Attack on Titanhas finally ended, with the final chapter special being released after a long hiatus that seemed to last forever. Mappa Studios ended up delivering a stellar finale that remained faithful to the manga and offered improvements with the help of Isayama for key scenes to quell the criticism of the initially mixed reception of the Manga’s ending.
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But this wasn’t the first time the anime deviated from the manga. In early seasons, there are also some key differences in the story in small ways that have gone largely unnoticed by most Attack on Titan fans. Some of the biggest differences, including the ending, are on this list that might change your perspective on the series.
Attack On Titan
10Ending And Post-Credit End
A Futuristic Paradis Gives A More Hopeful Ending
The manga’s ending was perhaps the most polarizing in anime history, with many people considering it a masterpiece or terrible in terms of writing. Whichever side you’re on, it can be agreed that for a show of Attack on Titan’s Calibur, the ending did feel a bit rushed, no matter how you look at it.
This was slightly improved in the anime with scenes that provide additional closure, like the extension of Eren and Armin’s dialogue that’s also on this list. But the small things like the ocean setting being replaced by blood and titan footprints and the post-credits scene with a futuristic Paradis down the line were all welcome and slightly improved on the Manga’s ending.
9Personality Differences Of Key Characters
While both the anime and manga stay true to characterslike Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Levi, nuances arise due to each medium’s distinct style. In the anime, for example, Eren was always full of anger, even from the first episode, foreshadowing his eventual villain arc, while the manga version had him calmer.
Mikasa was reduced to being obsessed with Eren for most of the anime, but in the manga, she had a bit more dialogue that didn’t concern Eren, which improved her character. Even Levi, who is mostly expressionless and stoic in the anime, has moments of brief but noticeable emotion like cracking a smile in the manga, which adds more depth to his character.
8Falco’s Dream
Falco’s Dream Of Flying Around In ODM Gear
After a long wait,Season Four of Attack on Titan kicked off in an unfamiliar place, the very region we had heard about in the twist ending of Season Three. The focus shifted from Paradis to Marley and dumped us headfirst into a war between Marley and the Allied Forces featuring new characters and old enemies.
One of the new characters introduced was Falco, a member of the warrior cadets. In an anime-exclusive scene, Falco appears to be disoriented during the battle, and he recalls a dream referencing the ODM gear of Paradis. This was Isayama’s idea to foreshadow the fact that all Eldians are connected to the paths, one way or another, and there wasn’t any creative liberty on Mappa’s part.
7Anime Censors
Violence Adds Depth, And The Lack In The Anime Is Noticeable
Attack on Titan is perhaps one of the most violent anime out there, with no shortage of blood, guts, and heart-wrenching moments accompanying them. But there is certainly an extra level of violence in the manga that just isn’t present in the anime.
In some parts of the anime, the violence is censored since it’s considered extra by the studio heads. For example, they censored Marco’s body and another body of a soldier that was ripped in half. These censorships have been a source of controversy since many fans feel like the violence adds depth, and to some degree, Mappa agrees by making season four more brutal than the manga and fixing past mistakes.
6Erwin’s Romantic History
Commander Erwin, a fan-favorite character, has perhaps the best development of a leader shown in modern anime. In both the manga and anime, he’s a dedicated and highly intelligent man who would do anything for the people of Paradis,including a suicide charge that ultimately led to his death.
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A key moment is left out in the anime, though, with the manga briefly mentioning a woman that Erwin and Nile Dok fall in love with. Erwin never pursued the relationship because of his duties, and Nile Dok eventually marries and has children with her. This single page adds a layer of complexity to Commander Erwin that could’ve translated well into the anime but was left out for unknown reasons.
5Carla’s Death
Eren’s Mother’s Death Is Even More Brutal In The Manga
The destruction of the wall led to the start of Eren’s story, with Eren’s mother being an unfortunate victim of the smiling titan that led to a gruesome death. The manga and anime show this event differently, though, with the manga version being much more violent than the anime’s.
In the anime, the smiling titan simply grabs onto Carla and kills her before chomping on her corpse. In the manga, though, we see graphic details of the titan squeezing the life out of Carla before eating her with her legs dangling out of the titan’s mouth. Anybody would be traumatized by that image.
4Order Of Events
The Order Of Chapters Is Changed In The Anime
While both mediums follow the same major plot points, the anime might occasionally adjust the pacing or reorder certain events for narrative flow or dramatic effect. These changes aim to enhance the storytelling experience for the anime or alter it a bit to make it feel a bit more unique, as Isayama himself said readers didn’t react positively to some manga chapters during release.
Examples include Ymir’s backstory being revealed much earlier in the anime than in the manga, and a flashback of the scouts in Marley is shown after the alliance escapes on a boat. In the manga, this scene is revealed at the start of Eren’s rumbling.
3Annie’s Reveal
Annie’s Bone Chilling Laugh Was Exclusive To The Anime
Annie was perhaps the most dangerous titan in the first season, and her reveal is still fresh in the back of most fans' minds. After destroying Levi’s squad and wreaking havoc while trying to capture Eren, the scouts figure out that Annie is the female titan and force her into a position where she has to transform.
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In the anime, she laughs manically, which adds a lot of tension to the scene and solidifies her as one of the scarier villains of the series. It was cut out of the manga, though, which Isayama regretted and subsequently decided not to omit the iconic scene from the anime.
2Eren’s Berserk Mode
Perhaps Eren’s Most Dangerous Moment In The First Season
Eren’s berserk or rage mode was one of the most out-of-place scenes in the anime that wasn’t in the manga or returned in the anime after its appearance. During the fight with Annie, Eren transforms into a unique titan that many thought was initially the Attack Titan’s special ability.
Eren’s titan becomes fuelled by rage, and there is fire coming out of his body as he beats the female titan into the ground in one of the most iconic Attack on Titans fights of all time. The manga does not mention this form and is never shown in the anime again, which makes it stand out.
1Eren And Armin’s Dialogue In The Finale
A Much-Needed Improvement To The Badly Received Dialogue In The Manga
One of the most welcome changes in the anime is Eren and Armin’s conversation in the pathsduring the aftermath of the rumbling and Eren’s decapitation. When the final chapter initially came out, as mentioned before, there was a lot of backlash, with many people saying that the dialogue was rushed and kind of excused genocide in a weird way.
In the anime, though, there were some changes to the way Armin and Eren interacted with each other, with Armin sharing Eren’s sins and, instead of thanking him for becoming a mass murderer like in the manga, instead thanking Eren for showing him the world beyond the island. It was a much better execution of the final chapter than in the manga, but it still felt a bit off.
