Attack on Titan voice actor Yuki Kaji says the story of his character and protagonist Eren moved him to tears while recording. The second half of Attack on Titan's final season premiered on January 10. The anime will close out its four-season run having received critical acclaim and amassing a wide international following, with critics commending the story, themes, voice acting, and animation. Seen as a cornerstone in anime, Attack on Titan is popular with cosplayers and artists, with many taking inspiration from its unique design and imaginative world-building.
Based on the manga of the same name, Attack on Titan follows Eren in his fight against the Titans, a species of giant humanoids who seek to destroy what's left of humanity. In the first episode, his mother is consumed by Titans, encouraging him to join the Survey Corps to combat them, eventually gaining the power to transform into a Titan to fight them directly. As time goes on, Eren's actions become more extreme as he continually decides to fight and kill other humans to protect his own people.
In a translated Twitter thread from Attack On Fans, Kaji talks about how Eren's development and emotions in Attack on Titan season 4 brought him to tears. Having to record lines on his own, he says he couldn't stop shedding tears while having to perform Eren's role. He talks about the deep connection he feels to the character and all the suffering Eren endured and how that impacted his performance. Read his translated quote below:
"Even if you think about it carefully, you'll feel how painful he had to feel. When I was reading the script and dubbing some scenes from home on my own, at the time I couldn't stop thinking about it. Even though I had already read the manga and knew what was going to happen when it came to acting I really felt what Eren felt and couldn't stop shedding tears."
With the highly anticipated ending to Attack on Titan coming up, fans have a lot to look forward to in the action-packed final season. In the fourth season, Eren has reemerged from hiding after losing his left leg in the war between the Mid-East and Marley. He starts going to more extreme measures to protect his homeland of Parabis and the residents within, given his vastly limited life expectancy due to his Titan transforming ability.
Anime has been gradually making its way into mainstream popularity, with Attack on Titan one of the genre's most popular examples. More and more, people in the west are realizing the value in the storytelling of other cultures, and Eren's journey has been one of the most emotional arcs in Attack on Titan given all of the sacrifices he has had to make. With Kaji having voiced the character since 2013, it's only natural for him to get emotional over his character's ending. However, that also speaks volumes to what fans can expect when watching Attack on Titan's season 4 finale. Given the actor's reaction, Eren's ending is sure to be just as memorable and exciting as the rest of the series.
Source: @AttackOnFans