Attack on Titan: The Last Attack is the ultimate compilation movie for fans of the series, using Parts 3 and 4 of Season 4 to wrap up the story’s harrowing conclusion. The anime enthralled audiences for over a decade, and in many ways, pushed the medium harder into the mainstream than most if not all other contemporary series. While the ending of the story has its fair share of detractors, this compilation film serves as the ultimate theatrical way to experience it for longtime fans wishing to relive it, or in many demonstrated examples, viewers who never watched the proper ending. Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman’s English dub voice actors graciously joined ComicBook courtesy of Crunchyroll, as we had a lively interview discussing the series and its impact.
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Bryce Papenbrook voices the complicated and tortured Eldian protagonist, Eren Yeager, whose visions through the Attack Titan ability took him down a dark path steeped in blood. Trina Nishimura voices Mikasa Ackerman, a prodigious soldier whose calm and level-headed personality is undermined by her devotion to Eren despite his actions against humanity being beyond extreme. In our interview, the portraying voice actors discuss closing the book on one of anime’s most beloved sagas, easter eggs to spot along the way, and a little something extra for those who stick around after the credits.
ComicBook: We’ve been following Attack on Titan since the mainstream anime world clung onto it over a decade ago, and now we’re on this victory lap to close the saga for the fans. How does it feel to be here?
Bryce Papenbrook: Pretty incredible, to be on this journey. I think, the word we’ve used to describe our experience through the end of the story is bittersweet. It’s really sad, because of where the story goes, really sad to say goodbye to the franchise, but really proud of the work we’ve done, the experiences we’ve had, and the efforts we’ve put into telling the story. It’s been an incredible experience, and to be able to celebrate the ending by watching it on the big screen is the coolest way to do it.
Trina Nishimura: I’m very excited. It’s very kind of you to say victory lap, but I’m very excited to see Attack on Titan: The Last Attack in theaters, it’s going to be special. I am going to be watching it here in Texas on February 10th. I’m sad that it’s only a one-day run. I know a lot of people are excited, and I’ve already got people messaging me telling me, “It’s already sold out!” But I know myself, Mike McFarland the amazing voice director for the English dub, and a myriad of other castmates from the English dub, engineers, writers, and producers, will be coming here to see it in Texas on February 10th. Sadly, Bryce won’t be able to join us, but he has big plans himself.
Bryce: I do, I have two tickets for my wife and myself. My wife has been a show since the very beginning. She doesn’t typically watch anime, but absolutely loves Attack on Titan. We got to those last two pieces of the story, and it was so intense, she said, “I’m done watching here.” I’m like, “Wait, you don’t want to see the end? I’ve been working on this for a decade! Don’t you want to see the performances?” She said, “Nope, that’s good for me.” I’m like, “Okay, what if it goes to the big screen, can you at least agree to watch it there?” She said fine, so here we are, and I can’t wait to see her reaction to the story.
That’s a fair perspective you just brought up. A lot of fans will have gone through this emotional journey through the story, and there’s the aspect of them having already seen it, and may not be ready to re-experience it, but still wanting to experience it this way. Or, with your wife, it’s an entirely different way to experience it as a fully connected conclusion to the story as the definitive first time watching it. It must be exciting to imagine for the fans.
Bryce: Absolutely, and being able to watch anime, let alone a series like Attack on Titan with others, everyone can feed off the emotion of others in the room, and then be immersed in the show with the audio, mastered for theaters, it’s going to be such an incredible experience.
With Attack on Titan in particular, the appeal of people just sitting down, uninterrupted, no phones, that’s the way to go for this experience. There are so many buzzworthy aspects of this particular production, such as the final scenes with the tree, and a special bonus scene from Attack on Titan School Castes, how does it feel to bring these characters to life once more in such an unusual tone?
Trina: We’re very excited about the post-credit scenes, we’re encouraging everyone to stay after the credits for the bonus scene. It is cyclical, with the major themes of Attack on Titan including the socio-economical inequalities within the series reflected in war and tribalism, shown with the tree from the ending getting larger while cities are erected and destroyed as it gets bigger, with humanity cycling through itself.
To see a new city with these kids reflecting on how crazy it all is, they talk about those themes, which wasn’t something that really happened much in the Attack on Titan series, they weren’t reflecting, they were reacting to their environment, and acting out of necessity. To see these kids reflecting on those challenging themes and to see the tree in the background, points once again to Isayama-sensei’s masterful writing and creativity.
When we saw the original scene, and see it again now, it’s so ripe for discussion. It’s not so much hinting at a sequel, so much as a statement in the finale of the series. It’s meditative, with a romanticism to it. But moving to the high school aspect of it, adapting the manga previews, how does it feel to add this meta reflection on the series as a whole, with this finale, incorporating this particular movie as its “film subject?”
Bryce: I loved it, it was cathartic closing out that final chapter. I thought that I was fully done with my time working on the series. It seemed pretty final *laughs* and it was a really special moment. I live in Los Angeles. Crunchyroll and Mike McFarland, and the studio are in Texas, so when we started the series back in Season 1, I commuted to Texas so I could be with Mike and record in person. Recording remotely wasn’t as common as it is now.
Most of my work throughout the series was remote, but for that final session, I went back to Texas, and I wanted to finish the series as we started. I was really fortunate that the Crunchyroll marketing team was there to capture those moments for myself and for Trina. So I thought I had completed my work on the series, but then I got the note asking if I wanted to work on Attack on Titan again. It was so amazing to be able to go back and record one more piece. I just can’t wait for people to go see it.
It’s special for the fans, especially having been so attached to you as characters. With the post-credit scene, with the lights opening up in the theater and Armin’s doom-scrolling among other reactions being such a mood, how does it feel to have these beloved characters screened for the fans in this context but also overall, now in theaters across much of the globe on top of streaming for over a decade?
Trina: It feels a little surreal, honestly. When we started Attack on Titan it was over 10 years ago, and people said it was going to be a big show. You never really know until you’re there, or the material has been released, and it feels surreal that people just want to revisit this and see it. With so many people excited about it, it’s crazy that this show has affected so many people’s lives, and I know it’s touched mine, but people still want to be part of it and experience it, either communally in the theater or by themselves, and it’s really not something I expected.
Bryce: When you work on a series as a voice actor, you’re disconnected from the audience. You’re literally in a soundproof room by yourself, pouring your heart into the mic, and you hope someone just sees your work. But to know from meeting fans all over the world and seeing the reception of the series, it’s incredible to know how much this show has touched people, and how much good it’s done for people’s lives, and motivated them to fight through the challenges of their lives. It’s the biggest form of applause to see that kind of reception through fans around the world and online, and it’s just incredible.
It’s a touching feeling, and how everybody’s coming back, or making an event of it with your wife, and that’s really special.
On a more fun note, let’s reflect on the funny aspects of capping off the experience. There’s the easter egg of the dead Marco in the corner, *laughs* which is just so rude!
Bryce: There are easter eggs throughout the entire series, so I think that fits the theme. What makes Attack on Titan stand out is that the second viewing is actually just as entertaining, or even more so than the first, because you’re like, “How did I not know this, or see this coming?” I didn’t guess any of the twists and turns through my first viewing, and the second time through, all these things started to present themselves. As I watch the show again and again, I keep discovering new details, and it’s the telltale sign of a masterpiece.
Trina, it’s a complicated feeling, but roleplaying as the audience on top of portraying the stars, how does it feel to portray a passionate, if critical, anime fan?
Trina: I think that’s part of the meta-reflection. In the original source material, the after-scene is canon, in that it’s in the manga. It’s so cool that Isayama-sensei had the forethought that people would question the ending and be overly critical of the ending, so this added extra scene continues thematically with the rest of the show, showing that this is what people will say and how people will feel.
It shows the justification and the reason why it had to be this way. I didn’t think about what people would think of the end; I was too destroyed by the ending, myself. It once again points to Isayama-sensei’s genius, he knew years ahead of everybody else. Bryce has said it himself, but it’s almost like he wrote the story backwards with how well it was crafted.
Bryce, for the reflection in your line at the end, wanting to see the story with friends, and teasing the “sequel” — that’s a loaded line — what do you think is going on in fans’ minds when you say that as Eren?
Bryce: I know what’s going on in my head, “Can that be a thing, is that a thing? Could they do that, will they do that? I don’t know, do I hope they do that? Definitely, and if they don’t, is it the right choice? Definitely. I think it’s very appropriate for Attack on Titan to put something out like that, to make you question it, build excitement, even if this is the end.
Trina: That’s what Isayama’s done the whole time. Every time I guessed something was going to happen or turn out some way, or somebody would definitely make it to the end, I was always wrong. The way it’s written and how you’re led as an audience member, it’s all intentional.
Is there a scene you particularly enjoyed or enjoyed portraying either as a character or watching passively?
Trina: In broad terms, the overall show, my absolute favorite scene is the finale of Season 2, with Eren and Mikasa in the field while everything is going on. I actually recorded that scene before Bryce did, and we happened to be at an event that weekend in Las Vegas. Because neither of us watched ahead or knew what was going to happen in the show, sometimes one of us would know what was going to happen, and see the other and say, “Next week’s going to be really hard.”
It’s a lot of feeling, and you’re just going to be wrecked afterward; you just have to wish them luck. When I watched the final product, and I saw Bryce’s interpretation, and when I saw his performance, it was so incredibly moving, not just because he’s a dear friend of mine, but because his performance was so masterful and beautiful. I watch a lot of anime, but that is hands-down my favorite scene I’ve seen him dub.
Bryce: Thanks Trina! I did leave the studio distraught and not myself, and very similarly to what happens with Eren, Trina was the one that pulled me out of my funk much like Mikasa does for Eren. Something that’s really telling of the team that’s part of Attack on Titan, my cast mates, Mike McFarland, my director, really allowed me to go to dark places and pour my heart out into the mic in a very honest way. That’s what you’ll see in The Last Attack in those final moments with Eren. Picking favorites is so challenging for me, I mean, this is a decade of my life, each chapter of the series is a different chapter of my life, and in my head, they all fight for the front. I just can’t wait to see this on the screen, be fully immersed in the story, and enjoy it with my wife, that’ll be the coolest thing.
Working together as a unit, this amount of time, and reuniting over this project; there’s got to be a special camaraderie that comes with this. How do you form that bond, and is it unique to this show?
Bryce: I think going into a series like this, you never know who you’re gonna work with, and if you’re gonna connect with them. I think Trina and I have been incredibly lucky that we were paired together, and connected the way that we did. When I started the series, I didn’t have any kids, and now, we have three, and Trina is Auntie Trina to my kids.
Trina: It’s the best!
Bryce: We’ve been so fortunate to travel the world and have these amazing experiences with the fans, and to share our experience with people all over the world, and to be travel buddies. That’s not something that’s set in stone or comes with these types of projects, but I think that goes back to McFarland hand-selecting the talent he wanted for the show. It’s a testament to his skill as a director in casting and giving his opinion, and understanding the story.
Trina: He’s an incredibly talented guy, and it’s such a popular show, we are so lucky that we get to travel not only as travel buddies, but with other amazing castmates like Jessie James Grelle, getting to hang out with them has been awesome. Every cast member has different elements that they bring into the friend group, and I could tell you stories of the different events we’ve done through the years. I think for all of us, one of the special parts about the show is we’ve made long term friends, and everybody’s just really cool because Mike chose really cool people.
Are there any exciting projects for either of you on the horizon?
Trina: Have you heard about Attack on Titan: The Last Attack coming to theaters on February 10th? *laughs*
Funny you should say, we’ve got the following showtimes listed worldwide:
- February 6th: Australia, New Zealand
- February 10th and 13th: United States, Canada
- February 12th: Finland
- February 13th: Spain
- February 20th: Denmark, The Netherlands
- February 21st: Norway, Sweden
- February 25th: Germany
- February 26th: United Kingdom, Ireland
- February 27th: Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brazil
- March 1st: France
- March 3rd: Italy
Bryce: When you ask about future work, it’s always tough. I’ll just say, look out for some announcements coming soon. There are some really exciting projects that I’ve been able to be part of, and I can’t wait to share more.
Trina: You can always check out our social media, that’s where we typically announce new projects. I’m @trinanish.
Bryce: And I’m @brycepapenbrook, you’ll see my very angry headshot! It’ll be intimidating, but then I smile the whole time.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You can contact J.R. directly on X.
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