Attack on Titanis not just an entertaining anime,it conveys some deep messages about war, humanity, conflict, and the value of life.The series takes place during the battle between humanity and Titans, but in the midst of that overarching war, smaller disputes break out between the humans themselves. Even though everyone is waging war against a common enemy, they still cannot help but fight among themselves in the process.
Evenafter the conclusion ofAttack on Titan’smanga,one moment remains the series’ most shocking betrayal. In season two, Eren Yeager and Armin Arlert, among other Survey Corps members, began growing suspicious of two of their comrades, Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover. Reiner and Bertholdt eventually confessed the truth to Eren, admitting they were not just Marleyans undercover, but Titan shifters too.
The Survey Corps members were astounded and heartbroken at this admission. They could not believe these people they had laughed with, cried with, grown with, and fought alongside were the horrible enemies that they had always been taught to hate.
Reiner and Bertholdt’s Season Two Betrayal Set the Stage for Later Reconciliation
At the End of the Series, the Marleyans and Eldians Joined Together To Stop Eren
Conversely, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie Leonhart, another Marleyan working undercover with them, also began to see the good in their comrades.They struggled deeply with betraying the Eldiansafter becoming close to them. Both sides had always feared and despised one another. The Eldians detested the Marleyans for keeping them trapped on the island and mistreating them, while the Marleyans, along with many other people in the world, harshly judged the Eldians and saw them as a threat due to their Titan-shifting powers. By getting to know one another, the Eldians and Marleyans in the Survey Corps gradually saw each other’s humanity.
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In season four, the Eldians and Marleyans realized they were both fighting a common enemy: the Titans, and put aside their previous senseless fighting against each other. Both sides came to the realization that “the enemies” were people with feelings, dreams, and fears just like them. The looming threat of The Rumbling anda desire to stop Eren’s plan united the two groups, who had slowly begun to realize that everyone was just fighting to protect the people they loved. As the Eldians and Marleyans set aside their preconceived biases and judgments to work together, they were able to stop Eren’s destruction.
The Conflict Did Not Cease Easily and It Took Years for the Two Groups To Reach Peaceful Resolution
It Took a Dramatic Circumstance, Eren Attempting To Wipe out Humanity, To Force Them to Band Together
Although the initial season two betrayal was devastating at the time, it laid the groundwork for both sides, Eldian and Marleyan, to realizethe enemy side was more similar to them than they realized, and that their enemies could eventually become allies. Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie were told the Eldians were monsters bent on destroying the world, but after spending hours of time with a number of them, had to face the uncomfortable truth. They realized the Eldian people just wanted to live peaceful lives outside the walls, free from the Titans' violence and the constant potential of death at their hands.
Likewise, the Survey Corps members began to realize that Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, and the other Marleyans were desperate to keep their people safe andstop the Titanstoo. The fighting unfortunately, did not end here, though. Years of history led to the rift between the two groups, including past wars, actions committed by the Eldian king, and the anti-Eldian propaganda spread by Marley in retaliation. The Marleyans and Eldians continued to battle for a few more seasons before eventually banding together in solidarity against Eren Yeager,who planned to wipe out everyone except for his friends, his fellow Eldians.
A Global Alliance Formed To Stop Eren, Forcing Enemies To Unite Under a Common Goal
Although the circumstances were still dire and devastating, as thousands died in The Rumbling and battles leading up to it, it was trulybeautiful to witness these two groups who previously hated one another teaming up. A Global Alliance formed, comprised of numerous different groups, all united under the common goal of stopping Eren. Without the joint efforts of everyone, Eren’s Rumbling might have succeeded, but the Alliance was able to kill Eren and bring the calamity to a stark halt.The ending showcasednot only how important this teamwork was, but the death, devastation, and pain war unavoidably causes.
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The series ends in a much more hopeful place than it began, withArmin and the fellow Alliance members seeking peace and working to heal the brokenness caused by years of warand Titan destruction. Eren’s death was tragic, but served as a stern, grim reminder of just how much loss war and hatred cause. Thankfully, Eldia and Marley were able to learn to work together, see the good and humanity in each other, and set aside the negative notions they held regarding each other. Reiner and Bertholdt’s confession was the very first step in this long journey towards redemption and understanding.
The Peace-Seeking, Hopeful Ending to the Series Mirrors Its Pivotal Anti-War Message
In the Aftermath of the Rumbling, Those Who Survived Began To Seek Non-Violent Solutions to Issues
Isayama mentioned how he didn’t want the series to end neatly with every problem completely solved,since it “felt hokey"and would not realistically depict the real world. However, the finale also proved that gradual change is possible, if everyone is committed to seeking harmony and a new beginning. Some nations were still hesitant to accept the Eldians, understandably so given their past transgressions against the rest of the world, but Armin and the Survey Corps members refused to give up the fight for a better world. After losing Eren and thousands of others in the war,they wanted to prevent future atrocities.
As the Marleyans spent hours with the Eldians during their Survey Corps days, they genuinely enjoyed the company of their supposed enemies, and vice versa. The fondness both sides developed made it more difficult to fight, and this is one of the greatest morals of the series. If everyone devoted themselves to seeing the situation from someone else’s point of view, attempted to understand their actions, and looked for similarities rather than differences,the world would become a more hospitable, more loving place.This one pivotal scene of betrayal captures this coreAttack on Titanmessage, setting the stage for eventual redemption.
Attack On Titan
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Based on the manga, Attack on Titan is a dark-action fantasy series set in a world where humanity has been corralled into walled cities from fear of monstrous human-eating Titans that exist outside of them. When protagonist Eren Yeager’s mother is killed in front of his eyes at a young age, his thirst for vengeance leads him to join an elite group of soldiers created to fight back against the Titan menace.
