Attack on Titan’s Anime and manga have a few distinct differences that stand out more than other anime adaptations. Creator Hajime Isayama was involved with the anime adaptation of his popular manga. during production, Isayama made a number of key changes To give the anime a different tone that he felt audiences would enjoy more. The most notable of these changes are found at the end of the series, but there are many found throughout.
While there are no monumental changes between the two, the tone is much lighter in the anime and Isayama’s choices reflect that. He received a lot of criticism from fans at the end of the anime and wanted to deliver the project they were looking forward to. The end result is just as good as the manga, With a few key changes that give it a much more hopeful tone.
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Annie’s Reveal as the Female Titan
The anime adds a maniacal laugh
Annie Leonhart is a complicated character in Attack on Titan. She is usually left to herself, and when she is around her members of the Survey Corps, her sharp wit comes out on the whole show. You discover how Attack on Titan’s Female Titan is A notable change between manga and anime. In the manga, when she is finally captured by Eren and the rest of the Survey Corps, she quietly accepts her fate and transforms into the Female Titan.
Isayama wanted to give Annie a more villainous feel in the anime. When her identity as a Titan is revealed, she laughs maniacally before attempting to transform, looking excited to take on the Survey Corps in battle. Isayama’s goal worked as Annie watches and is perceived to be insane by her former comrades until she finally wakes up several years later.
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Mikasa recognizes Eren first
Armin recognizes him in the manga
Eren’s first time transforming into a Titan was an overwhelming experience. He and the rest of the scout regiment are inside the walls fighting titans. Armin was about to be eaten when Eren switched places with his best friend, heading straight down a titan’s throat. Before he was digested in the stomach, he transformed into his titan form for the first time. He pummeled several Titans before finally falling to exhaustion. While his Titan was on earth, Mikasa recognized that it was him.
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She calls herself to be honored before everyone else. In the manga, Armin is the person to recognize Eren. Studio WIT may have made this change to create a stronger connection between Eren and Mikasa early in the series. It could be done to balance their relationships too, as Eren had just saved Armin earlier and Mikasa needed to be involved somehow.
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Anime Censors Violence
The manga is even more brutal
While the Attack on Titan Anime is brutal, the manga is even more violent. It may be hard to believe in a series with titans eating people whole, but the manga features its death and destruction in much more detail. One notable change is Eren’s mother’s death. In the anime, Carla Yeager was eaten by the Smiling Titan mostly off-screen. In the manga, each part of her death is given its own panel, Highlighting just how weak humans are to the Titans.
The anime was made to reach a much wider audience than the manga, so it’s not surprising that it wouldn’t go into as much graphic detail. Even without detail, the Attack on Titan Anime is more graphic than most. It’s not afraid to show Ern use the Jaw Titan as a nutcracker to kill the War Hammer Titan, and It even animated Ramsay’s death horribly well too.
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Introducing Connie, Jean, and Annie
The side characters get more time in the anime
The side characters in Attack on Titan are so unique and interesting they support their own Attack on Titan Spin-off series. Armin and Mikasa are introduced early on in the series as they are Eren’s closest friends, but it isn’t until the trio joins the military that the series introduces fan favorites like Sasha, Connie, and Jin. in the anime, Each of the side characters get their moment to shine. In the manga, their introduction is shown in flashbacks later in the series.
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Isayama Studio WIT understood how popular the side characters in the series grew to become, so they Decided to give a few important heroes a better introduction. It’s a great decision that pays off in the end, because nobody complains about Kanye getting more screen time. Jean and Sasha grow to be deeply connected to the series, so getting a chance to meet them earlier was more than welcome.
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Erwin’s love interest
The 13th scout leader may have had a love life
Commander Erwin didn’t last long in the series, however He made a huge impact while he was at it. His speech to the scouts before charging them to certain death is one of the most inspirational moments in anime. In both these Attack on Titan Anime and manga, Erwin is a tough, no-nonsense leader who wants the best for his scouts. In the manga, he has a love interest named Marie.
It’s a small change that focuses the story a little more, but it’s interesting to see that Erwin may have a different way. In a conversation with Neil Doc, it is revealed that they once had their eyes on the same girl. Niall chose to work in the police brigade so he could be close to her, while Erwin chose to fight in the scout regiment. Erwin’s dedication to his scouts is seen even deeper in the manga, as he is willing to sacrifice love in order to win humanity.
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Eren’s Reige Form
Eren’s rage is given form in the anime
Eren’s Rage Form against Annie was a quick addition to the anime. Eren’s fight against Annie early in Attack on Titan is one of Eren’s best, showing off the new skills he’s picked up as a Titan Shifter. When he fights the female titan in the anime, he gets so upset that his body sort of lights up on fire. Titans normally emit a lot of steam while regenerating, and the Rage form is similar to this heating and healing process. Eren is so angry that it shows on his skin.
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There is no anger form in these Attack on Titan Manga. Eren is just as angry in his fight against his former friend, but it is not expressed visually. It’s possible that the anime wanted to highlight Eren’s feelings while he was fighting someone he considered a friend not too long ago. It’s a cool change that unfortunately won’t come back again.
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Mikasa just says “Ern”
She has more character in the manga
Most of the changes between these Attack on Titan Manga and anime are small or inconsequential enough not to impact the series. One of the few disappointing changes is in Mikasa’s character. In the manga, she is smart, clever and always ready to help. While she is still a good friend and a strong soldier in the anime, She never says more than one word: “Ern”. She says it when she’s worried, when she’s happy, and even when she’s in the middle of a fight.
In the manga, she uses much more complete sentences to convey her feelings. The anime reduces her character to a lovable puppy who doesn’t do much more than follow Ern around. It is an overwhelming change This doesn’t give Mikasa the screen time she deserves. At least the manga lets you express yourself with more than one word.
3
Historical speech
Isayama wanted a more hopeful ending
One of the biggest and most important changes among the Attack on Titan Anime and Manga is the theme and tone of the ending. The end itself is the same, when Ern finished the rumbling and killed 80% of the world’s population, forcing his friends to kill him. In the manga, history is less than optimistic that peace is near. She tells her people that “the fight will not end until either Aldia or the world disappears. That’s what Eren said, and maybe he was right.”
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It’s a dark speech that doesn’t leave much room for hope. Isayama changes this in the anime by having Historia say that “This is not the life he would want for us!”, referring to Eren’s wishes. It’s a much more hopeful ending This makes history look cheaper and portrays Eren in a much better light at the same time.
2
“See you later…Eren”
The first panel in the manga
Attack on Titan and time are deeply interconnected. It’s a series where time travel and knowledge floating through time are key concepts from the beginning. The first panel of the Attack on Titan Manga is also the latest. It featured Mikasa saying goodbye to her long-time friend and love Eren as she finally killed him and laid him to rest. At the beginning of the series, the panel only showed Mikasa saying “See you later…Eren” before he woke up, Realized it was a dream.
The anime doesn’t include this scene until much later. The anime probably didn’t want to confuse anime watchers with this moment, but it did include Eren having dreams of future events at the beginning of the series, foreshadowing his time-related abilities. This is a disappointing change because it would make for an excellent moment during a re-watch.
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Eren and Armin’s talk in the streets
A cathartic conversation to conclude the series
Eren’s decision to kill 80% of the world’s population is the least controversial. Sure, he’s more likely than not to stop all invaders from attacking his home, but he kills an insane number of innocent people to do so. When Armin finally meets him in the streets at the end of the series, They were able to have a cathartic heart-to-heart one last time. Fans were not happy that Armin so quickly accepted Eren’s decision to kill so many innocent people, so Isayama made a change to the anime’s finale.
in the anime, Armin is much more thorough with his language When he expressed his anger at Eren. Armin admitted that Eren sacrificed himself for them, but he does not agree with his methods. It’s an important change that reframes Eren and the rest of the Scouts in a more truthful manner.