Attack On Titan is a nihilistic, soul wrenching affair that also happens to be one of the most compelling anime franchises in the game. Recently, the news site SNKNews had the chance to sit down with Kawakuno Shintaro, the editor for Attack On Titan, to discuss how creator Hajime Isayama decided which characters would be kicking the bucket at any given time. The popular franchise hasn’t been afraid to “cut the fat” when it comes to killing off characters, so getting more into the mind of Isayama and his decision making is certainly worthwhile.
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“Q: “What about which characters will eventually die – was that decided from the first chapter?
Kawakubo Shintaro: “We hadn’t decided who would perish, since there would be so many variables involved. But those who would betray the rest was determined, since their affiliations were different. On another note, the world that exists outside of the Walls was decided from the get-go as well.”
The story of Eren Jaeger and his friends within the walls, attempting to carve out a life for themselves while simultaneously fighting back both Titans and the mysterious nation of Marley has had more deaths than we can count. Aside from some of the bigger characters deciding to shed their mortal coil, numerous nameless characters were eaten by Titans or killed in some other horrific manner. In the first season specifically, the tension and stakes had to be established early on so the deaths were fast, furious, and brutal.
The third season ended with the company losing their leader in the form of Commander Erwin, as well as a huge percentage of the Survey Corps overall, but things are at least somewhat looking up as they managed to discover the ocean and learn about the nation of Marley that has been threatening them since the very beginning.
What do you think of the thought process behind Isayama’s decisions for which characters will be “biting the bullet”? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and Titans!
Attack on Titan was originally created by Hajime Isayama, and the series has since been collected into 23 volumes as of 2017. It’s set in a world where the last remnants of humanity live within a walled city in order to escape the danger of the Titans, a race of giants monsters that eats humans. The lead character, Eren Yeager, ends up joining the military with his two childhood friends Mikasa and Armin after the Titans break through the wall and attack his hometown. Now Eren, Mikasa, and Armin must survive in a world where they not only have the Titans to fear, but the very humans they are trying to save. You can currently find the series streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Saturday nights on Adult Swim’s Toonami block.
