When Attack the giant The anime was first released in 2013, it completely changed the anime genre, especially shounen anime. Before this time, shounen anime often focused on fighting but did not deal with truly dark themes, horrifying violence, or stomach-churning gore. Attack on Titan caused a huge change, changing the perception of what topics a shounen could cover.

When Hajime Isayama created the now very famous series, he intended it to be descriptive a strong anti-war message. The main message of Attack on Titan represents the futility and futility of battles and the importance of understanding the enemy and humanizing them, rather than getting caught up in unnecessary bloodshed.

The concept of Attack on Titan is truly terrifying to its core: a society of people hiding within the town walls, always fearing an attack that could occur at any moment at the hands of brutal cannibal monsters known as Titans, who are nearly unstoppable and intend to tear humans to pieces and consume them.

Titan's attack plot is much darker than its predecessors

Attack on Titan's goes further than other shonen with much darker themes and brutal bloody battles

The first episode of Attack on Titan was famously one of the most graphic and unbelievably creepy first episodes ever, kicks off the series with a gruesome and bloody Titan attack straight out of anyone's worst nightmares. The ferocious attack left many dead, including the loss of Eren's beloved mother, who was eaten in front of the boy while he watched helplessly. From this initial grim introduction, the franchise proved itself to be a series that never shied away from dark themes, violence, or gruesome and emotional storylines.

In the early 2010s, anime had not yet reached the peak popularity in the West that it has today. As a result, there were fewer popular movies at the time, and the ones that were widely seen weren't as gory as Attack on Titan. For example, shows like Dragon Ball Z and Naruto contain quite a few silly moments, but this level of humor is almost absent in Attack on Titan. The series actually includes a few fun interactions and bonding moments between the characters, but These funny situations are quite rare and doesn't happen often.

Attack on Titan has very little humor, a far cry from Shonen standards of the time

Shows like Naruto and Dragon Ball Z have humorous action scenes.

One of the only anime at this time that also focuses primarily on darker, more twisted elements is Death Note. This franchise also became hugely successful, but still did not reach the level of truly groundbreaking acclaim that Attack on Titan received. The franchise is not only popular in Japan but has also become a hit in the West, a surprising and unprecedented development for a series so intense and grim. The global popularity of Attack on Titan ushered in a new age of shounen anime, giving creators the inspiration and courage to create darker series.

Even today, many top shounen series are scarier and darker than many series of the early and mid-2000s. Some examples include Hell's Paradise, Chainsaw Man, and even Jujutsu Kaisen. Although these franchises include brief humorous episodes, their main storylines are not at all funny, includes heavy themes such as death, physical violence, evil spirits, broken relationships, heartbreaking betrayal, and other serious problems. Thanks to the example of Attack on Titan, shounen anime has gained new fame. Not only has the genre become an entertaining and light-hearted medium, but it can also include deep, thought-provoking material.

Attacks on Titan influence helped popularize Dark Shonen in the West

Dark Shonen is one of the most watched anime genres in modern times

Attack on Titan's dramatic nature, bloody plot, deaths, and emotionally devastating interactions were truly shocking at the time, but ushered in an unprecedented new age of dark shounen anime in the West. Nowadays, series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man couldn't be more popular and are loved in mainstream society, instead of just being a small hobby. These series create a great mix of occasional laughs and more serious and somber stories.

Attack on Titan not only popularized the brutal and tragic themes in anime, but also helped bring anime more deeply into Western society at large, attracting a fan base that had never existed before. While it's certainly a gory series, its unique story, important message, great soundtrack, top-notch animation, and Isayama's writing have attracted a passionate audience who continue to seek out looking for new series even after Attack on Titan ends. cartoon helped create a new generation of anime fans and increased demand for the mediumdo Attack the giant partly responsible for anime's popularity and mainstream attention in Western society today.