Shingeki No Kyojin is one of the most popular manga and anime series to date, and it keeps fans on their toes by not explaining too much about a few details. Although it is already in its last season, the story still has many unanswered questions that have become material for the Internet, which is full of interesting fan theories. In addition to the ideas surrounding the fourth and final season and how Shingeki no Kyojin will conclude, there are many other theories regarding the anime’s inspiration, and what kind of metaphors Shingeki no Kyojin uses to tell its story.
In connection with the above, one of the most interesting fan theories about the series surfaced on Reddit, posted by user u/kingfwf, suggests a thoughtful connection between the titans and the roman empire. Although this theory was published a few years ago, before the manga and anime fully explained where the Titans came from, it still sheds light on many valid connections between the Titans as oppressors just like the ancient Romans.
What is this Shingeki no Kyojin theory about?
Roughly, the fan theory claims that the entire plot of Shingeki no Kyojin is an allegory of the Roman Empire’s struggle to conquer ancient Judea, now Israel. The first point that the user explains about this theory refers to the size of the Titans, their grandeur and that, it seems, they are everywhere, in the same way that the Roman Empire was expansive, oppressive and found anywhere.
**The greatest threats to the Romans were from Asia and Judea, which could be represented in Shingeki no Kyojin by the characters of Mikasa and Levi Ackerman. Mikasa is supposedly one of the last Asians in history, while Levi’s name, of Hebrew descent, refers to the state of Judea. Although the true powers of the Ackerman were revealed in the anime in the fourth season, part one, the connection to this ancient story is not exactly an isolated event.
In that sense, nor is it the first fan theory to make comparisons between the inhabitants of Paradise Island and the Jewish peoples. On the one hand, it’s pretty obvious that the citizens of Paradis were being unfairly oppressed, mostly because they didn’t fully understand what was going on with the Titans; but they were also kept behind walls, similar to features of the Holocaust such as ghettos and concentration camps. And although the content is not at all similar, these little details are what lead to form the connection that the Reddit user is trying to establish.
Another valid connection proposed by the theory of u/kingfwf is the way the titans harm humanity. Like the Romans, their main objective is cities, including homes or buildings in general. Instead of going for the people, the Titans take away their protection and any means of survival, similar to how the Romans used to invade other peoples. Similarly, the Romans did not see their conquests as people, but as a means of fostering their own power and thus extending it. In this case, the titans don’t see humans as anything other than food, so it’s very easy for them to attack them through no fault of their own.
Reddit’s interesting fan theory about the series is packed with other little details that help make sense of the comparison of the Titans to the conquering ancient Romans. Although the current plot of Shingeki no Kyojin, during its last season, moves away from this allegory as more and more of the backstory of the story is explained, the connection is not entirely unfounded. The Roman Empire was a dominant enemy and certainly impossible to fight, so the Titans are a very real threat that can easily create great horror among the fan community.
Related topics: Attack the titans
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