Highlights
- Zeke Yeager’s character is portrayed with more depth and charisma in the anime, thanks to the voice acting and depiction of his fighting style.
- Hange Zoe’s portrayal in the anime showcases a slightly more aggressive and unhinged personality, with enhanced dialogue and a more intense final stand during the Rumbling.
- Annie Leonhart’s character arc is expanded upon in the anime, including her hysterical laughter, added dialogue, and enhanced hand-to-hand combat abilities, highlighting her relationship with Armin.
Having achieved unprecedented success shortly after the airing of its first season in 2013, the anime adaptation of Attack on Titan earned WIT Studio many plaudits for its breakneck pacing and immersive action. The series’ appeal was of such magnitude that fans returned in throngs for the second season of the show, which aired nearly four years after the anime’s debut.
In the years since, the Attack on Titan anime has gone on to cement its place as a classic of the modern era, attaining almost universal acclaim for the depth of its character writing, the quality of its animation, and the pertinent themes it dives into. As it stands, the anime — which was later produced by MAPPA Studio — has also been viewed as the definitive version of the story by many fans of the series, as well as its creator, Hajime Isayama. Subsequently, there are quite a few characters who are represented better in the anime retelling of the story for differing reasons, which have been made more apparent with the release of its series finale titled Attack on Titan Final Season THE FINAL CHAPTERS Special 2.
1 Zeke Yeager
Elevating The Wonder Boy’s Subtle Charisma
- Anime Debut Episode: Season 2, Episode 1
In many ways, the distinctive traits of Zeke’s character are given a more well-rounded representation in the anime, where his cold and sometimes apathetic demeanor radiates a calculated charisma through the voice acting talents of Takehito Koyasu. Koyasu gives life to Zeke’s twisted sense of humor, as well as the repressed emotions stemming from his troubled childhood for this very reason, which is why the argument could be made that Zeke is represented better in the anime.
Beyond this, the mechanics of the Beast Titan’s fighting style, which focuses on long-range attacks, can be experienced better in the dynamic medium of anime, where the advantages of the Titan’s elongated arms are shown in its ability to hurl projectiles with terrifying force. Zeke’s brutal side is more pronounced in the anime, where his strategic and ruthless approach to combat can be seen in all its glory.
2 Hange Zoe
A More Fitting Final Send-Off
- Anime Debut Episode: Season 1, Episode 1
Although Hange’s portrayal differs only slightly in both versions of the story, there are fairly significant consequences that arise from these alterations which lend weight to how their character can be interpreted. For starters, Hange’s intelligence and inquisitive nature remain relatively unchanged, but their borderline obsession with Titans is a bit more aggressive and unhinged in the anime.
Furthermore, the snide exchanges they share with Levi also work slightly better in the anime, where the dialogue is given a bit more life and sharpness by the quality of Romi Park’s voice acting. Hange’s final stand during the Rumbling is a much more engaging spectacle in the anime, where their sacrifice appears to have a greater effect in halting the march of the Wall Titans. In addition, the spectacle of Hange’s struggle to buy time is much more intense in the anime as compared to the manga, where the pacing issues of the final arc of the series had begun to undermine its better traits.
3 Annie Leonhart
Enhancing The Spectacle Of Her Betrayal
- Anime Debut Episode: Season 1, Episode 2
One of Annie’s defining character moments in the anime is the outbreak of hysterical laughter that precedes her transformation into the Female Titan in the Stohess District, once Eren, Armin, and Mikasa uncover her identity. For many, this was a moment that would reverberate in their minds until her return during the Rumbling Arc.
What might shock anime-only fans of the series is the fact that this reaction is not present in the manga, and certain bits of dialogue detailing her fondness for Armin were also additions made solely for the anime. In time, these small elements would prove to be vital points of her character arc going forward, especially concerning the romance that bloomed between her and Armin. Additionally, her hand-to-hand combat abilities were also rendered more dynamically in the anime, where the mechanics behind her martial arts techniques could be perceived in greater detail.
4 Pieck Finger
From Disheveled To Quirky
- Anime Debut Episode: Season 3, Episode 13
In a drastic departure from other mentions, Pieck’s depiction in the anime could be seen as a more apt representation of her character due to how it amplifies her better traits while tempering some of her eccentricities. This can also be seen in the art style used for her facial features, which is softer and less gloomy than her manga counterpart. Whereas the version of her in the manga appears habitually exhausted and borderline disheveled at times, Pieck in the anime is a figure with her fair share of quirks.
However, none of these attributes overshadow her abilities as a Warrior, and many of her softer traits, such as her compassion, kindness, and sense of humor, are portrayed in a better light in the anime. To boot, the Cart Titan is also much more exciting to watch in the anime, especially with the artillery mounted on her body, which is another reason why she deserves mention here.
5 Eren Yeager
A Genocidal Maniac Turned Doomed Fool
- Anime Debut Episode: Season 1, Episode 1
To preface this, Eren’s journey in both versions of Attack on Titan remains almost identical for the most part, until the very end of the story in the aftermath of the Rumbling. In fact, the only reason he is even appearing here is due to the changes made in the anime finale which served to rectify some of the issues with the conclusion of the series in the manga.
Eren’s conversation with Armin inside the world of the Paths is the emotional core of the anime’s series finale, and the edits made from the manga ending depict his character in a much better light. Whereas his rationale for triggering the Rumbling was poorly explained in the rushed manga finale, the anime retelling paints a much more compelling portrait of his tragic fate, even if it still had its fair share of flaws. As a result, the slightly different resolution to Eren’s character arc is perhaps one of the biggest triumphs in the anime and a major reason why it may be viewed as the definitive version of the series’ story.
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