Hiro Mashima
Lucy Heartfilia was one of the first characters Hiro Mashima created during the development of "Fairy Tail". In her earliest concept, Mashima designed an outfit with a ruffled dress, high heels, and curled pigtails. Three alternative hairstyles included a bun, a short haircut covering her right eye, and a side ponytail similar to the one Mashima ultimately picked for her. Lucy's design was eventually changed to a sleeveless shirt, a short skirt, and boots. Mashima's original idea for Lucy's magic involved using cards in combat, which he later changed to keys because of the repeated use of weaponized cards in other media. Mashima based Lucy's first name on the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" recorded by the Beatles.