Three years after the Attack on Titan manga ended – and 15 years since it began – series creator Hajime Isayama is ready to tackle a new project. This time, he worked closely with Yuki Kaji, Eren Yeager's voice actor.
The social media account @/AttackOnFans on X (formerly Twitter) recently shared the preview page for Soyogi Fractal, a new spinoff manga inspired by Kaji's singing avatar, Soyogi Soyogi. The character Soyogi uses the same voice synthesis software as Vocaloid-based performers to recreate and manipulate Kaji's voice. The Soyogi Fractal project was established to celebrate Kaji's 20th anniversary as a voice actor.
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Although Isayama will oversee the story and manuscript, he will not illustrate Soyogi Fractal. An audition is currently being held to find artists to work on this project on the official website. From now until April 30, artists can submit their interpretations of the final act based on Isayama's storyboards available on the Soyogi Fractal website. Based on the preview pages, the story – written by Kaji – will deal with his character's AI origins and the anxiety surrounding the controversial software.
Eren's voice actor in Attack on Titan called the use of AI “scary” and “scary”
Last December, Kaji expressed disappointment over AI software being used to copy his and other people's voices without consent. “I think it's scary, or rather, it's scary that something I don't sing about or talk about is going around the world as if it really happened,” Kaji said. While Kaiji can understand the appeal of these AI-driven clips giving fans the “dream collaboration” they've always wanted, he believes it's disrespectful to those who stand behind the characters. “Selfishly toying with them like that, turning them into so-called 'toys', risks damaging those people's self-esteem. In terms of love and respect for the work, it is extremely disappointing and inconsiderate.”
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Soyogi Fractal will launch this summer in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine and Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. Currently, the project is designed as a one-shot story. The Attack on Titan anime series is available on Crunchyroll and Hulu. Kodansha USA handles English distribution of the manga.
Attack the giant
Created by Hajime Isayama
First movie Attack the giant
Airing date of the first episode September 28, 2013
Source: X (formerly Twitter), Soyogi Fractal website