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1[[WMG:[[center: [- '''Tropes for ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'''''\
2AttackOnTitan/TropesAToF ([[FamousLastWords/AttackOnTitan Famous Last Words]]) | AttackOnTitan/TropesGToL | AttackOnTitan/TropesMToR | '''Tropes S to Z''' ([[WhamEpisode/AttackOnTitan Wham Episode]])]]]]-]
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7* SacrificialLamb: Eren's mother; killed off in the first episode both to give us an idea of how horrible the Titans are and to motivate Eren to kill them all.
8* SacrificialLion:
9** [[spoiler:Marco Bott, the first of [[TrueCompanions the 104th's Top Ten]] to die. His death kickstarts Jean's CharacterDevelopment.]]
10** [[spoiler:Levi's elite squad.]]
11* SadisticChoice: One lifesaving "potion" [[spoiler: the serum that can turn a human into a Titan, completed with the courtesy of quadruple-amputee Bertolt]], two [[AlmostDeadGuy mortally wounded]] characters who are vital for humanity's survival [[spoiler: Erwin and Armin]], both of them guarded by a couple of the deadliest, most determined humans in the world. Ultimately [[spoiler: Erwin refuses and Levi decides to give the serum to Armin and let Erwin rest in peace, and Armin makes Bertolt's last moments alive as ''painful and terrifying as possible'']].
12* SanitySlippage: All over the place, and not surprising at all considering what the characters go through.
13* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud:
14** Everyone does it in the Chibi Specials... [[DenserAndWackier for some weird reason]].
15--> ''"GARA!" (SLAM!)''
16** To a somewhat less comedic effect, [[spoiler:Kenny Ackerman]] shouts out "bang bang", "ping ping", and "clash" when getting into a gunfight with Levi.
17* ScaredOfWhatsBehindYou: In the first episode/chapter, Eren and Mikasa go to save Armin from some bullies. The bullies prepare for a fight when they see Eren, but run for it when they see Mikasa. Eren, naturally, thinks he scared them off by his lonesome.
18* ScarsAreForever: During his attempt to move the boulder to save Trost, Eren mysteriously lost control of his Titan and tried to kill Mikasa. A piece of debris cuts her face, just under her right eye, and the resulting scar has remained ever since.
19* SceneryPorn: First episode and we're greeted with this.
20* SchizoTech: Human civilization goes back at least 2000 years to when the monarchy was established, although there are no records from before 107 years ago, and there are many Medieval influences in architecture and in royal symbolism. For the most part, however, the humans have technology that roughly fits in the late 18th or early 19th century. For ranged weaponry, they have flintlock muskets, and the Wall is protected by muzzle-loading cannons mounted on tracks that can be fired from almost any angle. Despite being able to produce enough iron for military purposes, we don't see self-propelled ground vehicles such as trains or automobiles, and they rely on horses for rapid movement across flat land as well as for pulling carts. Clothes and fashion also broadly resemble the 19th century, though they're considerably more hoity-toity in the Inner Walls where they have things like pocket watches and street lamps. Meanwhile, the 3D Maneuver Gear and ultra-hard steel blades used in their battles with the Titans are light years ahead of everything else. Maneuver gear is a system consisting of two waist-mounted grappling hooks controlled by trigger mechanisms in hand-held controllers, and powered by a gas-propelled fan intake system. The entire system is noted to be incredibly light, and it's more effective than any modern grappling device existing at the time of the manga's writing. The foundries that produce their swords, although only briefly seen, also seem to hint at some pretty sophisticated metallurgy and manufacturing streams (albeit presumably reserved solely for military purposes).
21** The major technology discrepancy between the Outer and Inner Walls and between civilians and the military is a major plot point of Chapter 55: [[spoiler:The First Military Police Brigade keeps technology that could "threaten the king" under wraps and kills the creators. We see a man developing a revolver look up in fear and a couple about to be shot as they jump on a hot air balloon among other people being murdered by the First MP, and neither of these technologies have been seen in the series before. Meanwhile, they're keeping advanced technology for themselves: the Anti-human squad has special maneuver gear equipped with HandCannon-sized pistols whose ammunition is pre-loaded disposable barrels that are quickly replaced after each shot]].
22** This is before we factor in [[spoiler:humans outside the walls. Marley has technology roughly equal to mid to late 19th century, up to around early 20th century. Their neighbours are even more advanced due to not being [[WeHaveBecomeComplacent complacent]] and the need to develop effective anti-Titan weaponry, with technology advancement up to around 1910s level]].
23* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: The merchant in Episode 6 whose cart is blocking the escape route for the civilians because its stuck in the narrow passageway. The civilians try to get a soldier to arrest him, but the merchant fires back by saying he's the one who brings the food for the peasants. He also tries to make Mikasa cooperate, but she instead forces him to remove the cart so the civilians could escape. [[spoiler: He's Dimo Reeves, whose company would later become a major ally to the Survey Corps.]]
24* ScrewThisImOuttaHere:
25** In Episode 11, many shell-shocked soldiers realize that they're part of a RedShirtArmy and refuse to take part in Pixis' plan to retake Trost. They threaten to desert en masse, preferring the risk of [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled being killed as cowards than eaten by Titans]]. Pixis [[ShamingTheMob shames them into staying]] by allowing them to retreat if they wish, because anyone who's survived a Titan attack would understandably be scared to take them on a second time. But he also mentions that anyone who wants their family to experience that same fear should also leave, causing them to reconsider when they [[ImagineSpot imagine their family members being eaten]] by the Titans, and all come back.
26** The relatively inexperienced Northern branch of the Garrison does this when they're defending Orvud District against [[spoiler: Rod Reiss' gargantuan Titan]]. When the threat finally reaches them, they all flee in abject terror, officers included. Thankfully the Survey Corps just needed them to buy time for them to enact their own strategy.
27* SealTheBreach
28** After the Colossal Titan kicks a hole in Wall Rose, the Garrison scramble to repair the breach before Titans come through, but fail to do so in time. Later, after it was revealed Eren was a Titan Shifter, a plan is made to have Eren carry a large piece of debris to use to cover the hole in the wall while soldiers fend off other Titans while escorting him. Despite some initial problem, the plan succeeds.
29** The main goal of the Survey Corps after the Colossal Titan kicks a hole in Wall Maria is figuring a way to travel back to the breach while carrying materials to repair it. The logistics of this plan made it unfeasible, but the before mentioned Eren as a Titan Shifter and the discovery of the walls being of the same material as a Titan hardening itself provided a simpler plan of escorting Eren to the hole to seal it.
30* SecretIdentity: Many are listed below, under WhamEpisode: Chapters [[spoiler: 31, 40, and 42]]. One that isn't: [[spoiler:Krista Lenz]] is actually [[spoiler:Historia Reiss, the bastard child of a prominent and influential Noble house privy to the secrets about the Walls]].
31** [[spoiler:The Reiss themselves are secretly the real royal family, also making Historia a HeroicBastard [[SonOfAWhore Daughter Of A Whore]].]]
32** [[spoiler:Zeke Yeager]] being of royal blood also counts, as [[spoiler:he's hiding this from ''everyone''.]]
33* SeeYouInHell: A friendly variant occurs in the anime's final episode: [[spoiler: Armin tells Eren that they both deserve to be punished in hell for their sins, and asks him to wait for him there so they can be together forever.]] This replaces Armin's much-memed line from the manga ([[spoiler:"Eren, thank you for becoming a mass murdered for our sake. I won't let this sacrifice go to waste.]]).
34* SelfDeprecation: In this Japanese manga, the last known pureblood asian is Mikasa's currently-deceased mother.
35* SelfFulfillingProphecy: [[spoiler: The nations of the world have been long terrified of the Subjects of Ymir, seeing them as devils who would destroy them all if given the chance. And after centuries of being killed, exploited, experimented on, forced into ghettos, used as cannon fodder, and abused in the most horrific ways possible, they've made it clear to Eren that they'll never accept peaceful coexistence with his people. As such, he decides destroying all of humanity outside the walls is the only way they can be at peace.]]
36* SelfHarmInducedSuperpower: All Titan Shifters need to injure themselves enough to draw blood to transform, thus they resort to biting themselves or cutting themselves, however, they also must have a clear purpose to be able to transform.
37* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler:Chapter 62 confirms that Eren ate his own father, as a result of the injection his father administered to him after Carla's death in Shiganshina]].
38** [[spoiler:Zeke does this]], but it's on purpose. It's all part of his masterplan.
39* SelfReferentialTrackPlacement: Used by Music/HiroyukiSawano for the soundtrack. Some tracks have naming schemes such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP3-op5wsko "進撃 gt20130218 巨人"]], which effectively translates to: "Attack, primary instrumentation, date of production/composition/completion, Titan." So in the example given, the theme's name is: "Attack on Titan track, primary instrumentation is acoustic guitar, dated February 18, 2013." What stage of production is listed in the track titles can only be assumed, as the dates given generally precede the first airing of the season the track is used in by a matter of months.
40* SenselessSacrifice:
41** Most of the Survey Corps' missions end up this way. Unfortunately, the human race is in such desperate straits that continuing suicide missions in the hope that something will pan out someday is probably more sensible than turtling behind Walls that have been recently shown to be merely delaying the inevitable. And then there's the fact that many of their most promising efforts have been intentionally sabotaged...
42** A specific example: In the first chapter, a mother who has just found out that her son died in battle (and who has just been given [[NotEnoughToBury what's left of him]]) begs his commanding officer to tell her that her son didn't die in vain. He starts to reassure her, but almost immediately breaks down and admits that their mission [[ShootTheShaggyDog accomplished nothing]] and that his own incompetence resulted in an 80% fatality rate with zero gain. [[DarkerAndEdgier Just in case you were wondering what kind of story this is.]]
43* SequelHook:
44** The [[spoiler:titans and the power of the titans]] are gone and so is [[spoiler:Ymir Fritz]], but the "source of all living matter", the [[spoiler:being who granted Ymir Fritz the power of the titans]], wasn't confirmed to have died, which ties in into the next hook:
45** In the epilogue, Paradis or at least Shiganshina was destroyed and abandoned in an unspecified war (after showing a [[spoiler:level of technological development roughly equal to ours]]) and after many, many years, a boy/girl implied to be the descendant of [[spoiler:Mikasa and Jean]] came across a the tree Eren was buried under, which now looks exactly like the tree [[spoiler:Ymir Fritz fell into and met the above-mentioned being, which granter her the powers of the titans]], suggesting that there might be another [[spoiler:age of titans]] just around the corner.
46* ShaggyDogStory: The best the Survey Corps can hope for is a PyrrhicVictory, otherwise their missions turn out like this. One mission of theirs [[spoiler:(the 57th)]] collapsed in ''one day'' and failed to accomplish their goal, resulting in what remained of them limping back to the Walls to get ridiculed and verbally spat on. They eventually get good will in Chapter 68, [[spoiler: with them decisively winning even in Chapter 83.]]
47** [[spoiler: Furthermore, the people behind the walls eventually succeed in killing off all of the Titans that attack them... only to find that there's a world of human nations out there who fear and hate them all, even the oppressed people who share the same race as them.]]
48* ShapeShifterBaggage: Titan Shifters don't have their human bodies become their Titan, they form a Titan body around their human one which controls and is connected to the Titan but is physically separate. Where that body comes from is a mystery... [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed that Titan bodies are created by Ymir Fritz out of sand in the Paths dimension, and go back there when they dissolve.]]
49[[spoiler: Reiner all but states that there is a limit though and it is heavily implied that it is physically draining to create and use the Titan form as Eren tends to pass out or look deathly ill after using his powers]].
50* SheepInWolfsClothing: [[spoiler:Used by Armin as evidence that Eren is human regardless of his powers. Normal Titans tried to eat him in his Titan form, so that means they recognize him as being a human.]]
51* ShipSinking:
52** In an interview, Isayama corrected on the official guidebook describing Eren's feelings for Annie to be romantic, stating that Eren respects her, but romantic feelings aren't involved (which is pretty much pointing out the obvious given Eren's ChasteHero status, and his and Annie's relationship being that of a mentor-student one.)
53** Marlo and Hitch ain't happening, [[spoiler:because Marlo was killed on his first Survey Corps expedition. Worse yet, Marlo's last thoughts before getting a quarter of his head dashed off is guessing Hitch is probably still asleep right now and being surprised at himself for thinking about her in the face of imminent death.]]
54** Much like the Marlo and Hitch example, [[spoiler:Krista and Ymir]] isn't going to happen anymore due to the latter having been KilledOffScreen.
55** Following the four-year time-skip, [[spoiler:Sasha is killed by Gabi, and at her funeral Connie states she was like a sister to him]]; sinking one of the series' more popular ships.
56*** [[spoiler:Kaya, who was close to Sasha, also comments that she thinks Sasha was dating the captured Marleyan chef Nicolo.]]
57** Following the four-year time-skip, [[spoiler:Eren x Mikasa is seemingly torpedoed when the former brutally dismisses her feelings for him as nothing more the result of her Ackerman heritage, saying that he always hated her. Eventually, it is shown that Eren was lying, and in fact loved her more than anything, but due to the nature of his ultimate plan requiring his death at her hands, it was never meant to be]].
58** Armin x Annie apparently got further ship teased when Armin began visiting Annie's crystal, even wanting to reach his hand out and touch the crystal at one point. This suffers a bit of a blow, however, when Eren confronts Armin that the actual reason he's visiting her is because, [[spoiler:after Armin ate Bertolt, he's sensing certain memories and feelings Bertolt had, including what were his romantic feelings for Annie. It would thus appear that Armin isn't acting on any potential romantic feelings of his own towards Annie, but on ''Bertolt's'' inside of him.]]
59* ShipTease: Outright statements of romantic interest are very rare. Hints that certain characters ''may'' have such feelings are significantly more common.
60** Jean's crush on Mikasa is one of several reasons for his hostility towards Eren.
61** Mikasa is utterly devoted to Eren, and blushes when [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend Ian calls Eren her "boyfriend"]]. Much later, she tearfully thanks him for everything he's done for her and leans towards him in a manner suggestive of an AlmostKiss. This, however, snaps him out of his HeroicRROD and earns her a promise that they'll always be together. During the timeskip, he also asked Mikasa what he is to her in an intimate moment.
62** Eren is close to Annie, being the only person thus far to make her genuinely smile. She teaches him to fight, to which Mikasa later accuses Eren of having "special feelings" for Annie when [[spoiler: he hesitates to fight her in Titan form, and appears willing to give her special consideration despite his pathological hatred of Titans and anyone who assists them ]]. In the [[HighSchoolAU Middle School AU]], Annie's feelings are portrayed as explicitly romantic.
63** Petra is noted to adore Levi, and her father cheerfully talks to Levi about how he's eager to see his daughter get married. [[spoiler:Levi doesn't take her death well.]]
64** Reiner mentally proposes marriage to Krista whenever she's kind to him, and refers to her as being "cute".
65** Ymir is utterly devoted to Krista, and Krista yells at Ymir for risking her life to protect her, demanding she instead take actions that will endanger ''everyone'' to save herself. During a climatic battle, they come just shy of being a BattleCouple, as Krista declares she will never fear anything as long as Ymir is with her.
66** Reiner teases Bertolt and suggests he should confess his feelings to Annie IfWeGetThroughThis, earning much blushing and sputtered denials. Later, Armin successfully goads a reaction out of Bertolt by lying to him and reporting that Annie is in danger.
67** In turn, in the battle of Shiganshina, Bertholdt [[spoiler: treats Reiner's injured body with an absolutely tender hand over the heart and expression, before hugging him. This, with a dash of (subverted!) ShipSinking in terms of Bertholdt x Annie (who he claims not to care about at all, but inwardly only does so to make sure he can put priorities before emotions. Which he does not do seconds before in Reiner's case). Add in a bit of SayMyName, and, well....]]
68** The SpinOffBabies, ''Attack! Titan [[HighSchoolAU Junior High]]'' thrives on giving nods to the various {{Ship Tease}}s throughout the main series. These include Eren x Annie, Bertolt x Annie, Ymir x Krista, Reiner x Krista, Jean x Romantic Failure, and Mike x Nanaba.
69** Side material reveals that Moblit is jealous of how close Levi is to Hange, implying romantic feelings for his Squad Leader. In-series, he's shown to be very protective when Hange is threatened.
70** Hitch appears to have got a thing for Marlowe, asking him if he wanted to be alone with her when they're patrolling by themselves, and looks disappointed when he states otherwise.
71** In [[VideoGame/AttackOnTitan2016 the [=PS4=] game]], more than one scene shows Bertholdt openly thinking of Reiner, either expressing the desire to be beside him or borderline idolizing him (admittedly not uncommon; according to Isayama's word, Reiner is the most popular boy of the 104th), which takes a turn when Ymir comments about him being glued to Reiner with a teasing tone of voice. Bertholdt, naturally, doesn't seem to pick up on this.
72** Later in the series, there are a few teases between Eren and [[spoiler:Historia]], starting with the moment where he tells her he disliked her personality as [[spoiler:Krista Lenz]] and prefers her real one. Since then there have been panels in the manga showing her paying more attention to him, and they have been bonding with one another a great deal. Though the scene that comes to mind to most is when they are having a moment of light banter over an emotional outburst of hers, and a [[ClingyJealousGirl glaring Mikasa is looming over them]].
73* ShirtlessScene: It says quite a bit about this series that we first get one after ''53'' chapters of manga, and it's barely noticeable since [[FanDisservice the scene that it takes place in is horrifying, quickly nullifying the usual connotations]].
74* {{Shonen}}: Despite the very grim story and the violence which would normally put a series like this into {{Seinen}} territory, this series runs in ''Bessatsu Shonen Magazine''.
75* ShooOutTheClowns: [[spoiler:The series took a darker turn following the TimeSkip and the first casualty among the major characters is Sasha.]]
76* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoiler:[[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]]. The bonus chapter shows that, in the ''very'' long term, Eren's actions were just one chapter of history and can only have an effect for so long; many generations after the rest of the series, Paradis Island is inevitably carpet-bombed into oblivion anyway, and it's hinted that the power of the Titans are going to return thanks to someone coming across the same tree that Ymir found, standing tall many years later. However, all of these events only happen many decades or even entire centuries after the main cast has lived and died, meaning Eren's primary goal of giving his surviving friends a peaceful life was still a success, and it's portrayed less as their struggle being meaningless and moreso as a natural part of history; a constant exchange between war and peace.]]
77* ShoutOut:
78** The main theme has obvious influences from classic art, specifically from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_Devouring_His_Son "Saturn Devouring His Son"]]; and Saturn being a titan from Classic Mythology.
79** The face and expression Mr. Yeager makes during his nervous breakdown in Chapter 98 is very reminiscent of "Art/TheScream", by Creator/EdvardMunch.
80** One of the Titans [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/52bd7c8174c461a7665e159bef6a3c21/tumblr_mm91ozzbQc1r4x6l3o1_500.jpg looks a lot like]] the Oni from ''VideoGame/AoOni''.
81** One of the gag previews from the manga has Eren waking up to discover that the entire series was AllJustADream, and that he's actually a Japanese schoolboy with Mikasa as his best friend. So basically, the infamous Episode 26 of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', but with Eren and Mikasa in place of Shinji and Asuka. Also, [[http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/613/223/081.jpg this.]] And [[http://atomicreligion.tumblr.com/post/74065176147 this]].
82** In a tankoubon release of the manga, Isayama [[http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/otanews/imgs/8/c/8c4f52fb.jpg had a note essentially saying the entire series is inspired by]] ''VisualNovel/MuvLuvAlternative''. âge, the developers of ''[=MuvLuv=]'', found out about that note, [[http://i.imgur.com/4jU3m.jpg and responded with this]].
83** More officially, Isayama stated in [[http://blog.livedoor.jp/isayamahazime/archives/7964052.html a blog-post]] that the characters of Levi and Erwin were modeled after Rorschach and Ozymandias from the American graphic novel ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''. Levi shares Rorschach's body type (and is referred to derisively as being small, as Rorschach is), bizarre manner of speaking and behavior, horrendous upbringing, and white scarf, while Erwin shares Ozymandias' body type, facial features, and modus operandi: Both Ozymandias and Erwin are leaders who are unafraid to sacrifice many in order to save the majority.
84** His blog post on [[http://blog.livedoor.jp/isayamahazime/?p=13 April 17th]] also confirms that Reiner is largely based on wrestler Wrestling/BrockLesnar.
85** A very roundabout one to ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': In JJBA, there is a character named Mark, as there is one named Marco in ''Attack On Titan''. Both are friends of a character the protagonist butts heads with at first. [[spoiler:Both are found dead, missing large chunks of their upper bodies, with Marco being bitten in half by a Titan, and Mark half absorbed by one of the Pillar Men.]] Incidentally, they share the same Japanese voice actor.
86*** A more direct reference has the Attack titan perform one of Dio's more [[https://tinyurl.com/4m5dwbsw famous]] [[https://tinyurl.com/24pcwk5u poses.]]
87** In the dub, Keith Shadis asks Eren [[Film/FullMetalJacket "what is your major malfunction?!"]]
88** One of the Titans in the manga [[http://imgur.com/uu4t0Hw appears to be]] the main character from ''Film/AClockworkOrange'', complete with KubrickStare.
89** [[spoiler:Annie]] is compared to the [[LiteraryAllusionTitle Sleeping Beauty]] by Jean in Chapter 34.
90** In Chapter 94, [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/1zCsYGH1JcnOKxrzdwv31iw31_RU5wI04ciSiWMuzMWcUluDGc-tJY6cKV1-_y30j9A_ufk6YGahPCQMygh165gBNMiSHR1LW2ZCtBG865PTNKREA9lTiy3t0pu1ih7snuhpOQ=s0?title=033_1496818965.png one of the students taking a test]] behind Reiner looks a lot like [[http://www.camaro5.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=184259&stc=1&d=1289918337 this kid.]]
91** Chapter 96 features a group of Titans that [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/08/06/game-of-thrones-cameos-coming-to-attack-on-titan-manga resemble]] the ''Series/GameOfThrones'' cast of characters.
92** One of the titans in Chapter 124 [[https://www.reddit.com/r/breakingbad/comments/e6x60v/saul_goodman_makes_an_appearance_in_attack_on/ resembles Saul Goodman]] from ''Series/BreakingBad''.
93** The name of Season 4's intro song, "My War" is ominously similar to the translation of ''Literature/MeinKampf''. It also foreshadows [[spoiler:Eren's plans to commit omnicide]].
94** The War Hammer Titan's [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} very name is one.]] It's abilities, from forming weapons in its hands to reshaping landscapes into barriers or spikes, both accompanied by crackles of light, also resemble [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist alchemy.]]
95** The Titans in general and how they function are heavily influenced by Norse mythology. [[spoiler: In said mythology, Ymir was the original Titan whose flesh was used to build the earth after Odin and his brothers had defeated it. In the Coordinate realm Ymir, who is the original Titan here as well, builds every Titan body that is ever invoked on earth. There are 9 Titan powers, a number equal to the number of worlds in Norse mythology. At the center of these worlds stands Yggdrasil, the world tree. An unusually massive tree is also where Ymir discovers the power of the Titans, which she receives from a vaguely serpentine/spine-creature deep below the tree. Said creature is likely a reference to Nidhogg, a serpent that gnaws at the roots of the world tree.]]
96* SiblingYinYang: The HotBlooded Eren compared to TheStoic Mikasa.
97** While only being half-siblings, [[spoiler:Zeke and Eren are rather different.]]
98* TheSiege: The ongoing storyline has humanity trying to hold off one of these by the Titans. While humanity can survive within the large territory within the walls indefinitely, they're cut off from the outside and the more land they lose they less people they can feed.
99* SignificantBirthDate: The second guidebook revealed the birthdays of the main cast.
100** [[WorldsStrongestMan Levi]] was born on December 25th.
101** [[TheSmartGuy Armin]]'s birthday is November 3rd, which is celebrated in Japan as Culture Day.
102** Krista was born on January 15th, the original date Coming Of Age day was celebrated in Japan (1948 -- 2000).
103** [[AmbiguouslyBi Reiner]] shares his birthday, August 1st, with the unofficial "holiday" known as {{Yaoi}} Day. Interestingly, this is also [[spoiler:Zeke]]'s birthday.
104* SimpleSolutionWontWork: Rod Reiss claims that [[spoiler:Wall Maria could have been saved five years before if Eren's father didn't murder/devour the crown princess, who had the power to control the Titans. Eren freaks out from the revelation that he and his father were indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands, and begs Historia to eat him, obtain the power to control Titans, and kill them off while there's still hope]]. But then [[spoiler:Historia calls her father out on this by asking why her sister, or any of the previous holders of the power for that matter, never lifted a finger, which makes Rod admit that when someone in the royal family is holding the power, they also inherit the "king's ideology", which makes them not ''want'' to save humanity, since the original king wished for humans to be ruled by Titans. This makes Historia realize that even if she devoured Eren, she wouldn't want to save humanity anymore.]]
105* SimpleYetAwesome:
106** '''The Titan Guillotine'''. Not only is it able to kill Titans of any size with a single blow, it does so without needlessly endangering other soldiers. [[spoiler: This ended up being used to eliminate all remaining Titans within the Walls after Eren and the Survey Corps successfully reclaimed Wall Maria and by extension, the rest of Paradis Island]].
107** [[spoiler:The Rumbling is a WeaponOfMassDestruction that could end all life on the planet. It simply consists of countless Colossus Titans walking forward and stepping on everything in their path]].
108* SingleStrokeBattle: Titan killings are ideally supposed to be two cuts to the nape of their neck made simultaneously. More advanced Titans than the regular ones require a [[DeathOfAThousandCuts much different strategy]].
109* SlasherSmile:
110** While [[spoiler:Eren reminisces (unaware that it actually happened) about killing Titans in Titan form]], he smiles, claiming out loud that he will kill them all. Unfortunately, people think that he's talking about killing them. Armin's horrified reaction to it is priceless.
111** Eren also sports several Slasher Smiles while fighting [[spoiler:the Female Titan]], in both of his fights against it.
112** [[spoiler: Annie]] pulls an extremely creepy one when [[spoiler:Mikasa correctly accuses her of being the female Titan]]. The smile itself isn't as pronounced in the anime but the [[DissonantLaughter unsettling laughter]] that precedes it achieves the same chilling effect.
113** In Chapter 51, Erwin of all people briefly sports one when discussing the possibility that [[spoiler: Titans were originally humans]]. Levi notices and is completely unnerved by it.
114** Titans themselves occasionally have these permanently on display. In fact, the Titan that killed Eren and Mikasa's mother is nicknamed the 'Smiling Titan' by fans for this reason.
115* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Even when humanity didn't have man-eating Titans to deal with for a hundred years, there was still a sinister presence in the world. Mikasa has her [[DarkAndTroubledPast backstory]], where she and her mother were targeted by slave traders who wanted to sell them as unique slaves ([[LastOfHisKind since Asians were killed off by the Titans]]). They only managed to take Mikasa, since they accidentally killed her mother. If slavery wasn't sick enough, rape was also implied, but the traffickers said that Mikasa was "too young" for their taste, if not necessarily their client's.
116* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: On the one hand, humanity's prospects for the future and odds of winning ''any'' victories against the Titans are exceedingly grim, [[AnyoneCanDie and characters drop like flies]]; [[CruelAndUnusualDeath usually suffering gory nightmarish deaths]]. On the other hand, the protagonist is a grimly determined optimist who has vowed that he will a) kill all the Titans as {{revenge}} and b) see humanity expand to the world outside of The Walls, both of which are ideas that most of his peers consider suicidally idealistic. His optimism keeps being challenged throughout the story, one notable instance being when [[spoiler:the 57th expedition turns out to be a complete failure and the entire Special Operations Squad, bar Levi, [[ILetGwenStacyDie dies in front of his eyes.]]]] [[{{Determinator}} Not that it makes him give up.]] From the looks of things, however, it seems to lean heavily on the cynical end, thanks to the combination of the tyranny and cunning treachery by the Military Police, and the [[BystanderSyndrome cowardice]] of the common people hiding within the walls, severely hampering the efforts by the Scouting Legions in saving what remains of humanity; at one point, WordOfGod even stated that he originally planned for a [[EverybodyDiesEnding bitter ending where every single human dies]], but took it back for the fear of AngstAversion.
117* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: Firmly on the serious end. ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' does not joke around.
118* TheSmartGuy: Armin might be a bit meek, but is the smartest of the PowerTrio in reasoning and deduction, comes up with why [[spoiler:Titans are weak at the base of the neck]] due to Eren, and deduces [[spoiler:the Colossal, Armoured, and Female Titan had to be human piloted]] and comes up with the most practical plans and strategies in the field.
119* SoldierVsWarrior: Used within the narrative, and explicitly brought up by several characters. The enemy Titan Shifters refer to themselves as "Warriors", drawing a line between themselves and the human soldiers they oppose. On the surface, the trope is played straight with human soldiers serving the cause of humanity's survival and the Titan warriors being shown to be proud and even competitive. But then it becomes more complicated, with the lines becoming blurred as the warriors' identities are revealed. [[spoiler: Reiner Braun best illustrates the blurring of things, struggling with his conflicting loyalties/identities]]. Both sides have much more in common than they would like to admit, and there is plenty of debate over what it means to be a soldier.
120* SpaghettiWestern: {{Invoked}} in the duel between Levi and the Central 1st Brigade in Mitras. It even includes the hero (Levi) being surrounded in a cantina, hiding behind the bar while Kenny, wearing an outlaw hat, comes barging in, taunting with guns at hand to make Levi show his face; Levi, of course, [[spoiler:finds a rifle behind the bar and shoots Kenny in the chest, making his escape through a side window]]. The only things missing were the women wearing corsets and the pianola playing in the background.
121* TheSpartanWay: Military training is a 3-year process, and it's casually noted that deaths are not only ''common'' but considered just a way of weeding out those who wouldn't have survived battle, anyway. The 3D maneuver in particular is noted to result in quite a few training accidents. [[SinkOrSwimMentor Cutting the ropes]] on recruits practicing using 3D maneuver gear is even noted to be way to weed out those who can't keep their balance when disaster strikes, since panicking will make them useless against the Titans.
122* SpectacularSpinning: The more skilled Titan-killers in the show make use of this in their attack; Levi in particular turns himself into a spinning ball of destruction to give Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog a run for his money.
123* SpinOff: ''Attack On Titan Levi Side Story: A Choice With No Regrets'' manga, which is based on the ''Choice With No Regrets'' visual novel included with the ''Attack On Titan'' Vol.3 Blu-ray. This spin-off features Levi as the main character and serves as a prologue to the main series.
124* SpinOffBabies: The [[HighSchoolAU Middle School AU]] spin-off manga ''Attack! Titan Junior High''. It is pure, unfiltered ''crack'' involving the main cast going to school with the Titans, and deals with it as a SliceOfLife comedy. It gleefully parodies the primary canon, as well as including numerous {{Shout Out}}s to popular memes and aspects of the fandom. Eren still hates the Titans, but the trauma of his mother being EatenAlive is replaced with his cheeseburger lunch being stolen on the first day of school. Jean's love life continues to be a joke, Annie is a blushing {{Tsundere}}, and the memetic "Moe Titan" is a reoccurring character.
125* SpottingTheThread: Armin can even identify ''the scratches and dings'' on [[spoiler: Marco's]] 3D Maneuver Gear when he sees it in front of [[spoiler:Annie.]]
126* SquareCubeLaw: Titans are shockingly nimble despite their size because they weigh almost nothing. The Colossal Titan also has very different anatomy, with legs proportionately thicker like an elephants'.
127* {{Squick}}: In-universe and out when Hange goes into explicit details of the practices of a group of human cannibals in Episode 15. Some soldiers from the Garrison even start to puke.
128* StableTimeLoop: [[spoiler:Much of the series is the result of Eren using the Attack Titan's unique power to give previous wielders memories of the future to influence their decisions. Those of the effects of this power are almost completely unaware of his influence except when they are in contact with a member of the Eldia Royal Family; Eren directly pushes Grisha into killing the Reiss family, and Eren himself is made aware of his own machinations when he kisses Historia's hand during her coronation, allowing him to properly begin and continue the cycle. In the final chapter it's revealed that he used the same power to lead Dina's Smiling Titan away from Bertolt and to his own mother--meaning that the traumatic event that led to Eren joining the Corps was orchestrated by Eren himself.]]
129* StagesOfMonsterGrief: An underlying element of [[spoiler:Eren's]] characterization, as he learns to cope with his new status.
130* StealthHiBye: The Colossal Titan is noteworthy for this, since no one can figure out how a 60m tall monster can simply appear and disappear in a cloud of smoke. This ends up being very significant, as this is one piece of evidence that leads them to realize the Colossal Titan is [[spoiler:a Titan Shifter with access to military training and equipment]]. In the anime he appears with a flash of lightning, whereas in the manga he appears out of nowhere in the space of a [[BehindTheBlack single panel change]].
131* StepfordSmiler [[spoiler: Krista Lenz]] as revealed in Chapter 52. She is the hollow type.
132** [[spoiler:Reiner Braun]] barely manages to keep it together due to PTSD and other issues.
133* TheStinger: The very end of Episode 25 has a huge SequelHook after the credits: [[spoiler: there is a ''TITAN'' inside Wall Sina!]]
134** Season 3 part one ends with [[spoiler:a montage of a bunch of frames from the upcoming episodes, and the scene in which Eren and Mikasa defy Levi to try and save Armin.]]
135* TheStoic: Mikasa, Annie, Levi, Bertolt, and Erwin are the most prominent examples with several minor or supporting characters qualifying as well. However, most of them have moments where their facade cracks, even if only for a moment.
136* StoppedDeadInTheirTracks: Commander Dot Pixis tactfully defuses an escalating riot among the soldiers, who rather understandably are too terrified to go back into Trost to fight the [[IAmAHumanitarian Titans]], his plan to use Eren's allegedly experimental Titan powers to seal the breach be damned, by simply allowing them to leave if they really want to. When several soldiers prepare to leave, Pixix adds that "those who are fine with [[AndYourLittleDogToo letting their friends and family experience that same terror]] are ''also'' free to leave". All the soldiers that were about to leave ''immediately freeze in place'', before turning around once the weight of Pixis's words sinks in. ''Not a single soldier leaves''.
137* StoryArc: Attack on Titan altogether comprises nine major story arcs:
138** The Fall of Shiganshina Arc (Vol 1)
139** The Battle of Trost District Arc (Vol 1-4)
140** The 104th Training Corps Arc (Vol 4)
141** The Female Titan Arc (Eve of the Counterattack, 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Assault on Stohess) (Vol 5-8)
142** The Clash of the Titans Arc (Vol 9-12)
143** The Royal Government Arc (Vol 13-17)
144** The Return to Shiganshina Arc (Vol 18-22)
145** The Marley Arc (Vol 23-26)
146** The War for Paradis Arc (Vol 27-34)
147* StrangeSalute: With their right hand in a fist over their heart, and their left arm tucked across the small of their back. A DrillSergeantNasty explains the fist clenched over their heart symbolizes their commitment to sacrificing their lives for their king. Erwin later invokes this sentiment to ask the recruits if they are willing to give their beating hearts to humanity.
148* StupidCrooks: A rare case that is ''not'' played for laughs involves the three human traffickers who kill Mikasa's parents- they end up killing the person they'd originally intended to kidnap (Mikasa's Asian mother), argue among themselves and end up dying at Eren and Mikasa's hands. [[AllThereInTheManual The guide book]] indicates that in all likelihood, they didn't know each other for very long, given how poorly they worked together, and says that the "weak-hearted" trio was no match for the "strong-hearted" Eren and Mikasa.
149* SubhumanSurfacingShot: In the final arc, [[spoiler:Eren's Wall Titans have such a moment when they surface from the sea as they march implacably towards the Marleyan coast to lay the country to waste during the Rumbling]]. It is every bit as horrifying as you can expect.
150* SunkCostFallacy:
151** All of the [[spoiler: Titan Shifters]] are devastated by the things they've done, but refuse to stop doing them with the reasoning that they've "come too far to turn back now."
152** Humanity's continued support of the Scout/Survey Corps. Though they've accomplished very little for the cost in human lives and equipment, as Eren mentions every now and then, they've sacrificed too much to just sit idly and content within the walls. Perhaps some of the higher ups also view that the sacrifices made will ultimately pay off and humanity may someday be able to leave the walls without fear of the Titans. That said, many citizens loudly complain about how much money the Survey Corps wastes and has no faith in them doing anything to justify this expense.
153* SuddenSoundtrackStop: Exaggerated; The series normally has a robust soundtrack that plays through each episode, but episode 55 "Midnight Sun" completely skips over the opening and dives right into the episode. There is no music at all throughout the entire episode, which notably sets the tone in the aftermath of the Battle of Shiganshina, and the moral dilemma of making a SadisticChoice to save the life of one of two well-established and important characters.
154* SuperDeformed: The "Special Episodes" feature the recruit squad as chibi characters in a comical portrayal of their years of recruitment as "a bit like a school". Subject to a load of Flanderization and LampshadeHanging, they play up romance arcs [[PlayedForLaughs for laughs]], and [[BlackComedy invariably end with the Colossal Titan showing up and eating the protagonists]]. Ironically, the chibi!Colossal Titan has proportions that are closer to a human's than in the series.
155* SuperSerum: [[spoiler: It seems Rod Reiss has an assortment of vials in his possession that contain a serum which causes people to transform into Titans. There also seems to be different serums for different characteristics. He claims one is the Titan most suitable for battle and tries to get Historia to drink it. [[note]]Later revelations show this is not true; if Historia had eaten Eren, she would have inherited both of his titan powers.[[/note]] A BodyguardBetrayal and ambush causes him to lick it up himself, transforming him into the largest Titan seen so far. Eren later drinks one labelled "Armor" which enables him to have the armor producing ability seen by the Female Titan.]]
156** [[spoiler:Marley similarly uses such serum to transform Eldians as they see fit for military purposes.]]
157* SuperpoweredEvilSide: [[spoiler:Eren's Titan mode.]] Until he learns to control it.
158* SuperpowerfulGenetics: Levi reveals to Mikasa that members of [[spoiler:the Ackerman family - to which she, himself, and Kenny all belong -- have the ability to unlock superhuman strength and agility through traumatic experience. It's later revealed in Kenny's flashback that members of the Ackerman clan and people of Asian descent are immune to the memory-manipulating power of the Coordinate ability. This ended up causing both lineages to be seen as threats to the monarchy and subsequently hunted down until only a few members survived.]]
159* SuperPersistentPredator: Normal Titans can be seen this way. Once they've noticed humans within their general vicinity, they will actively chase after and try to devour them.
160* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Gabi raises an anti-Titan rifle, unconcerned about firing it - only to find herself ''flying'' backward from [[spoiler:sniping Eren]], because a rifle powerful enough to cause such massive damage is going to have ''insane'' recoil.
161* SurvivedTheBeginning: It establishes its credentials as a series where AnyoneCanDie in the battle of Trost, where many of the [[Characters/AttackOnTitanThe104thTraineeCorps 104th Trainee Corps]] (which the audience has been following thus far) are killed off. Many of their roles and importance in the story are in flux before the battle of Trost; with several of them having been detailed a reasonable amount despite dying in that battle, while others having virtually no characterization until that time and yet became important players later on (e.g., Marco Bott). Among the principal characters, it took 75 chapters for another one of them to die after the battle of Trost despite the body count remaining extremely high among the rest of the cast.
162* SurvivorsGuilt: All over the place, with people losing comrades and/or loved ones left and right. The first ending theme of the anime directly invokes this, as pretty everyone has at one point or another wondered why they survived while their comrades died. This is part of the deconstruction of HeroicSacrifice: sacrificing yourself to buy your comrades time to escape and/or give them a clear shot at the Titan holding you is ultimately pointless if they sit there shocked and dumbfounded by the act, likely to become victims themselves. Those that live and are plagued by the guilt become shell-shocked and are less likely to stay effective fighters, making the sacrifice still pointless. The squadmates of [[spoiler:Eren]] very nearly go down this path, in particular the person who witnessed the act, who completely shuts down for a while. Armin absolutely does not want to explain to Mikasa what happened, particularly as [[spoiler:Eren threw his life away to save his.]] Unfortunately the look on his face is more than enough to tell her what happened to everyone in his squad during the Battle of Trost.
163** [[spoiler:Reiner]] ends up suffering from this to the point where he's DrivenToSuicide.
164* SWATTeam: The Military Police Brigade's Anti-Personnel Control Squad. They use specialized ODM equipment designed to be used against humans. Instead of swords, they use single-shot shotguns in conjunction with their gear.
165* SympatheticMurderBackstory: [[spoiler: After their true identities are revealed, the three Titan Shifters are shown to be seriously messed up because of their crimes. WordOfGod states Annie is intended to be sympathetic, recalling her FreudianExcuse just before encasing herself in a CrystalPrison, while several chapters and a bonus epilogue are dedicated to showing Reiner and Bertolt to be traumatized and guilty over their crimes. Unlike most examples, however, they continue carrying out their mission..... because if they don't their families back home will be [[AFateWorseThanDeath turned into Mindless Titans.]] Unfortunately the audience only finds this out after Annie is permanently encased in crystal and Bertolt is dead and even then the heroes now have no choice but to continue their war against them.]]
166* SympatheticPOV: [[spoiler:After 90 chapters focusing on the characters living on Paradis Island the series switches over and focuses on the characters on the Marley side specifically Reiner and company. Instead of being portrayed as malicious villains the story goes out of its way to show these characters with their friends and families showing them to be not that different from the protagonists. This allows the audience to feel sympathy and confliction when these two sides inevitably fight which eventually culminates with the attack on Liberio which paints the protagonists in a much more villainous light as they massacre much of the supporting cast build up during the Marley arc.]]
167[[/folder]]
168
169[[folder:T]]
170* TaintedVeins: A side effect of [[spoiler:Titan shifting]].
171* TakesOneToKillOne: Besides incredibly impractical human weaponry, the only thing that can easily damage a Titan is another one. Includes itself, since Titans often commit self-injury.
172* TalkingIsAFreeAction:
173** In Episode 19, Levi gives one of his calm, rational speeches that goes on for paragraph after paragraph seemingly in the space of a dozen hoofbeats as the 104th races through the forest.
174** When [[spoiler:Titan Eren has straddled the Female Titan to keep her down, he internally monologues for several minutes, while she apparently has no choice but to lie there and wait for him to finish. She might have been waiting for her eye to heal, but you'd think she'd still attempt to kick him off somehow.]]
175** Later, during their second fight, they both assume fighting stances and Eren similarly has another internal monologue that goes on for a while as they just stand and stare at each other. Of course, the monologues in both these instances may have lasted only a few seconds in real-time, and the scenes were simply slowed down for the viewer's sake and comprehension.
176* TeaIsClassy: Due to the agricultural limitations of the setting, tea is considered a luxury good. Levi, who is a ManOfWealthAndTaste, is particularly fond of black tea.
177* TemptingFate:
178** A priest preaches that the Walls will remain impregnable as long as clergy's faith is held fast. They form a human wall, linking arms, and praying in a circle. A Titan promptly smashes through the walls of the church, crushing the people inside.
179** In the first episode, Eren calls the Garrison soldiers cattle due to how lazy and unconcerned they seem to be, including some who are drunk on duty. One of them mentions that if they're seen fighting, then things have really gone downhill fast. Which is exactly what happens when the Titans breach the Wall...
180** And most JustForFun/{{egregious}}ly, before the Titan invasion: the heroes are discussing the Titans, and Armin says that even though the Walls have stood for a century, they could still be broken today. After about 10 seconds of silence, a colossal Titan appears out of nowhere and busts a hole in the Wall.
181** In Episode 4, after Eren looks at a lot of things humans have done in the last five years since the Titans entered the territory behind Wall Maria. He notes that they're ready for another Titan attack. Guess what happens next?
182* ThereAreNoTherapists: Despite the fact that they could ''really'' use some, there is no therapy for the various, unusual horrors that the members of the military are constantly exposed to, which really sucks when you consider that the vast majority of them are still just [[ChildSoldiers teenagers]].
183** [[spoiler:There's a mental health hospital in Liberio, which Eren fakes PTSD in order to hide in. Grisha's father also stays there]].
184* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: The [[spoiler:Titan Shifters]] are a ''major'' source of paranoia for the military, once people realize such a person could exist. How many of them there are, or what their true goals might be, are among the many mysteries of the series. But they are completely undetectable, unless they do something that blows their cover.
185* ThickLineAnimation: It's not of uniform thickness, though, giving the impression of a brush pen.
186* ThirteenIsUnlucky: [[spoiler: The Curse of Ymir, which kills a Titan Shifter 13 years after acquiring their powers]].
187* ThoseTwoGuys: Reiner and Bertolt. Jean and Marco, especially in the anime, prior to [[spoiler:Marco becoming the DeadSidekick]]. Krista and Ymir. All manage to subvert the trope, by being ''much'' more [[ChekhovsGunman important]] as the story goes on.
188** The two Garrison soldiers, Anka and Gustav, who usually accompany Pixis are a more straight example. And while Eren's two [[RedShirt ill-fated]] squadmates Nac and Mylius didn't appear long enough to act as this, they are usually portrayed this way in miscellaneous material.
189* ThousandYardStare: As one might expect from a series as dark as this. Sporting one is basically short-hand for "I survived a Titan encounter", to the point that in-universe the DrillSergeantNasty skips over the recruits who already have one, as they don't need to be broken further. Many experienced soldiers also have one whenever something particularly traumatic happens, like losing a good friend.
190* TimeSkip: The 5 years gap between Destruction of Shiganshina and Battle of Trost.
191** Chapter 91 [[spoiler: opens up 4 years after the initial Titan attack; because of the loss of the Female and Colossal Titan powers, Marley's military was weakened considerably and their enemies seized this opportunity to wage war against them for the last four years.]]
192** Chapter 139 [[spoiler:has one last time skip three years after "the War of Heaven and Earth", seeing the heroes return to Paradis to broker a peace treaty with the rest of the world. In this interim, Paradis has been fully radicalized by the Yeagerists into a fascist, war-mongering state.]]
193* TitleDrop:
194** As grammatically close as one can get, anyway. During the speech that Dot Pixis made before the attempt to re-take the Trost District, he says, "When this plan succeeds, it'll be the first time we've reconquered land from the Titans! It will mean mankind has finally managed an attack on the Titans!"
195** A true one is finally provided in Chapter 88, with [[spoiler: the revelation of Eren's Titan name, the Attack Titan.]]
196** In Episode 69, "A Sound Argument," Nile says that [[spoiler:if Historia is turned into a Titan and made to inhert Zeke's powers while pregnant, it could result in the death of Historia's child, as well as Historia herself]]. Roeg bitterly describes Nile's assertion as "a perfectly sound argument that could bring our country to ruin."
197* TookALevelInBadass:
198** The entire 104th, over the course of their training.
199** Not that she wasn't already a badass, but after she and Levi fight the Female Titan, in the Raid on Stohess arc Mikasa is seen employing some of his techniques (notably the spinning, and slashing along muscle planes) to great effect.
200** As the story progresses, Armin becomes noticeably more and more competent as a soldier bordering on BadassNormal, such as confronting [[spoiler: Bertolt and Reiner]] to give Erwin the opening he needed to rescue Eren, and saving Jean from a member from the 1st Brigade. Much later on, after [[spoiler: engaging the Colossal Titan directly which leaves him horribly burned, he ends up being given the shot of Titan Serum and devours an incapacitated Bertolt, [[EmpoweredBadassNormal granting him Titan Shifting abilities]] and all of the [[HealingFactor perks]] that come with it]].
201* ToServeMan: The Titans think humans are very tasty. Evidence suggests that they don't even ''need'' to eat in order to survive, nor do they prey on any other animals besides humans. [[spoiler: It is revealed that the said Titans, i.e. the Mindless Titans, are innocent humans trapped within their Titan shells, unable to naturally exit their form. They must eat a Shifter to turn back into their original human form. This explains why [[TragicVillain the Titans are SO desperate to eat humans]], in the [[HopeSpot very off chance that said victim might be a shifter]].]]
202* TragicMonster: [[spoiler:The mindless Titans. The relentless monsters that terrorized the humans behind the walls were all once the same people as them - Eldians - that were herded over to the walls and forcibly transformed into Titans by the Marley empire.]]
203** [[spoiler:Most of the Titan Shifters themselves also count.]]
204* TragicVillain: [[spoiler:The three [[TheMole Titan infiltrators]]: Annie Leonhart, Reiner Braun, and Bertolt Hoover. Born into a nation that oppresses them for their "tainted blood", their families gave them to a military SuperSoldier project in hopes of earning better treatment. They were indoctrinated by their superiors, taught that their service could "redeem" them for the sins of their ancestors, and that the people living within the Walls were "children of the devil". They were given powers that limit their lifespan to 13 more years, and then sent to wipe out their fellow Eldians living within the Walls... under the belief they were ''saving'' humanity. All three begin to suffer horrific guilt and trauma over their actions, but are unable to abandon their mission -- failure or betrayal risks them being [[EatenAlive stripped]] of their powers and their families turned into Mindless Titans as punishment. As such, they continue on in spite of having to betray their friends and coming to doubt their mission. Also, the 'monsters' are treated as heroes in their homeland, ensuring no escape]].
205* TrainingFromHell:
206** Annie underwent it as a child, prior to enlisting. She tutors Eren by putting him through similarly harsh training.
207** What one has to go through [[spoiler:in order to become a warrior candidate]].
208* TrampledUnderfoot: Occasionally done by the Female Titan.
209* TranquilFury:
210** A young Eren Jaeger killed the first of Mikasa's kidnappers with complete calm. He lost his control on the second, though.
211** A more thorough example would be Levi during combat against Titans.
212** [[spoiler:Eren during his talk with Reiner before attacking Liberio is arguably this]].
213* TranslationTrainWreck: The version of the anime available on Creator/{{Netflix}} suffers from this.
214* TriumphantReprise: There are a few examples:
215** The slightly melancholy chorus of the InsertSong 'The Reluctant Heroes' returns as a stirring {{Leitmotif}} in several other pieces on the soundtrack, including 'Ri-body-ki-motion' and 'counter*attack-mankind'.
216** The slightly sad and calm melody of 'eye-water' comes back as a victorious (but equally melancholic) theme in 'Call Your Name' a few times during the anime.
217* TroublingUnchildlikeBehaviour: Eren. He took it upon himself to save Mikasa, planning out how to kill the criminals that had abducted her. His explanation to his father: "I merely put down some rabid dogs. Sometimes they just happen to look like people."
218* TykeBomb:
219** [[spoiler:Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt were part of a government SuperSoldier project that enlists children aged 5 - 7, and indoctrinates them into serving Marley without question. All three were still children when they were sent on their mission to attack the Walls]].
220** [[spoiler: Zeke was ''intended'' to be one by his parents, infiltrating Marley's Warrior project for the Eldian Restorationists. Instead, he turned them in to the authorities and grew up to become the leader of the Warriors]].
221[[/folder]]
222
223[[folder:U]]
224* UnableToCry: Eren after the TimeSkip, [[spoiler:after Sasha died from being shoot by Gabi. After hearing what her last words were, all he can do is laugh after remembering Sasha stealing the officers meat back in Season 1 and promising to farm more animals when they reclaim the land. After remembering that all Eren can do is grit his teeth unable to shed tears for his fallen friend. Unfortunately, Armin interpreted it the wrong way.]]
225* UncannyValley:
226** The Titans in general. Even the ones who have all their skin attached and basically look like large humans... there's just something ''off'' about them.
227** Used to interesting effect with the Titan Shifters. Eren and Ymir are both feral in appearance, with features unusual for Titans that make them more traditional monsters and therefore less disturbing. The same goes for Reiner, whose appearance is almost mechanical in nature. This reflects their more heroic natures, with Eren and Ymir on the side of humanity while Reiner is BecomingTheMask. On the opposite end, 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 more devoted to their mission and perfectly fine slaughtering humans.
228** The Colossal Titan uses a variation: His body is extremely disproportional in the rare occasion in which we manage to see him in his completeness: his legs are so big and thick, 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. This could also be a nod towards Bertolt's extremely weak will, as he's the only Titan Shifter with a form that's genuinely deformed.
229** The Beast Titan's arms are way too long for its body, reaching down to just above the ''ankles''. Not to mention its face is ''just'' human enough to come off as incredibly unnerving.
230** [[spoiler:Eren, a heroic Titan Shifter]] looks ''less'' human than a normal Titan thanks to its skull-like face, making it a little less creepy. [[spoiler:Ymir, who also fights for humanity]] has a hag-like face, black eyes and shark-like teeth that give her a more monstrous look. [[spoiler:Reiner, a Titan Shifter who became sympathetic to his comrades in the Trainee Corps despite his mission]] also looks less human, almost mechanical in appearance. [[spoiler:Annie and Bertolt, who are more loyal to their mission]], are smack dab in the Valley.
231* UnfriendlyFire: Jean briefly discusses this in Episode 18, when they're ordered to stand guard in the forest of giant trees, mentioning that an unpopular commander may find themselves getting attacked from behind by one of their troops. Armin wonders if he's really going to do that, but Jean tells him he was just thinking out loud and will follow the orders.
232* UnfortunateImplications:
233** An in-universe example, when a DirtyOldMan accuses Armin of turning him gay.
234-->''"I heard....you...[[AttractiveBentGender you're really a boy]]. It's all your fault. I used to be normal....but now look at me."''
235** Also in-universe: later on, Jean really hopes getting molested by the man [[RapeLeadsToInsanity didn't make Armin cynically talk about manipulating the populace.]]
236* UngratefulBastard: Bastard might be a bit strong of a word here, but whenever the Military Police Brigade or Garrison are forced to HoldTheLine, they're basically hoping that the [[TheAce Survey Corps]] will [[TheCavalry reach them in time to save the day]]. Immediately afterwards they and the civilians continue to treat them like crap, calling them weirdos and a waste of resources.
237* {{Unobtainium}}: [[spoiler:Iceburst stone is a resource created long ago through the use of the Titan Powers, and exclusively found on Paradis Island. It's a critical component of the 3D Maneuvering Gear's fuel, and is extremely valuable. Due to these properties, Zeke uses Iceburst stone as a bargaining chip to form an alliance between Paradis and the nation of Hizuru]].
238* UnreliableExpositor: In Chapter 64, [[spoiler:Rod Reiss]] gives a lot of information that's probably true, but all of it's thrown into doubt by the fact that he's trying to manipulate [[spoiler:Historia]] into falling into line, and if she believes him than she'll have no choice but to cooperate.
239* TheUnreveal: The identity of the "[[BigBad true enemy]]". Later, [[spoiler:Ymir]] almost reveals a possible answer before being stopped, and refuses to answer when asked a second time.
240* UnskilledButStrong: Almost all Titans. They have very little intelligence but can do a lot of damage because of their gigantic size and quick regeneration.
241* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Erwin invokes this by keeping everyone but a handful of trusted individuals in the dark about his real plan to capture the Female Titan because he suspects (rightly) that [[spoiler:an infiltrator would alert the Female Titan to the plan.]]
242* UnstoppableRage:
243** Eren snaps [[spoiler:when the Female Titan kills all the people protecting him,]] and [[spoiler:transforms to kill her.]]
244** Mikasa when she thinks that [[spoiler:Eren has died at the hands of a Titan. During the Battle of Trost]], she flies into a RoaringRampageOfRescue and cuts down several Titans before running out of gas.
245** During ''A Choice With No Regrets'', [[spoiler:when Levi comes across the remains of his friends Isabel and Farlan, and the Titan responsible for killing them both, Levi utterly ''loses it''. This is not the TranquilFury he conducts himself with during the series, but pure, [[ScreamingWarrior screaming]] [[BerserkerTears tearful]] ''rage'' as he completely ''[[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill massacres]]'' the Titan]].
246[[/folder]]
247
248[[folder:V]]
249* VillainsBlendInBetter: While Sasha is shown to have difficulty adjusting to life outside her isolated village, [[spoiler:none of the [[TheMole Titan Shifters]] from outside the Walls seem to have had any issue passing themselves off as refugees from Wall Maria. Considering that the society within the Walls was ''supposed'' to have been isolated for a century, it gives an early nod to the AncientConspiracy at play within the upper ranks of society.]] [[spoiler: Also Eren, who gradually becomes the BigBad of the series, used little more than PaperThinDisguise to infiltrate Marley, where he's the most wanted.]]
250* VillainEpisode: Multiple chapters, as well as one episode of the anime adaptation, could be considered this through their relatively sympathetic focus on the villains. Episode 23 and its counterpart, Chapter 31, focus primarily on [[spoiler: Annie prior to TheReveal that she is the Female Titan]]. Later on in the manga, Chapters 46 through 48 primarily focus on [[spoiler: Reiner and Bertolt]] and provide significant CharacterDevelopment for them.
251** Chapters 91 to 99 of the manga are from [[spoiler:Reiner's POV]] and showcase the life of [[spoiler:the Marleyan warrior unit]].
252** After that the manga eventually becomes [[spoiler: the completion of Eren's journey to be the BigBad.]]
253* VillainProtagonist: [[spoiler: Eren degenerates into this after the Time Skip, to the point of casually murdering women and children in his attempts against Marley, and verbally abusing Mikasa and Armin.]] [[spoiler: And then fully embraces this role once his role in influencing his own father comes to light. His true goal, exterminating all life outside Paradis Island, and shaping the series to get to this point solidifies Eren as this.]]
254* VillainousDemotivator:
255** Deconstructed. Threatening to execute deserters for cowardice ''doesn't work'' if they're more [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled afraid of getting eaten than getting shot]]. It's also heavily implied that any attempt to carry this out on the demoralized troops prior to the Trost counterattack (who are all on the verge of ScrewThisImOutOfHere) would have started a chaotic bloodbath, which was the ''last'' thing humanity needed. Pixis instead opts for a more positive motivation: everyone is free to go if they want to, but only if they [[ShamingTheMob can stand the thought of their loved ones getting eaten and sharing their fear]]. All of them stay.
256** On the other hand, this is a common tactic used to keep the Warriors in line. [[spoiler: Zeke calmly reminds Reiner and Bertolt that questioning his orders or failing their mission will result in them being EatenAlive by another Warrior. This seems to be the standard in Marley]].
257* VillainousFriendship: [[spoiler:Reiner and Bertolt are very close and protective of each other. They, especially Bertolt, also get mad when Armin bluffs about Annie being tortured, though Annie's feelings for them are unknown. Later shown that the Warrior Group are best friends among each other, and will do anything to save one of them.]]
258** [[spoiler: Floch Forster is truly loyal to Eren and his plans, despite giving TheStarscream vibes earlier. In fact, Eren confided his ultimate plan to him, and Floch pledged his absolute loyalty, and later on gives his life to delay TheRemnant of the Survey Corps from reaching Eren.]]
259* VoiceOfTheLegion: If one listens carefully, the voices of [[spoiler: the Titan Shifters in Titan form]] are their human voices overshadowed with deeper, more monstrous undertones.
260* VomitDiscretionShot: Zeke teases a very hungover Colt for puking all over the inside of the cabin during his night of hard partying. Thankfully, we get to take his word for it.
261* VomitIndiscretionShot:
262** Before the deployment in Episode 5, soldiers are shown to vomit due to stress.
263** [[spoiler: Armin, after the duel with the Central 1st Brigade, where he was forced to kill a woman soldier point blank when protecting Jean]].
264[[/folder]]
265
266[[folder:W]]
267* WalkingSpoiler:
268** All of the Titan Shifters tend to qualify for this. [[spoiler:Annie, Reiner and Bertolt are almost never mentioned without a spoiler tag referencing their status as the moles. Ymir isn't quite as bad.]]
269** [[spoiler:Eren Yeager]] supposedly ''dies'' early on in the series, so almost any indication of him surviving being eaten by a Titan, in addition to his [[spoiler:shifting ability]], is basically spoiler material.
270*** Later on, [[spoiler: Eren and his actions post TimeSkip in general, but ''specifically'' after Chapter 119 deserves a special mention.]]
271** [[spoiler: Zeke the Beast Titan,]] although he is an unusual case considering he [[HiddenAgendaVillain raises more questions than answers]]. [[spoiler:The fact that the Beast Titan's human's name is Zeke is the ''least'' spoilery thing about the character]].
272** The mere mention of [[spoiler:the Kingdom of Marley]] completely turns the entire plot line upside down. Mentioning anything related to [[spoiler:Eldia]] also counts.
273* WalkingTank: the [[spoiler: quadrupedal Cart Titan]] can be adapted in a biological version of this, wearing defensive plate and mounting machine gun turrets on its back.
274* WallOfText: [[{{Pun}} Heh.]] The "Information Available For Public Disclosure" eyecatches can usually be read in the short pause, but the Episode 25 one is quite long. It's a story about a miner that sought to tunnel under Wall Sina to live there, working harder and harder at his goal. [[spoiler: [[ShaggyDogStory He goes missing after telling a friend about it, then some time after everyone searches for him the friend disappears, too]]. With later revelations, it is all but certain that the Central Brigade of the Military Police disposed of them.]]
275* WallAroundTheWorld: Humanity's last settlement is three concentric walls, built to keep out the Titans.
276** [[spoiler: Eventually revealed that this 'protective wall' is the home for the banished Eldians, and actually the centre of their planned destruction.]]
277* WardrobeFlawOfCharacterization: Mikasa constantly wears a red scarf that doesn't quite go with her uniform, because Eren gave it to her to keep her warm on the night that she lost her parents.
278* WarfareRegression: The military is primarily trained in [[DualWielding double swords]] and hand-to-hand combat because flintlock rifles are much less useful personnel weapons for fighting Titans, though cannons still get used in Titan defense and rifles are kept around to enforce the law and to deal with possible civil wars or uprisings.
279** [[spoiler:The Central 1st Brigade however, being assassins intended for killing human being, fights with guns strapped to their arms.]]
280** [[spoiler:Averted by the rest of the world, which has technology approaching World War I levels (though there's no indication of tanks, ''yet'') with bomber planes rumored to be under development. Paradis Island's military did a bit of catching up by the point of this reveal as well, and the Survey Corps is shown fighting with handheld explosives and semi-automatic pistol-like weapons strapped to their arms as an advancement from Central 1st Brigade's equipment.]]
281* WarArc: It's expected with the main cast joining the military:
282** "The Struggle for Trost" arc: The 104th Cadets are caught up in the middle of a Titan attack in the district of Trost, what follows next is the struggle of the Garrison and Cadet branches to defeat the Titans invading the town, as they are eventually saved by [[spoiler:Eren's Titan form and the reinforcements from the Survey Corps]].
283** "Return to Shiganshina" arc: After Erwin and the Survey Corp stop the GovernmentConspiracy during the Uprising arc, the Survey Corps prepare a massive expedition to Shinganshina to close the gap Wall Maria. When they arrive there, they are ambushed by the Bestial, Armored and Colossal Titans, as well an army of mindless titans preventing them from escaping. Both sides organize a massive effort to defeat eachother.
284** After the end of the battle and TheReveal [[spoiler:it's revealed there was no Titan apocalypse, human civilization is still running up and well. A hostile nation called Marley is sending Titans in attempts to exterminate the peoples inside the walls. The whole story turns into a war story between Marley and the Eldians of Paradis in the "Marley" and "War for Paradis" arcs, the two next and final arcs.]]
285* WarIsHell: Big time.
286* WasItAllALie: Eren wonders this after [[spoiler:Annie is revealed to be the Female Titan]], and later when [[spoiler:Reiner and Bertolt are also revealed to be Titans]]. [[spoiler:Connie]] states he won't be satisfied until he can ask them face to face. [[spoiler: When he does get to ask them, Bertolt breaks down and states that not everything was a lie - he really did consider them comrades, despite his mission, and Eren even wonders if Reiner and Bertolt cracked and developed split personalities from having to both carry out their mission and see the results of it up close]].
287* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler: The Titans. When the destruction of Connie's village reveals this, the officers of the Survey Corps are understandably horrified at the implications.]]
288* WatchingTroyBurn: In Episode 2, as Eren, Armin, and Mikasa, along with many other refugees attempt to flee Shiganshina, they see smoke and fires rising in the distance, along with cries of terror as the Titans enter the human territory for the first time in a hundred years. Bonus points for their hometown actually being [[Literature/TheTrojanCycle surrounded by walls]] previously thought to be impregnable.
289* WeakButSkilled: The only way the inherently much physically weaker humans can survive multiple Titans encounters is to be '''very''' skilled.
290* WeAREStrugglingTogether: One of the major problems that the Survey Corp has with the royal government is that they don't know ''why'' the government is doing anything. Why suppress technology? Why hide knowledge of the Titans and the world before the Walls? They could be doing it all for the good of humanity, or they could just be desperately trying to retain their own power. [[spoiler:In Chapter 61, Commander Pixis fakes a report saying that the next Wall has fallen in order to gauge the council's reactions. When they immediately order the gates sealed and half of humanity sacrificed to save themselves, he decides that they don't deserve to lead]].
291* WeHardlyKnewYe:
292** [[spoiler:Marco Bodt, the first member of the top ten of the 104th Trainee Corps to die]], does so off-screen and with hardly any CharacterDevelopment. The horrific anonymity of his death serves as one of the triggers for [[spoiler:Jean's CharacterDevelopment]]. Of course, it's heavily implied that the reason he died somewhere where no one was there to see was because [[spoiler:Annie killed him]].
293** [[spoiler: Nifa]] as well.
294** Eren and Armin's squadmates Thomas Wagner and Mina Carolina are the first named soldiers to die in the Battle of Trost, and both did so with little screentime. Their other two squadmates Nac Tius and Mylius Zeramuski also die with even ''less'' screentime; their names weren't even known before Armin recalled them later.
295* WeHaveBecomeComplacent: Most of humanity got comfortable with 100 years of peace and were completely unprepared for the first Titan attack. Eren even chewed out Hannes and the other Garrison troops for drinking on duty since they didn't think that the Titans would actually breach the wall. After they learn their lesson, the Garrison is at least somewhat more capable by the time of the second attack. The Survey Corps never got lazy during the long lull though the Military Police Brigade was never particularly concerned by the Titans.
296** [[spoiler: The Kingdom of Marley is beginning to suffer from this around the time they show up in the manga: They've relied on Titans (both of the standard type as cannon fodder and the "Warriors" as their SuperSoldiers) for so long to win against other countries, they've neglected their industrial and mechanized military power to the point that it becomes a grave concern when other countries begin developing anti-titan weaponry.]]
297** [[spoiler: Even ''worse'' for the second-generation Eldians, who had resigned themselves to being second-class citizens under Marley with their only hope of ever having a better life being that one of their family members gets chosen for the "Warrior" program. But if Titans are rendered obsolete, then Marley would no longer have a reason for keeping them around.]]
298* WeHaveReserves:
299** The Wall Maria recovery mission. The government sent half of the people inside the Wall to die to the Titans. They just wanted to [[CrapsackWorld reduce the demand on the food supply to avoid starving]], and [[DespairEventHorizon they don't believe they'll ever recapture the lost territory]]. This highlights the dilemma that humanity faces: it needs as many people as possible to be reserves, but it can't possibly feed all of them, either.
300** {{Deconstructed}} with the Survey Corps who regularly suffer countless deaths every mission. Eventually, the Corps faces a serious problem of personnel shortage, as most of their veterans have been killed off in a short time frame and graduating Trainees aren't exactly rushing to sign up for a RedShirtArmy.
301** [[spoiler:Marley,]] in two ways.
302*** Their military in general. [[spoiler: The grunts consist mostly of Eldians who are treated as cannon fodder by Marley; and while ethnic Marleyans take great pride in their nation's conquests, it's mentioned that few of them are actually fighting.]]
303*** Even worse, [[spoiler: one of their favorite war strategy are Eldians that are drugged and then turned into mindless Titans to serve as fodder and shock troops, either set loose or literally [[DeathFromAbove dropped from airships and transformed in mid-air.]] The Marleyans view Eldians as little more than resources to create more Titans with, and there are plenty of Eldians left to use.]]
304* WeNeedADistraction: Every single operation against the Titans involves a large "decoy" force to attract the Titans in one place in order to destroy them, seeing how Titans are predictable enough to reliably go for the largest cluster of people. This series being what it is, [[HeroicSacrifice it usually]] [[CannonFodder doesn't go so]] [[RedShirtArmy great for the distractions]].
305* WhamEpisode: [[WhamEpisode/AttackOnTitan So many of them that they warrant their own page]].
306* WhamLine:
307** The identities of the Armored Titan and Colossal Titan are given freely and unprompted to TheHero by the villains themselves ''in a background conversation.''
308** In the OVA episode, during the ApocalypticLog, it's mentioned that the Titan ''speaks'', says [[spoiler:"Ymir-sama", then bows]].
309** The following line from chapter 56 delivered by the man who killed [[spoiler:Historia]]'s mother:
310--->''"Do you know a man by the name of [[spoiler: Levi Ackerman?]]"''
311** This line spoken by the [[spoiler:Beast Titan]]:
312--->''"You're... Eren Yeager? You don't look like your father at all. Trust me, I understand you... [[spoiler:We, are the victims of your father, Eren.]] "''
313** In Chapter 85, Eren finds a note from his father that entirely flips the series on its head.
314--->[[spoiler:''I come from outside the walls, where life is harmonious for humanity. In reality,'' '''''humans are not extinct at all''''']].
315** ''"His name was [[spoiler: Zeke.]]"''
316** ''"I came here to save humanity."''
317** Chapter 99 features a whole ''conversation'' full of wham lines.
318---> ''"Eren..."''
319---> ''[[HistoryRepeats "The same as you."]]''
320---> ''"[[TheDeterminator I will continue to move forward]], [[spoiler: [[LetsGetDangerous until I wipe out the enemy]].]]"''
321** Chapter 112 might as well be WhamLine: the chapter, [[spoiler: and they're all from Eren.]] Here are some of them:
322---> [[spoiler: ''"[[LossofIdentity What I'm saying is that the real Mikasa disappeared in that mountain hut, at nine years old.]]"'']]
323---> [[spoiler: (About the Ackermans) ''"A clan who lost their true selves, created only to follow orders. In other words, slaves."'']]
324---> [[spoiler: ''"[[HateAtFirstSight Ever since I was a kid...]] [[HiddenDisdainReveal Mikasa, I've always hated you.]]"'']]
325** Chapter 114, with the revelation of [[spoiler:Zeke's real plan]].
326---> [[spoiler:''"Then... [[GenocideFromTheInside could you make it so that the Subjects of Ymir no longer have children]]? [[{{Biomanipulation}} Can the Founding Titan's power do that?]]"'']]
327** Chapter 121 reveals the true capabilities of the [[spoiler:Attack Titan]] and frames the entire series in a whole new light:
328--->'''Grisha''': ''[[spoiler:The Attack Titan is even able to peer into the memories of its future successors...In other words, it has the ability to [[{{Seers}} peer into the future.]]]]''
329** Chapter 123 has the confirmation of Eren's plan, confirming [[spoiler:Grisha]]'s fears [[spoiler:and solidifying him as a VillainProtagonist]]:
330--->'''Eren:''' [[spoiler:My objective... is to protect the people of Paradis, the place where I was born and raised. [[FantasticRacism However, the world wishes for the annihilation of the people of Paradis.]] The hatred that has been swelling up for so long will certainly not end until not just the Paradisians, but all of Ymir's subjects have been eliminated. ''[[ThenLetMeBeEvil I reject this wish.]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters The Wall Titans shall trample all earth outside of this island underfoot]] [[OmnicidalManiac until all existing life there has been exterminated from this world.]]'']]
331* WhamShot:
332** The panels where the Rogue Titan attacks another Titan over an immobile human and takes a boxing stance, indicating intelligence. Both are impossible as far as humanity's knowledge goes, as the expressions on the observers' faces show.
333** [[spoiler:Dina, Grisha's former wife, being forced to become the Smiling Titan.]]
334** Following the WhamLine from above, [[spoiler: Reiner removing the sling from his supposedly wounded arm and in doing so revealing his wounds are regenerating, confirming once and for all that he, and Bertholdt, are Titan Shifters too; the Armoured and Colossal Titans specifically.]]
335** The first close-up and clear look of the face of the [[ShellShockedVeteran wounded veteran]] that befriended Falco in Chapter 97, revealing him to be none other than [[spoiler: Eren Yeager]].
336** [[spoiler: Eren extending a hand to help Reiner get back up, while recognising they have both been the same from the start (kids who were exposed to the enemy, only to find out the ''enemy'' are people just like themselves). He declares his intention to keep moving ahead, followed by a panel of him stating he will do so [[LetsGetDangerous until he wipes out the enemy]] while his hand, which is still holding Reiner's is GLOWING, turning the entire meeting upside down as Eren goes Titan on the entire Liberio meeting in order to declare war to Marley, as Willy Tybur just did to Eren and all of Paradis. This is followed by a shot of Eren bursting through the stage, killing Willy as his massive Titan form towers over the crowd. The entire 5 last pages of this chapter may count as a single, continuous WhamShot.]]
337** [[spoiler: The series possibly receives its biggest WhamShot yet at the end of chapter 119, when Gabi stumbles on a sniper rifle and ''blows Eren's head clean off his shoulders right before he can activate the Rumbling with Zeke''.]]
338** The Walls [[spoiler: '' shattering'' and thousands of Colossal Titans awakening]] in Chapter 122.
339** [[spoiler: [[TheBusCameBack Annie Leonhart]] [[LongBusTrip gasping for breath]] as her cocoon is shattered by Eren during the activation of the Rumbling]] in Chapter 124.
340* WhatTheHellHero:
341** In Episode 2, Eren insults Armin for wanting to stay away from the danger while relying on meager handouts. He then throws the loaf of bread his friend's grandfather gave them, prompting Mikasa to punch him in the face. She tells him someone so weak who couldn't even have left the city on their own two feet, nor gotten the food without help, would be unable to even stand up to one Titan. She then force-feeds him the loaf of bread, telling him to survive for now.
342** During the [[spoiler: attempt to capture Annie once she's outed as a traitor]], Jean and Mikasa chew out an injured Eren for refusing to fight [[spoiler: her due to his feelings for her]], bringing up all the people who have put their lives in his hands, including the ones that actually died for him.
343** In Chapter 90, [[spoiler: Flocke gives a hell of a one to Eren and Levi giving in to emotion and choosing to inject Armin instead of Erwin, with Mikasa the only one who even thought logically. Everyone else in the military pretty much agrees that Erwin should've been kept alive]]. He also [[spoiler: criticizes Jean, Connie, and Sasha for doing nothing about the decision.]]
344** In Chapter 102, [[spoiler:Mikasa gives one to Eren for killing so many civilians, including children, in his attempted assassination of the War-hammer Titan. She calls it irredeemable with tears in her eyes.]]
345** In Chapter 105, [[spoiler:Eren receives a punch from Levi and is treated coldly by the rest of the Survey Corps since he dragged them into his plan without their approval. Since he only informed them about the plan when he had already infiltrated Marley, the Survey Corps had no choice but to go along with it since Eren is too important to the war effort to lose. This comes to a head when Sasha is shot and killed by Gabi, and the blame is put squarely on Eren.]]
346* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Due to mention of a Far East and factoids like Chapter 1's title implying a future setting, the world's geography is assumed to be the same. It doesn't help that the Walls officially have a combined radius of 480 km (almost 300 miles across) or larger [[http://kaeru-ranawa.tumblr.com/post/61869765522/browningtons-fisherpon-the-walls-from-attack than most European countries or American states.]] This is all only assumption though, as the world outside the Walls is unknown. Chapter 86 shows that the Walls are on an island named Paradis, which is dwarfed by a continental landmass nearby. Moreover, the map of the world corresponds to an upside down and mirrored map of Africa, with Paradis being the Madagascar and corresponding continental outlines that resemble Asia and Europe to the south. However the climate is far more temperate European than subtropical African; this strongly suggests that NeverWasThisUniverse is full in play here. Chapter 98 shows us Africans and even Asians exist in this world. The world isn't empty at all.
347* WholeEpisodeFlashBack:
348** The second half of Episode 6, where Mikasa starts remembering how she first met Eren.
349** Chapter 86, 87, and 88 of the manga is fully dedicated to [[spoiler:Grisha's memories of living in Marley.]]
350** Chapter 96 is entirely dedicated to show the fall of Shiganshina [[PerspectiveFlip from the perspective]] of the Titan Shifters who breached Wall Maria.
351** [[spoiler:Chapter 122 reveals how Ymir became the founding titan and how her daughters consume her flesh to become titans that led to the creation of the nine titans and the world of Attack of titan]]
352* WideEyedIdealist:
353** Every military recruit that hasn't been mentally broken by encountering a Titan yet and expects good things after training. Some examples stand out, especially Eren, Marco, and Marlo, who are prime examples of soldiers wanting to enter the Survey Corps (Eren) and Military Police Brigade (Marco and Marlo) for the right reasons. Everyone gets a quick dose of the reality that battle with Titans is, though.
354** Some civilians can be like this, too. Eren sees a young brother and sister admiring the Survey Corps and thinking how awesome they are, [[BookEnds just like he did only 5 years ago with his own sister]]. He can only look away and try not to cry the same way Erwin looked away in shame last time.
355** [[spoiler:Reiner. He was thoroughly convinced that he was chosen for his abilities, and skills. He also showed UndyingLoyalty to Marley, believing that the Eldians will live in peace once they destroyed 'the devils of the island'. His meeting with his father, and the resulting consequences of his actions provide a Deconstruction. Indeed, the next we see him at Marley, he himself is shocked to see his cousin Gabi spout the same things he preached to all.]]
356** Falco is definitely this, [[spoiler:although he's starting to question things now that he's spent time in Paradis's walls]].
357* WorldsStrongestMan: Levi. He is considered to be humanity's strongest warrior, and for good reason.
358** [[spoiler:At least within the walls, although he's strong enough to the point that Zeke fears him.]]
359* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler:Though Eren isn't deliberately trying to kill children, he is perfectly willing to let them be caught in the crossfire of his assassination of Willy Tybur. And many children are killed. Mikasa is horrified that Eren would go that far.]]
360** Sergeant Gross, who [[spoiler:had Grisha's 8-year-old sister Faye fed to dogs ForTheEvulz]].
361* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Eren [[spoiler: in Rogue Titan form]] utilizes this a lot in his second fight against [[spoiler: Annie, who is the Female Titan]], breaking out an assortment of moves ranging from the triangle choke, armbars, and knee bars. Considering that, according to WordOfGod, [[spoiler: his Titan form]] ''was'' based on MMA fighter Yushin Okami, this makes sense.
362* WretchedHive: The Underground, an abandoned settlement built into the caverns beneath the Capitol. The most destitute as well as criminals make it their home, and even the military avoids going there. Levi grew up there, and describes it as a trash heap he was desperate to escape.
363* WrittenByTheWinners: [[spoiler: The ancient history of the Eldian people shows this on both sides. Their own histories depict them as bringers of civilization and wealth during their reign who ruled with no ill will or corruption. After the Eldians were defeated, the victorious Marleyans depicted them as monsters who carried out a centuries-long ethnic purge of Marleyans. Even their connection to Titan powers is viewed differently, with Eldians depicting it as a divine blessing and Marleyans as a demonic pact. Owl points out the truth is likely somewhere between these two due to the obvious flaws. The Eldians could not have been perfect leaders as they were imperfect humans; and the Marleyans could not have been as viciously suppressed as claimed or they would be extinct.]]
364* WritersCannotDoMath: Isayama declared in an interview that the territory within the Walls has the size of real-life Zambia, which is 752,612 km, which means the nation of Paradise Island has roughly same size. The problem is that all the Subjects of Ymir live on an upside-down FictionalEarth, Paradise Island is just upside-down Madagascar, which still has the same size as our Madagascar: 587 040 km.
365* WrongAssumption: When someone of royal blood inherits the [[spoiler: founding titan, they lose all interest in defeating the titan threat]]. This is assumed to be a [[spoiler: control mechanism]] that’s prevented the Eldians from finishing the [[spoiler: titan war]]. It turns out [[spoiler: upon accessing those memories, each inheritor learns the titans are a buffer against an outside world that wants all Eldians dead with extreme prejudice. So, throughout history, royal blood weren’t ‘controlled’ by the titan philosophy, they just learned that titans were just the tip of the ice berg.]] [[spoiler:The 'control mechanism' is very much real, and put in place by the First King of the Walls; his Will forces the royal-blooded inheritors of the Founding Titan to adopt a vow of SuicidalPacifism, preventing them from making an attempt to reestablish the Eldian empire, or even from fighting back in the case the Walls get attacked.]]
366[[/folder]]
367
368[[folder:X]]
369* XanatosGambit:
370** No matter what happens, Erwin wins during [[spoiler:the 57th expedition beyond the Wall]]. If they succeed in [[spoiler: capturing the Female Titan and prying out its human]], the Survey Corps shuts down one of its biggest threats and learns a lot, including about [[spoiler: any spies in their ranks]]. Major victory. If they fail or [[spoiler: it manages to escape, because he was using FeedTheMole, he can still identify the infiltrator(s) helping the Female Titan (and by extension the Female Titan itself) based on its belief of Eren's location]]. Smaller victory.
371** Also Erwin's plan to [[spoiler:capture the Female Titan the second time. If Annie doesn't help, Eren escapes with 3D-manuever gear while Jean distracts the military. If Annie does help, they lead her to the tunnel. If Annie isn't the Female Titan, they use the tunnel to smuggle Eren outside the city and delay his execution until they can find evidence for his trial. If Annie is the Female Titan, people restrain her to stop her from transforming. If she transforms, Eren and the military try to fight and capture her. If she loses, she is captured and used as a reason to keep Eren alive. If she escapes, they exposed a spy and use that to keep Eren alive.]]
372[[/folder]]
373
374[[folder:Y]]
375* YouKilledMyFather: In Chapter 46, Eren confronts [[spoiler:Bertolt]] with this, reminding him of the time he mentioned that a piece of the gate the Colossal Titan kicked landed on his house, breaking his mother's leg so she couldn't escape. [[spoiler:Bertolt]] says that he felt sorry for him back then. Eren... doesn't react well to this and vows to make his death as painful as possible. It is unclear whether Eren believes he is being mocked, is angry that [[spoiler:Bertolt]] felt pity and not guilt, [[BlackAndWhiteMorality incapable of believing]] that someone who has caused so much destruction and death can have "human" emotions like that... or that he doesn't ''want'' to believe it, as not doing so makes [[spoiler:Bertolt]] easier to hate and kill.
376* YouCantFightFate: [[spoiler:As a consequence of fully unlocking the Attack Titan's {{Seers}} power, Eren realizes just how little agency he truly has in the generations-spanning plan of his future self, who has been manipulating everything so that he can achieve the conditions necessary to unleash [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt The Rumbling]]. Eren, [[IJustWantToBeFree given what has been his major motivation throughout the series]], doesn't take this revelation well even as he steels himself to play out his intended role and being unable to find a way to deviate from the path shown to him.]]
377* YouCantGoHomeAgain: A major theme, with several characters losing their homes and/or families and realizing that they can never return to their former lives. The refugees from Wall Maria, in particular, have lost everything and are forced to struggle to build new lives in Wall Rose.
378** [[spoiler:Gabi and Falco]] after [[spoiler:their hometown is destroyed and they end up within the walls of Paradis Island]].
379* YourSizeMayVary: Despite the Titans having confirmed heights, sometimes comparing them to humans makes them seem much larger or smaller than their official heights would suggest. Even the Colossal Titan (despite being 60 metres tall) can seem much taller when compared to 15 metre class. For example, for 15 metres tall, Eren's titan looks either smaller or bigger than what you'd imagine throughout the series. We get a close-up of him and Armin during their final confrontation with Bertoldt in Shiganshina, and Armin doesn't look much smaller than the size of Eren's head.
380** [[spoiler: Eren's Founding Titan is several hundred metres tall. When in the same scenes as his army of 60 metre colossal titans however, how tall they are in comparison varies. Sometimes they can't even reach his pelvis, other times they're only a 5th his size and other times they seem a little under half his height.]]
381** Another example occurs in chapter 137. During the final battle on [[spoiler:Eren's titanic spine, we can clearly see Bertoldt's Colossal Titan along with the small forms of the many past Titan Shifters around him.]] A lot of these smaller titans are easily 15 metres in height, when [[spoiler:Bertoldt is 60 metres tall. And only ''half'' his body is actually formed.]] So they look awful tiny in comparison to a titan that they should, for all intents and purposes, only be a quarter the size of. It's even more jarring when he can be seen [[spoiler:holding no more than ''three'' 15 metre class titans in the palms of his hands.]]
382* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: [[spoiler: Reiner's entourage which attacked the walls is seen as this, in their homeland, Liberio Internment Zone. As they believe that by destroying the devils, the Eldians will be able to grasp true freedom.]]
383** On the whole, [[spoiler:Marley and Eldia see each other's soldiers as this]].
384* YouMonster:
385** Eren spends a good portion of Chapter 43 monologuing about how much he hates [[spoiler:Reiner and Bertolt for having ruined his life but still having the gall to infiltrate the soldiers and act righteous.]]
386** [[spoiler:Bertolt to Armin]] in Chapter 49, when the latter [[BlatantLies lies]] and claims with a [[SlasherSmile creepy smile]] that [[spoiler: they've been torturing Annie]].
387* YouShallNotPass: Mikasa decisively shows how much of a badass the other humans consider her in-universe by invoking this [[spoiler:when the military surrounds her, Armin, and Eren right after his first Titan-shift]]. No one dares to advance on them with swords because she's stated to be worth [[OneManArmy one hundred regular soldiers]].
388* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:Titan Shifters]] are all subject to the "Curse of Ymir". Thirteen years after becoming [[spoiler:Shifters]] their body will break down and die. There are no exceptions to this Curse; even Ymir died thirteen years to the day after becoming [[spoiler:the first Titan]]. This is bad news for [[spoiler:Eren]] who has around eight years left when he finds out, as well as [[spoiler:Armin, who'd just recently received a life-saving transformation into a Titan Shifter]]. As you might imagine, [[spoiler:Mikasa]] is heartbroken upon discovering this.
389** [[spoiler: {{Averted|Trope}} by the end of the manga. Eren and Ymir remove the Eldians' access to the Power of Titans before fading away, which includes the Titan Shifters as well, turning all of them into ordinary humans with an intact lifespan.]]
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393* ZergRush: Pretty much the only tactic that normal Titans have, however the numbers alone are deadly. This is noted during the Clash of the Titans arc, when the Garrison defeats lone Titans by luring them in, barraging it with cannon fire, then having an elite finish it off (who later notes that their defensive line can't hold off many Titans at once). This threat is compounded by the existence of Abnormal Titans being even harder to fight as well as Titan Shifters [[spoiler: with the ability to summon swaths of Titans]].
394** [[spoiler:The Female Titan screeching]] attracts a horde of small Titans that run in and eat their target before they can be stopped.
395** The Rogue Titan eventually falls against many Titans during its rampage in Trost, but not before murdering all the Titans in said rush.
396** Invoked by [[spoiler:Erwin leading two groups of soldiers with Titans following them to pincer the Armoured and Colossal Titans while they're kidnapping Eren]].
397** Thanks to his new found power [[spoiler: as the coordinate Eren is able to use normal Titans in this way, siccing huge horde on Reiner and Bertolt]].
398* ZombieApocalypse: Borrows many of the key elements, from the [[HumansAreBastards very real risk of humans finishing each other off]] to the hordes of mindless beings devouring humans. While they aren't undead, Titans certainly have some key elements: the only way to kill one is to AttackItsWeakPoint (the back of the neck instead of [[RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain the head]]), and they ignore wildlife ([[NoZombieCannibals and each other]]) in favor of their favorite two-legged prey. [[spoiler:Also, the characters later find out that all Titans [[WasOnceAMan were once human]], bringing the trope full circle.]]
399** [[spoiler: [[GenreShift The story gradually moves away from this though]] as it becomes apparent that the people in the Walls are ''not'' the last remnants of humanity; furthermore, the Titans are actually just finite, organic weapons being used against them by a hostile human faction rather than some infinite supply of creatures acting on their own. The Mindless Titans are completely cleared from Paradis Island about a year after the Battle of Trost and the story then becomes more about the war between the two human factions and their Titan Shifters. The Mindless Titans, meanwhile, get swept to the back of the narrative from then on out]].
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