[Attack on Titan Spoilers Ahead]
Attack on Titan has one of the most contested endings in the history of anime. After all, how many series end with the protagonist committing genocide? The ending aside, Hajime Isayama also made sure that fans of the anime would be terrified of every upcoming chapter/episode due to the rampant deaths of fan-favorite characters.
By the end of the anime, Eren had wiped off 80% of humanity just to stop the discrimination against Eldians and establish peace. But was it really the best solution? Did Eren really have to die? In an interview, Isayama explains why he did not change the ending despite wanting to.
Attack on Titan‘s End Was Decided From the Beginning
In an interview with the New York Times, Hajime Isayama admitted that the ending of Attack on Titan was decided pretty much from its perception.
That was pretty much there from the beginning, the story that starts with the victim who then goes through this story and becomes the aggressor.
Although a few parts of the story did not go according to Isayama’s plan, he adapted and fleshed out some aspects of the series. However, the series’ ending never changed significantly. In a shocking statement, Isayama stated that the story of Eren coincided with his own relationship with the manga.
When Isayama first began the manga, he was worried that it would be canceled. It was an unknown work from an author who had never published a hit before, but he already had an ending in mind.
As Attack on Titan slowly picked up its pace and gained a huge fanbase, Isayama felt like he was given a huge power that he wasn’t comfortable with.
Hajime Isayama Was Tied Down to Attack on Titan‘s Ending
While the Attack on Titan author admits that its ending was inevitable, in a shocking reversal, he also states that he would have changed it if he could.
It would have been nice if I could have changed the ending.
In the words of the author, writing a manga should be freeing, but if he was indeed free, he would have been able to change the ending as he wished. He should have been able to go in a different direction if he wanted to, but he was tied down by his initial decision.
Manga became a very restrictive art form for me, similar to how the massive powers that Eren acquired ended up restricting him.
This is the reason why the author compares himself to Eren. Eren restricted his own path by deciding his fate. He could not look beyond his purpose and initial design and was forced to follow through by himself. In the same way, the mangaka was stuck with his initial ending and was tied down by it so that every decision in the series leads to that ending and nothing else.
If Isayama did not feel so burdened by his previous decisions, would fans have a different Attack on Titan ending? Is it possible to justify Eren’s actions? Or was the genocide completely unavoidable? All of these are questions that only the author can answer over time.
You can read Attack on Titan on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
