Warning: Spoilers ahead for Attack on Titan.
The life-struggle Attack on Titan Movies were released seven years before the end of the manga, meaning that Eren’s story was very different on the big screen compared to the ending we got from Hajime Isayama. It’s not uncommon for manga properties to get live-action Japanese movies at the same time they get an anime adaptation. This happened to Attack on Titanwhose live-action adaptation began to be developed in 2011. The Attack on Titan Anime would premiere in 2013, with the two movies arriving in 2015. AoT Anime ended in 2023, two years after the conclusion of the manga.
Attack on Titan‘s ending was somewhat controversial, but its anime adaptation was a huge hit regardless. Despite the multiple promises of a “final season” that was split into parts, Attack on Titan Ended on a high note thanks to two feature-length specials that arguably elevated the manga’s final chapters. in many ways, Eren was the last antagonist of Attack on Titan. While we will eventually learn the truth behind his rumbling plan, Eren went from the traditional Sean protagonist with a dream to one of the most complex anime characters ever. This is something that the movies cannot capture.
Shikishima was the ultimate villain in Attack on Titan Films, not Eren
Eren considered helping Shikishima but eventually turned against him
When the Attack on Titan Films are made, the idea that Eren is going to become the biggest threat to humanity is probably only known by the author. The movies had the difficult mission of telling a complete, satisfying story based on a series that had not yet ended. However, while changes to the source material are expected, the Attack on Titan Kino tells a story that was very different from the manga from start to finish. Shikishima, an original character, was the primary antagonist And the ultimate threat to be faced instead of Eren.
While The Colossal Titan is technically the final Titan fought in the second movieShikishima was the main antagonist of the story. Drawing elements from Levi, Reiner and Zeke, none of whom were in the movie, Shikishima was the best soldier among the scouts but was hiding an evil secret. Not only is he Eren’s older brother, but he was also the “White Titan,” the movie version of the Armored Titan. Believing that the government should have done more against the titans, Shikishima planned to break the wall and force the government to deal with the creatures once and for all.
The Attack on Titan movies diverged from the manga right from the start
Eren and Mikasa’s dynamic was completely different in the movies
The conclusion of the US Attack on Titan Films may have been wildly different from what we have in the manga, but the live-action adaptation diverged from the source material right from the opening minutes. for example, Mikasa was separated from Eren and Armin at the beginning of the movie during the colossal titan’s attackAfter that they thought she was dead. Mikasa, now a scout working with Shikishima, would reunite with Eren and Armin a few years later. Mikasa and Eren’s relationship in the movie couldn’t have been more different from the manga.
The structure of the story and the chronology of the events are also very different. While Eren turns into a titan and becomes both a weapon and a liability in the movie like his manga counterpart, nothing else matches the source material. Eren is kidnapped by Shikishima, who wants Eren to help him with his plan. The origins of the Titans are also not quite as we would eventually find out in the mangaWith the creatures that were created after an experiment went wrong and a virus was released.
Hajime Isayama’s endgame for Attack on Titan is impossible to predict
Attack on Titan’s real ending took everyone by surprise
Hajime Isayama was involved in the production of the Attack on Titan films, meaning he most likely carefully chose which pieces of information should be disclosed or not. It was rumored that the mangaka wanted the movies to be different enough from the manga so that the same story wouldn’t be told twice, but it’s hard to know which of the changes came from him. Regardless, from the world’s perspective, predicting the end of Attack on Titan Back in 2015 it was almost impossible.
Related
Attack on Titan Started as a relatively new story as survivors of a monster attack trained to be ready for the day when the monsters would return. Eren Jaeger’s plan was simple – he was going to kill every Titan. However, as the series starts to reveal more about how the Titans work and where they come from, the line between heroes and villains becomes very blurry. Interestingly, the live-action Attack on Titan Movies were released at the same time as the story of the manga, after which the tone of the story was drastically changed.