Fans are not the only ones who have comments.
Summary:
- Hajime Isayama discusses the Attack on Titan finale and his feelings about it.
- The main idea of the ending was planned from the beginning, although a couple of changes were made.
- Isayama wishes he could have changed the ending.
On November 5th, 2023 The New York Times published a couple of excerpts from their interview with the author of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) himself, Hajime Isayama. The mangaka discusses his feelings about the anime adaptation finale as well as some questions about it from the fans.
Isayama expresses content with the fact that Attack on Titan has become this big outside of Japan, and connected him to the world. The manga and anime reached various audiences worldwide, and the author is extremely happy because of that.
Everything was planned
When asked about the ending of the series and if all the events were planned straight from the beginning, Isayama mentions that the story was “something he had in mind right from the get-go”. The author had a vision of a victim later turning into the aggressor, and that’s how Eren was born. Isayama also mentions changing some things along the way and adjusting certain aspects of the story, but the main idea remained the same.
Hajime Isayama also answered some questions about the final episodes. One of the scenes that caused a lot of the displeasure among the fans was Armin and Eren’s conversation. Armin thanks Eren for everything he’s done for his friends, and while that sounds like a normal thing to do, in their case it means thanking the boy for killing millions of people. And it’s completely out of character for Armin.
The author explains that he never meant this scene to be a “thank you” for committing genocide. He wanted to show the audience that Armin was ready to take responsibility. He felt like all the horrors that had happened were his fault, too, and Eren was not the only one to blame for them. Armin had to use such strong words to become an accomplice of Eren.
The interview also expands on Eren’s feelings. In the scene where he apologizes to a kid for the carnage he’s going to commit, the character is not only heartbroken but also disappointed. Eren had this perfect idea of the outside world, where the grass is greener, and he could have a clean slate. But after actually seeing this world he understood that it’s just the same.
A slave to the power
Isayama compares Eren to himself, saying that Eren is a slave to his titan and his desire for freedom just like the author is a slave to his own creation. The popularity of the manga and anime gave Isayama the power he wasn’t truly ready for. He thinks it would have been nice if he had the chance to change the ending, but he couldn’t do that because he envisioned it when he was young and it was too late.
Source: nytimes.com