Board Thread:Manga/@comment-5774380-20160808233126/@comment-5774380-20160810200556

That's just a fragment of Fukushuu's translation:

INTRODUCTION: At last, whilst surrounding the basement, the faceoff between humanity and Titans has arrived. How exactly does our author see the trio of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, who have returned to Shiganshina once again? Let us speak to Isayama-sensei regarding the direction of their growths.

– We have finally reached the thrilling Battle for Shiganshina! Compared to the beginning of the story, the main trio are now much more experienced.

Isayama: The Eren at the start used rage as his motivation. The type of anger he possessed mainly stemmed from frustration at his inability to leave the walls. Of course, the murder of his mother and other injustices both became sources also. His retaliation against such pressures triggered all this fury, and that’s what this series describes at first.

– In that case, is the Eren in manga volume 3 - the Eren battling Titans yet still under the suspicion of humans - still reacting with the same type of anger?

Isayama: Actually for that scene, I actually think I portrayed Eren a bit too calmly. The Eren at that time didn’t want to involve Mikasa and Armin, but he also realized that he cannot resolve anything alone. That’s when he became more reliant on Armin little by little. To this day, I still wonder, “Ah, how should I illustrate that kind of sentiment?” Even though Eren is the one who will advance the plot, it was important for Armin to gain self-confidence through some sort of “rite of passage.” The scene should have that feeling.

– Indeed, through using that scene as a release valve for development, not only does Eren gain growth, Armin can change and mature as well.

Isayama: Even though Armin always clutched to the wish of “being with Eren and Mikasa forever,” his self-doubt of “I’ll never compare to these two” always lingers. On the one hand he wonders if he’s “powerless and useless,” but he still denies it stubbornly with “that can’t be the case, right?” While possessing this attitude, he follows Eren and Mikasa closely. The valve’s “release” came when Eren and Mikasa both relied on Armin, leading him to also gain confidence in the idea of “being together is wonderful.” However, the Armin right now likely has inferiority bubbling inside him, so he may have a different perspective than others.

– So in the upcoming developments, Armin’s desire to catch up to Eren and Mikasa will guide his actions, leading to him potentially deviating his methods from those of his friends? Will Mikasa still be as calm as before?

Isayama: For Mikasa personally, protecting Eren is priority no matter what, even if she has to take part in some petty actions secretly. But towards Armin and the others, she believes that they should be capable of taking care of themselves. For Mikasa, the “rite of passage” that was her parents’ tragic deaths had overwhelming influence on her. When they were killed, the world she had believed in utterly crumbled, and Mikasa was awakened under those circumstances - losing all of her innocence in the process. At that time Eren allowed her to discover renewed value again, like that of a newborn bird’s first glimpse at a grown one - it was that kind of admiration and trust. Thus, she swore to follow Eren. However, Eren was actually even more childish than Mikasa. As his committed caretaker, she also thinks at times, “Ay, what a worrisome child.” (laughs)