Did Hajime Isayama Really Say He Liked NTR?

| Liz Hecateisis

In an interview published in Ningen Kokuho Subculture Den (Core Magazine, 2014), Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama made a rare and personal disclosure about his tastes in fictional themes, specifically, his interest in NTR (Netorare) stories.

The book features a 16-page segment dedicated to Isayama, focusing not on the Attack on Titan universe but on his personal opinions, lifestyle, and influences. During a Q&A conducted by editor Gou Yoshida, the following exchange was recorded:

Scanned Japanese magazine interview page featuring vertically written text in which Hajime Isayama discusses personal interests, fictional preferences limited to two-dimensional works, and the distinction between fiction and real life.

Isayama: “You ask, is there anything unusual I like? If I happen to have something resembling a fetish, I think it was when I first read Hideki Arai-sensei’s Miyamoto kara Kimi e that I developed a taste for NTR (netorare). Even though it’s limited to 2D, it’s exciting.”

Interviewer: “Although it would be disgusting if it happened in real life.”

Isayama: “That kind of thing would be unacceptable in real life and beyond unbearable. Now I feel a little sorry for myself; perhaps I shouldn’t have said so much at the end.”

Interviewer: “Do you have any final words?”

Isayama: “I think by the time this interview is over, you’ll probably lose your grip on reality. Uh. I’ve also brought the following color pages; please sign them” (Core Magazine, 2014).

Three years later, Isayama said that he “had said some things just to sound cool.”

Japanese interview scan where Hajime Isayama discusses how early success inflated his ego, how criticism grounded him, and how realizing he was not a “rock star” brought relief.

“When my manga started selling, I thought, ‘Am I different from everyone else? Maybe I’m a star?’ I did feel like one. When I was at the peak of that feeling, I was interviewed by Gou Yoshida, and things were said that I wouldn’t believe now (laughs). I think I felt like I had to say something interesting because it was Gou-san’s interview. But after that, I had a lot of setbacks and was criticized. When I thought, ‘Oh, so I’m not a star after all,’ I felt much better. I felt somewhat happy” (Core Magazine, 2014).

My Take: Isayama Liking NTR Has Nothing to Do With Jean and Mikasa

Some people try to link Isayama’s interest in NTR to how Attack on Titan ends, specifically that Jean winds up with Mikasa. It doesn’t hold up.

Jean didn’t “steal” Mikasa from Eren. Eren was already dead.

Jean is not portrayed as “disgusting” or “repulsive,” common traits of the antagonist in typical NTR narratives.

There is no infidelity, no betrayal, and no emotional manipulation present.

You can like something in fiction and still write completely different stories. Isayama said he liked NTR in 2D, not that he wanted to turn Attack on Titan into a fetish script. Isayama’s quote reflects a taste in fictional tension, not a blueprint for his storytelling. It ignores context, genre structure, and his own reflection years later when Isayama himself later said he was probably just trying to sound cool during that interview.

Source:

Cover image of Ningen Kokuho Subculture Den (Core Magazine, 2014), a Japanese subculture interview book edited by Go Yoshida, showing a collage of notable figures including Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama.

Core Magazine. (2014). Ningen Kokuho Subculture Den [Interview with Hajime Isayama by G. Yoshida]. Japan: Core Magazine.

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