I Quit Attack on Titan the First Time I Watched It, and Here Is Why (2024)

Attack on Titan has been widely known as “The Walking Dead” of anime since its conception. Based on the manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama, AOT tells the story of Eren Jaeger, a young protagonist living on the island of Paradis. Within the confines of three walls, Jaeger and his friends, Mikasa and Armin, uncover the mystery of what lies beyond. The anime is rated TV-MA for violence, intense situations, and terror.

Death Note was the first anime I had ever seen. While the series has a fantastic story with emotional beats and engaging character arcs, the anime is not overly disturbing. Afterward, I decided to try out Attack on Titan. I had heard amazing things about the series, some of which claimed it to be the best out there.

However, one element took me entirely by surprise: its realism. While this comment may seem silly, considering the series is about Titans (giant humanoid monsters), it’s the ambiance and authentic characters that define the series and stuck with me as a viewer. At first, the quick leap into the horror realm within the series’ beginning episodes turned me off to the series. However, this same quality is also what brought me back and, ultimately, hooked me until the very end.

The “Fearless Hero” Trope in Anime

Something AOT Does Exceptionally Well is Create Realistic, Relatable Characters

Even in American media, so many horror-based stories follow the “fearless hero" trope. For example, Chris Pratt’s character in Jurassic World, Owen Grady, rarely shows any significant amount of fear. Characters like these are fun to watch, no doubt, but they are seldom relatable on a deeper, more human level. This same archetype is often seen in anime. In fact, anime has some of the most prominent examples of the “fearless leader” stereotype.

A few of the most famous examples of fearless heroes in anime include Goku from Dragon Ball, Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen, Itachi Uchiha from Naruto, and Gon from Hunter x Hunter. It would be entirely unfair to write that these characters are completely unrelatable. After all, each one is a well-rounded, impactful character. Furthermore, without them, their series would lose much of its appeal.

However, it is not out of the ordinary to note that these characters rarely show signs of genuine fear. Sadness, regret, and weakness: yes, but their level of fearlessness is nearly unattainable to the public. Another example would be Saitama from One Punch Man. His character design brilliantly pokes fun at the typical “strong male” archetype. Because he is so remarkably powerful, he often gets bored during battles. While Saitama is an over-exaggeration of characters such as Luffy or Goku, he provides an interesting perspective on these all-time favorites.

The Reason I Quit AOT is Also the Reason I Came Back

One Disturbing Scene in AOT Left a Lasting Impact on Me

I quit watching AOT for the first time after Season 1, Episode 7. While this may seem like a short amount of time to give a series before deciding to drop it, one scene lingered in my mind, which ultimately led to my decision. In Small Blade: The Struggle for Trost, Part 3, Titans raid the Trost headquarters. Due to the low supply of gas for their iconic maneuvering gear, many cadets choose to stay put, hiding within the building as Titans peer through the windows.

One female cadet is filled with terror, realizing the severity of their situation. Next to her, another cadet sits with a seemingly light-hearted smile on his face. At first glance, it appears that he may try to comfort her. He reloads his gun, and the other cadets ask him what the point is, considering guns are practically useless against the Titans. Without a response, the cadet places the gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger.

AOT is notorious for its number of character deaths, but this one stuck with me the most. The instinctual bargaining with death and feeling of hopelessness were all too accurate to how some may react in a similar situation. This hyperrealism in such an outlandish scenario, however, is what ultimately drew me back to the series.

How Attack on Titan’s Realistic Depiction of Terror Sets It Apart

The Series’ Realism in a Fantasy Environment Is What Makes it Unique

I was completely shocked by this scene in Episode 7. I am no stranger to violence in movies or TV shows, but the disturbing nature of this sudden suicide was unlike anything I had ever seen. This cadet’s feelings of hopelessness and desperation were so realistic that it made the series even harder to watch after witnessing them. However, after I stepped away from the series for a short time, I realized that it was scenes such as this that truly set apart Attack on Titan from not only other anime but Western media as well.

When I first watched AOT a couple of years ago, I was shocked by the realistic displays of violence in the series. While some horror/monster-based shows are undeniably scary, their characters may not show the level of fear that we all would in a similar situation. Marco from Attack on Titan said it best when helping Jean overcome his feelings of inadequacy:

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are not exactly what I’d call strong. So, you’re well-placed to understand what the weak feel like. It makes you adept at judging any situation with accuracy. So, you know exactly what to do at all times.” – Marco

The “heroic” type of protagonists may be fun to watch, but it's series like AOT that do an excellent job at showing the reality of terrifying scenarios. At first, I was taken aback by the realism of Attack on Titan, such as the suicide in the first few episodes, which is difficult to stomach. However, after returning, I discovered the genius behind the writing.

Attack on Titan continues to be one of the best-written stories of all time. Isayama managed to mix the perfect amounts of drama, horror, and mystery into the same series. The anime will go down in history as one of the greats, and it's thanks to those shockingly disturbing scenes that make the reality of Eren, Armin, and Mikasa’s world all too real.

Some may prefer to watch super-human depictions of heroes like Luffy or Gojo: those who never seem to give up or show true fear. However, anime like Attack on Titan allow viewers to learn more about themselves and introspectively explore the human condition in a fantasy environment.

Attack On Titan

TV-MA

Animation

Adventure

Action

Based on the manga, Attack on Titan is a dark-action fantasy series set in a world where humanity has been corralled into walled cities from fear of monstrous human-eating Titans that exist outside of them. When protagonist Eren Yeager's mother is killed in front of his eyes at a young age, his thirst for vengeance leads him to join an elite group of soldiers created to fight back against the Titan menace.

Cast

Matthew Mercer , Josh Grelle , Hiroshi Kamiya , Shiori Mikami , Jerry Jewell , Kishô Taniyama , Jessica Calvello , Masahiko Tanaka , Yui Ishikawa , Romi Park , Robert McCollum , Tomohisa Hashizume , Hiro Shimono , Trina Nishimura

Release Date

April 7, 2013

Seasons

4

Main Genre

Action

Franchise

Attack on Titan

Production Company

Wit Studio, MAPPA