One of the best anime series of all time, Attack on Titan recently ended after releasing its final chapter to the world, thus marking the conclusion of Hajime Isayama’s brilliant story. The biggest debate regarding the series was between anime and manga as to which portrayed the storyline better for the audience.
Some fans believed that many characters were done justice in the manga while some believed that the anime had a better portrayal of emotions as it had the support of the voice actors behind it. There was one character though, that almost every fan believed was better in anime than manga. The character in the discussion is Zeke Yeager.
Zeke Yeager was one of the main antagonists of the series who many considered to be the biggest manipulator in the entire Attack on Titan series. In the manga, his character could not bring out the shrewd and cold personality of Zeke, but the anime did justice to his character and his personality traits.
Zeke Yeager’s Personality in Attack on Titan
Former Marley’s Warrior Unit captain Zeke Yeager was tasked with capturing the Founding Titan from the Paradis Island Eldians. He was regarded as one of the strongest warriors and the heir to the Beast Titan.
To fulfill his personal goal of bringing about the extinction of his people—which he saw as “salvation”—he tricked and manipulated both sides of the battle between Eldia and Marley. As Eren Yeager’s elder half-brother, Zeke was a member of the royal family via his mother’s side and the son of Grisha Yeager.
Though not overtly irrational, Zeke gave off the impression of being a cold, merciless, and sardonic person. Zeke believes that the only way to end the world’s suffering is to eliminate the Eldians from the picture, which is why he planned to carry out his euthanasia plan. His personality and his impression were not shown perfectly in the manga. However, the anime perfectly showed his cruel and cold personality making him one of the most evil characters of the series.
Zeke Yeager’s Character Was Portrayed Better in Anime Than in Manga
Takehito Koyasu provided the voice of the character Zeke. For this reason, one could argue that Zeke is better portrayed in the anime. Koyasu brings to life Zeke’s dark sense of humor and the suppressed emotions resulting from his difficult upbringing.
In the anime, Zeke’s unique character traits are portrayed more comprehensively. The voice acting skills of Koyasu project a calculated charisma through his cold and occasionally indifferent temperament.
Additionally, anime did a far better job of depicting his titan form than manga did. Zeke’s vicious side is more evident in the anime, where his cunning and brutal style of fighting is displayed in all its splendor. Thus it can be said that the anime did more justice to the overall portrayal of Zeke’s character than the manga ever could.
