Hajime Isayama’s beloved Attack on Titan manga reached its conclusion in 2021 after 12 years of serialization. An anime adaptation was released in 2013, four years after the manga’s debut, and touched many hearts with its incredible yet tragic story, even to the point of receiving the first-ever Global Impact Award at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards on May 25, 2025. As fans initially expressed disappointment toward the manga’s ending, the anime had already changed studios after Season 3, when WIT Studio couldn’t commit to the tight schedule. MAPPA, the studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen, eventually decided to adapt the anime’s final season, further elevating the animation quality and popularizing the series even more.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Thanks to the studio’s incredible adaptation and minor changes from Isayama, the dissatisfaction toward the ending vanished significantly. The final season follows Eren’s journey after a four-year time skip, which was released from 2020 to 2023, spanning across two parts and two special episodes. Although the main story has long since concluded in both the anime and manga versions, the series often returns with new releases. On January 9th, 2026, a Dolby Cinema remastered version of Attack on Titan: The Final Chapter – The Last Attack hit the theaters. During the opening day stage greeting, Isayama shared a special message to fans confirming he’s not involved in any new series.
Attack on Titan Creator Faces Burnout After The Story’s Ending
As per Oricon, Isayama’s message was shared during the open day stage greeting, where director Hayashi Yuichiro, along with the voices behind Eren Yeager (Yuki Kaji), Mikasa Ackerman (Yui Ishikawa), and Armin Arlet (Marina Inoue) were present. Isayama’s message reads, “Many years have passed since the manga serialization and anime broadcast ended, but I’m no longer working. I’ve occasionally been asked to draw illustrations and sign autographs, and I’ve helped out with Kaji-san’s Breeze Project, but I no longer draw on a daily basis.”
He further explains, “However, I am by no means living a self-indulgent life; I am busy every day. Please believe me on that. My daily life is far from the NEET life I dreamed of while serializing.”
Finally, the author explains being burned out from writing AOT, “However, even if I weren’t so busy now, I don’t think I could write anything like Attack on Titan. If I try to write something, it will end up being a cut-out of one of the elements I drew in Attack on Titan. I think this first serialization was like that, where I poured everything out until I was completely empty.”
Even during the manga’s serialization, the author felt restricted and exhausted until the story reached its controversial ending. He struggled with heavy feelings during the fan backlash, wishing he could change the ending. This is one of the reasons he actively participated in the anime production and wrote original scenes.
During the event, Kaji explained that Isayama is doing well, so fans wouldn’t worry about the author after reading the message. However, now that the anime is also finished, Isayama is no longer working on any new projects. No doubt fans would love to see a new story from him, but for now, he doesn’t plan to write anything new, which isn’t so bad since he can get a long, well-deserved rest.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Prime Video -
Courtesy of Sega
