Wit Studio's George Wada Says Attack On Titan Was The Studio's Only First Project
Wada's account ties Wit Studio's identity and its global reach to a single, unmade-alternative decision, at a moment when the studio is applying the same logic to One Piece, one of Japan's best-known manga.
Key Facts
- Wit Studio president George Wada said Attack on Titan was the only project the studio considered for its first anime.
- Wada chose the Attack on Titan manga because he thought it fit director Tetsuro Araki.
- Wit Studio grew from six people to more than 300, according to Wada.
- Wit Studio is preparing The One Piece for release in February 2027.
- Tokyo Anime Next is scheduled for Ikebukuro from October 30 to November 2, 2026.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime News Network, OtakuKart Anime.
Wit Studio president George Wada said Attack on Titan was the only project the studio considered for its first anime. Speaking with Anime News Network at Anime Expo 2026, Wada said he chose Hajime Isayama's manga because it fit director Tetsuro Araki and because the studio's own situation matched the story. "It was the only one," he said when asked whether other options were discussed. Wada said the series helped Japanese anime reach audiences worldwide and showed what Japanese animation could do. He also noted the studio grew from six people to more than 300. Wada said Wit Studio is preparing The One Piece for release in February 2027, and he described some fear and anxiety about the adaptation alongside greater excitement. He also mentioned Tokyo Anime Next, an international animation event in Ikebukuro from October 30 to November 2, 2026.
Wada said Tetsuya Nakatake showed him the first promotional video before it went public. "Isn't this incredible? We should be proud that we're able to make something like this," Nakatake told him.
The studio's later work includes The Ancient Magus' Bride and the first season of Vinland Saga, plus Ranking of Kings and SPY x FAMILY. Wada said the through-line from Attack on Titan to The One Piece is a wish to pursue "forms of expression that can only be achieved through animation." He pointed to co-founders Nakatake and Kyoji Asano, saying their stories about a protagonist confronting difficulty shape what Wit Studio picks.
- Eiichiro Oda's One Piece already has a running anime and a live-action version, and Wada said the new take should introduce the manga to more people.
- Tokyo Anime Next runs in Ikebukuro from October 30 to November 2, 2026, as a launch event for a yearly international animation festival planned for 2027.
- The event is organized by the Association of Japanese Animations with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and was announced during the Production I.G x Wit Studio panel at Anime Expo.
Wada said he pushed for the event because Japan lacked a large, established awards showcase for animation. He credited Masahiko Minami of BONES with the line that a studio's time to leave comes once people forget what it made.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.