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Hajime Isayama, the creator, author, and illustrator of the Attack on Titan manga series, announced last month that he would be attending the Anime NYC convention.
The Anime NYC convention is one of the largest in the US convention scene, boasting a plethora of series announcements, trailer releases, episode premieres, and more over the course of its three-day event.
Isayama initially expressed his excitement at attending his first stateside convention, having previously only attended domestic Japanese conventions. However, the Attack on Titan mangaka has recently released a message asking for fans' support, especially given how controversial the series' ending was in the west.
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Follow along as this article deconstructs the most recent news regarding Hajime Isayama's presence at Anime NYC.
Attack on Titan’s Hajime Isayama 'forced to demand respect from western fans' in fear of attack over the series’ ending
Hajime Isayama and Kodansha, Attack on Titan's publisher, recently sent out a message with a request for fans in light of his upcoming appearance at Anime NYC. In the message, Isayama expresses his excitement to meet American fans, citing the influence Hollywood movies, TV shows, and other American cultural aspects had on his series.
He continues by stating that he is well aware of how divisive the series' ending is in the West. Though he did not mention it, Isayama did receive death threats and personal attacks online, following the conclusion of the series. As a result, he explains that, while he welcomes people's honest opinions, he asks that they be presented with kindness.
He concludes by saying that he's both excited and nervous about attending Anime NYC and that despite his concerns about the aforementioned issues, he's looking forward to his visit.
Fans of Isayama and Attack on Titan have commented on how subtly sad Isayama's request is. Many people think it's ridiculous that he has to ask so-called "overseas fans" to be kind and respectful to him. One Twitter user even described Isayama's reaction as "fear," which isn't an exaggeration given the online attacks.
In any case, no author should be attacked personally for telling the story they want to tell. Making death threats, attempting to dox these creators, and engaging in other forms of online harassment are simply unnecessary in these situations. If nothing else, Isayama's request demonstrates how traumatized he is from having to deal with these threats and harassment on a near-daily basis since Attack on Titan ended.
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