Attack on Titan has become one of the most popular modern anime, with the latest season making it infinitely clear that this show will likely be regarded as one of the greatest shonen series of all time. The anime discards most shonen tropes in the favor of delivering a strong narrative, further supported by a great cast of characters and some of the best action sequences in recent memory.
So, as is the case with any brilliant anime series, Attack on Titan has amassed a sizeable fanbase that is active on multiple platforms all over the internet, including Reddit. The subreddit for Attack of Titan is certainly one of the more active subreddits around — especially with the massive developments in the latest season — and there's always vigorous debate over various aspects of the series fans can engage in. Keeping this in mind, here are some of the most contended opinions regarding the series you can find there.
9 The English & Japanese Dubs
When it comes to viewing anime, the first decision that people need to make is between watching either the Japanese or English dub. In the context of Attack on Titan, both dubs are great in their own right and a viewer will have an excellent experience regardless of their preferred language.
In the end, it all comes down to preference. Most fans will grow accustomed to the Japanese dub due to its earlier availability, but the people at Funimation have also done an excellent job of making the English version a great experience in its own right.
8 Bashing Historia
The reveal of Christa's true identity as Historia Reiss is seen as a highlight of the anime by many fans. The development really seemed to helped strengthen Historia's character overall, but some fans don't see it that way.
The argument featured in this post mentions that Historia's ideology to live for herself without any compromises isn't necessarily wrong, but brings to question why she can't be a little more pragmatic with aiding those around her as well. Overall, this decision on Historia's part seems to be based on a push for independence rather than selfishness. But it brings about an interesting conversation regardless.
7 Hating on Ymir
Given the hate for Historia, it's only a given that her close friend would've also faced this unnecessary animosity as well. It's a shame since Ymir is a very interesting character in her own right as well.
This post calls out Ymir's questionable behavior with Christa and how it can appear somewhat manipulative at times. However, many fans also feel that Ymir genuinely cared for Christa, and she wanted her to break free from the cage she had set up for herself. It's a beautiful character dynamic that gives context to Ymir's seemingly clingy behavior.
6 Animosity Towards Gabi
Gabi's character was introduced fairly recently in the events of Attack on Titan. Gabi has done some things that have made the fanbase uncomfortable, spurring a lot of conversation around the morality of her actions.
Gabi plays a big role in the narrative and has some good development despite her relatively late introduction. While she's done some questionable things, she's also written to be a sympathetic character and gives the fanbase plenty to talk and think about.
5 Issues With Wit Studio
Wit Studio has become famous in the anime community for animating the first three seasons of Attack on Titan. The fact that these seasons have become legendary is a testament to the immense talent over at this studio.
Some of the creative decisions they've taken have come under fire though, with this Redditor taking issue with the fact that the studio decided to add a scene featuring a confrontation between Levi and his two squadmates Eren & Mikasa before the events that preceded this heated argument. For fans of the manga, this might seem somewhat out of place. Regardless, the scene worked fine in the anime and it still helped build up a ton of intrigue that culminated beautifully in the final chapters of Season 3.
4 The Quality of The Third Season
If there's one thing that can constantly be praised about Attack on Titan, it's that each and every season in the show has boasted immense levels of quality when it comes to animation and storytelling. The former was especially important when it came to ensuring that the series was popular since the art of the manga itself isn't exactly eye-catching.
However, there are some people who didn't appreciate the censorship and lack of intense action scenes in Season 3. Regardless of their differences, every season of of Attack on Titan features some of the greatest animation featured in modern anime.
3 Mikasa's Character
Regardless of the difference of opinion that most people might have when it comes to Attack on Titan, there's one thing that people can universally agree upon — Mikasa is one of the greatest female characters in shonen history. Her character is extremely powerful — both physically and mentally — and makes every scene featuring her all the more entertaining, as a result.
There might be a vocal minority that doesn't appreciate Mikasa's development, with this post serving as an example of the same. However, there's a critical component that's missing from all these points — context. Mikasa is a complex character whose actions are driven by her personal motivations, past experiences, and the situations that are thrust upon her. Some people see this and end up getting attached to her character, while others might still take some issue with how she's portrayed.
2 Eren's Decisions
Eren's character has developed massively over the course of Attack on Titan, and his latest transformation has sent fans into a frenzy. However, pretty much everyone is of the opinion that Eren's act of genocide is simply inexcusable.
This post makes the argument that Eren's choice is rational, moral, and ethical. While the rationality of his actions is debatable, the gravity of Eren's grand scheme has many fans split on how to feel about the fan-favorite character. His proclivity towards extremes compelled him to go down a dark path, and his reasoning has led to varying opinions within the fanbase.
1 The Supposed Mismanagement of The Anime
Given the fact that the Attack on Titan manga has a monthly release, it was only a given that the show would easily catch up to the manga had it not taken frequent breaks. While some people were obviously irritated at the idea of having to wait to enjoy this show, most fans understood the reason behind these large multi-year gaps between seasons.
Still, some fans are of the opinion that these delays were due to the studio's mismanagement of the project. One thing is for sure, the waiting did lead to what many consider to be a high-quality adaptation of the manga.