The Attack on Titan voice actors embodied the dark premise of the Japanese anime, enhancing the series with layers of emotions that elevated the story. Over three years after the Hajime Isayama eponymous manga series debuted in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine, it made its way to the screen. The anime premiered in April 2013 and concluded in November 2023. This was after four seasons of an exciting post-apocalyptic tale that became one of the greatest animes ever made.
Apart from its unique story set in a world where humans are confined to live behind massive walls to stay safe from giant humanoids, the series received universal acclaim for its action sequences, animation, and voice acting. Attack on Titan follows Eren Yeager on a vengeful mission to exterminate the Titans after the man-eating humanoids destroyed his hometown and ate his mom. Among the many awards the series bagged, it won the 2015 BTVA People’s Choice Voice Acting Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in an Anime Television Series/OVA. Meet the anime’s performers.
Yuki Kaji And Bryce Papenbrook As Eren Yeager
Eren Yeager is the series’ protagonist — a complex character determined to rid the world of Titans. Japanese actor Yūki Kaji and American voice actor Bryce Papenbrook voiced the character in Japanese and English, respectively. Both actors are grateful for the role. Kaji regards the final part of the series as the most memorable moment in his voice-acting career.
Papenbrook shared a similar sentiment on January 9, 2024, asserting that he poured his heart into the project. “My blood, sweat & tears were shed in the booth voicing Eren in Attack on Titan over the past decade, and I’m so incredibly grateful for the life-changing experience… I’m so proud to be part of this cast and to help tell this masterpiece of a story,” reads his post about the role on Instagram.
Yui Ishikawa And Trina Nishimura As Mikasa Ackerman
Japanese actress Yui Ishikawa voiced Eren Yeager’s friend Mikasa Ackerman. For the English dub, American voice actress Trina Nishimura embodied the character who cares for Eren without much interest in anything else. But as the series unfolds, she must choose between saving the world and her loyalty to Eren.
Ishikawa and Nishimura are both surprised by Attack on Titan’s popularity. “I knew it was popular, but I had no idea how explosive it would be,” Nishimura told Anime News Network. Ishikawa expected it “to be somewhat huge” but didn’t imagine it would gain worldwide popularity. “I’m really excited to be here as part of this project in America at Anime Expo,” she told the publication.
Marina Inoue And Jessie James Grelle As Armin Arlert
Armin Arlert is also a childhood friend of Eren. Like Mikasa, he was caught between his loyalty to Eren and saving humanity. He makes a difficult choice and settles for peace, putting his intelligent and analytical mind to good use for the world’s sake. Japanese voice actress Marina Inoue portrayed the male character vocally, while American voiceover talent Jessie James Grelle voiced the English version.
For Inoue, the role resonates with why she got into voice acting. She fell in love with the profession because of Megumi Ogata — another Japanese voice actress renowned for playing characters outside her gender and age range. Grelle has also acknowledged several times that the role changed their life. “It’s no understatement to say that Attack on Titan changed my life forever,” they wrote in a January 2024 X post.
Yoshimasa Hosoya And Robert McCollum As Reiner Braun
Perhaps the most complex character in the series, Yoshimasa Hosoya is the vocal talent behind the Japanese voice of Reiner Braun. Robert McCollum brought the character to life in English. As the child of an Eldian mother and Marleyan father, Reiner personifies the complicated nature of the conflict between the Eldians and the Marleyans.
Speaking on the character’s opposing personalities, Hosoya related that while voicing the character, he “felt like there was a real Reiner and a fake Reiner at the same time.” McCollum expressed a similar thought about the character. He told Spoiler Force Podcast that he felt sympathy for Reiner because he’s a victim of other people’s games. “I totally feel like he’s a pawn, and it’s even sadder because he’s aware he’s a pawn and still has to go through with it,” said the American performer.
Hiroshi Kamiya And Matthew Mercer As Levi Ackerman
Levi Ackerman is Attack on Titan’s most powerful character. An elite member of the Survey Corps, a group of soldiers fighting the Titans, Levi devotes himself to whatever cause he finds worthy of his skills. Apart from his fighting prowess, the character’s blunt demeanor, respect for authority, and intolerance for mess rank among the attributes that endeared him to fans. Though a supporting character, his journey is crucial to the primary storyline, especially as a mentor to the main characters. Hiroshi Kamiya and Matthew Mercer are the vocal talents behind the Japanese and English versions of the character.
Kamiya didn’t know what to do with the character when he landed the role. “I felt great pressure,” he told ANIPLUS, but “studying the character and watching the animated action scenes and expressions made things easier… all that’s left to follow up on, is the emotional part of my acting,” added the Japanese voice actor. In a different interview with ComingSoon, Mercer described the role as every actor’s dream. “It’s been an absolute joy to perform this extremely complicated, dark, intense, and still kind of heroic character,” he said.
Apart from the main characters, other notable cast members of Attack on Titan include:
- Jean Kirstein voiced by Kishō Taniyama (Japanese) and Mike McFarland (English)
- Connie Springer voiced by Hiro Shimono (Japanese) and Clifford Chapin (English)
- Hange Zoe voiced by Romi Park (Japanese) and Jessica Calvello (English)
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