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Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama has sent a final message to the anime’s fan base days before its (final) epic finale, asking audiences to “please watch until the end.”
Isayama’s statement was released on the Attack on Titan official Japanese website and on X (formerly Twitter) by AnimeTV, where the author thanked audiences for following the story for the last 10 years and reflected on how painful it was for him to draw the manga’s final panels back in 2021. Isayama also ardently apologized to the MAPPA studio for how difficult he expected it was to create the final episode. He ended with a cryptic and bittersweet request, stating that he’d been able to “draw a little bit of the rough draft toward the end” and asking fans to please watch until then. The message has sent the Attack on Titan fan base spiraling into intense speculation.
Attack on Titan has become one of the most highly acclaimed manga and anime series of all time — and with arguably one of the most controversial endings. The story is set in a world where humanity is on the edge of extinction due to giant humanoid creatures known as Titans that devour humans. To protect themselves, the remnants of humanity reside within a walled city. The plot follows Eren Yeager and his friends as they join the military to fight against the Titans and uncover dark secrets about their world, including the origins of the Titans and the true nature of the walls. The series explores many themes, including the dark side of heroism, the true purpose of sacrifice and the meaning or lack thereof of life.
Why Some Fans Don’t Like Attack on Titan’s Ending
When the Attack on Titan manga, which ran from 2009 to 2021 in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine, first ended, its conclusion caused a massive stir among fans. Many felt that significant plot holes remained and that Eren Yeager was the only character to have gotten a ‘true ending’ to his story. The manga also concludes with a significant — and to some, disheartening — plot twist. Indeed, the ending was so upsetting to fans that Isayama and his staff reportedly received death threats. Others took matters into their own hands by writing their own ending to Attack on Titan and petitioning that it be the true conclusion of the series.
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Isayama, under the intense pressure of having his first-ever series become a huge and unexpected hit with a cult following, struggled significantly with audiences being so dissatisfied with the ending. He released an additional eight pages in an attempt to pacify audiences, to no avail. At Anime NYC in 2022, he released another emotional apology to fans, stating that he still had doubts about whether he had ended the story successfully.
Fans are now in passionate deliberation over what the “rough draft” content in the final episode is and whether this means the ending of the anime will differ from that of the manga. Several fans have replied to the statement on X, hopeful that the ending will be different and that the fate of Eren Yeager will be more positive. Others have noted Isayama’s apology to MAPPA, believing that this implies a repeat of the disappointment in the manga’s ending, meaning it’s likely largely unchanged. Some have simply thanked Isayama for creating Attack on Titan and urged him to keep the manga’s ending, stating, “it’s not their story, it’s yours,” while others doubt that the story will end at all.
The 85-minute final episode of Attack on Titan will be released on Nov. 4 on Crunchyroll. Fans can stream the full series on Hulu, Crunchyroll and Prime Video.
Source: X (formerly Twitter)
