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Fate, not Freedom: An analysis of Attack on Titan and its ending

A still image from the Attack on Titan anime.

Akilesh Kale , Copy Editor May 28, 2021

Warning: Spoilers for Attack on Titan manga and potentially anime

Last March, one of the most popular manga series in the world, Attack on Titan, reached its conclusion. And, like most of the manga, the ending was controversial.  Some praised it as a fitting end to the manga, while others saw it as rushed and poorly written. 

For the uninitiated, Attack on Titan is a manga (Japanese comic) series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It follows the story of Eren Yeager, a human living in a world where humanity lives in three ginormous walls that protect them from a race of man-eating humanoids, known as Titans. Eren has vowed to rid the world of Titans after his mother was killed by one when he was a child. Throughout the series, Eren joins the military and he, along with his friends and fellow soldiers, tries to drive back the titans from the walls and learn the truth about them. 

The big mystery of the show, of course, is the Titans. Of the titans, 9 of them are intelligent and can shift between human and titan form. Eren himself can shift into a Titan known as the “Attack Titan”. These “Titan-Shifters” are essential to the plot as it is they who are the movers and shakers of the setting. For example, the Colossal Titan was the one who broke down the first wall, leading to Titans invading Eren’s hometown of Shiganshina and slaughtering its residents.

Eventually, it is revealed that all titans are former humans, altered and twisted by a chemical serum. This race of humans, known as “Subjects of Ymir”, are feared around the world for their ability to turn into titans, and therefore are treated like scum and were only kept around for their ability, which the country of Marley uses effectively in war. The Subjects were sent to internment zones, with the biggest one being the island of Paradis (aka the Walls aka Eldia). From this point onwards, the story takes up a new angle that it’s been building towards. In a dramatic turn of events, our former hero, Eren, becomes the main antagonist. To protect his home of Eldia, he decides to commit genocide on a massive scale, summoning gigantic titans to destroy every other human being on the planet. Only through the combined efforts of his former allies and enemies, he is defeated. 

So, it seems like a solid story, right? So why is it so controversial? Well, first of all, the ending can be viewed as dissatisfactory from multiple angles. Some people say that the ending rips off of Code Geass. Others are comparing it to Game of Thrones, which was notorious for its ending completely flopping onto the pavement. The fact of the matter is, the conclusion was at best, mediocre compared to the rest of the manga. Or, at least that’s what people are saying.

There are some valid criticisms, no doubt. For example:

• Ymir, the first Titan Shifter whose spirit helps Eren with his plan, continues to give her subjects the ability to become Titans despite it causing them pain and suffering over the course of hundreds of years… because she was in love with her abusive husband, who ordered her to keep on giving the powers?
• Eren’s plan of genocide only managed to delay people from attacking Paradis further, forcing Eldia to adopt a militaristic/fascist ideology in order to protect themselves from further retaliation.
• Eren was somehow forgiven by his comrades for his plan of genocide?
• Eren at the last possible minute became the “hero” again.
• Eren could’ve just used the Founding Titan to remove the Titan ability from the Subjects of Ymir in the first place, preventing the need for genoicde. 
• And last, but not least: Despite Eren’s rantings of freedom, he still was bound to the predestined route of genocide.

So is this redeemable? Well, certain types of media age like fine wine. Take, for example, Spiderman 3, specifically the infamous dance scene. When that came out, people were… less than impressed with it. And who could blame them? When watching that scene, people felt uncomfortable and weirded out by the awkwardness of the whole thing. Looking back on it now, however, one can see that that was the point. At that point in the movie, Peter was wearing the Venom Symbiote, which causes his entire personality to change. His idea of self-confidence, which was completely unrealistic, causes us to cringe. The point of the change was to show how even Peter was corruptible. He, of course, eventually realizes this and discards the symbiote. 

There are two points we can take away from this. One, the subtext behind this was obvious in hindsight, once we watch the movie again. No matter how long it takes, the story will look better once we fully absorb everything that happens, maybe read it again once or twice. And two: this was a planned thing. This was there from the beginning. And these two points can be applied to Attack on Titan as well.

Obviously, Isayama is not some sort of genius and had his story planned out in minute detail from the beginning. That is something that not even the strongest of writers can manage. However, the general storyline and plot was something that was decided on in the first few months of the manga’s production. And if we look at the story again throughout the entire manga, we can see one thing.

Attack on Titan is not a tale of freedom. It is a tale of fatalism, of fate.

This seems odd and contradictory, considering the entire story seems to be about freedom at first glance. The Scouts are fighting for their freedom. The Warriors (Marley’s Titan Shifter soldiers) are fighting for freedom and security for their families. etc. etc. However, if we look closely, we can see the elements of fatalism running deep. From the outset, the Survey Corps are explicitly told they’ll probably end up as titan fodder. The Titans are a certainty. The Titans are always there.  This generates fear, and horror. 

To counteract this fear, the people of Paradis had to keep on going, keep getting their hopes up. They wish for freedom, but they can’t have it, so they turn to an alternative. As Kenny Ackernman says in chapter 69, “Everyone had to be drunk on something to keep pushing on … Everyone was a slave to something.” The people within the Walls had to keep on going, keep on pushing for that one spark of hope. That hope manifests later on in the form of Eren Yeager, who wields the Attack Titan, the very symbol of Eldia’s hope. But even that is predetermined by fate as well. In chapter 121, Eren reveals that he used his Attack Titan’s ability of Future Memory Inheritance to influence his father into giving him the Attack Titan and Founding Titan. So from the very beginning, the events of the series were predetermined, set in stone. Eren was fated to inherit the Attack Titan, and was fated to commit genocide. 

Let’s look at this from a different perspective: the Nordic one. It’s no surprise that Attack on Titan draws a lot from Norse Mythos with names like Ymir and the Titans being directly linked to the Giants. But there’s a lot more to this. In a thesis written by u/Bandwarrior on reddit , he points out the different mythological aspects of Attack on Titan. Norse Mythology focuses a lot on the concept of fate, with Odin always trying to avoid his fate, and of course, the ever approaching threat of Ragnarok, the apocalyptic battle that will end all creation as we know it. Lookie here, we see that we have an apocalyptic battle in the final chapter as well. 

Bandwarrior explains that the different members of the cast of Attack on Titan are parallels to different Norse Gods. Erwin Smith, leader of the Survey Corps before his untimely demise, is Tyr, the one handed god of Justice (Erwin also has one hand, in case you were wondering). Levi Ackermaan is Thor, slayer of Giants and protector of Humanity. Hanji, or Hange, is Odin, one eyed god of War and Wisdom. So who is Eren?

He is Surtr, the Bringer of Ragnarok.

Surtr is destined to cross the Bifrost and strike the first blow against Midgard. He barely pays attention to the beauty of the Bifrost, only focused on the enemies ahead of him. Now, who does that sound like? Eren crossed the ocean, not caring for its beauty (as seen in Chapter 90, where he thinks to himself that freedom will not come unless everyone in Marley is dead). Surtr has been waiting his whole life for his destiny, his revenge.

And Eren’s destiny too, is to bring carnage and destruction. That is simply what was foretold by his future memories, and he decided to follow that path. Why? Because he’s confused. Eren is a slave to destiny. He represents us as humans, always fighting for that spark of hope. His one freedom is to try and fulfill his destiny to create a better future. I believe the moral of this story is: freedom is a lie, and in chasing it, we become slaves to the fate that envelops all of us. 

Is this a really pessimistic ending? Very much so. But I think that’s the point. The author tells us that we as human beings are bound to fate, and the only freedom we’ll ever get is to accept that and move on.

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Anonymous • Jul 20, 2021 at 2:39 pm

Thank you. Honestly I look back at what we’ve got and what we could’ve got, and I don’t know if I’m gonna cry or laugh! What happened to the person who created all those epic moments and why did all of those deaths and sacrifices reduce to yMiR WaS iN lOvE with HeR AbUsEr?!!! It’s sad. It’s so damn sad…

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10 Life Lessons We Can Learn From Attack On Titan

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10 One Piece Characters Who Can Save Vice Admiral Garp From Blackbeard

10 weakest bankai in all of bleach, dragon ball super needs to outgrow goku & vegeta's rivalry sooner rather than later.

Attack On Titan is so famous that the series has become a cultural phenomenon . Everyone's heard of it, and they've either watched it or have specific reasons for refusing to. Regardless, the series has garnered equal amounts of praise and controversy since its debut. The manga ended in 2021, but the conversations regarding the series never ceased.

RELATED: 10 Best Life Lessons One Piece Has Taught Fans (So Far)

The series is full of social commentary , but there are plenty of interesting life lessons to be learned from the series as well. The setting of Attack On Titan presents a bleak, nightmarish reality, but there's wisdom to be found in that darkness.

10 Don't Give Up In The Face Of Adversity

It's a pretty standard shonen motto at this point, but never giving up in the face of adversity is one of Attack On Titan's most important lessons. The heroes had the odds stacked against them hundreds of times, and though it never seemed like they were fated to win, they never gave up.

As Eren once said , "If you don't fight, you can't win." When someone gives up before they even try to put up a good fight, they'll never know if they even had a shot at winning or not. The circumstances in the series are pretty terrifying, but this is a lesson that could be applicable to anyone's day-to-day life.

9 Everyone Loses In War

Regardless of internet chatter and baseless claims about the series, it never glorifies war. In fact, one of its core themes is that everybody loses in war. One side may come out victorious, but both parties will lose countless lives and leave millions of others traumatized.

RELATED: 10 Valuable Life Lessons We Learned From Kiki's Delivery Service

Some lose their comrades; others lose their lives. However, the scariest truth about war is that some survivors may lose themselves in the aftermath. Whether it's because of psychological trauma or becoming everything they swore to destroy, it's common for people to become a shell of who they once were after years of vicious conflict.

8 Anyone Could Be The Devil In Someone Else's Story

For centuries, the Paladians inside the walls were unaware that the rest of the world hated them for the crimes of their ancestors. The Marleyans were brainwashed to believe that all of the Eldians were devils, so they hated them without having met one.

The series preaches that anybody could become the devil of someone else's story. There's a neverending cycle of violence between Eldia and Marley because, as long as the fighting continues, the propaganda will only grow stronger. By extension, the divisions between the two will only grow more irreparable.

7 Freedom Might Just Be An Illusion

Armin and Eren always believed that if they could reach the sea beyond the walls. They viewed the vast ocean as a symbol of their freedom, but they quickly realized this wasn't the case. They realized how complex the world truly is and how many different powers are at play in deciding what it truly means to be free.

When the Scouts finally reached the sea they'd heard so much about, Eren wasn't excited. Instead, he was rather melancholic and even angry that they had a ways to go before they could reach true liberation. Since the rest of the world views them as the "Island Devils," they would still be discriminated against and confined to others' labels.

6 It's Important To Question Everything

One of the best quotes in the series was when Kruger said, "There's no such thing as truth in this world. That's our reality. Anyone can become a god or a devil. All it takes is for someone to claim that as the truth."

The empty can tends to rattle the loudest. It never fails that the loudest voice in the room is the one who gathers the biggest following, regardless of if what they're saying is the truth or not. If more people believe in the lies they're spewing, those falsehoods suddenly become everyone's reality. In war, the side who comes out victorious is the one who writes the history books. A central theme in the series is that it's important to question everything.

5 Be Grateful For The Smaller Things In Life

Most people would think it'd be impossible to find gratitude in the terrifying setting of Attack On Titan , but the characters prove otherwise. Armin was grateful to spend time with his friends amidst the chaos, while Zeke would have been perfectly content spending his days tossing a baseball around with Mr. Ksaver.

RELATED: 10 Life Lessons We Learned From Fairy Tail

One of the best running gags in the series was Sasha's obsessive love of food, especially meat. Unfortunately, a few of the characters lost sight of these smaller things in life. However, these simple pleasures kept them grounded and gave them something to return to no matter how cruel the world became.

4 Trust Yourself Before Anyone Else

One of Levi's best quotes was when he told Eren, "Decide. You can either believe in yourself or trust the soldiers of the Survey Corps, myself included. I don't know the right answer. Just don't regret your decision."

What works for you may not apply to someone else, and this is one of the series' most important lessons. Even though Eren chose to put his faith in the Survey Corps , it still required a considerable amount of self-trust because relying on others could be a challenge in and of itself. Trusting your intuition is important, but it takes a lot of bravery.

3 Losing Yourself Is Dangerous

Eren started with noble goals of defeating all of the Titans and conquering the Walls. He wanted to destroy the oppressive forces that kept him and his friends from living freely, but he became the very tyrant he swore to destroy. Eren's Rumbling resulted in 80% of the world's population getting wiped out. Eren's obsession with revenge drove him off the deep end.

By the same token, Erwin also became a monster in his plight to achieve the truth. He was obsessed with proving his father's theory about the people outside the walls right, and he didn't care about how many of his soldiers needlessly died on the way there.

2 History Always Repeats Itself

One of Attack On Titan's most important lessons is that history always repeats itself. The series asserts that world peace is impossible because the cycle of violence never ends.

RELATED: 10 Life Lessons We Learned From Magical Girls

There's been a centuries-long feud between Marley and Eldia. Marley painted the Paladians as Devils, so people like Floch and the Jaegerists wore it as a badge of pride and used it as their motivation to target Marleyans. The cycle of violence and hatred never ends because when one side attacks, the other will launch a counter-attack. When Shiganshina was destroyed, Paladis responded by tearing apart Liberio. Both raids resulted in mass casualties, but everyone felt like a victim.

1 The World Isn't Black & White

Eren and Gabi grew up with the same goal of annihilating the other side for their perceived baseless aggressions. Eren was shocked that Reiner and Bertholdt were his enemies the entire time, yet the other two were equally stunned by the Paladian's kindness once they got inside the walls.

On the other hand, Gabi killed Sasha because she thought she was evil. She was stunned when Sasha's friends and family treated her with kindness rather than trying to kill her for what she took from them. Plus, she also learned that there's really no such thing as "good" or "bad" Eldians. The most important lesson in the series is that the world isn't black and white and that there are always shades of grey in between.

NEXT: 10 Anime Characters Who Give Amazing Life Lessons

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Attack on titan's ending controversy explained.

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“That Was My Intent” – Attack on Titan’s Creator Confirmed Fans Have Misinterpreted One of the Manga’s Most Controversial Scenes

Attack on titan creator's statement on the ending is heartbreaking, one piece's anime drops a big hint about imu's identity that the manga couldn't.

• The final Attack on Titan episode showcased the dramatic end of The Rumbling.
• Eren was stopped by the Scouts and Marleyans, leading to his tragic death.
• The controversial and disheartening ending highlights the tragedy of war.

Attack on Titan 's final anime episode aired in November 2023, concluding the beloved series after over a decade. The ending was dramatic and touching, bringing the horrors of The Rumbling to an end . However, in spite of this positive achievement, the conclusion was also devastating and resulted in many gruesome deaths , including those of a number of fan-favorite characters.

The final chapters of Attack on Titan showcased the Scouts and Marleyans as they battled in vain against the hordes of Wall Titans threatening to wipe out humanity forever. Eren began this onslaught of Titans, called The Rumbling, and it seemed there was little anyone could do to stop him.

Mikasa and Armin attempted to reason with him, having multiple conversations with their friend and urging him to find another solution that would not result in unnecessary murder and bloodshed. However, Eren's decision unfortunately could not be swayed, and Eren's previous friends became the ones who would take him down by force.

Eren Was Stopped by The Scouts and the Marleyans, Who Teamed Up to End the Rumbling

Previous enemies were forced to work together to prevent the destruction of their world.

As the situation escalated and the troops began to struggle to hold off the advancing Titans, it became clear there was no other choice but to kill Eren. This horrifying reality was difficult for the Scouts to handle, as they had grown up with Eren since first enlisting in the Survey Corps all those years ago. However, out of options, Mikasa herself sliced off Eren's head and kissed him one last time, ending his reign of terror on humanity. The moment of Eren's decapitation was the most shocking in the entire series and one that no one could have predicted.

The scene was poignant and symbolic, but undoubtedly depressing as well. Mikasa kissed Eren's head, knowing she'd never have the opportunity to again, as Armin cried in anguish at the loss of his best friend. Unsurprisingly, even though The Rumbling was over, Eren's sacrifice did not completely end warfare or conflict in their world. The series concluded with Armin and the Scouts and Marleyans on a boat, on their way to engage in Peace Talks and share their accounts of what had occurred as a result of the conflict, in an effort to prove that constant warfare is a fruitless endeavor, which is Attack on Titan 's main message .

Hajime Isayama discussed Eren and Armin's heartfelt final goodbye scene in a recent interview, explaining how people often misunderstand its meaning.

The Controversial Ending Is Often Criticized for a Number of Reasons

Some fans were unhappy with eren's death, while some felt the finale as a whole was too hopeless.

As the main character of the series, Eren was undoubtedly very popular and cherished by many viewers. Even if his actions sparked controversy, most fans were able to sympathize with his hatred for the Titans and dedication to protecting his friends and family from their tyranny. Eren's choice to commit genocide is rightfully appalling to most, making the Scouts' choice to stop Eren by force understandable and rational. However, some viewers felt he should not have died, and The Rumbling should have been carried to its conclusion or, alternatively, that he should have stopped The Rumbling of his own volition.

These potential ending ideas are intriguing and would drastically change the outcome of Attack on Titan. However, author Hajime Isayama has spoken about how fate plays into the story, and that Eren's life was predetermined to end the way that it did. It can be difficult to gauge Eren's true intentions, as he is a mysterious and complex character, but it seems as if his passionate urge to destroy the Titans led him to his eventual tragic fate. Ironically, in his unstoppable desire to be free, even Eren himself admitted that he had become a "slave to freedom."

Eren Shifted From a Slave to the Titans to a Slave to Freedom

Eren traded one master for another, and ironically, his yearning for freedom led to his death.

Early on in Attack on Titan, Kenny Ackerman stated, "Everyone was a slave to something." His words could not have been more true and showed up again and again throughout the series. Isayama's decision to kill the main character was a bold move but fits well with this premise of everyone being enslaved to something or someone. Eren almost escaped from living under the thumb of the Titans, but his pursuit of freedom became his new captor. His death was hard-hitting and devastating, but ultimately necessary to properly depict this crucial lesson of the story and showcase the fruitlessness of war overall.

Another complaint commonly lodged about the conclusion is that it is a hopeless ending. Although the Scouts and Marleyans were able to see each other's point of view and stop the Rumbling, the situation in the rest of the world was still incredibly dire, even at the conclusion of the story. War continued to rage throughout the world and, despite the glimmer of promise provided by Armin's plan to participate Peace Talks, true worldwide harmony seemed far off. It makes sense that this ending could feel disheartening, especially after all the grave losses and deaths brought on by the war.

On a trip to America, Attack on Titan mangaka Hajime Isayama decided to let his fans know how he feels about their reaction to his conclusion.

Attack on Titan's Disheartening Ending Is Realistic and Depicts the Tragedies Of War

Isayama himself has confirmed he planned how the story would end early on.

Attack on Titan has always been a story with a bold and important message. Isayama explained in a New York Times interview that just as Eren was fated to carry out The Rumbling, he was fated to end the story in the way that he did. He went on to state that a perfectly resolved conclusion would be "not even believable" in the context of the serious, somber story he had written. The series has always reflected an anti-war message , and the ending is the culmination of that crucial point of Attack on Titan's story and Isayama's intended meaning.

Source: The New York Times

• Attack On Titan

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.

70 Attack On Titan Quotes That Will Inspire Greatness

Looking for the best Attack On Titan quotes?

Attack on Titan is one of the popular anime shows ever released. It’s deep rooted story about humanity’s struggle for survival and fight for freedom against the terrifying, man-eating titans has captured the hearts of a global audience.

Humanities fight for freedom is more relatable than it has ever been and that’s why quotes from Attack On Titan are so meaningful, emotional, and powerful.

Below you’ll find the best collection of Attack On Titan quotes that will inspire, motivate and give you the courage to keep fighting and going after your dreams.

Inspirational Attack On Titan Quotes

Eren jaeger quotes.

1. “I can do this. No, we can do this! Because we’ve all been special since the day we were born. We’re free!” – Eren Jaeger

2. “Nothing can suppress a human’s curiosity.” – Eren Jaeger

3. “What is the point if those with the means and power do not fight?” – Eren Jaeger

4. “I don’t have time to worry if it’s right or wrong, you can’t hope for a horror story with a happy ending.” – Eren Jaeger

5. “If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. If you don’t fight, you can’t win.” – Eren Jaeger

6. “I want to see and understand the world outside. I don’t want to die inside these walls without knowing what’s out there.” – Eren Jaeger

7. “If you think reality is just living comfortably and following your own whims, can you seriously dare to call yourself a soldier?” – Eren Jaeger

8. “No matter how messed up things get, you can always figure out the best solution.” – Eren Jaeger

9. “I have to be the one to do this! I’ve got to settle this!” – Eren Jaeger

10. “What are you going to do if the ones with the strength don’t fight for you?” – Eren Jaeger

11. “There’s no time to figure out if this the right thing to do! Just move… Don’t try to keep your hands clean. That’s right, the world is cruel.” – Eren Jaeger

12. “We’re born free. All of us. Free. Some don’t believe it, some try to take it away. To hell with them!” – Eren Jaeger

13. “Fight to live, risk it all for even a glimmer of real freedom! It doesn’t matter what’s waiting outside the gate, or what comes in! It doesn’t matter how cruel the world can be, or how unjust! Fight. Fight. Fight. FIGHT! FIGHT!!!” – Eren Jaeger

14. “From the day we are born we are free… It doesn’t matter how strong those who deny us that freedom are.” – Eren Jaeger

Armin Arlert AOT Quotes

15. “When people are faced with a situation they don’t understand, it’s easy for fear to take hold.” – Armin Arlert

16. “To defeat a monster, you must be willing to throw aside your humanity and all that makes you human.” – Armin Arlert

17. “I’d rather die than become a burden.” – Armin Arlert

18. “People are crazy for believing that these walls will protect us forever. Even though the walls have been intact for the past 100 years, there’s nothing that can guarantee they won’t be broken down today.” – Armin Arlert

19. “You’re only resorting to physical abuse because you can’t prove that I’m wrong.” – Armin Arlert

20. “I think there are times people have to die… Even if I don’t like it.” – Armin Arlert

21. “To surpass monsters, you must be willing to abandon your humanity.” – Armin Arlert

22. “Someone who can’t sacrifice anything, can’t ever change anything.” – Armin Arlert

23. “Willpower alone isn’t enough in battle.” – Armin Arlert

24. “I don’t like the terms good person or bad person because it’s impossible to be entirely good to everyone, or entirely bad to everyone. To some, you are a good person, while to others you are a bad person.” – Armin Arlert

25. “Everyone can make a choice after they have learned what it will result in. It is so easy to say we should have done it this way afterwards. But you can’t know what your choice will result in before actually choosing.” – Armin Arlert

26. “After the fact, it is easy to say, “We should have done something else.” But no one knows how things will turn out.” – Armin Arlert

27. “If there’s anyone who can bring change, it will be someone willing to sacrifice what they care for.” – Armin Arlert

28. “The people who have the ability to change something in this world, all, without exception, have the guts to abandon things important to them if they have to.” – Armin Arlert

29. “Endure it. Don’t let go.” – Armin Arlert

Mikasa Ackerman Quotes

30. “This world is merciless, and it’s also very beautiful.” – Mikasa Ackerman

31. “Only victors are allowed to live. This world is merciless like that.” – Mikasa Ackerman

32. “Believe in your own power.” – Mikasa Ackerman

33. “That’s right… This world… is cruel. It hit me that living was like a miracle.” – Mikasa Ackerman

34. “Once I’m dead I won’t be able to remember you. So I’ll win no matter what. I’ll live no matter what.” – Mikasa Ackerman

35. “You don’t stand a single chance to win unless you fight.” – Mikasa Ackerman

36. “If you think it’s natural for people to sacrifice their own lives to save others, surely you understand that sometimes a single death can save many lives.” – Mikasa Ackerman

Levi Ackerman AOT Quotes

37. “I don’t know which option you should choose. I could never advise you on that… No matter what kind of wisdom dictates the option you pick, no one will be able to tell if it’s right or wrong until you arrive to some sort of outcome from your choice.” – Levi Ackerman

38. “The difference between your decision and ours is experience. But you don’t have to rely on that. Choose… Believe in yourself , or believe in the survey corps and me. I don’t know… I never have. I can believe in my own abilities or the choices of the companions I trust. But no one ever knows how it will turn out. So choose for yourself, whichever decision you will regret the least.” – Levi Ackerman

39. “A lot of the time, you’re going into a situation you know nothing about. So what you need is to be quick to act… And make tough decisions in worst-case scenarios.” – Levi Ackerman

40. “The lesson you need to learn right now can’t be taught with words, only with action.” – Levi Ackerman

41. “The only thing we’re allowed to do is believe that we won’t regret the choice we made.” – Levi Ackerman

42. “I think pain is the best discipline.” – Levi Ackerman

43. “It’s good to see that someone has the balls to go. But don’t forget to do your damnedest to stay alive.” – Levi Ackerman

44. “If you don’t want to die, think!” – Levi Ackerman

45. “This is just my opinion, but when it comes to teaching somebody discipline… I believe pain is the most effective way.” – Levi Ackerman

Erwin Smith Quotes

46. “If we only focus on making the best moves, we will never get the better of our opponent. When necessary, we must be willing to take big risks, and be prepared to lose everything. Unless we change how we fight, we cannot win.” – Erwin Smith

47. “If you begin to regret, you’ll dull your future decisions and let others make your choices for you. All that’s left for you then is to die. Nobody can foretell the outcome. Each decision you make holds meaning only by affecting your next decision.” – Erwin Smith

48. “When necessary, we must be willing to take big risks, and be prepared to lose everything.” – Erwin Smith

49. “It’s us who gives meaning to our comrades lives.” – Erwin Smith

50. “Everything has a cost.” – Erwin Smith

Hange Zoe AOT Quotes

51. “If there’s something you don’t understand, learn to understand it. It’s well worth any risk to our lives.” – Hange Zoe

52. “Screw your inferiority complex. Don’t run from reality.” – Hange Zoe

53. “Even in moments of the deepest despair… I guess we can still find hope, huh?” – Hange Zoe

54. “Instead of scampering around like a scared little mouse your whole life, wouldn’t you rather face up to your enemy, even if it means risking your life?” – Hange Zoe

Ymir Fritz Quotes

55. “If I, Ymir, reject the person I was born as, it’s as good as losing.” – Ymir Fritz

56. “Living this way is my way of getting revenge. I’m going to be living proof that your fate isn’t decided at birth!” – Ymir Fritz

57. “Do you always want to live hiding behind the mask you put up for the sake of others? You’re you, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” – Ymir Fritz

58. “You’re going to kill yourself. The ultimate act of submission. Is that how much you want to please the people who treated you like a nuisance? Why are you trying to hurt yourself? If your will is that strong then shouldn’t you be able to change your fate?” – Ymir Fritz

59. “You gonna care what other people think and be someone you’re not your whole life?” – Ymir Fritz

More Motivational Attack On Titan Quotes

60. “The future of humanity will be doomed. Having said that, I’m not about to sit around while we all get slaughtered.” – Jean Kirstein

61. “Right now we’ve got no choice but to try. We gotta believe there’s a way to beat him!” – Jean Kirstein

62. “As long as we continue to fight, we are not beaten!” – Miche

63. “Only when a person stops fighting have they lost.” – Miche

64. “The only truth on this world is that there is no truth. Anyone can become a god or a devil. All it takes is for people to believe it.” – Eren Kruger

65. “Everyone had to be drunk on somethin’ to keep pushing on… Everyone was a slave to somethin’.” – Kenny Ackerman

66. “Do you want to know why most people live and die without accomplishing a single damn thing? It’s because they’ve lost their imaginations. They’ll complacently waste their entire lives unashamed of the fact that all they’ll ever add to the world is shit. Such people are little more than cattle. They can’t even comprehend greatness, not even when it’s right in front of them.” – Keith Shadis

67. “Our actions right now will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people! What’s more important? That, or getting lost in some sort of ridiculous delusion?” – Reiner

68. “I don’t know what’s right anymore but I do know that I have to face the consequences of my actions and carry out my duty as a warrior to the end.” – Reiner

69. “Going against the flow… takes a lot of courage. I respect that. Maybe people who can do it are just stupid, but… Well… What I’m sure of is that people like that are rare.” – Annie Leonhart

70. “We need to stop living for others. From now on… Let’s live for ourselves!” – Historia Reiss

Did you enjoy these Inspirational Attack On Titan quotes?

What are your favorite quotes from Attack On Titan? Let me know in the comments below and please share this post.

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The Wings Of Freedom

This article is about the first chapter of the Attack on Titan: No Regrets manga. For other uses of this name, see Die Flügel der Freiheit (Disambiguation) .

• 3 Characters in order of appearance
• 4 Navigation

After Levi , Isabel , and Furlan escape from the thugs, they are persecuted by members of the Military. Levi guesses that they are part of the Survey Corps because they are far more skillful than the Military Police. Levi and his friends try to evade them by splitting them up, but his friends are finally trapped by two soldiers and Levi by Erwin Smith and Mike Zacharias . There Erwin makes a deal: if they join the Survey Corps, they will not be judged by the Military Police. Without any other choice, Levi accepts the deal.

Isabel, Furlan and Levi notice their pursuers

Levi , Furlan Church , and Isabel Magnolia are pursued by the Survey Corps in year 844, all of them utilizing vertical maneuvering equipment. The three delinquents skillfully maneuver their way through the Underground District , but the Survey Corps members are not so easily eluded.

Refusing to be caught, the three choose to split up, but, despite some complicated navigating by Levi, he is tracked down by Erwin Smith and Mike Zacharias and the three engage in a brief brawl. During the struggle, Erwin manages to cut one of Levi's cables, preventing him from fleeing. Levi attempts to resist capture but stands down upon seeing that Furlan and Isabel have already been apprehended.

Erwin blackmails Levi

With Levi and his allies restrained, Erwin questions them on where they obtained their vertical equipment, and how they became so skilled at using it. Levi remains defiantly silent, but after Mike roughly interrogates him, Isabel and Furlan reveal that they taught themselves. Impressed by Levi's ability and willpower, Erwin proposes a deal with him: if Levi were to join the Survey Corps, Erwin will not turn him and his companions over to the Military Police . Seeing that he is in no position to refuse, Levi accepts.

Characters in order of appearance

• Isabel Magnolia
• Furlan Church
• Mike Zacharias
• Erwin Smith

• Attack on Titan
• 1 Eren Yeager
• 2 Nine Titans
• 3 Levi Ackerman

• The Inventory
• Entertainment

Attack on Titan , Explained

One of the most depressing shows I have watched is also one of the greatest. Attack on Titan is many things at once: an anime, a look at human nature, a horrifying tale of defeat.

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From the outside, it might just seem like any other anime show centering around kids with cool skills. But if you’d like to know what this show is really about and why it’s so popular, allow me to explain.

Hi! So, Attack On Titan . All I know about this show is that there’s a Body Worlds Exhibit-looking dude who is always creeping over a wall. He’s terrifying.

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He sure is!

So what’s the deal? What’s going on?

The show tells the story of the citizens hiding within a three-tiered, walled-off community that protects them from the Titans that live outside of it. Though at the start of the show there hadn’t been an attack since the one one hundred years ago that nearly wiped out all of humanity, the threat still very much looms right outside their gates.

So, that big guy by the wall is a Titan?

He’s what the citizens call a Colossal Titan. They’re the toughest breed of Titan they’ve encountered yet, and he comes in to demolish a part of a wall to let all other Titans in.

What are Titans anyway?

They’re gigantic, humanoid-looking creatures that seem to have no other desire but to eat people.

Not really, actually. The Titans don’t have digestive tracts (or sexual organs, btw).

No sex. I know, I know. Seeing two gangly, awkward humanoid creatures going at it would probably be kind of hilarious. But, hey, check the Internet. You never know...

Er, yeah, maybe. Moving on...

Moving on...because they don’t have digestive tracts, they eventually spit the humans up like hairballs, leaving their slimy corpses all over town for their friends and families to clean up.

Quite. Imagine living through the terror of one of these attacks just to have to scoop up goopy bodies with faces you recognize, if there’s any of it left.

Yuck. So the city’s walls are to keep the Titans out?

Yep. They have three walls circling around each other, the innermost of which is where the royal family lives. Their other form of defense is the military, where a lot of the Attack on Titan story takes place.

The show is mostly focused on Eren, a young boy who had to watch as his mother was brutally chomped on by a Titan with long hair. In a permanent fit of rage, Eren decides to dedicate his life to the military to get revenge. He’s dead set on it, and his childhood friends make a pact with him to join. So off Eren, Mikasa and Armin go to join The Survey Corps, which is the roughest sect of the military you can join.

What’re they all about?

The military is broken into a few groups. There are the soldiers who are tasked with defending the royal family within the innermost wall. They have the cushiest lifestyle, so everyone wants to be qualified enough to join their ranks. Then there’s the group that protects the other walls and their civilians.

And then there’s the Scout Regiment, or Survey Corps. They go out into enemy territory, outside the protection of the walls, where Titans roam around freely. It’s the most dangerous of the three military organizations, and you’ll usually find them walking around downtrodden, sullen, and rapidly depleting in numbers. Most people think it’s crazy of anyone to join the Scout Regiment, and they’re rarely even welcomed home with open arms. People are frustrated; frustrated at losing so many loved ones, at constant defeat.

In fact, a large section of the community believes that because some soldiers venture outside of the walls, they’re actually inviting more Titans in. In their minds, not only are they going out and dying for nothing while spending taxpayer money, they’re increasing the already-outstanding threat to their lives.

So why do people join?

A sense of duty? Or they’re so lost in grief over losing a loved one to a Titan that they join to get revenge, like Eren did? So, basically, a sense of duty.

Over time, the show demonstrates the necessity and benefit, however miniscule, of the Scout Regiment and their efforts. The alternative is so much worse, whether the people realize that or not.

Cadets who get placed in these ranks are traditionally not skilled enough to have been afforded the luxury of kicking back with the royal family, so they fight where they can.

Better to get involved, and feel like you’re protecting your family, than to sit back and wait for death.

Yep. And that sense of duty comes with a lot of other emotions that the characters struggle with. They struggle to be brave, and they struggle to be strong.

When they fail, they internalize it to such a degree that it might even be debilitating. Other characters use it as further motivation to push forward and better themselves, which is admirable.

If you’re not growing, what are you doing?

Truth. That’s a big burden to shoulder, though.

Of course it is. On the flipside, there are people—or, more accurately, assholes—who don’t seem to understand the bigger picture, and get caught up on what they see as nuisances that are a result of the situation humanity is in. Instead of contributing, or instead of growing, they sit around and bitch and moan.

What? Why would that guy say or even think that??

Well, because he’s an asshole. He doesn’t understand everyone else’s efforts, why people had to be evacuated and let in through his walls, eating his precious food and taking up his precious space.

He doesn’t understand that the outer wall suffered a major attack with major losses. All he sees is that those people are now trampling all over his space, giving him more work. And, sure, different people cope differently. When you’re constantly living around and thinking about death, it’s no surprise that some emotional struggle will occur, too. It’s a struggle to come to terms with it. Many people have to harden their shells to cope, and not everyone understands that reaction.

But in most cases, people don’t understand the very tough decisions the higher-ups have to make in this war, and the therefore harsh consequences that would result in any decision either way.

And this leads to a lot of the human vs. human conflicts on the show: the class differences, and the political goals that sometimes get in the way of actual progress.

Oh, god, as if they needed more shit?

I know, right? Just like in real life, things play out very differently for the rich than the poor. Villages by the mountains versus those by prosperous cities, for instance, weren’t informed of a Titan attack as quickly because they were deemed less of a priority.

How do they even take on these Titans if they’re as gigantic as you say they are? Er, how gigantic did you say they are?

Up to about 50ft! But the show counts them in meters, and you’ll hear military members shout out their estimate to each other frequently to assess a battlefield situation. It adds a serious edge to already-exciting battles.

People who join the military need to be trained to use omni-directional mobility gear that lets them grapple between buildings and trees to get a height advantage on the Titans.

The Titans are these large, kind of sluggish beasts and you’ll see humans zipping and flying around them, flipping in the air to perform some really acrobatic moves and land a decent strike. There’s lots of yelling as commands are quickly changed, because nothing ever goes according to plan. It’s almost always chaos. Cannons are firing off from a distance and Titans, with their ear-to-ear and toothy grins, try to swat at anything and everything that moves.

The goal for the military is to swing around behind the Titans and swipe at the back of their necks, which they have discovered to be their only weak spot on an otherwise incredibly tough exterior that manages to heal itself, no less.

That sounds tricky!

It is! Units often need to work together just to take down one Titan, perhaps one distracting it while the other does the swinging around. Some Titans are more clever than others, which makes it even trickier. But, in general, these are at least 10-feet-tall giants with super strength, healing powers and literal thick skin (I’m sure they don’t mind the insults either, as they’re thick-headed, too).

Every episode is fast paced. It’s action scene after action scene. In much the same way that Game of Thrones often portrays (or used to) action and story progression in a way that seems to pummel its viewers into the ground with drama, Attack on Titan frequently hits dramatic entries in its story without much breathing room. The first episode hits the ground running, with blood and guts and immediate shifts in tone. Titans snatch people up, pulling them by their faces, breaking their bodies. Often when the Titans attack, you get the feeling that humanity—even the military—is completely powerless against them. It really is humiliating, which is a consistent theme throughout the show. Locked in their walled cages, powerless against the Titan attacks, barely a moment to rest.

In every battle, lots of people die. Even when the military manages to push out the remaining Titans or, as becomes more likely as the show goes on, manages to at least evacuate enough civilians through the other walls, it always still feels like a failure.

You’ve lost your community, your homes, and a whole hell of a lot of loved ones.

For 100 years, after the first Titan attack that nearly wiped out all of humanity, people have depended on the wall to keep Titans out. And they had lived in peace up until then. Until now, of course.

This sounds like a bummer of a show.

In many ways it is. It’s tragic. Almost every episode is tragic, actually. But, hey, hardship builds character, and that’s exactly what makes this show so good. You see young kids grow and learn and turn into reliable adults who can support one another. It’s an amazing transition to see. Some of the scrappiest, most scared kids end up being the ones that bring plans together. At some point, everyone has to step up. It’s inspiring.

Perhaps the most badass of them all is Mikasa. She’s fiercely loyal, and a fantastic fighter. One of the best in her class. She is not to be trifled with.

So the show is good because of the character arcs?

Not just that. It’s good because of the unique and truly terrifying conflict at the heart of the story. People live in constant fear and apprehension, trapped in what is essentially a cage. They never know when a Titan attack will hit, and they are never even close to being prepared. They can almost never be. Their lives and lifestyles are at the mercy of these gigantic, terrifying creatures that brutally devour their population for no apparent reason.

I mean, heck, if they at least ate the humans for sustenance that’d feel somewhat more justified, but, to them, it mostly seems like terror for the sake of terror. There they are, going about their lives planting crops and heading to the market to buy a damn loaf of bread and all of a sudden their child is ripped from their arms and their head squeezed between some giant’s teeth.

The show pulls no punches. It often gets quite violent. You really feel how terrifying these things are. You feel the bloodlust.

So the show is good because it’s violent?!

The show is good because of what it portrays. Conflict, struggle, and rise. And the show is also good because just like the civilians and the military within it, we as the audience kind of have no idea what’s going on. It all unravels for us in the same way it does for them. And the discoveries they make start to shed light on just how deep the Titan history goes, and how many twists and turns are involved.

I of course won’t spoil anything but I will say this: damned if the way the story progresses isn’t fascinating while maintaining its mystery. I find myself craving to know more, wanting to practically jump into its world and find out for myself.

That’s that video game blood.

Hell yeah it is. I AM THE HERO. I WILL SINGLE-HANDEDLY RESOLVE ALL ISSUES AND SAVE ALL PEOPLES. AND CATS.

Just watch the show.

To contact the author of this post, write to [email protected] or find her on Twitter at @tinaamini .