Attack on Titan - 10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About The Franchise
This year we finally received season 2 of the Attack on Titan anime after many years of waiting. There are some minor spoilers if you haven't read the manga series, but they don't give away any of the main plot points.
Did we miss any unknown facts about the franchise? Let us know what you think in the comment section below! Check out the complete list by watching the video below or click on for the full list!
10. The live-action Attack On Titan movies LIED TO US!
Chances are you didn't watch the live action Attack on Titan movies because . . . well the movies weren't good. If you did watch the movies, however, there is one thing you should know. The movies are big fat liars! There are a lot of things that deviated from the manga and the anime. You probably also noticed that some of the characters are replaced or missing in the live action adaptation. When it boils down to a lot of the events were also changed as to not spoil the manga or the anime series.
Even the identities of the Colossal and Armored Titans were big fat lies... which leads us to this very question. Why did they even make the live action Attack on Titan movies?!
9. Eren Yeager wasn't the first character created
Eren Yaeger is a very central part to the Attack on Titan story line, but it comes as a surprise that Isayama's first Attack on Titan character he thought of was actually Mikasa Ackerman. After Isayama came up with the setting of the anime series he then turned his sights to Mikasa. He saw Mikasa's character as one that would look great on promotional posters and even named her after the Japanese battleship that fought during the Russo - Japanese war.
She started off as a merchandising tool, but later became the badass assassin we all know and love. After all, if you are named after a battleship. . . you better represent!
8. Levi's character creation was an accident
Isayama's creation of Attack on Titan's most lethal warrior was, well, a complete accident. Captain Levi was created one day while Isayama was doodling on a piece of paper. After he finished the doodle he realized that he had something much much more.
He even modeled Levi's personality after Rorschack character in The Watchmen. Levi wasn't the only one either who paid homage to The Watchman. Erwin Smith's character is based on Ozymandias.
7. The Titan's are NOT the biggest mystery
When watching Attack on Titan for the first time, viewers have a lot of questions. Who are the Titans? Where did they come from? How do they reproduce? Why do they thirst for humans? and on and on... but the biggest mystery lies underneath the viewers noses the whole time.
During the show, little tidbits of backstory are revealed that many viewerd don't even see. Mid-way throught the last episode of Season 1, a little information was given on the mystery of the wall which reads;
"
In the year 784 on a blistering hot night, a miner decided to dig under Wall Sina in hopes of living a better life on the other side. No matter how far he dug, the wall never seemed to end. Eventually, he dug so deep that he ran into a layer of bedrock made of the same material as the wall."
Now we have so many more questions for the Wall Cult! Were the walls Rose, Maria and Sheena sent from God to protect humanity?
6. The Special Titans looks were based off who?
There is a reason that the Rogue, Colossal, Armored, Female and Dancing (appeared in manga) Titans are very different than other Titans, but not for the reasons we know. Isayama modeled these Titans after the physiques of famous fighters.
Isayama has only confirmed two of the real life counterparts. Eren's Titan form was modeled after Yushin "Thunder" Okami. The armored Titan is also based off former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesner
5. Hajime Isayama's inspiration for the Titans came from who?!
Yes, Hajime Isayama drew a lot of inspirations from Godzilla and other such titles, but there is one inspiration that came from a unique place. Isayama drew upon his interaction with a drunk man at an internet cafe. The drunk man was unable to communicate very well, if at all.
Isayama then realized that humans are some of the scariest monsters that we come into contact with. Basically, all the Titans are just drunk A-holes.
4. The Avengers fought the Titans in one epic crossover!
Oh yeah baby! Marvel and Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama teamed up back in November of 2014 to bring the mad Titans into the Marvel universe. The eight page comic featured the Titans attacking the city of New York after they emerge from the ocean. Captain America, Spider Man, The Hulk, The Guardians of the Galaxy and other heroes all showed up to battle the man eating Titans.
One of the Titans looks a lot like Eren Yeager's, but is referred to as one of the smaller Titans. Obviously Eren wouldn't be eating New Yorkers, but it makes for one hell of a comic!
3. Gender isn't always clear
Apparently some of the characters are a little confused when it comes to what gender they are. Hangi Zoe and Armin Arlert are two such characters. Yes, Hangi is portrayed as a woman (voiced by Satomi Ishihara) in the anime, but her gender is never revealed in the Manga. Isayama has a few reasons why they've yet to reveal the gender of Hangi. First being that he wants to leave it up to fans to determine their gender. The second reason is that Isayama believes their gender identification isn't relevant to the overarching storyline.
Armin Arlert is another character who might possibly be a little confusing as well. While most people see Armin as a dude, Isayama has thrown a wrench into discussion. He recently was asked who Mikasa's closest girlfriend was, his response was "Armin Arlert."
2. Eren was originally supposed to know he was a Titan shifter
According to an Attack on Titan editor, Eren was supposed to know that he was capable of turning into a monsterous Titan in the original concept. This concept would have drastically changed how Eren would have been potrayed in the manga series. After all, his whole reason for joining the scouts was to kill every last Titan. Had he known that he was a Titan after all... his mother would most definitely be alive.
We'd say this was a much needed change to the original plan. Eren might not be the best scout of the bunch, but his drive to kill all of the Titans is what makes Attack on Titan what it is.
1. Sasha was meant to die
No freaking way! In volume 9 of the Attack on Titan mange, Sasha Blouse was supposed to bite the dust. However, Isayama was a little apprehensive at pulling the plug on everyone's favorite food stealer. The editor of the Attack on Titan manga series even cried in the bathroom due to seeing the original story board.
We are very happy that Isayama spared Sasha's life, but that doesn't mean she won't killed off at some point in the future. The same editor stated that the dark moment may still be lingering in the future, but for now we can still live in denial that this day may be coming soon.