Attack on Titan author, Hajime Isayama, attended this year’s Anime NYC in his first-ever US visit yesterday. During a special panel for which a lottery was held, Isayama revealed quite a few interesting facts about the series, but he also talked about the ending of the manga, which was somewhat controversial among the fans.
It is no secret that Isayama loves American TV shows – currently, he is enjoying Better Call Saul (Breaking Bad spin-off prequel), Nope, and the Game of Thrones spin-off prequel House of the Dragon. Speaking of his favorites, he mentioned that Gabi and Falco were inspired by Arya Stark from Game of Thrones and Jessie Pinkman from Breaking Bad, respectively. It seems like inspirations for his characters vary because he also mentioned that Hange was inspired by Hayato, a friend from his hometown who was a “bit weird.”
In the past, Isayama talked about Jean being his favorite character, but a few years after that he switched to Reiner (while also saying that Historia is one of his favorites). However, when asked at yesterday’s panel he asserted that it was Jean. Isayama also said that he enjoyed the 48th episode of the anime (Bystander), which was the 11th episode of the third season. The episode focuses on Keith Shadis and his backstory, how he came to know Eren’s parents and shows him realizing that he could not change anything. He also said that he enjoyed drawing Connie and Sasha’s interactions because they are both idiots but keep calling each other that.
Speaking about the Attack on Titan ending, Isayama said that he was somewhat worried about it. He was always critical of himself when it came to his work and seeing the negative reactions made him doubt the ending, but he is glad he stuck with it. The crowd reacted by cheering him on – nearly making him cry. When his attendance at the Anime NYC was announced, Isayama shared a special message, in which he asked for kindness because he is “aware that the ending is controversial”:
He once again mentioned how much he loves saunas and said that he is currently not working on anything new. The final part of the Attack on Titan anime adaptation is set for 2023. A key visual was revealed recently.
Souce: Kodansha, Anime NYC
©Hajime Isayama, Kodansha LTD.