Disclaimer!!! The following blog contains animated violent scenes and spoilers from the anime Attack on Titan.
Sasha! Are you that much of a scaredy-cat? Is it that hard for you to leave this forest and get along with others?
Artur Braus
Outside the Walls and the Sea
Attack on Titan is a story centered around Eren Yeager’s journey of seeking freedom and the catastrophe it brings to the world. Eren, who resides within a wall that is believed to shelter the last of humanity, eventually learns the mysteries of the titans that endanger human life. He also learns about the world outside the wall and beyond the sea.
According to his father’s writings, although humanity has not yet perished beyond the wall and sea, the inhabitants of this Island, the Eldians, are despised by those who live beyond the sea. According to history, several Eldians were left behind in Marley, treated as second-class citizens when the great war occurred, and the Eldians were defeated. The king fled with some Eldians and built the walls on Paradis Island. Marley dispatched warriors to destroy the walls to make the Island Eldians atone for sins and a violent past they knew nothing of. It was evident after a trip to Marley that the world wasn’t ready to give the Eldians of Paradis Island a chance. As a result, Eren makes a unilateral decision compelling the military to join him in attacking Marley.
The Lost Hunter
Sasha Braus was a comic relief character for much of her screen time because she frequently professed her love of food. However, through a flashback of a conversation she has with her father, Artur Braus, we are introduced to the concept of the forest.
In this conversation, the forest here doesn’t only refer to the physical space but also outdated traditions, violence, hunting, and killing. Sasha believes it is outrageous that she and her family must abandon the forest and their identity for something that is not their fault. Her father, however, no longer sees the forest as a home; in his eyes, the forest is a home for the self-centered who can deny others help. Even if these people once looked down on him, Artur is still willing to give them a chance.
After this conversation, Sasha departs for military training to escape the forest. She is not willing to die in the forest. She is not willing to die while hunting. On a mission, she has to go back to her hometown. When she arrives, all is deserted but for the house where a young child is trapped and helpless as a titan attacks her mother. Despite only having a bow in hand and none of her usual weaponry, Sasha risks her life in order to save the girl. Sasha is no longer the selfish girl she used to be.
However, during the attack on Marley, the best thing that could have happened to Sasha’s character occurred. She died.
The Ones Who Leave the Forest
Gabi, a trained Eldian warrior, killed Sasha as revenge for the attack on Marley and the people Sasha killed. Unlike Falco, another trained warrior, she believes strongly in her country Marley and that Eldians, including herself, must atone for their sins. During her conversation with Kaya, who offered them a place to stay, knowing that they were Eldians, we can see how much Gabi repeats the same rhetoric, even if it doesn’t make sense.
For the longest time, Gabi chooses to stay in the forest. Although sharing the same racial background as the islanders, she refuses to recognize them as fellow humans but rather as devils who must atone for the sins of their forefathers. However, it is essential to note that she views the existence of the Island Eldians as an obstacle that stands between her and her freedom. As long as the Paradis devils are still alive, in her opinion, the world will never respect the “Good Eldians.” Deep down, she is aware that there is no hope for her and her people to be free if it turns out the island devils are innocent people. This truth will destroy the world as she knows it. If the world’s hatred towards the Eldians is unjustified, to begin with, then there is no winning and no freedom. Thus, she must continually remind herself that Paradis’s people are wicked and that she is not like them. But there comes a time where she is no longer able to deny the truth.
As Gabi starts to accept the truth of the world, we can see the cycle of hatred continued by Kaya, who is unable to forgive Gabi for killing Sasha. Sasha has been dear to Kaya ever since Sasha saved her, so she can’t comprehend why someone would kill her. Thus she decides that Gabi must be the devil because someone must be the devil.
Sasha died in the forest, but her death served as caution and a reminder of the truth of the violence and war in the world. No matter how well-meaning she was. She still died in the forest. A place in which no child should reside.
Leaving the forest can be many things. It can be leaving prejudice and discrimination behind. It can be seeking peace amid violence. It can be hearing out those seeking peace instead of holding to misconceptions.
The Ones Who Don’t Leave the Forest
While it might be a mere coincidence but Floch Forster’s last name alludes to someone who works in a forest or is involved in forestry. Therefore, it is no surprise that Floch meets his death in the forest. Floch begins to envision himself as a leader of the future nation after being the lone survivor of a mission. Despite how his confidence and arrogance grow, he is still a coward, holding onto the forest out the fear of reencountering death. He believes there will come a day when he and his people won’t have to fight if he stays in the forest long enough for the enemy to be eradicated. As a result, Floch Forster willingly dies in the forest.
Outside the Forest
The concept of the forest brought to mind Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas,” which I immensely enjoyed. This short story explores a utopia called Omelas that is maintained by the suffering of a small child. Each adolescent must witness the tortured child for themselves at a particular age. Although the reality has scarred all young people, many decide to continue their lives as usual while accepting the child’s suffering as necessary and inescapable. However, those who can’t live with the truth, leave Omelas. Le Guin, interestingly, never refers to the world outside of Omelas. Similar to the ones who leave Omelas, those who leave the forest are stepping into the unknown. The fear of the unfamiliar holds back those who remain.
It is important to recognize that the act of leaving the forest on its own neither causes the forest to vanish nor does it protect those who are lost in it. The forest might continue to expand, trapping everyone inside. Similarly, if walking away from Omelas doesn’t free the child from its suffering, is deciding not to contribute to the injustice sufficient?
All we know is that the forest is a part of nature. It will never disappear.
Questions
1- If you have seen Attack on Titan, what did you think of the ending and the cycle of violence theme?
2- Is there a route out of the forest, or will it remain as long as there are people around?
3- Have you ever come across characters whose deaths had a more significant impact on the plot? Who are they and what did they add to the narrative?
4- Do you think that recognizing bias and hatred will be sufficient to achieve any form of peace?
I enjoyed reading this, Nourhan! Although I’m not a very big fan of anime-in fact, I never watched any- your blog post has made me excited to get started and watch Attack on Titan specifically!
Very informative! Great work Nourhan! Answering your fourth question, recognizing bias and hostility is a vital step toward peace, but it may not be sufficient in and of itself. Addressing the core causes of bias and hatred is critical. Addressing these underlying challenges will require long-term efforts involving education, public debate, and changes to the law. In my opinion, encouraging empathy, understanding, and forgiveness among opposing sides is essential to creating peace. This demands the creation of discourse opportunities, the construction of bridges across divisions, and the discovery of common ground. Overall, I feel like acknowledging bias and hatred is an important step toward obtaining peace, but it must be accompanied by attempts to address underlying issues and develop understanding and peace.
as a non anime watcher, i have watched attack on titan because of its really interesting plot and character development
Attack on Titan is one of those anime out there that manage to capture a very real sense of the world we live in; albeit a twisted, but truthful perception of it. The cycle of violence will probably never end. That is not due to the lack of trying, but because it only takes, but one to draw a sword and two to make peace. This is seen in Attack on Titan between the Elydians and the Marelians. Simply put, hatred is always present, whether one likes it or not. Perhaps, in time, people can grow to recognize the vitriol that is being spewed and, through coming to terms with it, can find peace. Although, that is a tall task to ask of someone who has been subjected to it from birth.
I really enjoyed reading this blog post! I have never really watched anime, but my brother is a huge fan, and this post gave me a look into his interests. I now want to watch Attack on Titans because this post intrigued me (and my brother talks so much about it).
Fantastic work, Nourhan! My experience with Anime is only watching half of Death Note but this detailed analysis and our conversation the other day made Attack on Titan sound so intriguing I’m gonna have to watch it! I think recognizing the patterns of hate and bias we’ve adopted is an important first step to achieving peace. However, simply recognizing is not sufficient and we have to actively unlearn and take action to overcome the widespread prejudice that leads to hate speech and hate crimes.
This is such an interesting post, Nourhan! I have never been a huge fan of anime, probably because I never gave it a fair shot, but this definitely is super cool. It is truly amazing how an imaginary creation of the mind can highlight so many real-life problems about the society we live in. It really goes to show the wide plethora of mediums that can be used to draw parallels between things in real life and in the imaginative world.
I really liked your post on AOT as I have watched the anime and have read the manga and personally loved it but the violence can be a little excessive . When Sasha died after the attack on Marley I was so annoyed with Gabi but now I kind of understand why she did it . I still miss Sasha though .
I haven’t watched anime before, nonetheless your post was very interesting. Your last couple of questions captivated me. Sometimes, character deaths – despite being heartbreaking – can be necessary. In some cases, it is the villain and it is a way of victory. In other more interesting scenarios, a beloved character’s death can be a way to drive the character development of another character. As well as that, I believe that recognizing bias and hatred and essential in order to achieve peace. If people still to their hatred towards each other, it will make it more difficult to reach a fair compromise.
Great post, Nourhan! I haven’t watched a lot of anime, but I interpreted your article as an elegant metaphor for our human fear of the unknown. How do we respond to the call of the unknown? What do we do when the unknown beckons-do we shy away, flinch, and retreat; or do we embrace its call? Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle. I tend to be cautious to a fault, but becoming aware of this instinct has helped me overcome it a bit more recently. I try embrace the unknown more and put myself out there even if there is an incredible amount of uncertainty in the process.
Interesting Post, Nourhan! While I have never seen Attack on Titan, but I think death within literature and art can really drive the plot forward. In Harry Potter, the deaths of his loved ones is what drove him to hand himself over to Voldemort at the end of the last book, their sacrifice prompted him to make an equal sacrifice. Even more recently, in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the real-life passing of Chadwick Boseman was a huge part of the plot and themes within the story, as you feel that the actors were using the movie to process the grief of their friend.