Attack On Titan Creator Loves House of the Dragon As Much As We Do

Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama apparently loves HBO’s House of the Dragon as much as we all do! 

In a new interview with Isayama, he was asked if his noted love of Game of Thrones had transferred over to the new prequel series, Hosue of the Dragon. In Isayama’s own words during AnimeNYC: “I watched all of the first season and really enjoyed it. Even compared to the first season of the original Game of Thrones, it was well done.”

It’s not hard to see why the mangaka behind Attack on Titan would love Game of Thrones – and by extension House of the Dragon – so much. In many ways there is a lot about the two series that is similar: both feature a medieval-style society and warring factions of warriors from different regions; both series also hinge the balance of power and rule on the possession of gigantic living weapons of mass destruction (titans and dragons, respectively), and both feature some inhuman army (regular titans, white walkers) literally banging on the gates. 

Going deeper: both Attack on Titan and House of the Dragon/Game of Thrones focus most of their respective stories on characters’ socio-political maneuvering and the shifting alliances they create. Both series are also infamous for having protagonists (Eren Jaeger, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Rhaenyra Targaryen) that muddle the line between heroism and villainy, stirring furious debates about them within the fandom. Both series have also courted their fair share of controversy regarding what the deeper thematic meanings are of their stories, as well as questions about the ethics and views of their respective creators (George R.R. Martin and Isayama). 

That all said, as two of the biggest titles in geek culture right now, it’s good to hear that there’s love between Attack on Titan and House of the Dragon, because fans have certainly benefitted in a big way from both series breaking through into mainstream popularity. Game of Thrones has made fantasy pop-culture vogue, to the point that House of the Dragon was the biggest event in “must-see TV” in 2022. Attack on Titan will go down as the pivotal series that truly transformed anime into a worldwide mainstream genre, often luring in those who never even liked anime before, with its mix of horror-action-steampunk drama. 

Comparisons between Attack on Titan and the Game of Thrones saga are only going to get more frequent as Attack on Titan’s final batch of anime episodes gets released this year. Without spoilers, both Game of Thrones and Attack on Titan have two most infamous (read: often despised) endings of any series in memory. Anime fans who also love Game of Thornes end up mad-mad… 

As for his favorite House of the Dragon character? Isayama unsurprisingly went with the one-eyed character:
“I like Aemond Targaryan. I think that character’s face looks really good, as an actor.”

Via: Crunchyroll