Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama is speaking out about the ending of his hit manga, and he is not fully satisfied with how it turned out. The series, which ran from 2009 to 2021, became one of the best selling manga of all time with more than 140 million copies sold. Its anime adaptation pushed the franchise even further, ending in 2023 with strong global attention.
Even with that success, the finale has remained a point of debate among fans. Some praised the story for turning Eren Yeager from a troubled hero into a mass killer. Others argued the shift felt rushed and lacked enough buildup to feel earned. Isayama later added extra pages to expand the ending, but the divide among readers never fully went away.
Now, new comments from Isayama suggest he shares some of those concerns. A display at the Attack on Titan Museum in Hita City, Japan, revealed a written reflection from the creator. The message gives a closer look at how Eren’s character came together and what may have gone wrong.
ATTACK ON TITAN creator Hajime Isayama shares thoughts on the series’ ending
Now on display in the Attack on Titan Museum in his hometown as of April 24, 2026:
“Eren became a protagonist who committed mass slaughter on a scale rarely seen in other works of fiction. As for why I… pic.twitter.com/YGZr4FrNil
— Anime Updates (@animeupdates) April 27, 2026
Isayama explained that he wanted to tell a story where the victim becomes the aggressor. He also admitted that his own mindset at the time played a role. He said he was in his early twenties and described himself as immature, which shaped Eren into someone who chose violence rather than being forced into it.
The most striking part of his statement comes when he addresses the final chapter. Isayama said the series had grown beyond his control as fans embraced Eren. Because of that, he struggled to fully present the character as someone meant to be hated. Instead, he wrote Eren with a level of sympathy that he now questions.
He said this choice left what he called a sense of insincerity in the ending, at least from his own perspective. That admission is likely to fuel more discussion among fans who have debated the conclusion for years.
The anime version of Attack on Titan closely followed the manga’s ending, though it included a few added moments. Those changes did little to settle the broader debate, and Isayama’s comments suggest the controversy is not going away anytime soon.
***
English (US) · 