Spoilers for Assault on Titan are down beneath – beware when you’re not caught up on the darkish anime!
When the finale of Assault on Titan was launched in 2023, I knew that attempting to keep away from spoilers for the months we needed to wait was going to be close to unattainable for me. As somebody who’s chronically on-line, the thought of sidestepping them on social media felt inconceivable, so I caved and browse the ending by way of the manga. Nevertheless, the English voice actors advised me one thing they did relating to spoilers, and truthfully, I am unable to consider they had been in a position to do that.
In honor of the compilation movie Assault on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK, releasing for a restricted time in American theaters from February tenth to the thirteenth, I had the prospect to talk to Bryce Papenbrook and Trina Nishimura, the English dub actors behind Eren and Mikasa. I knew I needed to ask if the 2 knew the story going into the present, and Papenbrook revealed that each he and Trina made a pact to not be spoiled – for the complete story:
Each Trina and I selected to not be spoiled. We selected to not learn the manga and to not know and to go on this journey with our characters. And I believe that actually helped to really feel that emotion within the second. So when these strains come throughout, they arrive throughout as true and genuine.
The concept of one way or the other not studying Assault on Titan if you find yourself actually working on the present seems like my precise nightmare. Nonetheless, Papenbrook mentioned that it was one thing he and Trina actually wished to expertise first-hand. The voice actor even mentioned that he had the prospect to satisfy the creator of the manga – Hajime Isayama – and advised him that he did not know what would occur subsequent. The creator’s response was all the things:
I used to be honored to have quarter-hour in his schedule to have the ability to discuss to him – and we talked for 45 minutes and it was unimaginable. I advised him that I did not know what was going to occur, and at this level, we had been in the midst of recording Season 4, and his response was the very best response I’ve ever heard. He simply mentioned, ‘Eren is aware of greater than you,’ and that’s the neatest thing you possibly can inform somebody at that time within the story.
Trina Nishimura (Mikasa, who is among the most badass non-Titan consumer characters) additionally caught to their “no-spoiling” rule and in addition mentioned {that a} massive purpose apart from their pact is that their English director, Mike McFarland, mentioned, “go on the journey” with the character fairly than discovering out forward of time:
He and I had labored on a number of tasks earlier than, and he was like, ‘Hey, I actually need you to only type of go on the journey together with her and do not watch forward of time and do not learn forward of time…’ it was positively wonderful to have the ability to expertise the world as Mikasa was experiencing it and never know what was going to occur and simply absolutely immerse your self within the story. It was exhausting. I needed to get off Twitter. Individuals would come up at conventions or I’d meet individuals they usually’d be like, ‘Oh, have you ever learn the top? Have you learnt what occurs?’ I am like, ‘Please do not inform me, please do not inform me!’ It was actually exhausting to keep away from spoilers, however one way or the other we did it for 10 years. That was fairly cool
Ten years… my God! Assault on Titan is a superb collection and truthfully one of many greatest anime to begin out on, however one way or the other avoiding spoilers for that lengthy astounds me, particularly relating to the voice actors. I imply, avoiding that bittersweet ending? Eren’s loss of life? I am unable to even fathom it.
It isn’t even that they had been voicing the characters for that lengthy—between 2013 and 2017, there was a four-year break within the anime, so that they needed to attempt to keep away from spoilers throughout that point, too. I am actually having a panic assault fascinated about it.
Some individuals on the market are simply moving into and ending Assault on Titan for the primary time and experiencing the unbelievable world the collection has to supply. However on the very least, Papenbrook and Nishimura know the ending like the remainder of us, so we are able to all take a collective sigh of reduction.
The 2 did get to reprise the roles for the brand new post-credit scene in Assault on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK, so be sure you test it out in theaters for its restricted launch – after which relive the ache of the anime another time with AOT’s heartbreaking deaths. Let’s preserve the ache practice going for all of us and keep away from giving spoilers to those that have not seen the present!