Some other pieces of war-focused media lean towards romanticizing triumphs in battle, and theaction-packed moments of fights. On the contrary,Attack on Titantakes a much more realistic, sobering approach, honing in on the harm war causes rather than focusing on victories. At first glance, I was a little horrified at how dismalAttack on Titanwas from the very first episode, which did not at all shy away from portraying gruesome displays of violence.
In the first episode, the fearsome Titans toppled Wall Maria, the one barricade protecting the Eldians from the creatures' wrath. Eren’s mother, Carla Yeager, was pinned down by falling debris, and although Eren and the others attempted in vain to rescue her, their efforts were futile.
Carla was bitten in half right in front of her son, creating a nauseating torrent of blood. This early attack claimed so many victims, and set the stage for the rest of the series, revealing how little protection the walls actually offered residents from the hulking beasts who threatened their lives daily.
I Appreciate HowAttack on TitanDoes Not Romanticize Times of War
Mangaka Hajime Isayama’s Sobering Realism Is Jarring, but Necessary for the Heavy Subject Matter
I was certainly expecting violence fromAttack on Titanbased on the premise, butthe sheer intensity and realism caught me off guard.The main war that takes place inAttack on Titanis multilayered and goes a lot deeper than just humans vs. Titans, since there are numerous smaller conflicts between countries, one of the most significant in the seriesbeing Eldia vs. Marley. These gory battles took a physical and mental toll on every single character, in a myriad of ways, ranging from injuries and losing loved ones to mental illness and steadily growing resentment.
Attack On Titan’s Creator Has A Favorite Character, And It’s Not The One You Would Expect
Attack on Titan’s creator Hajime Isayama has a character he holds in high regard, but the reasoning is more subtle than most fans would anticipate.
Most series and movies obviously agree that war is a bad thing, but I appreciated howAttack on Titanreallydelves into the specific negative effectsthat occur in the aftermath. The series does have beautifully animated battle sequences and plenty of heart-racing action, but, in my opinion, even more important than those scenes are the ones unpacking the catastrophic repercussions of war. Death is always imminent for these characters, and they are frequently forced to watch their friends and loved ones being slaughtered with no hope of saving them from the clutches of their farmore powerful Titan enemies.
The Negative Repercussions of War, From Death to Mental Illness, Are Explored
The Series Goes to Great Lengths To Unpack Characters’ Struggles and Losses, in a Way I Rarely See in Media
The core trio, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, represent a sort of found family in my eyes, since they have all lost every relative they ever had. Members of the Survey Corps, from Hange to Erwin, were killed in battle, devastating losses that caused me to shed a tear while watching.One harrowing scene in particular that always sticks in my mindbecause of how effectively it conveys the sheer magnitude of lives lost is the flashback Erwin Smith, 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, had of the suicide charge he led against Zeke Yeager’s Beast Titan, during which all of his men were slaughtered.
The image features the commander standing atop a pile of dead bodies, wearing a remorseful expression, as heverbally laments thedeathshe inadvertently caused by pushing his soldiers into danger.His entire army died during that battle, pelted to death by the stones Zeke threw. That one fight alone displayed to me how serious the mangaka Hajime Isayama was about accurately capturing a realistic depiction of war. TheAttack on Titanauthor refused to sugarcoat any details or hide the gory parts, offering up a story that is oftentimes very uncomfortable to watch, but it should make viewers uncomfortable.
Attack on Titan’sRealism Is Necessary And Conveys a Crucial Anti-War Message
By Unabashedly Displaying the Atrocities of War, Isayama Proves the Virtue in Seeking Peace Instead
Additionally, mental illnesses like Reiner’s Dissociative Identity Disorder and other characters' PTSD and depression are portrayed candidly. Finally,racial discrimination plays a major role in the story, urging viewers to re-examine their own biases. The nations of Eldia and Marley harshly judged one another. Eldia hated Marley for banishing them to an island and trapping them within walls, while Marley hated Eldia for the past actions of the Eldian king, who wreaked havoc worldwide using the Titan powers Ymir had discovered accidentally. Both sides failed to see the other’s humanity and made harsh judgments, a mistake they would come to regret.
“Kind of seems hokey”: Attack On Titan’s Creator Confirmed The Real Reason The Ending is So Brutal With One Quote
Hajime Isayama explains why he wrote Attack on Titan’s controversial ending that depicts the cycle of war and why there’s no true happy ending.
Prior to watching and readingAttack on Titan,I had never seen such a realistic, thought-provoking depiction of these real world issues, such asthe grieving process, mental illness, and the harm caused by racial discrimination, in an anime before.Isayama handles these sensitive topics exceptionally well and with a lot of nuance. Overall, while there are indeed compelling action sequences in the series, tragedy, trauma, and social issues take the forefront.Attack on Titan’ssheer realism can be nauseating andhas turned some viewers off of the seriesdue to the amount of gore and disturbing moments, as well as the heavy emotional tone.
Attack on Titan’sAccurate Portrayal of War Could Be a Catalyst for Real World Change
The Series’ Disturbing Realism and Impactful Messages Are Pivotal To Keep in Mind When Resolving Conflicts
Personally, I respect the realism Isayama embedded in the story, and it gives the series much more emotional impact by delving into the character’s specific struggles internally and externally, rather than just providing a broad outward view of the war itself. These raw, unfiltered details helped me feel closer to the characters, and even more devastated when harm befell them. No matter how difficult it may be to stomachAttack on Titan’sbrutal realism,confronting these atrocities head on is a painful but important first step in allowing humanity to move pastsuch senseless acts of violence towards peace, in the series and in real life.
Attack on Titan
Attack on Titanis a globally successful manga and anime franchise created by Hajime Isayama. The story is set in a world where humanity lives inside walled cities, threatened by giant humanoid creatures called Titans. The series follows Eren Yeager and his friends as they fight to uncover the truth about the Titans and the world. First serialized in 2009, the franchise has expanded into anime series, films, video games, novels, and live-action adaptations.
