S1 of Attack on Titan Run Down!

Please do not answer the questions or tell me if the theories are correct or not. I really don't want the show to be spoiled for me!

Some of this is more thoroughly written out and parts are just bullet points that I jotted down whilst re-watching S1 on Monday!

There may be some spelling / grammatical errors so for that I apologise!

I hope you all enjoy this!

Themes

Trauma

• Guilt over the deaths of those they admire and loved. Eren blames himself for the loss of his squad – that if he had transformed then he could have prevented it but there’s no knowing if that would be the case. However, the trauma from witnessing their brutal deaths haunts him to the extent that he keeps replaying it in his mind and berates himself. It’s a form of survivor’s guilt which is extremely common when witnessing a traumatic event, and I think this is going to be a reoccurring theme for Eren.

• Coming to terms with death (Marco) and the lasting impact. We see the whole group mourning for his loss. Jean doesn’t want anyone else to end up like Marco becoming his driving factor into joining the Survey Corps

•  Sasha is less happy go lucky as the show progresses – struggles with the fear and trauma of what she’s seen and witnessed plus her near-death experience. Her personality has shifted to her being more cautious and scared than before indicating a shift in her personality due to trauma.

• Eren’s outbursts of anger and frustration and shame throughout S1 I think are also a subtle way of the show emphasising just how traumatised he is by witnessing his mother’s death and how this event manifests through his emotional outbursts and lack of critical thinking. We also see Eren relieving the trauma of his mother’s death over and over again in various flashbacks which is another sign of PTSD.

• Armin shaking and panicking in Ep 5 remembering what happened five years ago is a good indication of how trauma can spiral making it hard to concentrate beyond your anxiety and stress. Eren is able to calm him but again another good depiction of how the trauma of five years ago still persists. Also, again when Armin freezes as his friends get devoured. It’s a traumatic response to everything he’s seen and witnessed over the years. His body is unable to react. He was also so traumatised in Ep 6 that he did not even see Eren transform and emerge from the body of the Titan.

• Ep 6 when Ian asks how Mikasa is so calm and non-cholent she begins to remember her childhood and the trauma of witnessing her parents die. She’s emotionally reserved because of the fear of being attached and close to someone only to watch them die again. Eren and Armin are the exception to the rule but she never seems to emotionally react to the deaths of anyone else so far primarily due to what she’s witnessed and seen.

• The reality and brutality of war as the new graduates see just what the Titans are capable of and wrestle with the prospect of death due to the lack of gas when the Titans swarm headquarters in Ep 7. The show constantly reminds us that these are young teenagers who have barely lived their lives but are risking it all for a chance of survival and freedom. What they witness here and in Ep 22 serves to remind them and us just how brutal this life truly is and what it means to be a soldier. But the trauma they are experiencing is going to likely have hard-hitting consequences in the future.

• Post-traumatic stress disorder hasn’t really been shown in extensive detail in S1 but I think it will come into play in later seasons with people struggling to come to terms and this having a significant impact on their mental and psychological well-being.

Class System

• Walls organised around class – closer you are to the interior the wealthier you are but also the safer you are from the titans.

• Corruption to the core with the Military Police selling equipment showing no regard for what they are meant to stand for

• Excessive and lavish lifestyles flaunted by the wealthy

•  Rebellion mentioned showing discontent with the system as a whole. May be something that crops up in the future??

• Refugees referred to as ‘plague rats’ showing they view them as lesser and lower than the citizens of Wall Rose.

• Ep 2 there’s mention of asking the central government for ‘help’ – I’ve spoken before about how the refugees could have primarily survived if Wall Sina had chosen to give up some of its luxuries and I feel this comment backs it considering what inevitably plays out is sending the refugees to their doom to prevent a ‘famine’ meaning that help was never given.

• In the English Dub the refugees are referred to as ‘animals’ to be fattened up to give to the Titans which is a dehumanisation tactic. It’s a way of justifying the mistreatment of people by denying them humanity. It’s also a form of incitement to genocide and if we view the culling as a classicide, which I talked in depth about in Ep 14 analysis, then it could be seen as a tactic to justify such later acts of cruelty.

• Ep 6 the Head of the Guild Merchant being willing to sacrifice numerous people to protect his own goods shows how wealth is prioritised over that of the lives of everyone else. Corruption in that he threatens to have her court marshalled because he is friends with the commander. It is only due to Mikasa’s threat that he relents but he was content to trap everyone for his own greed.

Utilitarianism

• Forces us to question our conception of ethics and morality

• Erwin sacrifices so many for what he believes is the greater good of humanity as a whole

• Questions arise as to how justified such an action is. Can it truly benefit humanity to treat human lives as disposable? Can we truly benefit humanity if we are so willing to throw away our emotions and slip down a dangerous slope of not caring for others?

• Most visually striking aspect of that in Episode 25 was the juxtaposition between Erwin’s voice saying that he did this “to lead humanity to victory” and the young girl covered in blood wandering the streets alone and traumatised. Erwin did what he believed was right for humanity but again, at what cost? The loss of innocence and the destruction of Wall Sina. The show is forcing us to wrestle with whether we agree or not with such a decision, or whether it was reckless and dismissive in seeing lives as merely disposable whilst preaching to care about humanity as a whole.

• Niel is also conflicted between condemning Erwin but at the same time doesn’t kill him because it may ‘save humanity’ in the long term. Which plays into Armin’s earlier words of ‘those who cannot sacrifice everything cannot change anything’ – Erwin is willing to sacrifice it all, including his own life, if it means saving humanity as a whole from the Titans or to gain an advantage over them. But again, the show does seem to be driving home the point that we should be questioning ‘at what cost though’? Rather than just blindly agreeing that it’s right and justified

• The conflict between being connected to humanity whilst also having to sacrifice it to achieve an end goal is going to be something I see Eren struggling with leading to his anti-hero trajectory as he goes too far in giving up his humanity to ‘save it’. I think this is a foreshadowing. I also believe this lack of regard for the sake of advancing may inevitably come back to haunt Erwin in the long run – that he might inevitably go too far to the extent that it’s seen as treason. He was fortunate he was able to justify it at the end of Episode 25, but we have now seen just how ruthless he can be and how far he’s willing to go. This won’t be the last time. If anyone was going to lead a rebellion against the King I could see it being Erwin if it was deemed as the necessary step to protect humanity.

• Utilitarianism also crops up in more subtle ways through Jean, Connie, and Sasha’s sacrifice of a cosy life in the interior to put themselves in the firing line of the Titans in order to protect humanity and prevent anyone else from experiencing said trauma.

• Jean makes a good point of “if it’s that easy for the fight to turn us all into monsters then maybe we don’t deserve to win” which I believe infers that the qualities that make us human, caring and supporting others and valuing the lives of everyone, are more valuable to humanity as a whole than recklessly sacrificing everything for the chance to gain an advantage which may be for nothing. That if we become monsters are we then no better than the Titans?

Indomitable Human Spirit

• Spoke a lot about this in Episode 13 so not going to delve into it too much again. Rather, it’s worth mentioning that it’s an overarching theme that I see playing out through Attack on Titan.

• It centres around humanity’s refusal to back down and the power of optimism. That regardless of how dire everything appears; humanity will always continue to struggle and fight to survive because it’s in our nature to do so.

• Humanity working together in the face of defeat and refusing to quit even at the risk of their own lives because it’s better to die for something than for nothing.

• Reiterated constantly throughout the show through the way the squad work together to protect one another e.g. Marco risking his life for Jean. Jean risking his life for Armin. Ian sacrificing himself for his comrade. Eren ‘dying’ to save Armin. Mikasa and Armin risking their lives for Eren against Annie.

• The desire to be free from the threat of the Titans is all encompassing to the extent that it is worth risking everything for even if it means your own life. The drive to see the outside world is a reoccurring theme that motivates and drives both Eren and Armin in their longing to escape the tyranny that the Titans symbolise.

• Persevering despite how cruel the world around them is the epitome of strength and optimism – a refusal to just lie down and accept death without a fight. The topic of ‘fighting’ or ‘to fight’ is a reoccurring message and indicates that in order to live we must fight to survive even if we risk losing everything in the process. The will to live is all-powerful and is one of the strongest themes within this show is the emphasis that no matter how cruel the world is, no matter how many times it knocks you down, you must persevere to find meaning and strength beyond the prospect of death. It is the power of optimism in seeing that our struggles are merely an opportunity to overcome the challenges we face so that one day we may achieve our dreams and desires.

Best Character Development

Jean – he goes from being a self-serving and egotistical arse to someone whose restrained, smart, and cares for those around him to the extent that he refuses to put anyone in harm’s way unless it is absolutely necessary. He recognises that he does not want a cushy life anymore in the military police if it means others are at risk of being harmed and killed by the Titans. The biggest development is him criticising the Military Police and their lack of help during Annie’s transformation, understanding that they are nothing more than figureheads unprepared and unequipped for dealing with the actual threat of Titans. Jean is also an incredibly realistic take on what it would be like to be thrust into this world.

Armin – he goes from seeing himself as weak and deserving to die in place of Eren and his squad members in Ep 6 to being courageous and standing up for himself, Eren and Mikasa despite the threat of death. He begins to have confidence in himself in a way that he never did before. Speaking up about the plan to seal the wall, creating his own tactical battle strategies to overwhelm and overcome the Titans so they can refill their gas supply, and even putting himself in danger to save Eren and Mikasa without a second thought. He’s gone from cowering and being unable to move to throwing himself into the line of fire if it means protecting those he cares about. He’s grown so much in a short period and I adore how he’s started to have faith and confidence in himself in a way that he never did before.

Favourite Titan Designs

1)      Sassy Power-Walking Titans in Ep 6 at 6:50 and in Ep 17 at 8:14 and Ep 18 at 17:00

2)      The Little Titans that Eren punts in Ep 8 at 10:56

3)      The Cat Like Titan at 6:40 in Ep 17

4)      The Titan that starts climbing in Ep 20 at 5:30

5)      Titan that Eats Thomas in Ep 5 at 17:36

1)      17:36 Ep 5 – Titan that Eats Thomas

Top 5 Favourite Characters

• Jean

• Armin

• Hange

• Levi

• Sasha

Theories Going Forward

Armoured Titan = Rainer

It has been presumed that the Armoured Titan is working alongside the Colossal. That the armoured titan didn’t attack when the Colossal did because something had changed which was Eren. At this point we didn’t know that Eren could transform BUT he had already been injected. The takeaway from this is that we have to presume that the hybrids are able to sense Titan blood to some extent or are hyper-aware of the potential powers. Think back to when Annie paused when Armin spoke about her killing Eren. She hesitated but she still ran for the centre guard as if gravitating towards Eren.

Again, during the Battle of Trost, the Titans ignore people to merge towards Eren. So there has to be something that is drawing them and making them aware of who he is. Annie was also able to lead Titans towards the right vanguard meaning that they were following her and then likely got distracted by the humans. So, if we are going with this idea that Titans and Titan Hybrids can sense the blood or power of other Titan Hybrids, then Annie may have already suspected Eren PRIOR to his interaction with the Colossal. The Colossal also disappeared incredibly quick after kicking the wall so likely ALSO sensed something off about Eren and disengaged.

I believe that not only was the Armoured Titan called off by the Colossal BUT that the Armoured Titan also witnessed the transformation of Eren alongside Annie.

So, who is the Armoured Titan?

I re-watched S1 to prepare for this outro and to help me formulate my thoughts after the WILD RIDE that was Episode 25. And looking back I think they are already hinting as to who it is. We know in Ep 25 that Erwin suspects there are more like Annie within the walls, and we know she is not working alone because she is acting as a spy. However, what if Annie was not the only one to witness Eren’s transformation? What if she’s not the only spy that’s been recruited?

Based off of appearance I would say that the Armoured Titan looks like Rainer. Similar hair style. Similar facial structure. Also possesses immense strength. Does this argument seem weak? Of course, it does BUT HEAR ME OUT.

In Episode 4 – Jean and Eren get into a near fight. Jean has Eren grasped by the shirt. The camera pans from Eren to RAINER and then to ANNIE who are both watching him with interest as if to see what he will do. As if they are waiting to see if he will switch. We know that between Ep 1 and 2 Eren is injected by Grisha, so he already has the blood inside of him but is unaware of it as he doesn’t remember. But if Titan Hybrids can sense the blood, then Rainer and Annie know what Eren is. The fact that it pans between all three of them seems like a creative choice but if Annie and Eren are Titan Hybrids then why include Rainer in this panning shot? It seems like they are hinting that Rainer is more than he appears to be. Almost like a foreshadowing for something to come.

In Episode 10 when the soldiers see the flash of Eren transforming, the camera zooms in on both Annie and Rainer reacting but no one else. Rainer keeps being paired with Annie in these moments and it’s making me super SUS knowing Annie’s ability as the Female Titan. Rainer is also the first to recognise and react when no one else really knows what is going on or understands what that flash means. Rainer wouldn’t know what the flash means BECAUSE he was not there when the Colossal attacked. We know that Rainer is from a town near the mountains and heard about the breach too late. So how does he recognise the flash? It’s because he already knows what it symbolises. Not only that, but Annie is also the second person behind him to launch into action to see what is going on.

At first, I thought it was just them rushing in to protect everyone from a potential Titan attack but the more I think about it, the weirder it seems as to why they would both react so quickly whilst Jean seemed almost confused as to what was going on. As if Rainer and Annie wanted to see what was happening and to clarify that Eren could indeed transform like themselves.

I’m on the hill that Rainer is the armoured titan and that’s going to crop up at some point.

Titans are Misunderstood and Annie Will Be Humanised

Annie’s actions are going to be justified and humanised to us, and we are going to see it as done for the greater good of humanity OR as a way to protect her people. I still believe that there’s another place that’s had war raged against it or were perhaps cast out and mistreated by the current King due to their abilities. That the intrusion is being used more as a gateway to re-take back what was once their home rather than an attack on humanity as a whole because if they truly wanted to kill humans then they would have done so. There has to be a deeper meaning to it.

I keep thinking back to Eren’s vision in Episode 1 and there’s a headless statue in a royal uniform. As if it had been purposely destroyed because it represents a prior ruler to the current King. The image feels like it’s hinting at resentment and rebellion against the monarchy but maybe also indicates that the true leader was usurped by another. There’s also the nursery toys and the curtains that look like they have crowns on. The bed doesn’t appear to be that of a noble child, but I think it could be hinting at a deposed royal family in hiding. Maybe an escaped heir being hid amongst the impoverished? Marlowe in Ep 23 poses a question “who would rebel against the monarchy?” which makes me think that the current monarchy was one taken by force from another and these titan hybrids are perhaps fighting to reclaim what was taken and to reinstate the rightful ruler.

Again, there’s a conversation between Annie and Eren in Ep 4 where she says that everyone is expecting them to play the game and be a pawn implying that there’s something larger at play that we are not aware of. That Annie is rebelling against a system that is rigged to penalise and harm those they view as lesser, which could be rooted in discriminating against Titan Hybrids. Now that we know that Titans forms the walls – we have to question if it’s really true that they appeared suddenly 100 years ago, or have we been fed false information regarding history and that the Titans predate humans? Eren in Ep 9 questions “why has everything been taken from us? Our lives. Our dreams. Everything.” I don’t think this was just an existential crisis that he was having in the belly of the Titan but more hinting at corruption that is rooted deep into the system that rules them and dictates who lives and dies, who deserves safety and who does not. Perhaps there was a genocide against a race of people which has led to those who escaped to retaliate against the walls itself as a symbol of resistance and rebellion.

In Ep 25 we get a glimpse into Annie and her father. In one of the scenes, he is begging her for forgiveness and making her promise that she will return which indicates that she is leaving. Perhaps becoming a spy was not so much voluntary but more due to her age and being able to blend in with the other graduates. Her father also says “stand your ground even if the whole world stands against you. They’ll despise you. They won’t understand. But I will. Your dad always will.” Which I believe is in reference to what she is fighting for. That she is defending people against the injustices of the world or at least attempting to. We also know that she is VERY ADAPT at using her Titan abilities which implies she has been learning from a young age, perhaps honing this skill alongside her combat abilities.

We also know that when she captured Eren she was taking him somewhere. I don’t believe Eren was being captured as a threat but perhaps being recruited to help with their larger design. Maybe Annie was bringing him somewhere where they would educate him on what is going on and what their mission is in an effort to recruit him into rebelling alongside them. In Ep 16, Armin mentions that whoever killed Sawney and Bean set back their advancement into researching the Titans and learning more about them. Annie has killed them for a reason but as to what this reason is only time will tell. Armin almost teases Annie by asking her if she’s attempting to discourage them from joining the Scouts because she cares for them. We know now that Annie already intended to go after Eren so she likely doesn’t want her fellow graduates to join the Scouts and be put in harm’s way. This implies that Annie, on some level, does care for them or she would not have cared about putting them in harm’s way. So there has to be more to her reasoning behind capturing Eren and hindering the Scouts. Perhaps again this links back to a coexistence between human and titans that have been around far longer than people realise.

From Ep 1 – the Wallists were telling us that there’s more to the walls that meets the eye. The preacher said that the walls are not stone, rock, or mortar. That they are bastions of faith. The will of heaven manifest. Which clearly implies that there’s something deeper to them than what we initially thought. We know from the end of Ep 25 that there are Titans inside the walls. At the beginning of Ep 25 we see the Wallist Worshippers in circles that mimic Wall Maria, Wall Rose, and Wall Sina, with interlocking arms, which makes me suspect that they are mimicking the position of the Titans that the walls are built around. If so then the Wallists know more than they are letting on and perhaps their preaching is to try and enlighten and force people to question what they know about the history of their cities. There was also the conversation regarding the Miner who disappeared after he was overheard talking about trying to dig beneath the walls, and how there was no bottom, and not long after his friend who reported him missing also disappeared.

Perhaps they were silenced by a secret faction of the government intent on hiding the truth about the walls and to prevent people from revealing what they truly are. I think there’s more to Nick than meets the eye. He knows more than he is letting on and I believe his intentions are actually an attempt to open people’s eyes rather than have them believe the state sanctioned truth. That history and the truth is being re-written for the benefit of the current monarchy and government at the expense of discriminating and persecuting a race of people that ruled and existed prior to humanity. There’s also a reference to the divine architect – maybe this is a Titan that built the walls and maybe can communicate with them in a way that wasn’t thought possible by Titans before? Maybe a sentient Titan?

I just think there’s more to the Titans and have said from the very beginning that I think we are being misled to see them as solely evil. That there’s something deeper beneath the surface and part of that will be humanising Annie’s actions as a necessary and justified act to protect humanity as a whole from a greater evil and corruption.

Eren and his Abilities

Watching back, I picked up on something that Grisha said to Eren in his flashback. I also switched from DUB and SUB to get both translations as I know it can differ. In the SUB, Grisha says to Eren “their memories will tell you how to use it” and in the DUB it says “when the ability confuses you let their memories act as your guide” implying that the blood has come from someone before him. Either a Titan or a Human/Titan hybrid. The flashbacks that Eren has are then the memories of those that came before, but I think they could be memories of people that have been consumed by the Titan whose blood courses through his veins. Primarily because in 1 of the visions we see a survey corps squad dead but it’s not Levi’s squad so it’s not a premonition of what’s to come. So if it’s not a premonition of what’s to come then it must be that of someone who came before.

The memories can be a little confusing as he does foresee his mother dying so there seems to be an element of clairvoyance to them. Yet, from what Grisha said there’s multiple people because he uses ‘their’ in both SUB and DUB meaning more than one person and more than one memory so that’s what makes me think it must be the memories of the humans consumed by the Titan whose blood he’s been injected with. There are also the flowers that appear in Ep 10. In the DUB Armin specifically says that the flowers weren’t there before and where di they come from. In the SUB he questions how they survived which gives the impression that they were there before. These flowers are a reoccurring theme. They regularly crop up and I’m curious if they are linked then to one of the people whose memories Eren is being guided by.

The flowers look like blue lilies but I’m not entirely sure if they are. The symbolism behind blue lilies is not only spiritual awareness butt also rebirth and knowledge which could be linked to the people whose memories now form a part of Eren’s consciousness. It’s a potential symbolism as to other people acting almost as spiritual guides on Eren’s journey to harness his Titan abilities, especially as he mentions that he was not sure how he knew self-harm allowed him to transform, it just came to him which means that their memories are becoming a part of his consciousness serving as a way to guide and direct him.

Yet, I think this could also create issues and internal conflict. We see Eren going on emotional rampage’s and constantly threatening to kill every last one. If the memories of those who came before exist within him, could it be possible then that the Titan also exists and his body will be thrust into an internal battle between the human and the titan side of himself? A struggle to retain his humanity when he’s constantly being told and encouraged to cast it aside to become the monster he needs to be to protect those he cares about? I have a suspicion that the whole concept of only killing Titans is going to become twisted to the point that he believes humanity is the true evil and should be eradicated. Primarily because Jean mentions in Ep 25 that “if it’s that easy for the fight to turn us all into monsters then maybe we don’t deserve to win” which I believe infers that the qualities that make us uniquely human, such as caring and supporting others and valuing every life equally, is of more benefit to humanity than recklessly sacrificing everything for the chance to gain an advantage which may end up being for nothing. That if we give up our humanity to become monsters, we then are no better than those we despise and don’t deserve to call ourselves humans. Eren’s rants about killing them all and destroying them all sometimes doesn’t include the word ‘titan’ and to me that indicates that there’s going to be a slippery slope where he inevitably starts to go downhill and sees humanity or at least the corruption of humanity as something that needs to be eradicated for the greater good of those around him.

There’s also something that Mikasa says in Episode 4 that makes me think that should Eren go down a path of no return that she will be the one forced to stop him. She says to Eren that she promised she would not let him die and that wherever he goes – she goes. I just don’t foresee a happy ending for these two and that there’s going to be a point where Mikasa may have no choice but to put her own emotions and love for Eren aside for the greater good of humanity, which would align with Armin’s philosophy that only those who can sacrifice everything can change the world and to her Eren is everything.

Questions That I Hope the Show Answers

• What is the debt that Hannes owes? Is it to Carla? What’s his relationship to Carla?

• What are the armoured Titan and Colossal attempting to do? What is their aim? It can’t be a fight against humanity because they could have easily destroyed the entire city and the interior ring. Is it to evoke a civil war? Is it to make humanity realise they have become complacent under the current regime, and they need to fight back?

• When the colossal Titan re-appeared but the armoured didn’t – why? Eren had yet to turn at this point, but did they know? Did they sense it? Were they trying to bait him out?

•  How does Keith know Grisha? Did Grisha train? Does he have a secret past that we don’t know about where he was a soldier?

• When Eren and John are fighting in Ep 4 – it zooms in to Rainer and Annie watching Eren with interest. Presuming that Rainer is the armoured Titan based on appearance, and we know that Annie is the Female Titan, are they watching Eren because they want to see if he will transform as they sense his abilities that he has not yet displayed?

• If Titans don’t consume to live and nourish themselves and are driven by the need to kill. Is it possible that humans are the invasive species, and the Titans are defending themselves the only way they know how?

• When Annie is apologising to Marco is it because his death was the result of a bigger plan that she was aware of as she is a spy on the inside and she feels guilt for him getting caught up in this and not deserving to die?

• What is Annie standing her ground against? Who else could she be working with? Why are they doing this?