Attack on Titan is renowned for its emotional depth and character development, and every personality brings something unique to the table. Even the series' creator, Hajime Isayama, is not immune to the charm of his own characters, but his absolute favorite one will likely shock fans of Attack on Titan.

Isayama actually has two favorite characters, saying that his top pick changes over time. Isayama's other favorite is Reiner Braun, an Honorary Marleyan with the power of the Armored Titan, and he's also a fan-favorite. Isayama's other top pick, on the other hand, is an unsung hero of the series, a bastion of the Survey Corps, and more compelling than people give him credit for.

Isayama Sees Jean As A Representative Of Humanity

Jean Was One Of The Easiest Attack On Titan Characters For Isayama To Write

In the past, Isayama has expressed great fondness for Jean Kirstner, even calling him his favorite character at AnimeNYC 2022. Attack on Titan is a series about the myths built around people, as well as about mythological people. Part of the reason Attack on Titan's emotional elements are so effective amid its intense action and looming mystery is because of the natural exaggeration of its cast's personalities. Isayama singled out Armin and Jean once during an interview about Jean in the fourth volume of Gekkan Shingeki no Kyojin, where he said:

In my own view, I created Jean and Armin as representatives of humanity. They are not bad people, but they are also not purely righteous people, either. Sometimes they have a sly [cunning] way of thinking, tell lies, and there are also times when they are confused. I wanted them to be characters whom readers can sympathize with and relate them to actual human beings. However, as the story progresses, Armin has grown to be an excellent individual, while Jean is left to be the only true representative of humans.

To be the "only true representative of humans" is a heavy burden to bear, but if any character from Attack on Titan fits the bill, it's Jean. While his arc shows heavy character development, he never becomes a hero on his own. Starting off rude and bratty, jealous over Mikasa's affections for Eren, and full of himself, Jean had character flaws, but they were never fatal. Jean wavers easily and his growth feels remarkably human, so in the same interview, it comes as no surprise when Isayama says:

While drawing [Jean], there are often times when I think, “It’s good to have Jean as SnK’s main character, huh?” There are many times where I can’t relate to Eren’s way of thinking, however it is easier with Jean. It’s reasonable for normal human beings to react like him, so that’s what I interpret. It’s easy to bring out his human nature, thus he is a character that I am able to understand while drawing him.

Jean Is The Bridge For The Viewer

Jean Has The Journey Attack On Titan's Viewers Would

Jean is the character who brings the viewer (or reader) most into Attack on Titan, feeling like they're part of the world. As a trainee, he's initially driven toward ing the Military Police because he wants a simple life. During his time as a trainee, he becomes closer to the big-hearted and intelligent Marco. His friendship with Marco would turn out to be pivotal for him as a character.

Marco found Jean to be ordinary, but also exceptional. He understood people who were weaker and unmotivated, but he also refused to let them not even try. Marco's death in season 1, sacrificed by Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt, would have a profound influence on Jean's character arc in two ways. Jean loved Marco, Reiner, and Bertholdt, and the betrayal by the latter two in killing the former was profoundly upsetting.

In both his good and his bad, Jean holds Attack on Titan's most realistic personality and abilities, making him easy to identify with.

After finding Marco's corpse in the ruins, he's completely devastated. He starts becoming closer to Connie and Jean, and also its he had been chasing a feeling of safety and an easy life by wanting to the Military Police, instead ing the Survey Corps at the last second. This was in part to honor Marco's memory. However, he also decided he wanted to contribute to the world and not be a deadbeat. This, in turn, impresses everyone—including Mikasa. Eren and Jean's rivalry cools off sometime afterward, as well.

In every mission, Jean would prove himself to be a capable fighter, leader, and even as clever as Armin. Although his personality could be rough around the edges thanks to his self-centered egotism, he was nonetheless a devoted, protective friend. Jean was never a strategic genius like Armin, nor a combat master like Levi, nor a world-destroying Titan like Eren. He simply tried his hardest to make the best out of the hand he was dealt. In both his good and his bad, Jean holds Attack on Titan's most realistic personality and abilities, making him easy to identify with.

How Isayama's Appreciation For Jean Drove Attack On Titan

Isayama Channeled Jean To Keep The Other Characters Human

Isayama said that in his head, Jean would serve as the main character. Even when he was writing other characters, Jean would serve as a foundation that he could identify with to reconstruct their emotions and responses. Jean's presence in the story is often underappreciated, but this becomes especially clear as the final part of Attack on Titan starts to unfold.

During the invasion of Marley, Jean represents an empathetic, human presence. He refused to attack children or civilians, even if he would sometimes act like it. As Eren moved further away from the intentions of the Survey Corps (and Paradis generally), Jean and Connie refused to turn their backs on him. Jean also forgives Reiner after he shows remorse and fights to save Paradis instead of letting it be destroyed. During the Rumbling, Jean saves Reiner and the two hang in Eren's skeleton, and it feels biblical, framing Jean as a saint who has forgiven Reiner's sins.

These emotions form a baseline against which the more radical reactions of characters like Eren, Reiner, or Armin can contrast. It's often left unspoken, but Jean's character development is the most significant in the entire story, and also the most believable. He had always had comion and devotion at his core, but tragedies, betrayals, and instability polish those qualities and bring them out. He becomes a nobler and more honorable person, but not through any magical transformation; he simply responds to life's hardships in kind.

His relatability becomes especially evident when looking at how he recalls Marco. He sometimes fondly recalls Marco, but over time, his descriptions of Marco change. Paradis is a society without photographs. Jean's descriptions change because he forgets Marco's face, but never the fondness he felt towards him, nor his impact. Later, when Armin and Mikasa have the same problem (like Armin saying Eren had green eyes), Isayama's comments make one wonder if he discovered this realistic dynamic through writing Jean.

Jean is an average guy, with average abilities. His story is about the way hardships affect the average person, but also make them not-so-average people. Despite the deaths of close friends and comrades like Marco or Sasha, Jean presses forward, using the pain as a force to create himself. Through hard work and self-creation, he becomes a hero worthy of the attention he always wanted, and he even winds up with Mikasa. Since he shows how the series' themes directly affect its audience, it's no surprise that Jean is one of Isayama's favorite characters in Attack on Titan.