How Attack on Titan Changed Shonen Anime Forever

When the Attack on Titan anime was first released in 2013, it completely transformed the anime genre, particularly shonen anime. Prior to this point, shonen animes often centered on fighting, but didn’t cover truly dark themes, frightful violence, or stomach-turning gore. Attack on Titan caused a monumental shift, changing perceptions of what topics a shonen could cover.

When Hajime Isayama created the now very popular series, he intended for it to portray a strong anti-war message. Attack on Titan‘s main message expresses the fruitlessness and futility of battles and the importance of understanding enemies and humanizing them, rather than getting caught up in acts of unnecessary bloodshed.

The concept of Attack on Titan is absolutely terrifying to its very core: a society of people who hide within the town walls, constantly fearing an attack could occur any moment at the hands of brutal, man-eating beasts called Titans who are virtually unstoppable and bent on tearing humans to shreds and consuming them.

Attack on Titan’s Plot Is Much Darker Than Its Predecessors

Attack on Titan’s went further than other shonen with much darker themes and brutally bloody battles

The very first episode of Attack on Titan has earned a reputation as one of the most unbelievably chilling and graphic first episodes of an anime ever, starting the series with a dreadful and bloody Titan attack straight out of anyone’s worst nightmares. The onslaught resulted in numerous deaths, including the loss of Eren’s beloved mother, who was eaten right in front of the young boy while he looked on helplessly. From this initial grim introduction, the franchise had proven itself as a series that would never shy away from dark topics, violence, or gruesome and emotional storylines.

In the early 2010s, anime had not reached peak levels of popularity in the West yet, as it has today. Therefore, there were fewer popular series at the time and those that were widely viewed were nowhere near as gory as Attack on Titan. Shows like Dragon Ball Z and Naruto, for example, contained their fair share of goofy moments, but this level of humor was virtually nowhere to be seen in Attack on Titan. The series does indeed include a few more lighthearted interactions and bonding moments between characters, but these humorous circumstances are quite rare and don’t occur very often.

Attack on Titan Contains Very Little Humor, Deviating From Shonen Standards At The Time

Shows like Naruto and Dragon Ball Z featured humorous reprieves from the action

One of the only other animes at this time that also focused primarily on darker, more twisted elements was Death Note. This franchise also became massively successful, but nowhere close to the truly groundbreaking levels of acclaim Attack on Titan received. The franchise was not only popular in Japan, but became a hit in the West too, a previously unprecedented and surprising development for a series so intense and grim. Attack on Titan’s worldwide popularity ushered in a new age of shonen anime, giving creators the inspiration and courage to create darker series.

Even nowadays, many of the top shonen series are more grisly and gloomy than many early and mid 2000s era series were. Some examples include Hell’s Paradise, Chainsaw Man, and even Jujutsu Kaisen. Although these franchises do include brief instances of humor, their primary plots are not at all lighthearted, covering heavy topics such as death, physical violence, evil spirits, broken relationships, heartbreaking betrayals, and other serious issues. Thanks to Attack on Titan’s example, shonen anime earned a new reputation. The genre became not just an entertaining and fairly lighthearted medium, but able to encompass deep, thought-provokingly intense material too.

Attack on Titan’s Influence Helped Popularize Dark Shonen In The West

Dark shonen is one of the most watched subgenres of anime in the modern day

Attack on Titan‘s dramatic nature, gore-filled plot, and emotionally devastating deaths and interactions were truly shocking at the time, but ushered in a previously unheard of new age of dark shonen anime in the West. Nowadays, series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man could not possibly be more popular and are beloved in mainstream society, rather than just a niche interest. These franchises strike an excellent blend between occasional laughs and more serious and bleak story matter.

Not only did Attack on Titan popularize brutal and tragic themes in anime, it helped bring anime more fully into Western society as a whole, attracting a fanbase that did not previously exist. Although the franchise is undoubtedly bloody, its unique story, important message, beautiful musical score, top-notch animation, and Isayama’s writing drew in a passionate audience who continued seeking out new series even after Attack on Titan ended. The anime helped create a new generation of anime fans and increase demand for the medium, making Attack on Titan in part responsible for anime’s popularity and mainstream attention in Western society today.

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