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Attack on Titan manga creator Hajime Isayama has regrets over the series’ ending, admitting there is a “sense of insincerity” about how Eren Yeager’s story played out.
Running from 2009 to 2021, Attack on Titan is one of the most beloved mangas of all time. It sold over 140 million copies and even spawned a hit TV show that took the franchise to new heights before the finale in 2023.
But despite all the plaudits, its ending was pretty divisive. Although many loved protagonist Eren’s descent from tortured hero into full-blown villain, others felt it was rushed and lacked the development needed to make it work.
Isayama even released extra pages after the fact in an attempt to flesh things out, but the conclusion continues to divide fans.
Hajime Isayama thinks Attack on Titan ending was ‘insincere’
It appears that Hajime Isayama also has some regrets over the way the story ended, as ‘Anime Updates’ spotted a plaque on display at the Attack on Titan Museum in Hita City, Oita Prefecture. It gives fans some insight into where the idea for the story and Eren’s arc came from.
“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,” it reads.
“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.”
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It ends with a pretty damning statement from the creator about the final chapter, where he admits that he’s still not satisfied with how Eren was portrayed.
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“However, Attack on Titan had long since ceased to be mine alone, and Eren became a character loved by many readers. In the end, without fully committing to portraying him as a detestable figure, I found myself depicting him with a certain closeness and sympathy,” it continues. “As a result, I feel there remains a sense of insincerity in the story’s conclusion — at least in my own assessment.”
This feeling likely extends to the TV series as well, given that the ending was virtually the same as the manga. However, there were some small additions that were only seen in the anime.
