The beloved anime series Attack on Titan finally came to a close with its final episode being released on November 19, 2023. The anime adaptation of Hajime Isayama’s dark action shonen manga began airing all the way back in 2013, and ever since then, it has been rising in popularity all over the world. Attack on Titan is centered around a fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic world, as in many other anime, but as the series continued, it was clear that Attack on Titan’s world stood out immensely from the rest.
Unlike other anime, instead of only having one or two main characters with a vast list of flat background characters, Attack on Titan has over 15 dominating characters that are all well-developed and contribute heavily to the plot. The protagonist, Eren Jaeger, still gets most of the screen time, but it is divided so well between the other characters that the audience sometimes forgets that the show is centered around Eren, and they start to care about the other character’s problems as well. It allows each character to have their chance to shine, allowing them to each be unique in their own way instead of blending in.
Attack on Titan also strays away from the common damsel-in-distress trope in the writing of its female characters. The women in the series are just as powerful as the men, and they often play key roles throughout the story. There is refreshingly no sexualization in the series either, which usually stunts female character development and causes them to not be taken seriously.
Another way that Attack on Titan shines amidst other anime is its lack of filler episodes. Most anime incorporate filler episodes to create a break from the main story arc and allow for more character development; however, since all the characters in Attack on Titan are connected to each other, there isn’t a need for fillers. This allows the plot to move forward and, consequently, keep the audience engaged.
Rewatching Attack on Titan is as entertaining as watching it for the first time because of Isayama’s brilliant foreshadowing techniques. On first watch, it is almost impossible to tell what leads up to the iconic plot twists in the anime, but once a viewer watches the anime for a second time, they find all the tiny details that they missed right away. This creative direction leads the audience to become even more invested in the anime than they already were and is one of the main reasons the fan base for Attack on Titan has become as huge as it is today.
Even after its conclusion, Attack on Titan will still be regarded as one of the best-written manga that has been adapted into anime, and it’s going to take a lot to overtake it.
