The Problem with Attack On Titan Creator: He Always Knew How It Would End

When it comes to “Attack on Titan,” the ending being thought of ahead of time was both a blessing and a curse. You can see the seeds of Eren’s epic heel turn right from the start, even if they don’t properly come to fruition until the story’s big tonal change in season 4. Thematically, and from a story and character perspective, this is the only way “Attack on Titan” could end unless you ask Isayama himself.

That’s because, as the manga author told The New York Times, knowing the ending became a burden for him, just as Eren’s power of prescience became a burden. “When I first started this series, I was worried that it would probably be canceled. It was a work that no one knew about,” Isayama explained. Back when the “Atack on Titan” manga first debuted, its publisher Kodansha was going through financial problems. “But I had already started the story with the ending in mind. And the story ended up being read and watched by an incredible number of people, and it led to me being given a huge power that I didn’t quite feel comfortable with.”

“It would have been nice if I could have changed the ending. Writing manga is supposed to be freeing. But if I was completely free, then I should have been able to change the ending. I could have changed it and said I wanted to go in a different direction.”