History YMMV / ShingekiNoKyojin

* AngelDevilShipping: Ymir and Krista are as basic an example as they come.
* BrokenBase: Although in general the anime is well received, some of the character designs are causing this. Especially the fact that some of the female characters' lips are visible looking like lipstick. Mikasa is getting the brunt of this. Some are saying it ruins her character, others do not care and some like it.
** Also [[http://i.imgur.com/EILprDG.jpg Mikasa's abs]]. Some fans think it makes her hot, others don't really care while some wish [[FanDisservice they've never seen it]]. Which brings up all sorts of DoubleStandard issues with regards to the fan base.
** The simple fact that the anime-related [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/33aa8fdb583b9d7df073161d65023bd9/tumblr_mnk6i17ZmG1rw6y13o1_500.jpg materials]] chose to shoehorn in {{Fanservice}} at all alone is a BaseBreaker for many people. Many fans considered this manga's overall lack of fanservice to be a major positive point.
* ButtMonkey: Fans have made Jean a [[MemeticMutation Memetic]] ButtMonkey to hilarious ends.
* CompleteMonster: The human traffickers who killed Mikasa's parents.
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The anime opening, ''Guren no Yumiya''.
** The ending, ''Utsukushiki Zankoku na Sekai'', isn't half bad, either; it transitions smoothly from calm to dramatic while remaining powerful.
** ''Reluctant Heroes'', the insert song played in episode 3 during Eren's training, and episode 9 when Levi and his team are introduced.
** ''DOA'', the insert song from episode 4, when members of the Top 10 are described, and episode 7, when Mikasa leads the trainees into battle.
** ''Vogel im Käfig'', the insert song played during Carla's death and Eren's [[spoiler: transformation]]. It's also German for "caged bird".
* DracoInLeatherPants: Rare female example with [[spoiler: Annie]]. It's complicated since it's still too early in the story to judge whether they're actually villainous, and the other [[spoiler: Titan shifters]] also have this to some degree, but her rabid fans are already trying to paint her as a poor and hapless victim just trying to defend herself against unwarranted attacks even though she's been shown to have a sadistic streak not seen in the others and hasn't been portrayed nearly as sympathetically.
* EnsembleDarkhorse - [[TheAce Levi]]. Voted overwhelmingly as the most popular character in an official poll, with nearly twice as many votes as the runner-up.
** Sasha for her potato scene and her comical expressions.
** Bertolt, especially on certain imagebords, where he is hailed as a {{moe}} [[MemeticMutation Memetic]] [[TheWoobie Woobie]] due to his awkward facial expressions and his nervous sweating.
* EpilepticTrees: Due to the mysterious nature of the Titans and [[spoiler: the Titan Shifters]] there's no surprise that there are countless speculations.
* {{Fanon}}: To be expected, with this series.
** Annie and Mina are assumed to have been friends, since they were shown to have sat together for their meals and Annie is shown to be [[spoiler: apologizing in horror when she sees Mina's dead body after the Battle of Trost]].
** Bertolt is often portrayed as a bookworm in fanart, likely because he's introduced in the Training Flashbacks reading a book.
* FanNickname: Sasha became "Potato Girl" for obvious reasons.
** Bertolt and Reiner are "[[SesameStreet Bert and Ernie]]"
** The Beast Titan is called the "Sasquatch" or Monkey Trouble (on [[{{Imageboards}} /a/]]).
** Levi is "Ravioli", from scanlations that gave him the exotic spelling "Rivaille".
* FoeYay: Eren and [[spoiler: Annie]] may have some of this, something Mikasa even accuses him of when he hesitates to fight.
** FoeYayShipping: Any pairing involving [[spoiler: Berolt, Annie, or Reiner]] with the other characters.
* FridgeHorror[=/=]FridgeBrilliance - Why does the Colossal Titan only kick in the door if he has full mobility and can likely take down all 20-something stories of that corner of the wall? [[spoiler: Simple. There really are colossal titans lining the ''entirety'' of the inside of every wall as supposed. There was probably another titan in the way he did not want to wake, just like the cult did not want to wake the walled in titan in chapter 34.]]
** Also, [[spoiler: it's heavily implied that the only Colossal Titans besides the ones in the walls are human-Titans.]]
* HarsherInHindsight: Everything good involving [[spoiler: Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie once you find out that they're human titans bent on wiping out humanity.]]
** The RunningGag of Sasha stealing food, with the revelation that she once survived a ''major'' food shortage. The refugees from Wall Maria swarmed the area, and ended up leaving very little prey for the hunting-dependent village. Everyone in her village suffered, as a direct result and as happens sometimes in [[TruthInTelevision real life]], she became obsessed with food.
* HoYay: Oh, yeah.
** Levi and Eren. It probably doesn't help that their first two meetings involved [[RomanticizedAbuse bondage and beatings]].
** Eren and Armin, which can in turn spawn a OneTrueThreesome with Mikasa.
** Eren and [[TheRival Jean]].
** [[BadassGay Reiner]] and Bertolt.
** Jean and [[DeadSidekick Marco]], ''especially'' in the anime.
** Erwin and Levi. Interestingly enough it took only one line to do this.
** Jean and Armin has become a pretty popular ship.
* JerkassWoobie: One possible reaction to {{The Mole}}s, which may very well have been the author's intention considering how [[FreudianExcuse they]] [[VillainousBSOD get]] [[TearsOfFear revealed]]. The dissonance between the sympathy they've built up and the magnitude of their crimes is one more piece of evidence for how cruel the series really can be. Ch. 46 takes this up to a whole new level with [[spoiler: Reiner, who suffered such guilt over his crimes that he went insane and fled into a human persona to escape it]].
* LesYay - Ymir and Krista, who have many moments throughout the series. WordOfGay confirms that Ymir's feelings, at least, are romantic in nature. It gets the PortmanteauCoupleName [=YumiKuri=] ''(yumiru x kurisuta)''.
** Mikasa and Annie, sometimes with a dash of FoeYay due to Eren.
* MemeticMutation:
** The theme "Guren no Yumiya" became pretty popular. Fans mix it with other video and the music fits. The most famous example is one that [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDHCLjuOzXY used footage from Shakthi.]]
*** That's nothing. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzBv-jZG2OQ Watch this one featuring Miffy.]] On NicoNicoDouga, this becomes the ''17th fastest'' video which broke ''1 Million'' views, within 7 days. The previous 17th? The video [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd7ZDsgaqxA which loops the Opening]]. (And on Niconico, this was published on 7 April. By 24th it becomes the ''5th'' fastest anime to break 2 million views after breaking 1 million views.)
*** Or you can try to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0y27bDr8KI watch a video with only an image of white bean curd]] or [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwk18qfGx2U do some sort of eyesight check]]. Really, there're simply TONS of OP remakes out there.
*** [[http://kotaku.com/attack-on-titans-amazing-opening-gets-hilarious-edits-480668230 This page]] has several more Niconico remakes, such as putting the OP with ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' ([[http://youtu.be/5rDT0bjojZo Here]]), ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', ''Pretty Cure'', and ''KingOfTheHill''. The theme can even make ''Snuggles the Bear'' look badass!
*** [[http://youtu.be/87amu5uOPDM And since it was inspired by Muv-Luv]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO6qb8GOFUA Alternative...]]
** And even [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AC2okqCGMg4 Pingu!]]
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLImJOIl2D8 And we've come full circle.]]
*** For those who can access NicoNicoDouga, I present you [[http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm20661275 Top 30 remakes up there between 7th and 20th.]] Your brain will explode in the awesomeness.
** And now there is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0kavS6hIv4 one inspired from]] League of Legend as well.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvkt87Ygcw4 Here's]] an even better one of PuellaMagiMadokaMagica.
*** [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/attack-on-titan-opening-credits-parodies/videos Know Your Meme]] collects links to these parodies too.
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sj4yJ4MPYA Shingeki no]] ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Pony]]''!
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcTxZTPMeMU Shingeki]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v46JVHGpPFo no]] ''Anime/PrettyCure''!
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7-8Y-EL0Zk Attack On]] ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8c_bqWUoGM Attack On]] ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CfNxNPMVAk Shingeki no]] ''Videogame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxrPow9bdN0 Shingeki no]] ''[[{{Franchise/Pokemon}} MewTwo]]''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl526AECgz0 Shingeki no]] ''{{Series/Teletubbies}}''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK4Frfdw_Qk Shingeki no]] ''Spider-Man''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcSYVczfTr0 Shingeki no]] ''Brave Little Tailor''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqoZrtQAHL8 Shingeki no]] ''HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UvyITR9MGs Shingeki no]] ''COLA''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd1odRE7LNo Shingeki no]] ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnAmqJdL3Zo Shingeki no]] ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeQFSax0SY4 Shingeki no]] ''POLKA''
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdZN5tA65Sk Shingeki no]] ''TAMUSIC''
*** [[http://youtu.be/M9hH-Xxh14M Shingeki no]] ''{{Manga/Nichijou}}''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHovFcKU88g Shingeki no]] ''{{VideoGame/Persona 4}}''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDiGgzloaXo Shingeki no]] ''{{Film/The Avengers}}''
*** [[http://youtu.be/EFRgBD6WEb8 Shingeki no]] ''{{Franchise/Pokemon}}'', with a twist.
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWxty8DmRfQ Shingeki no]] Kitten
*** [[http://youtu.be/d1Kua48nMdE Shingeki no]] ''Quad City [=DJs=]''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V039FPRy00 Shingeki no]] [[{{Sony}} So]][[PlayStation4 ny]]
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F3WyFYVj10 Shingeki no]] ''WinnieThePooh''
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLImJOIl2D8 Shingeki no]] [[{{Imageboards}} Anon]] / You can't just slap [=SnK=]'s OP onto everything.[[note]]In response to an /a/ post, stating, "You can't just slap [=SnK=]'s OP onto everything." A fellow user promptly made this in response.[[/note]]
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tML0GaXxkwA Shingeki no Shitstorm]], a video using the opening song that is a massive TakeThat to the immediate {{Hatedom}} that appeared in response to the trailers for ''Free!'', a swimming anime that hadn't even premiered when the videos were posted. [[note]]The original trailers can be found [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByhP478ZPQI here]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNU1ehnCVP8 here]] and was the only footage and information available on the anime at the time of the posting. [[/note]]
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlDfLyQEAp4 Two things that Go With Everything]] work well together. Guile's theme meets the Intro sequence.
*** The main character's surname is sometimes translated as Jaeger, and he fights giant monsters. The giant robots of the upcoming movie PacificRim are called Jaegers, and they fight giant monsters. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVd7LKRZtCE Of course]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj-edq36_gk the connection]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r59D787TAFQ would be made.]]
** "Hey what did you wipe on my back!?" Mistranslation from a fansub.
** Bertolt sweating and his various distressed facial expressions.
** Then there is Jean and people (jokingly... most of the time) mistaking him for Reiner or Thomas due to similiar character designs. Jean also is somewhat of a memetic ButtMonkey on certain boards, where people who like him or ship him with Misaka are often told: "Jean, please leave/go to bed."
** [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/673f1212471a444d38bc084e89ea4105/tumblr_mmnlh4eDdS1r215p2o1_500.gif Titan-san is late]] [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/dbbc85f64d327b7288e21aea206d682a/tumblr_mmnlh4eDdS1r215p2o3_500.gif for anime school!]]
** MemeticBystander: [[http://kirakira.crystalstar.me/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/kawaii-titan.jpg Kawaii]] [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/f4ab20dd7962b19e391790fb00269c9a/tumblr_mn2mhaECDH1s94i96o1_500.jpg Titan,]] also occasionally named {{Moe}} Titan.
** Similarly, [[http://www.entravity.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/shingeki-9-6-freddie-mercury.jpg The Freddie Mercury titan.]]
** [[http://blog-imgs-51.fc2.com/y/a/r/yaraon/1370183659951.jpg As well as]] [[ImageBoards Moot Titan]].
** According to [[http://images.wikia.com/shingekinokyojin/images/1/1c/1366800851422.jpg this chart]], Levi and Mikasa are both heavier than Eren despite being shorter and the same height respectively. Encouraged by official artwork that shows Mikasa having distinct abs, many fans have humorously depicted Eren as being [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/c803dbc072015c6d1b787a099cf09d78/tumblr_mjdabwP2mx1s6exrno1_500.jpg noticeably]] [[http://iroirodayone.tumblr.com/post/51742644231/by scrawny]] [[https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/p480x480/644444_458988810859302_737135532_n.png in]] [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/29a9d03f6d3d0d061a1d55e97f820db9/tumblr_mmj0deVq1d1rw6y13o1_1280.png comparison]] to the two's much more muscular builds.
** [[http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/126/e/a/attack_on_teen_titan_by_exaxuxer-d64e9mp.jpg Attack on Teen Titans]], a popular image and play on words that feature the titular WesternAnimation/TeenTitans in the soldier's place for the anime's page image, and with one of the series main villains in the Colossal Titan's place.
*** Now there is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbsfIZe3WQo Teen Kyojin]], Shingeki no Kyojin in the WesternAnimation/TeenTitans opening.
** Eren's seiyuu, YuukiKaji, was mostly known in the west for voicing characters that were often {{Base Breaker}}s at best, and [[TheScrappy scrappies]] at worst. Now that he's voicing Eren, [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/15b3faf38c347b9abea036598bd7d990/tumblr_mnl0q3H9Gy1rjxl7wo1_400.jpg jokes about comparing Eren to his less popular roles]] are becoming quite common.
* {{Moe}}: [[NonActionGuy Armin]] and [[NiceGirl Krista]]. Especially [[{{Adorkable}} Armin]]. The anime increases his moe factor by having him [[CrossdressingVoices voiced by]] MarinaInoue.
** Bertolt seems to get this treatment among some fans, probably because of his ExtremeDoormat personality.
* MostAnnoyingSound: Sasha screaming '''''"KAMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII"''''' in episode 3.
* {{Narm}}: It can be hard to take the Titans and the dumbasses that fly into their mouths seriously. Several Titans boil down to [[NakedPeopleAreFunny giant wobbly nudists]] [[TheStoner smiling like they're stoned out of their minds]]...
** NarmCharm: ...until you see their SlasherSmile. What follows is a gruesome image of the human body getting torn to shreds by the teeth. By then, Narm fizzles out as it gives way to good-old PrimalFear. The horror sinks in that much deeper when you have your guard down. Like actual nightmares.
* OneTrueThreesome: Eren, Mikasa, and Armin.
* ParanoiaFuel: The series has loads of this.
** Even during a century of peace, Titans would just wander around the walls, sitting and waiting for an opportunity to get in. The majority of the human population just adopted the "out sight, out of mind" mentality and just went on living, until [[OpeningNarration that fateful day that humankind received a grim reminder that they lived in fear of the Titans.]] After the breach of Wall Maria, humanity has been living in constant fear that the remaining walls will be breached again.
** With the discovery of [[spoiler: Eren being a Titan shifter]], [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse how many more are living among normal people]]?
* ShipTease: There is some in the series and not really the focus, but it does have an effect of the character relations. The reason for Jean being so hostile to Eren's group in the beginning was due to the fact he was in love with Mikasa and she liked Eren. The reason Ymir [[spoiler: was even in the army was to find Krista]], and Mikasa's life is more or less based on her feelings for Eren. Annie's words and interactions with Armin in chapter 31 seem to imply [[spoiler: she has feelings for him since she spared him twice when she could have easily killed him in her titan form.]] Also, romantic tension between Annie and Eren may have been hinted at, with the two of them getting quite physically close when she helped him train and Mikasa seeming to be jealous of it and getting into a fight with Annie right afterward. Later, when [[spoiler: Eren initially refuses to fight Annie in her titan form, Mikasa seems to be accusing him of letting these feelings get in the way of protecting his fellow soldiers.]]
** On that last point, the vast difference between how Eren treats Annie as opposed to [[spoiler: her fellow Titans]] might suggest he has feelings for her. Even when he manages to overcome his shock and [[spoiler: fight her, he still expresses empathy towards her and wonders about her motivations. On the other hand, his immediate reaction to Reiner and Bertolt is murderous rage. Whether this is because he has feelings for her or simply because she wasn't seen during the destruction of his home is unclear.]]
* SpiritualLicensee - WordOfGod acknowledges ''VisualNovel/MuvLuvAlternative'' as a core influence and inspiration, and it shows.
* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler: Levi's entire squad, who are brutally murdered by Annie]].
* UglyCute: A few Titans manage to fall under this, in particular the now memetic "Kawaii Titan".
* UncannyValley - The Titans. Even the ones who have all their skin attached and basically look like large humans... there's just something ''off'' about them.
** Used to interesting effect with the [[spoiler: Titan Shifters]]. [[spoiler: Eren and Ymir]] are both feral in appearance, with features unusual for Titans that make them more traditional monster and therefore less disturbing. The same goes for [[spoiler: Reiner]], whose appearance is almost mechanical in nature. This reflects their [[spoiler: more heroic natures, with Eren and Ymir on the side of humanity while Reiner is BecomingTheMask]]. On the opposite end, [[spoiler: Annie and Bertolt]] are essentially skinless humans, which makes them extremely disturbing to look at. This seems to match with their more hostile nature, as both are [[spoiler: more devoted to their mission]] and perfectly fine slaughtering humans.
** The Colossal Titan uses a variation: its body is extremely disproportional in the rare occasion in which we manage to see it in its completeness: its legs are so big and thick they are almost comical, his head is ''tiny'' and his arms similarly are slightly longer than those of a human and extremely thin. The whole design makes a lot of sense, really, as something that big could need bigger feet to support its own weight, as well as lighter arms to be able to move them with some speed. [[spoiler: This could also be a nod towards Bertolt's extremely weak will, as he is the only Titan Shifter with a form that is genuinely deformed.]]
* ViewerGenderConfusion - A frequent problem, because of the art style. Many characters have lean, athletic builds and several female characters have strong features that are more traditionally thought of as masculine. Without obvious clues such as long hair or names, some secondary or minor characters are easily mistaken as men. Primary examples include Zoë (much to Isayama's amusement and settled by how she's drawn in the anime), Ymir prior to becoming a major character, and Nanaba.... who confuses Japanese and foreign viewers alike.
* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The anime is co-produced by ProductionIG, so this is to be expected. Special mention goes to the highly-detailed backgrounds and drop-dead gorgeous maneuver gear scenes.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids - It may be one of the most relentlessly serious, dark, violent, and horrifying shonen manga in recent memory, easily on par with some of the grimmer seinen out there. There's even brief mention of kidnapping and the ''child sex trade'' in a flashback sequence.
* TheWoobie: Oh, poor Connie when he visits his home village...
----

** [[FanDumb Some fans]] theorize Zoë identifies as transgendered or non-binary, due to ViewerGenderConfusion and the resulting ShrugOfGod. See FanDumb below.

* FanDumb:
** Zoë Hange: Due to looking manly to one questioner in an interview, Isayama was asked what Zoë's gender was despite said questioner thinking also that Zoë was a woman. Isayama then apparently joked by not answering the question. This lead some fans to consider her to be gender neutral or otherwise off the gender binary, despite Zoë's artwork appearing to show that biologically she is female. (Note that sex and gender are not the same thing.)
*** This confusion is also supported by the Japanese gender neutral pronouns used mainly by Levi to refer to Zoë. What most people don't get is that the gender neutral pronouns used for her are not being used to conceal her gender. It is merely a speaking style used as many other characters in the series are also referred to using the same pronouns.
*** The basis for the [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} transgender]] issue is that some people reason that since there are gay characters in the series, [[TransEqualsGay there can be trans characters as well]]. What is odd about this is that while there are indeed gay characters in the series, there has yet to be a definite transgender character, or a definite sign that a character has a transgender mentality due to most of the roles filled by the characters being gender neutral. Furthermore, the culture behind the walls doesn't seem to have services such as plastic surgery to assist a transgender person to have preferable physical assets, much less services for a person considered as a RedShirt.
*** Okay, can we like please be a bit more patient with the transexuality-supporters who are a little desperate for positive representation of transexuals in fiction? (Cause ya know, there's hardly any of such.) IMHO, the folks who still insist on Rivaille while refusing to call him Levi are more worthy of being labeled as Fan Dumb. Or the people with issues concerning Mikasa's abs. Or the people who keep drawing Levi or Eren taller than Mikasa.

* ButtMonkey: Fans have made Jean a [[Memetic MemeticMutation]] ButtMonkey to hilarious ends.