Attack on Titan English VA explores Eren Yeager's darkness by biting his own hand

Wednesday, November 1, 2023, saw some intriguing news come out regarding the English dub production process of the globally beloved and critically acclaimed Attack on Titan anime. According to these latest reports, English voice actor Bryce Papenbrook (who plays protagonist Eren Yeager in the dubbed version) bit his own hand during filming.

While seemingly tame in and of itself, Papenbrook began biting his own hand so hard in the booth during the recording session that he bruised it. It’s also said that in another session, the Attack on Titan star unhinged his own jaw to be able to convey the pain Eren was going through for a particular scene.

While some may view this as going unnecessarily over the top in recording a performance, Papenbrook seemingly disagrees, saying it’s worth it to go to those “dark places.” Papenbrook also said that he loves that he gets to play the Attack on Titan protagonist in “so many different ways,” likely referring to the emotional range of Eren’s character throughout the series.

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Attack on Titan English dub VA proves dedication to performance by going as far as to bruise his own hand

This information from Papenbrook came when the Attack on Titan star stopped by the New York Comic Con. He was joined by Mikasa Ackerman’s English voice actor, Trina Nishimura. The two reflected on their journeys with their respective characters, as well as the dark places the show forced them to go, given its subject matter and overarching plotline.

Papenbrook also shared that he was a fan of the series long before he was cast for the role of Eren, explaining that he was more than familiar with what the role would demand and entail. In fact, Papenbrook’s dedication to the role was so intense that Nishimura was allegedly nervous to meet him since they didn’t get to record lines together at first.

Nishimura also elaborated, however, that his intensity inspired her own performances. She specifically recalled recording for the end of the third season, where Mikasa must choose who to save with the Titan serum. Allegedly, she sobbed through the entire session due to intensely feeling the weight placed on Mikasa's shoulders by having to make such a harrowing decision.

Attack on Titan The Final Chapters Special 2 will air in Japan on Sunday, November 5, 2023, at 12 am Japanese Standard Time, and will be available to stream on Crunchyroll shortly after. However, Papenbrook and Nishimura’s final appearances as their respective characters won’t come for quite some time, with the special episode’s English dub set to be released in 2024. A narrower release window is expected to be announced in the coming months.

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Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.