Many anime series are able to build devoted followings and routinely surprise their audiences, but the accomplishments of Attack on Titan are on a whole other level. It’s incredible to witness how much the series has grown since its debut, and it’s made ambitious and challenging decisions that have helped it remain one of the best action anime series every year that it’s on.
Attack on Titan recently entered its final season, and it continues to upend the status quo in unbelievable ways that have already positioned the program as a clear frontrunner for the best anime series of 2021. As Attack on Titan prepares for the end, there’s never been a more relevant time to revisit how much it’s changed.
10 The History Of The Titans Has Been Explained
Attack on Titan initially treats the Titans like unknown terrors that purely exist to eat humans and terrorize communities. The perspective on Titans slowly shifts from monster to useful tool for select humans. A strange level of humanity is brought to the Titans and the series looks into the origins of the creatures and the pact that the Fritz family makes with a monster, all of which has led to the tumultuous world that currently exists. It’d be easy for the anime to keep these creatures as demystified monsters, but it instead approaches them from a progressive angle.
9 The Scope Is Radically Different
An anime doesn’t need to have a complex storyline that’s constantly changing in order to be a success, and when Attack on Titan started, it was a succinct story about man versus monster. Everything was contained within the Shiganshina District and the nearby surrounding area. Now Attack on Titan hasn’t just identified these people as Eldians, but it’s heavily shifted the perspective over to their “enemies,” the Marleyans, and shown both sides of this war. It’s grown into such a larger, generational story that’s gone far into the past and prepared to plan for hundreds of years into the future.
8 The Characters Are Older
There are some anime series that can run for years, yet the characters remain in a level of stasis or might not depict any physical signs of aging even though they’ve mentally progressed from the start of the series.
The pacing in Attack on Titan contrasts depending on the season, but there’s a significant jump four years forward between the third and fourth seasons that presents some very different versions of Eren and company. Everyone looks visibly older and more mature from their cherub-like appearances back when Attack on Titan began.
7 There’s A New Animation Studio Involved With The Anime
It may seem like story and characters should be the most important thing with an anime series, but in what’s an inherently visual medium, it’s only natural that the studio that’s responsible for the series has become increasingly important. The first three seasons of Attack on Titan were produced under WIT Studio’s impeccable talent, but the fourth and final season is now under the supervision of MAPPA. MAPPA has followed in WIT’s footsteps and hasn’t redesigned characters or leaned too heavily into CG elements. It’s a major change, but to the uninformed, it might not even be clearly noticeable.
6 Eren Has Been In The Basement
It’s important to have engaging mysteries that are built into a series, can linger in the background, and not feel like they’re just manipulating the audience or needlessly dragging things out. Attack on Titan offers up plenty of answers, but a major question that’s baked into the first three seasons is what’s in the basement of Eren’s father, Grisha Jaeger. Eren and company do get in the basement and the results do not disappoint. The entire world opens up in a major way and heavy flashbacks to Grisha’s past help fill in even more details.
5 Characters Have Died
Sometimes death is rare and an unlikely occurrence in an anime series, but ever since the first episode of Attack on Titan, there have been rampant and random deaths in this world. The Titans are dangerous threats, but humans are just as deadly and unscrupulous.
Despite how supporting characters become casualties over the years, each season also features a major death that affects the remaining characters in a significant way. Eren and company have become much stronger and more resourceful, but they continue to learn that there’s no outrunning death and that it’s still coming for them.
4 They’ve Developed New Weapons
Titans initially look like an impossible threat for humans to extinguish on their own, even with the aid of helpful equipment like the vertical maneuvering gear. It’s a major breakthrough when it’s learned that a Titan’s weak spot is the nape of their neck, but that doesn’t always mean that breaking through it is an easy task. The Survey Corps members are able to put together powerful weapons, like Thunder Spears, that allow them to break through hardened Titan material in a way that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. Hange also develops some other sick designs, like a morbid Titan guillotine.
3 There Are More & New Titans
Attack on Titan wastes no time with the reveal of the Titans, and they’re present from the very first episode. There are many aberrant versions of pedestrian Titans, but more significant Titans like the Colossal, Beast, Armored, and Female Titans stand out early on. It feels like all of the major Titan bearers have been encountered, but season four throws some fascinating new Titans in the mix like the War Hammer Titan, Jaw Titan, and a deeper look into the Cart Titan, too. There are even more Titan forms that are afoot, and they’re really effectively parsed out.
2 Characters Have Learned About Their Roots
The characters in Attack on Titan live in a bubble in many respects. Many were raised within a walled-off community, and their perspectives on the world outside are warped. Some individuals have been outright lied to about their past, while others have had to live in mystery. A very touching moment is when Mikasa learns about her heritage and that she’s a part of an important shogun clan. Additionally, Eren gets to learn a ton about his family, whether it’s his father or his brother, and the same is true for Levi when he encounters Kenny.
1 Eren May No Longer Be The Hero
Attack on Titan begins through Eren’s perspective once he vows to extinguish all Titans after he sees his mother get eaten by these creatures. Eren goes through major changes since this pledge, including the knowledge that he’s a Titan. Eren gets pushed to dark territory as Attack on Titan continues, and even his closest friends begin to worry about him. It’s genuinely tense territory when it becomes unclear if Eren should be trusted, and at the same time, there are honorable Marleyans, like Gabi, that also become increasingly important. The series really plays with who’s the hero in this war.