Attack on Titan manga artist Hajime Isayama has said he has some regrets about how he handled the hit manga’s divisive ending, feeling that his sympathy for Eren Yeager’s character made the conclusion somewhat unfaithful to the tone of the overall story.
Warning! Spoilers for Attack on Titan follow.
Starting off as a one-shot created by Isayama in 2006, the Attack on Titan manga was serialized from 2009 to 2019, getting an accompanying anime in 2013. The dark fantasy, with its detailed lore, complex politics and backstabbing in a world where mankind’s remaining civilization is terrorized by flesh-eating humanoid giants called Titans, became a huge hit both in Japan and overseas (as of 2013, the manga had sold over 140 million copies).
Attack on Titan even has a dedicated museum in Hita City, Isayama’s hometown. Original concept art, a giant Titan statue and other exhibits are accompanied by detailed comments from the creator himself on selected scenes from the manga. As shared by Anime Updates on X (and spotted by Dexerto), in one particular comment, Isayama reflects on Eren’s character development and depiction.
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“Eren became a protagonist who committed mass slaughter on a scale rarely seen in other works of fiction. As for why I conceived such a story from the beginning, part of it was my desire to create a narrative with a major twist, where the victim becomes the perpetrator.” Isayama explains in a plaque at the Attack on Titan museum.
“But a large factor was also my own immaturity and foolishness at the time, when I was in my early twenties. That aspect became the core of Eren’s character, leading to the point where he confesses not as someone forced into wrongdoing by circumstances, but as someone who harbored a desire to do harm.”
“However, Attack on Titan had long since ceased to be mine alone, and Eren became a character loved by many readers.” Isayama continues. “In the end, without fully committing to portraying him as a detestable figure, I found myself depicting him with a certain closeness and sympathy. As a result, I feel there remains a sense of insincerity in the story’s conclusion, at least in my own assessment.”
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Suddenly turning a much loved character into a villain can be a plot twist that upsets many fans (Game of Thrones Season 8, anyone?). With Attack on Titan, Isayama had been planning for powerful protagonist Eren Yaeger, an inheritor of Titan powers who once defended people, to eventually turn against humanity. It seems that if Isayama wrote Attack on Titan today, Eren Yaeger would still have become mankind’s enemy, but his depiction may have been more nuanced and less sympathetic. Perhaps Eren’s much-spoofed apology scene would have turned out differently, even if it does show how pathetic and selfish he had become.
How do you feel about how Eren’s character development was handled in Attack on Titan’s manga and anime?
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
