Hajime Isayama created Attack on Titan with an extremely realistic worldview and it is painstakingly reflected on the protagonist. Eren, the boy who had a fierce dream of freedom, grew up to face a reality too harsh for him.
He committed unspeakable acts of horror later in the series that became quite controversial in the fandom. So it fell upon Hajime Isayama to cover the main aspects of Eren’s character.
Hajime Isayama’s Gut-Wrenching Message in Attack on Titan
In an interview with the New York Times, Hajime Isayama explained the scene in which Eren apologized to a kid before the carnage he was about to commit. According to the author, it has to do with the clash between Eren’s dream and the reality he finally perceived.
Ever since he was a child, Eren dreamt of going outside the walled Paradis. But he never knew there would be population outside of the island. In his imagination, it was vast soreads of unclaimed ocean and land.
There was an excitement about this world that was just empty, a clean slate.
The author continues that he does not know whether the ideal he set up for Eren was good or bad. But what he can confirm is that Eren was extremely dissatisfied with the world he saw outside the walls.
Not only was there a human population out there that did nothing to rescue the people of Paradis, but they actively discriminated against Eldians. Their kind was thought to be scum on Earth.
When he does get across the wall at that point, he says he sees that the world is really not that different from what’s within the walls in the world that he already knows.
Isayama believed that when Eren apologized to the child, he was talking about his disappointment in the world as well as the sad reality of it. In a way, he apologized for what he did but also the fact that there was no other way around it.
Eren is a Reflection of Hajime Isayama’s Own Struggles
In the finale of Attack on Titan, Eren claims that he was powerless against the powers of the Founding Titan. When Armin asks if Eren really is free, the character seems reluctant. So, was Eren really free to take whatever steps he wanted?
Hajime Isayama had his own take on the matter, as he stated the situation with Eren overlaps his own life. When the author first began the manga, he was extremely afraid that his work will be canceled. When Attack on Tita found recognition, he was relieved, and it gave him a huge power that he never felt comfortable with.
This is extremely similar to Eren’s situation as a youngling when he was suddenly imposed with a great power that he knew nothing about. The powers drove him restless as he had no idea how to deal with everything and the inevitable future.
It would have been nice if I could have changed the ending. Writing manga is supposed to be freeing.
This statement from Isayama proves that he, in fact, was never free. Like Eren, he was burdened with knowing the future of Attack on Titan and could not lift a finger to change it. The manga became a very restrictive art form for him since he could not divert from the initial ending he had envisioned.
You can read Attack on Titan on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
