DEATH TO THE TITANS
Attack On Titan060 | W W W. S C I FI N OW.CO.U K
is the most capable physically and she’s not
hyper-sexualised.”
Mikasa is one of three central orphaned
youngsters in the series, who are bonded
together like a family. Another of the trio
is Armin, who’s a delicate boy, cowardly-
seeming at times, but with a brilliant
mind. “Armin is not capable in battle,” says
Nishimura, “but he has a strategic mind
that the team leans on. Plus he is the most
emotional character in the series. The idea
that the female lead would be the best
fighter, and a male lead would be allowed to
cry in the series is something I never saw in
the media growing up.”
The other focal character in AOT is the boy
Eren, whose story is packed with surprises.
He often seems defined by fury and trauma;
his mother was devoured by a Titan before
his eyes. Eren spends much time shouting
survivor,” says Nishimura. “Other people’s
opinions of her are irrelevant. The only thing
that matters to her is keeping her people safe.
She is honest 100% of the time as a character
and her motivations are clear.”
Mikasa is very often described as a
‘badass’ character. Asked if that’s a fitting
label, Nishimura tells us: “If disregarding
society’s opinions, accolades, or critiques of
oneself makes you a badass, then fuck yeah,
she’s bad.”
Yet Mikasa and Eren aren’t just fighters.
They have especially deep feelings for
each other, as they were raised together for
several years by Eren’s mother. “There’s one
moment that stands out,” says Papenbrook.
“In the midst of a battle, there’s a moment
of connection between them. Time seems to
stand still and Eren promises to always wrap
Mikasa’s scarf around her. I thought that was
an amazing scene.”
For fans who embrace AOT’s world,
it’s a formidable franchise. As well as the
main manga and anime versions, it’s also
spun-off videogames, prequels and side-
stories (a prequel manga series, Before The
Fall, ran to 17 volumes). There was also a
two-part live-action Japanese film, though
this took huge liberties with the storyline
and was slammed by many fans. Since
2018, a possible Hollywood film version has
been in development, with It director Andy
Muschietti attached.
Whether the Hollywood version happens
or not, Denison says: “Even from early in
the franchise’s life, there were lots of
ways for Japanese fans to see, read and
otherwise consume AOT, and this has
helped the franchise to find fans. And then
keep them.” There was even an ‘official’
slapstick parody, Attack On Titan: Junior
High, which transferred the characters to a
high-school setting. Junior High was made
as both a manga and an anime TV series; the
‘real’ Titan actors voiced their characters in
the anime.
“It was so much fun to let loose,” says
Papenbrook. “It was hilarious to make really
goofy sounds as Eren. The comedy made
some of the screams even more extreme,
and my voice actually gave out during one
recording session.”
However, the main AOT story remains
dead serious. No-one except Isayama and
his publishers knows if the fan-favourite
characters will reach the imminent ending
alive. Nishimura says: “I always hope for a
happy ending. This series has been such a
roller coaster that I have no idea what will
happen. I hope for the best, but I think the
creators have done such an amazing job that
I trust whatever their final conclusion is.”Attack On Titan Season Three ‘Part Two’
is released by Manga Entertainment on
23 March.or screaming in rage. Papenbrook confesses
he’s an exhausting character to voice:
“It’s true that Eren is extremely angry,”
says Papenbrook, “When I’m in the booth
recording, I try to live in the moment as the
character as much as I can, and Eren goes
to some very dark places. I pushed myself
to feel that same pain, and I hope it came
through in my performance.”
Eren has a particularly alarming habit of
self-harming. At key moments, he bites down
hard on his own hand, for reasons we won’t
spoil. “It may sound real,” says Papenbrook,
“because I bit my hand too and was left
pretty bruised. I wouldn’t recommend trying
that technique yourself.”
In contrast, Mikasa looks eerily detached,
even serene, in her aerial battles, shooting
and spinning through the air to deal death
to the Titans. “I think that Mikasa is aThe humans in AOT
live behind giant walls.Humans have regressed
to a quasi-Medieval state.