As he revealed in 2014 in the magazine Brutus, to create the dark Livai in “Attack on Titan”, the mangaka Hajime Isayama was partly inspired by another equally sinister character, taken from the film ” Watchmen “.
A disillusioned expression, a dark gaze, an imperturbable expression and an exceptional talent for slicing titan with blades.
Livai Ackerman, captain of the Exploration Battalion in Attack on Titan, is arguably one of the most beloved characters for fans, and the protagonist of some of the anime’s most impressive epic sequences. Kenny and Sieg still remember it …
But while waiting to find him next year for the conclusion of the series on Wakanim, return to an interview with Hajime Isayama, author of the original manga who, in 2014, declared between the pages of the magazine Brutus that he was inspired by a famous Watchmen character to bring Livai to life.
“Livai is a character I created by accident, while I was casually doodling, and of course, I knew I was holding something.”, he said in the interview with Brutus (recently relayed by the site Hitek.com).
“And then I saw Watchmen [ndlr : réalisé par Zack Snyder en 2009, soit quelques mois avant la sortie du manga L’Attaque des Titans]. The character of Rorschach really stood out to me, and I decided I wanted to try to create a similar character, so I combined it with these sketches. “
Warner Bros.
Played by Jackie Earle Haley in Snyder’s film, Rorschach (who takes his nickname from the famous “Rorschach mark” printed on his mask) indeed shares with Livai an icy nonchalance, a ruthless determination to defeat his enemies and a small scarf white around the neck.
As Hajime Isayama also clarified, the formidable captain of the Exploration Battalion also borrows some character traits from Hiei from the manga Yū Yū Hakusho: a small character, a misanthrope and a distinguished fighter, exactly like Livai.
While waiting to discover the last part of season 4 next year, (re) discover our podcast on “Attack on Titan” …
