Hajime says the ending lacked honesty, and reflects on Eren and admits doubts about the finale

It’s been a while (Nov 19, 2023) since one of the best anime, Attack on Titan, ended. Hajime Isayama specifically emphasized how he felt the ending wasn’t an honest one. He also highlighted the reasons why Eren committed the crimes. He stated the following comment, which is displayed at the Attack on Titan in HITA Museum, Hita City, Japan.

“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. 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. 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. As a result, I feel there remains a sense of insincerity in the story’s conclusion — at least in my own assessment.”

Many fans felt the manga’s finale was rushed, and Hajime’s self-criticism could have stemmed from that. Tp bridge certain gaps, Hajime even released eight supplementary pages designed to deepen character arcs and provide a more comprehensive resolution. The expansion improved the feelings of many, but it still remained as a point of contention within the fanbase.

Nevertheless, Eren’s depiction of his sophisticated antagonist nature shows that Eren is more of a product of trauma-induced radicalization. Hajime avoided Eren from becoming a generic villain, preserving the series’ emotional weightage, making the story a stark contrast between Eren’s lost potential and the horrific path he takes; more like a dark origin told in pieces.

^{Pic Credits: HITA/AoT}