Spoilers ahead for Attack on Titan.
The live-actionAttack on Titanmovies made a lot of changes to the manga, including but not limited to introducing a character who replaced three major players from the source material. A modern classic,Attack on Titanalready belongs in the conversation of the greatest manga and anime series of all time. Despite its pop culture impact,Attack on Titannever received alive-action adaptation from Hollywood. That said, the series received two Japanese live-action films in 2015, both of which combined elements from the manga with an original story.
Attack on Titanwas arguably not as big as it is today when the live-action films were released, but the manga was already getting into some of the more complex ideas that the series was behind its relatively simple premising of humans fighting giant monsters.Making a live-actionAttack on Titanwas never going to be easy, and the films did manage to make the Titans as scary as possible. However, there are not many redeemablequalities ofAttack on Titan’s live-action movies, especially when it comes to the story.
Shikishima Replaced Levi, Reiner, And Zeke In The Attack On Titan Movies
Attack on Titan: Part 1introduced Shikishima, an original character who did not exist in either the manga or the anime. While live-action adaptations introduce new characters or even merge supporting names into one, Shikishima’s role inAttack on Titanhad too big of an impact on the story. He replaced not just one or two but three characters from the anime, all of whom were extremely important to the story created by Hajime Isayama.Levi, Reiner, and the Beast Titan were all left out of the live-action moviesand were technically replaced by Shikishima.
Jason Liebrecht, who voiced Shikishima in the English dub of theAttack on Titanmovies, also voiced the Beast Titan/Zeke in the English dub of the anime.
Shikishima is introduced as the most formidable member of the Scout Regiment, which by itself would make himLevi Ackerman’s live-action replacement. The decision not to include Levi was arguably the biggest mistake made by the live-action adaptation and doomed both films, but it was not the only major change made to the source material. There was no Reiner or Berthold in the live-action film either, with Shikishima being the adaptation’s version of the Armored Titan. Lastly,Shikishima was secretly Eren’s older brother, meaning he also worked as Zeke’s replacement in this version of the story.
The Attack On Titan Movies Would Never Make The Manga Justice With So Many Changes
Attack On Titan’s Live-Action Films Essentially Tell An Original Story
It is important to note thatthe live-actionAttack on Titanmovies came out long before the manga was concluded. The second season ofAttack on Titanhad not even come out yet when the movies arrived in theaters, which is why they only cover the initial part of the story. Still, even looking only at theAttack on Titanmanga chapters released by then, the live-action movies did way too many changes. For example, Shikishima and Mikasa were once in a relationship, with the former trying to make Eren jealous every time Mikasa was around.
Attack on Titanis a complex story full of twists and turns that would not be done justice by a couple of two-hour-long films.
Another major change was that the Colossal Titan was not one of the scouts but rather the director of the Military Police, another example of how theAttack on Titanfilms replaced characters from the source material with original names. The movie’s ultimate antagonist turned out to be Shikishima, who believed the walls needed to be breached so that the government would finally use its resources to destroy all Titans once and for all. Of course,Isayama’s endgame forAoTwas not known by then, but even still, the movie’s original plot didn’t work.
The Best Way To Bring Attack On Titan To Live-Action Is Not With A Movie
Eren Yeager’s Story Would Not Fit A Two-Hour Movie (Or Even A Trilogy)
Should there ever be another live-actionAttack on Titanadaptation, it should happen as a big-budget series instead of a movie. Granted,the scale ofAttack on Titanfits the big screen very well, not to mention how expensive it would be to bring giant creatures to live-action. However, more than monsters and destruction,Attack on Titanis a complex story full of twists and turns that would not be done justice by a couple of two-hour-long films. Even a trilogy would struggle to cover the entire story and all of its nuances.
Attack on Titan Ending Explained
After running for a decade, Attack on Titan’s anime finally came to an end, and here’s everything about the ending explained in full detail.
BetweenHouse of the DragonandOne Pieceseason 1, we have enough examples of high-profile shows that managed to bring fantastical worlds to life on a TV budget. Therefore, a live-actionAttack on Titanseries could work under the right circumstances.Attack on Titanwas often described as the “Game of Thronesof anime,” so it is not too far-fetched to imagine the story of Eren Yeager being told in a prestige TV show from Hollywood.
