Attack on Titan mangaka Hajime Isayama has made a surprising revelation about the original plan for the story’s ending in a pre-recorded interview showcased during K-MANGA launch party on June 22, 2023.

In the interview, Isayama shared that his original intention was for the story to conclude within just two volumes. He went on to confess that in the early stages of serialization, he faced uncertainty about whether the series would continue or not.

“At first, the story was highly likely to finish in two volumes. I was so desperate about whether the serialization would continue.“

He also disclosed that he already had a fundamental outline for the ending from the start, although not a detailed one, and continued to spontaneously add elements to it each month.

However, as the series gained more popularity, he was hung up on finding an apt ending. Although he had a concept in mind, he began questioning the direction of the story.

But as he continued to write and solidify the groundwork, the plot eventually aligned with his original vision.

“After gaining some popularity, I thought about the desperate ending. I had that story in mind initially, but I started to question that direction. But the groundwork solidified while writing up until that point, so the story ended how I first vaguely envisioned it.“

Hajime Isayama had also cried at Anime NYC as author was on the receiving end of hate from fans over the ending of Attack on Titan.

Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It was serialized in Kodansha’s monthly magazine Bessatsu Shonen Magazine from September 2009 to April 2021, with its chapters collected in 34 tankobon volumes.

An anime television series was produced by Wit Studio (seasons 1–3) and MAPPA (season 4).

By September 2022, the manga had over 110 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. It has won several awards, including the Kodansha Manga Award, the Attilio Micheluzzi Award, and the Harvey Award.

Source: YouTube