The Promised Neverland was the rare horror-oriented manga to hit it big in Shonen Jump, but its female protagonist, Emma, also made it a rarity among the magazine's hit titles. As the original editor of the series revealed, however, it almost wound up with a very different hero in Emma's place.

The Promised Neverland tells the story of some super-intelligent orphans at an orphanage who discover that those being "adopted" are actually being sent to slaughter. After discovering this secret, Emma, Norman, and Ray resolve to get every kid out of that orphanage together. Elements of psychological horror are heavy in the beginning, but the series eventually shifts to something a bit more adventure-oriented as it progresses. Emma takes the position of lead protagonist throughout, a fact which earned the series no small amount of praise from fans and critics alike. Had certain creative forces gotten their way, though, Emma would've been turned into a boy.

How Emma Avoided Becoming a Boy

In an interview on The Promised Neverland was already very different from the average Shonen Jump manga series in that it doesn't involve many fight scenes, it was felt that some concessions might need to be made to make it more appealing. As a result, Shirai and Sugita put together a version where Emma's character was made to be male... but they found "it didn't work out." Instead of sticking with this decision, they returned to the original Emma, which felt more "right" to them, and based on Emma's reception, that was the right call.

Interestingly, when trying to justify a female protagonist, Sugita ultimately looked to Studio Ghibli films, which are universally appealing in Japan and beyond, and often star young girls as the protagonist, like in Kiki's Delivery Service or Spirited Away. With Norman and Ray already present as male ing protagonists, there was simply no need to fear fan reactions to Emma. While The Promised Neverland is exceptionally dark compared to Ghibli works, it does bear some similarities--a fantastical world full of unknown threats being explored by a young girl on a quest for home (albeit a new home). Emma was ultimately made to be more decisive and active (rather than reactive) over the course of revisions, setting up the final version of the character that fans know and love.

The Promised Neverland broke a lot of unspoken conventions by setting Emma as the protagonist, but that was key to the series' success in the end, proving that sometimes it's best for an artist (and their editor) to stick with what feels right for the story, rather than what's marketable.

Source: Manga Plus