Hajime Isayama has always stood by realism and it is apparent in Attack on Titan, his smash-hit series. But this is not to say that the franchise never faced any criticism. In fact, Attack on Titan is knee-deep in controversies due to its various graphic and unethical depictions.
While the author remains unbothered by all of it, he also takes pride in his realistic depictions. Attack on Titan is not for everyone, and those who watch it need to be prepared to not scrunch their face in disgust at the realistic treatment of the characters in the anime.
Hajime Isayama Recounts His Unsaid Rules for Attack on Titan
In an interview with Crunchyroll, Hajime Isayama admitted that he often involved a hint of truth in whatever he included in Attack on Titan. According to the author:
I think where there’s a hint of truth, it makes a story very believable.
The author continued that the world view map in Attack on Titan was flipped from the real-life world map to create something that was different but still a bit familiar. His ultimate goal is to make people understand what they are reading by catching the context rather than by spoon-feeding everything.
Isayama further stated an example of the Eldians and Marleyans.
For example, the Eldian and Marleyans. They’re really kind of similar to what the Germanic people and Romans went through 2,000 years ago. That’s kind of the unsaid rules that I keep in my stories.
In the world of Attack on Titan, Eldians are discriminated against by the Germans. They were made into slaves, but at the same time, they were feared and regarded as dangerous. The Jews faced a similar fate during the holocaust, and this subtle reference in the anime/manga caught a lot of attention among otakus.
The Controversial Real-Life Inspired Elements in Attack on Titan
On close observation, you will find many similarities between the episodes of Attack on Titan and events that took place in real life. Since Isayama himself admitted that Marley is inspired by Germany, it becomes even easier to track down the historical context.
During the earlier ages, slavery was common in Germany, and slaves could be bought or purchased for different types of labor. In fact, the masters of the slaves had complete control over them and could do anything they desired with their property. This is evident from the depiction of Ymir who was chased by soldiers shooting arrows at her. In old Germanic tribes, it was also common for attractive female slaves to end up as concubines, and King Fritz did the same with Ymir.
The Eldian armbands also seem to be inspired by the ones that Jews wore during World War 2. Marleyans discriminated against them but also used their power during wars. The same happened in the real world when thousands of Jewish soldiers were sent to fight as German military personnel. The Nazis, however, erased their contribution from history.
After the death of Ymir, King Fritz forced his daughters to eat the corpse of Ymir, their own mother, so that the power of the Titans could be preserved. While the Titans eating humans was one thing, Fritz’s conduct made many people feel disgusted and at odds with Hajime Isayama.
Due to his dedication to realistic portrayals, fans often question the personal views of Hajime Isayama. His morals and ethical values have been questioned time and again because of the graphic depictions in Attack on Titan.
You can read Attack on Titan on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
