Attack on Titan / Shingeki No Kyojin

[Scowling Dragon]

Eh.

Anyway I like the theory that:

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The walls where never a safe haven for humans. They where a trap. Good one too.

I guess that the "Super Fast Anime fight thing" doesn't impress me....at all anymore. And that a focus on teamwork and coordination with slow ponderous cannons would be more interesting (At least for me).

[t209]

I just had a stupid dream based on the origin story flashback and watching The Pacific before sleeping.

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The Humans were at ww2 stage (Sherman Tank) when Titans attack.

I wonder why human didn't live on Island surrounded by deep trenches unless Titans can swim. It doesn't make sense that how Asians got wiped out (Eren's adopted sister is the last one) since they have Indonesia and island chains nearby unless the setting is in Alternate Earth with more land and less sea.
on the reveal:

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It still doesn't make sense that the cult try to prevent renovations on the wall instead of creating a building code to prevent sunlight to come through and awaken the titan.

I initially thought that the manga was mainly about going on Titan (based on the cover) like God of War and Shadow of Colossus.

[Flickerdart]

I wonder why human didn't live on Island surrounded by deep trenches unless Titans can swim.

Do we have any evidence that suggests Titans are lighter than water and need to breathe? For all we know, they cross oceans the same way golems do, by walking along the bottom.

[thubby]

Do we have any evidence that suggests Titans are lighter than water and need to breathe? For all we know, they cross oceans the same way golems do, by walking along the bottom.

titans are substantially less dense than humans and humans are already buoyant.

[LaZodiac]

I just had a stupid dream based on the origin story flashback and watching The Pacific before sleeping.

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The Humans were at ww2 stage (Sherman Tank) when Titans attack.

I wonder why human didn't live on Island surrounded by deep trenches unless Titans can swim. It doesn't make sense that how Asians got wiped out (Eren's adopted sister is the last one) since they have Indonesia and island chains nearby unless the setting is in Alternate Earth with more land and less sea.
on the reveal:

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It still doesn't make sense that the cult try to prevent renovations on the wall instead of creating a building code to prevent sunlight to come through and awaken the titan.

I initially thought that the manga was mainly about going on Titan (based on the cover) like God of War and Shadow of Colossus.

Concerning that specific reveal: The cult didn't want anyone investigating the wall, because if they did they'd notice "hey, this doesn't match anything we ever knew about building anything ever. It's too smooth, it's too rounded it's too...un natural, even for a wall" or something like that. They were worried doing ANYTHING with the walls would lead to someone asking the question of "how" and then discovering the titans.

Do we have any evidence that suggests Titans are lighter than water and need to breathe? For all we know, they cross oceans the same way golems do, by walking along the bottom.

A relatively strong scientist lady can kick a head around the same size as her like, 20 feet, like it was a beachball or something. Titans are pretty light, so swimming is something they likely can do.

Also, keep in mind that since the island areas are so small, it might take like, one or two titans at max to destroy them completely, if they're big enough. Thus it makes sense if the island areas got destroyed so utterly that Mikasa is the last oriental person that we know of.

[noparlpf]

I've been reading the manga since pretty early on, and I just found out there's an anime now too. I've been watching it the last two days and I was reminded of one of my big plot quibbles from the beginning:

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Seems to me like there's a glaring flaw in the whole "have Titeren move the big rock to block the hole" plan. If he can move it, why shouldn't other titans be able to move it? Even if he's twice as strong as a normal 15m titan, there are loads of 10m+ titans wandering around in there, and even if they're not coordinated, the humans tend to congregate on the walls over gates, so titans would end up pushing against it anyway.

Anyway, it's pretty decent, if you can suspend disbelief regarding the titans and equipment and whatnot. I'm just waiting for the manga to explain stuff a bit better instead of constantly hinting at it.

[Flickerdart]

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Seems to me like there's a glaring flaw in the whole "have Titeren move the big rock to block the hole" plan. If he can move it, why shouldn't other titans be able to move it? Even if he's twice as strong as a normal 15m titan, there are loads of 10m+ titans wandering around in there, and even if they're not coordinated, the humans tend to congregate on the walls over gates, so titans would end up pushing against it anyway.

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Titans are dumb. They probably won't figure out that this bit of wall will give way while the other bits of wall won't.

[noparlpf]

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Titans are dumb. They probably won't figure out that this bit of wall will give way while the other bits of wall won't.

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But like I said, the humans tend to congregate above the gates, and titans push and claw at the walls as they reach for the humans. Why wouldn't they start to slowly push back the boulder? And anyway, they're apparently smart enough to smash through the wall of a building when humans are on the other side, even if they can't see them.

Edit: This shows the wall in the manga, with what appears to be a slightly smaller titan doing something to the rock that might be construed as pushing, or maybe just leaning or poking at.

Edit:

There is a specific point that needs to be destroyed: the base of the neck, close to where it meets the shoulders. If that's intact, the Titan is still alive. This is likely to do with the fact that

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that's where the person would be in a human-controlled Titan.

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Or rather, where their spinal cord and brain would be. At least the anime keeps making a big deal about how it's one meter by ten centimeters.

[John Cribati]

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Or rather, where their spinal cord and brain would be. At least the anime keeps making a big deal about how it's one meter by ten centimeters.

That was actually my first guess; That's approximately where the brain-stem would be on an actual human. Since it controls almost all of the body's involuntary processes, I just assumed it included the titans' regenerative properties.

[noparlpf]

That was actually my first guess; That's approximately where the brain-stem would be on an actual human. Since it controls almost all of the body's involuntary processes, I just assumed it included the titans' regenerative properties.

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I think it's closer to vertebrae C5 or C6 on the titan, not anything in the brain itself. I don't think it has anything to do with the titan's brain itself considering titans with their heads entirely blown off (but with C5 and C6/the human body intact) can still move and regenerate, even without the lower brain centers. I think it's where the controlling human body's brain and spinal cord would be.

[Kato]

You know, I am pretty curious about those spoilers but it would be nice if they were tagged if not for episodes at least for manga or not manga spoilers consistently

[t209]

When I read the manga, which I am afraid to proceed even though I read Berserk and grim dark franchises, it's kinda like gritty instead of smooth.
(Spoiler from Manga)

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Maybe the titans had Airborne virus that turn humans into titans.

Mortality rate:
Scouting Corps, Imperial Guardsmen (non-badass conscript version), X-Com troopers, Star Trek Redshirts, WW1 infantry on Over the top charge.
- Who would be at top of it?

[noparlpf]

Mortality rate:
Scouting Corps, Imperial Guardsmen (non-badass conscript version), X-Com troopers, Star Trek Redshirts, WW1 infantry on Over the top charge.
- Who would be at top of it?

In terms of mortality rate, red shirts are lower than yellow/blue shirts/officers. More of them die, but it's a smaller fraction. Somebody did an analysis somewhere.

Edit:

You know, I am pretty curious about those spoilers but it would be nice if they were tagged if not for episodes at least for manga or not manga spoilers consistently

Pretty sure nothing I've just said is from the manga beyond the anime thus far, besides a little speculation.

[LaZodiac]

You know, I am pretty curious about those spoilers but it would be nice if they were tagged if not for episodes at least for manga or not manga spoilers consistently

Last I checked the only chapter that hasn't been turned into an episode yet is just two to three characters saying a bunch of cryptic stuff while Eren is forced to watch, ask what it all means, and then get ignored outright and explicitly mentioned in the "we're not going to explain this" speech.

[noparlpf]

Last I checked the only chapter that hasn't been turned into an episode yet is just two to three characters saying a bunch of cryptic stuff while Eren is forced to watch, ask what it all means, and then get ignored outright and explicitly mentioned in the "we're not going to explain this" speech.

Huh? They just put out chapter 47 and episode 13. Episode 13 is only up through about chapter 12-15, somewhere in there.

[LaZodiac]

Huh? They just put out chapter 47 and episode 13. Episode 13 is only up through about chapter 12-15, somewhere in there.

I wouldn't know I don't watch the anime.

[noparlpf]

I wouldn't know I don't watch the anime.

So why say "the only chapter that hasn't been turned into an episode yet" if you don't know where the anime is? There are thirty-odd chapters that haven't been turned into episodes yet.

[BRC]

Mortality rate:
Scouting Corps, Imperial Guardsmen (non-badass conscript version), X-Com troopers, Star Trek Redshirts, WW1 infantry on Over the top charge.
- Who would be at top of it?

Are we counting PDF In the IG? Because if so, for every Guardsman who dies horribly in battle, there are probably a hundred PDF troopers and reservists who go their entire careers never seeing anything tougher than the occasional riot or an especially enthusiastic drill sergeant.
Or are we only counting IG who actually see serious conflict.

[Terraoblivion]

The training bits are a flashback that ends in chapter 18, if I remember correctly. And the closing scene of episode 13 is from chapter 19. Which means that with the bits of chapter 18 and 19 that haven't been adapted there is somewhere around 29 full chapters not in the anime so far.

[noparlpf]

The training bits are a flashback that ends in chapter 18, if I remember correctly. And the closing scene of episode 13 is from chapter 19. Which means that with the bits of chapter 18 and 19 that haven't been adapted there is somewhere around 29 full chapters not in the anime so far.

Oh yeah, I did notice a bit of the chronology being displaced. It's been quite a long time since I read the earlier chapters though, so I wasn't sure exactly how far things were being displaced.

[LaZodiac]

So why say "the only chapter that hasn't been turned into an episode yet" if you don't know where the anime is? There are thirty-odd chapters that haven't been turned into episodes yet.

Because, although I had not seen the anime, I was under the impression that it was what I said it was.

[t209]

Are we counting PDF In the IG? Because if so, for every Guardsman who dies horribly in battle, there are probably a hundred PDF troopers and reservists who go their entire careers never seeing anything tougher than the occasional riot or an especially enthusiastic drill sergeant.
Or are we only counting IG who actually see serious conflict.

(Remembering the cool artillery and tanks in IG gameplay).
Yes, PDF counts.

[Kato]

So, I guess since we have the thread I may as well discuss it here instead of the General Discussion...

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I'm not sure if Hanji is supposed to be some Mengele-like character or if we are supposed to actually like her over her crazy antics and she actually is concerned with the Titans... Or if she is just plain crazy.


Also... for goodness sake, if these elites can take down the Titans by the dozen why are the normal troops that useless? Wait, I can answer that: Because their training revolves around scaring the **** out of them how powerful and invincible the Titans are and because apparently nobody ever taught any of them proper tactics. I guess it's kind of hard to estimate how big a usual Titan fighting force... well, they aren't really organized but a usual group of Titans is but if they can kill forty or so it seems they could rid easily an area of them given enough time and resources. And take out the stray Titan that would approach the wall once in a while.

[thubby]

So, I guess since we have the thread I may as well discuss it here instead of the General Discussion...

New episode?

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I'm not sure if Hanji is supposed to be some Mengele-like character or if we are supposed to actually like her over her crazy antics and she actually is concerned with the Titans... Or if she is just plain crazy.


Also... for goodness sake, if these elites can take down the Titans by the dozen why are the normal troops that useless? Wait, I can answer that: Because their training revolves around scaring the **** out of them how powerful and invincible the Titans are and because apparently nobody ever taught any of them proper tactics. I guess it's kind of hard to estimate how big a usual Titan fighting force... well, they aren't really organized but a usual group of Titans is but if they can kill forty or so it seems they could rid easily an area of them given enough time and resources. And take out the stray Titan that would approach the wall once in a while.

or all the people who aren't ridiculously good at fighting titans are long dead.

also, we're seeing this group through eren's eyes. It's probably deliberate that the people best able to kill titans are near the one guy capable of turning into one.

[BRC]

or all the people who aren't ridiculously good at fighting titans are long dead.

also, we're seeing this group through eren's eyes. It's probably deliberate that the people best able to kill titans are near the one guy capable of turning into one.

I kind of imagine the Recon Troops like fighter pilots/flying aces.

The first few times out, chances are they are going to die. However, those that survive and get good, become REALLY REALLY good.

The normal troops are useless because they're paralyzed with fear the first time out. Those that get over their fear and acquire the skills to kill titans become very good at it.

[Flickerdart]

We saw how well regular Recon troops fare, and there's no reason to assume they got different training from the elites. They're just naturally better at all the stuff, sort of like Mikasa is better than most (or was it all?) of the other trainees.

[thubby]

We saw how well regular Recon troops fare, and there's no reason to assume they got different training from the elites. They're just naturally better at all the stuff, sort of like Mikasa is better than most (or was it all?) of the other trainees.

mikasa is better than most of the experienced fighters, too.

honestly, I thought this sort of elitism is something that japan really needs to stop with.

[noparlpf]

honestly, I thought this sort of elitism is something that japan really needs to stop with.

You mean how there's almost always that one perfect kid in the class? My issue is it's kind of cliche.

[thubby]

You mean how there's almost always that one perfect kid in the class? My issue is it's kind of cliche.

er... no. It's not a coincidence that the most powerful, competent character in the show is the only japanese one in the entire setting.

[Kato]

mikasa is better than most of the experienced fighters, too.

honestly, I thought this sort of elitism is something that japan really needs to stop with.

er... no. It's not a coincidence that the most powerful, competent character in the show is the only japanese one in the entire setting.

At first I thought you were referring to the usual trend in anime that there is (almost) always some special person who is a prodigy/genius/whatever and better than others.

On the Mikasa bit... I don't know. I feel like disagreeing. Okay, she's the only main character I can recall who has a Japanese name. But she doesn't really look Japanese. Yeah, they said she was of oriental (iirc) origin and like one of the last of her kind. But that's not the (in story) reason she's as badass as she is. She is because the trauma she experienced gave her - somehow - perfect control over her body. Which doesn't make that much sense but still. Also, we have no idea how she'd fare against Levi or so. (btw, I forgot, was she top of her class or second?)
Ans mainly... I never even noticed it so it can't be that blatant

We saw how well regular Recon troops fare, and there's no reason to assume they got different training from the elites. They're just naturally better at all the stuff, sort of like Mikasa is better than most (or was it all?) of the other trainees.

As BRC said... the regular troops either cover in fear and get eaten or act like idiots and get eaten. But it can't be that hard to teach them how not to get eaten that easily. Really, for me it boils down to the fact that their basic training totally demoralizes them. Everyone but the elite and the soldiers at the very top of the food chain (with few exceptions) are scared ****less by Titans and as such their subordinates and recruits feel the same way. You can't win a war if you teach your soldiers they can't win anyway.