What makes Attack on Titan such a good anime

Attack on Titan (Japanese: Shingeki no Kyojin) is perhaps one of the greatest TV shows ever made. It is undoubtedly one of the most popular anime of all time, and will likely go down in history as an all-time classic. 

With the show's fourth, and final season set to air this December, I thought it would be a good time to revisit this anime, and try to understand what makes Attack on Titan such a good show.

The first and most important thing that makes Attack on Titan so good is how it stays true to its source material. The original manga by Japanese manga artist, Hajime Isayama, is perfect in every way. And when you have such a good script right there in front of you that has already been approved by fans and critics, you don't need to go out of your way to add or modify the existing story. 

Every once in a while, you'll find an anime that tries to derail from its source material, and in most cases, they fail to achieve the same level of success as the original source. The creators of Attack on Titan knew that, and so far, instead of trying to re-do or extensively modify the existing storyline, they've stayed true to it.

And then we come to the show's story itself, which is very well written, and remarkably planned. You have a beginning, a middle, and an end to every story arc. If the show introduces a new plot point, or tries to add something new to the existing ones, you'll definitely see an end to those plot points; they won't just let it hang there. Each scene has its purpose, and the show hardly has any filler episodes. There's almost no scope for you to feel bored or uninterested, and that's because the story's progression will keep you on the edge of your seats. 

Attack on Titan is a breath of fresh air in the stale Shonen genre. And despite its cliché of a plot, it still manages to deliver a lot more than what the audience would initially expect. Hence, although many of us go into this series thinking that it's as predictable as a Shonen anime can get, we end up getting our thoughts handed to us by its sheer brilliance, and completely unexpected plot twists.

In addition to its impeccable storytelling, Attack on Titan offers some of the most vibrant, and interesting characters ever created. The character hierarchy in Attack on Titan is something like this – you have the main characters, the supporting characters, and the extras or side characters. But you'll be wrong to think that these characters are prioritised according to their hierarchy, or that their contribution to the plot is limited to where they stand in this pyramid. In fact, characters are introduced to either advance the plot, or generate a new one. The series doesn't add a character just for the sake of it.

On top of that, Attack on Titan isn't afraid of sacrificing its characters either, irrespective of where they stand on that character hierarchy. This makes the show even more interesting to watch, and difficult to predict. But know this, just as they introduce a character for the sake of the plot, they tend to get rid of a character for the same reason.

Besides all this, the Attack on Titan anime is a visual masterpiece. From the way the characters are designed, to the quality of animation, everything is just perfect. Each scene is animated with utmost care, especially the action scenes. You can't help but be impressed by the way this series sucks you into its world through its stellar animation. The show is also accompanied by some of the most amazing soundtracks in anime. It's as if each of these musical scores were specifically written for the scenes they accompany.

All in all, Attack on Titan is one heck of a show. It's lived up to its expectations, and has continued to give us more than what we'd originally asked for. The upcoming fourth season of the show will also be its last, and while fans and critics seem sceptical as to how it'll turn out, I believe that Attack on Titan will deliver as usual, one last time.

Faisal wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. To stay home is his real test, to survive the pandemic is the cause. Write to him at abir.afc@gmail.com