Attack on Titan’s creator remains torn over its ending, a new exhibit reveals

The evolution of Eren Yeager from a tragic hero to a full-scale antagonist remains one of the most gripping elements of Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan. Yet, the author himself has expressed some internal conflict regarding the series' divisive finale.

The tragedy of choice: Why Attack on Titan's Eren Yeager deserved a human end

As a part of a recent update to the Attack on Titan in HITA Museum in Isayama’s hometown, Hita City, the museum added 26 newly selected pages of original manga artwork.

A featured comment has a statement from Isayama where he admits to feeling a sense of insincerity regarding the story's conclusion. This candid reflection accompanied an expansion of the museum’s collection on April 24, which introduced 26 fresh pages of original manga illustrations to the hometown exhibit.

“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," the author reflected.

He further said, "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.”

Isayama’s self-criticism likely stems from the initial backlash to the manga’s finale, which many fans felt was executed too quickly. In an effort to bridge certain gaps, Isayama released eight supplementary pages designed to deepen character arcs and provide a more comprehensive resolution. While this expansion generally improved the reception, the conclusion remains a point of contention within the community.

Nevertheless, Eren stands as a remarkably sophisticated antagonist. The "sympathy" Isayama alludes to provides the necessary layers for his character; he wasn't a born monster, but rather a product of trauma-induced radicalization. The tragedy of the story lies in the stark contrast between Eren’s lost potential and the horrific path he eventually secured.

While Isayama worries about "insincerity," leaning further into a purely clinical or brutal depiction of Eren's descent might have actually weakened the narrative. By maintaining that human core, Isayama avoided turning Eren into a generic villainous archetype, preserving the emotional weight that makes Attack on Titan so memorable.

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