirate for the hell of it), and the series was called ''Romance Dawn'' (which was used as the name for the manga's first chapter and volume).
** In the second ''Romance Dawn'', which was submitted as the pilot, Luffy's grandfather([[spoiler:who's a marine '''vice-admiral''' in the actual manga]]) played an equivalent role to Shanks, which Oda did so that Shanks would have more of an impact when he was introduced in the actual manga. There's a character named Ann with a similar design to Nami and the position of a swordswoman [[FauxActionGirl of limited skill]], but she doesn't join Luffy's crew in this version. Plus the BigBad of this pilot is Pirate Captain named Spiel the Hexagon whom to this date is the ONLY One Piece villain who uses Magic such as having the ability to ride on a broomstick, set a subordinate ablaze, summon a hammer, and control water to sink his own ship.
*** In the other Romance Dawn, Oda's attempt at a Nami-like character was named Silk and she and Galley do join Luffy's crew according to the time skipped epilogue.

*** Other supplementary materials for the movie reveal that the giant snake from the Skypiea arc was originally intended to be an octopus, and Shiki's distinct injury of getting a steering wheel lodged in his head was originally going to be [[BearsAreBadNews Kuma's]] distinguishing feature.
** The Green Databook reveals more information about the parts of the series that did not make it into the manga - among other things, Dadan was going to be a man, Usopp (though with an older design) was going to be the first mate, the shipwright was a short Fishman with a mallet (Franky was there, but he looked completely different and was considered the weaponsmith), and Sanji was originally named "Naruto" but JUMP rejected this as they were still optioning the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' pilot to become a series. Well, that explains his eyebrows...
*** Even more: Moria was originally conceptualized as a kindly-looking ''priest'', while Doflamingo looked like a DJ/rapper, Blackbeard's first name was "Everything", Akainu had glasses and Kizaru was cheerful in a jovial sense instead of the creepy one. Also, Don Krieg had made himself into a mecha and the Amazon Marguerite had a Zoan Devil Fruit called the Cat Cat Fruit Model Black Cat which made her look like a CatGirl when transformed.
** In a Log Book, a series of sketches were printed, one of which was Chopper with Robin's arms, legs, and eyes on his back. When asked about this, Oda said he was originally intending on Robin to transport the unconscious crew via this method at the end of the Skypiea battles, but he realized this would be such horror for his younger readers that he replaced the idea with something simpler. Still, it brings up an untapped idea of how Robin could easily expose of enemies without using her basic "Clutch" attack.
** And on the dub side, before Creator/FUNimation or even Creator/FourKidsEntertainment got ahold of ''One Piece'', there was a dubbing group in Vancouver that [[https://soundcloud.com/onepiecepodcast/episode-370-barbecue-time attempted to pitch an English-language version to Toei. Twice.]] In this dub, Luffy is voiced by a male actor, talks like a surfer, and seems to love barbecue. Roronoa Zoro would've been voiced by Creator/SamVincent. One of the demo tapes also added in Franchise/ScoobyDoo-esque sound effects too. Toei rejected both pitches.

* ''Manga/PandoraHearts'' was originally a short-story drawn in the author's early career, featuring an early-design of Liam as the main character; a priest named Harris Watson, Oz as a kid who had his sister killed by the {{Serial Killer}} B-Rabbit whom the main character was pursuing for no other reason but because of his [[WordOfGod 'God']] [[spoiler: Or Was It]], and Old!Gilbert whose face was hidden in the shadow (only recognized by the viewer because of his BadassLongcoat and NiceHat). And despite having B-Rabbit in the story, Alice was Oz's sister instead.

** [[https://boards.fireden.net/a/search/image/1cUtepQ_vsiuz_J7bj4Rwg/ The anime was originally planned to stream online as a 15 minute show]].

** In the prototype version, Naru was named Midori and instead of being a hot-headed {{Tsundere}}, she was to have been a CuteClumsyGirl, even in the cafe where she worked. Shinobu was to have been the Tsundere, as well as having a ponytail similar to [[Manga/AILoveYou Forty's]]. Also, Naru was already engaged on a love relationship with another guy, while Keitaro was much less of a pushover: right after the first hot spring incident with Naru and the subsequent beating up from the girls, he severely considered kicking them out of the boarding house. (He is the new manager, after all.) Also, the girls's original reason to befriend him was just to get on his good side and avoid being kicked out. (Naru was supposed to take the bullet for them.)
** During the manga's run, the girl who was supposed to end up with Keitaro wasn't Naru but Motoko Aoyama instead. Constant setups for this can be seen on the manga, with both Keitaro and Motoko seriously considering it at least twice. The fact that both Keitaro and Motoko are the characters with the biggest changes and character developement of the entire cast also says a lot, but according to Ken Akamatsu himself, he was running out of ideas near the end so he decided to drop that option and quickly finish the manga with a typical finale instead.

* The first 52 episodes of ''Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo'' were translated by Harmony Gold for a dub called "The Magical World of Gigi". However, the project failed to take off in the US due to Harmony Gold being unable to get a TV deal (similar to the cases of their Dragonball and Dr. Slump dubs). The scripts for this adaptation were recycled for a few overseas adaptations, such as ones aired in Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Mexico. The only piece of the Momo series that managed to be officially widely released in English was the first OVA, which was retitled "Gigi and the Fountain of Youth". The English dub of the series however, did briefly make it onto Melbourne's [=ATV10=] channel, where it aired in a morning cartoon block on weekdays throughout the later half of the '80s.
** There was also to be a third Minky Momo anime for the new millenium, titled "Miracle Dream Minky Momo", but it never got off the ground and only a manga adaptation was made. The third Momo would have hailed from a land-based kingdom, rather than one in the sea or in the sky.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' had numerous character redesigns before the final product: Negi was supposed to be named ''Negi.T.Silverberg'' and be older looking; Nodoka was to be named ''Meiko Miyazaki''; Ako was to be named ''Ayu Izumi'' who instead had a large scar across her chest instead of her back; Makie Sasaki was originally going to be a different person entirely named ''Kozue Migara'' who was best friends with the lead girl (a role filled by Konoka) and who played on the lacross team (an idea which lead to the creation of Sakurako Shiina); Yuna and Chizuru had several connections in their designs, starting with the character of ''Yuko Akashi'', an [[GenkiGirl energetic]], [[CloudCuckoolander random]] girl, who worked part-time at the academy's daycare, while the character of ''Tsutsumi Nadai'' was a character with a strong [[DaddysGirl father complex]] who was good at cooking and house-work. These various traits went to both Yuna and Chizuru. [[ActionGirl Kaede]] was at first intended to be a clumsy and incompetent ninja. Not to mention the school itself possibly being a giant tower reaching to the sky, or a large island in the sea of Japan. These are given as notes in the back of the manga volumes, along with other characterization notes that, at least unless/until the manga contradicts them, are considered {{fanon}} for the series.

*** [[spoiler:Pucci's final Stand was originally named Stairway to Heaven when the Part was being published in Shonen Jump. [[OrwellianRetcon However, the collected versions, as well as all future projects featuring the Stand have it's name changed to Made in Heaven]]. Many fans believe this is due to Araki feeling [[Music/{{Queen}} Made in Heaven]]'s lyrics represent Pucci's motives better]].

** Apparently, Creator/{{CLAMP}} was originally made the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIO8YQnR5t8 storyboard]] for the second season opening of ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''. But it got rejected by Creator/BeeTrain in place for the current second opening which is a boring slide show. Also, the second season would have been closer to the manga itself which divulged into the DarkerAndEdgier territory. However, [[ExecutiveMeddling NHK]] made the show more kid-friendly and lighter which resulted to [[CreatorBacklash much dissatisfaction on CLAMP]]. And in the end, CLAMP pulled the plug for a possible third season and have Creator/ProductionIG continue it instead in a form of [=OVAs=].
* Before the ExecutiveMeddling that turned the second season of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' into [[BrokenBase what it is today]] kicked in, the writing staff had originally planned for Lelouch to win the duel at the end of the first season. After that, there were several possible routes the story could have taken. One of the proposed scenarios involved Lelouch being imprisoned after being defeated by Emperor Charles, only to later break himself out of prison and run in a political election against Schneizel. The other scenario involved Jeremiah's sister Lilicia, [[DistaffCounterpart who would look like a female Lelouch]], becoming Zero and taking control of the Black Knights, [[UnsettlingGenderReveal confusing them greatly when they find out their leader's gender]]. Because of this, Lelouch is forced to join the Black Knights as himself, and gets picked on by [[TheFool Tamaki]], who has a crush on Girl!Zero.

** Even earlier than that, it was mentioned in passing that Lelouch and Suzaku's characters were derived from the first draft of the series, which would have been about a WideEyedIdealist fresh recruit in the army (Proto-Suzaku) and his idealogical conflicts with Proto-Lelouch, his cynical commanding officer.

* The ''Manga/DeathNote'' pilot manga had a young student named Taro finding a notebook that would kill anyone whose name was written in it... and ''also'' [[ResetButton an eraser that would resurrect those people if you erased their names]]!

** "Vol. 13: How to Read" implies that the creator had considered [[spoiler: having L win with Light dead]] and that an error between editor and artist [[spoiler:switched Mello and Near's character designs]].
*** It was also said that Naomi Misora was originally going to be a more major character, but since she wound up being too clever, [[spoiler: she had to be killed off fast]]. Also, Ohba had considered [[spoiler: having Mello be the one to win against Light, but since he was also too "smart", he had to be killed off to provide suspense]].

** An early idea was to have Near and Mello be L's ''twin sons'', but this was eventually dropped because L is implied to be about 25 years old [[spoiler: when he dies]], when Near and Mello are both about 14 years old. Which would imply that L became a father [[PaedoHunt incredibly young]].
** Allegedly, early concepts for the Shinigami would have made Ryuk, Gelus, and Rem resemble attractive humans, but the decision was made that Gelus's brief appearance worked better if he looked somewhat pathetic and Ryuk and Rem being beautiful did raise concerns that [[DracoInLeatherPants fans might side with the team of killers just because of their looks]]. The designs were soon changed to give the Shinigami a more appropriately inhuman feel.
*** Ryuk's original design can be seen [[http://i27.tinypic.com/rw17o0.jpg here]].
* ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'': The one-shot chapter has the same premise as the main series, and the characters are mostly unchanged from their present incarnations. The biggest change of them all is Asebi was with the group before she actually join the party later in the manga. She looks like a catgirl but is likely an early design version of the beastman kobold we see in the manga. She also has Marcille's adversion to eating dungeon monsters, and Senshi has been traveling with the party rather than joining up later. Considering the one-shot version of Marcille is a lot more sullen, it's likely the final Marcille is a combination of [[CompositeCharacter the catgirl and the one-shot Marcille.]]

** Initial artwork gave the girls hairstyles similar to [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls their American counterparts]], and they had different weapons (Blossom had a pair of hula hoops, Buttercup had a pair of juggling clubs and Bubbles had a skipping rope).
** Likewise, the pilot trailer that was revealed on [[SincerityMode April Fool's Day]] had Ken serve ''in place'' of Professor Utonium, had the girls' transform with their weapons instead of their henshin belts and using their weapons in melee combat closer to the originals. Rolling Bubbles was long-ranged, with bubbles that ''disintegrated'' Mojo's machines and Hyper Blossom and Powered Buttercup were mid-range and point blank resprectfully but far more violent in their handling.

** In early discussions about the premise of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'''s sequel series, it was suggested that Tai and the others remains the main characters while [[TheLancer Matt]] had broken off from the group to join the enemy's side. Kaiser!Matt anyone? [[http://digitalscratch.pmsinfirm.org/?p=795 From the footnotes of this interview]]

** ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'''s Digidestined were originally going to have slightly different designs and color schemes. Also, Koji was originally planned to be female, an idea that was presumably discared due to ''Tamers'' already having a female lone wolf character.

** The 1979 anime had been attempted to be released in the US three times, however, none of them were successful. The first was in 1985 by Ted Tuner, who acquired the US license to it and planned to air the first 50 episodes on Creator/{{TBS}}. The second was in the late 1990s by Creator/StreamlinePictures, who asked several TV producers, such as Fred Patten, to get them the anime. However, the TV producers rejected the request due to concerns about it being "too ethnically Japanese" and having content that would be inappropriate for American children. The third and final one was in the early 2000s by Unbound Creative Inc, who actually created a pilot episode and pitched it over to US networks.

** The manga was originally supposed to end after the chapter, "Goodbye Doraemon", due to the Fujiko Fujio duo being busy with other works. However, the series wouldn't leave their minds and they decided to resume it by making the chapter, "The Return of Doraemon", that has [[spoiler:Doraemon returning from the future after Nobita stated to himself that Doraemon wouldn't ever come back. This was caused by a potion he drank earlier in the chapter that made everything he said true. The chapter then ends with both of them reuniting and tearing up in happiness]].

** Harmony Gold had done an obscure and short-lived English dub of the ''Dragon Ball'' anime in the late 80s, with many {{Dub Name Change}}s; Goku was named [[MyHeroZero Zero]], Bulma was Lena, Krillin was Bongo... Only a few episodes (and the first two movies) were dubbed, and the project was axed when test markets failed to hold an audience.

*** Even when Cell appeared, it wasn't over; his Imperfect form was conceived as his ''only'' form, but Toriyama's ''current'' editor, Yū Kondō, saw him as ugly and suggested he transform like Frieza. His Semi-Perfect form was intended to be around for a lot longer (likely due to being Toriyama's self-admitted favourite character design), but Kondō now felt he looked like "a moron" and pressured Toriyama to have Cell reach his final form quicker.
** Gohan was intended to take over as lead in the Buu arc, with Goku staying dead following the Cell arc. However, for one reason or another Toriyama felt he wasn't right for the role of protagonist, and gave it back to Goku.

*** Initially, Beerus was conceived as a more villainous character [[HatePlague who infected people with evil]] (such as the Saiyans, to whom he gave their violent BloodKnight traits). His design was also first seen as a lizard, before Toriyama changed it to resemble a cat.

*** Many storyboarded scenes were cut for time; among them was a scene of the supporting cast coming to Goku's aid when he finds himself in a pinch, despite being fully aware of how outclassed they are against Beerus.

** A very early design has Natsu as a HornedHumanoid, [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/fairy_tail/v01/c006.5/6.html seen here]].

** On the subject of Lucy, there are early sketches of her with a different hair style and wielding cards to summon the stellar spirits instead of keys, but Mashima decided that was too similar to [[Manga/YuGiOh another manga]].
* ''Anime/FinalFantasyUnlimited'' was going to be fifty two episodes, making two seasons, but it was canceled after its first season. The story continues [[TheResolutionWillNotBeTelevised in other media]].

* In supplementary materials for ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', the author avatar first says that if Akito had [[spoiler:actually been a boy]], then she would have been tempted to pair [[spoiler:him]] with Tohru. Later, she says she had also been tempted to pair Tohru with Momiji. Kyo is very unhappy about hearing that.
* There are several differences between the ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemistTheConquerorOfShamballa movie's]] original script and the final product. One major point is that [[spoiler:Izumi's]] death was on-screen; the script writer even apologized to her Japanese voice actress for giving her no lines. There was also meant to be a scene with a meaningful conversation between Winry and Colonel Mustang at [[spoiler:Hughes gravestone.]] Originally there was a love triangle between Edward, Noah, and Alfons as well but that was scrapped in exchange for platonic relationships.

* ''Manga/GiantRobo'' was over long and over budget, so a lot of stuff had to be cut to make way for the main plot. One the director himself mentioned as something he regretted was that Sally the Witch (the ORIGINAL magical girl) was going to have a fight with the BigBad ruling council, the Magnificent Ten (themselves famous cameos). The awesomeness of this scene can only be imagined but by the time the last episodes rolled around there was just nowhere to put it, and sadly she ended up as little more than a slightly confusing plot device.
** That's just the tip of the iceberg. You know how [[spoiler: the series ends with a teaser for a final battle between the Experts and Big Fire?]] That was supposed to be animated, as the climax of the series. And, in fact, Imagawa had plans for an entire saga spanning several OVA series, of which Giant Robo was the second to last chronologically. The others would have explained things like how Daisaku became an Expert and the origin of the Magnifacent Ten (along with a teamup between Giant Robo and [[Anime/{{Gigantor}} Tetsujin 28]]) before it all culminating in the final series, "The Siege of Babel," which is [[spoiler: the story teased at the end of Giant Robo.]] Thanks to funding issues, none of these series will ever come to be. The sheer amount of potential awesomeness we have been denied almost boggles the mind.