Attack on Titan Creator Confesses He Is No Longer Working: “I Don’t Think I Could Write Anything Like AOT”

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Hajime Isayama’s popular manga, Attack on Titan, finished its 12-year run in 2021. The anime adaptation, which premiered in 2013, quickly gained a dedicated following with its compelling and heartbreaking story. It was even recognized with the first-ever Global Impact Award at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards on May 25, 2025. While some fans were initially unhappy with the manga’s ending, the anime production also changed. After Season 3, the studio WIT was unable to maintain the demanding production schedule, so MAPPA – known for Jujutsu Kaisen – took over and adapted the final season. This resulted in even higher quality animation and boosted the series’ popularity.

The ending of Attack on Titan was initially met with some criticism, but the studio’s skillful adaptation and a few changes based on the creator’s feedback largely addressed those concerns. The final season, which aired from 2020 to 2023, continued Eren’s story after a four-year jump in time and included two parts plus two special episodes. Even though the main story has finished in both the anime and manga, the franchise continues to release new content. Most recently, a remastered version of Attack on Titan: The Final Chapter – The Last Attack was shown in Dolby Cinema theaters on January 9th, 2026. During an event for the premiere, creator Hajime Isayama assured fans he isn’t working on any new series.

Attack on Titan Creator Faces Burnout After The Story’s Ending

According to Oricon, Hajime Isayama shared a message during a public event featuring the director, Yuichiro Hayashi, and the voice actors for Eren (Yuki Kaji), Mikasa (Yui Ishikawa), and Armin (Marina Inoue). Isayama explained that while the manga and anime have finished, he’s no longer drawing regularly. He’s done some work like illustrations and signings, and helped with Yuki Kaji’s Breeze Project, but he’s stepped back from daily drawing.

He clarifies that he’s actually very busy and definitely not living a life of leisure. He assures readers his daily routine is nothing like the unemployed, reclusive lifestyle he once imagined while creating his work.

The author admits to feeling completely drained after finishing Attack on Titan. They explain that even with more free time, they doubt they could create something original now, fearing it would just feel like a rehash of ideas already used in Attack on Titan. They describe the experience as having given everything they had until there was nothing left.

Throughout the manga’s run, the author felt creatively stifled and worn out, even before reaching the story’s divisive conclusion. He was deeply affected by the negative reaction from fans and often wished he could have altered the ending. This feeling motivated him to become heavily involved in the anime adaptation, where he wrote new scenes to explore different possibilities.

At the event, Kaji shared that Isayama is doing great, reassuring fans after his recent message. With the anime now complete, Isayama isn’t currently working on any new projects. While fans are eager for another story, he’s planning to take a well-deserved break, which is perfectly understandable.

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2026-01-11 02:40