Why everyone should watch Attack on Titan: Even if you don’t like anime

Attack on Titan was the anime that truly changed everything for me. I’ve been into anime since middle school, I’ve seen the classics, followed the trends, and watched entire genres rise, evolve, and sometimes burn out.

But even with all that, Attack on Titan was just different; it could be described as a show ahead of its time. I started watching AOT the day it aired back in 2013. I still remember the gut punch of that first episode. I had no idea back then just how massive this story would become.

After finishing both the manga and the anime, I can now say with full conviction: everyone should watch Attack on Titan at least once in their life. I have seen a lot of fantastic anime. Some made me cry. Some made me think. A few even changed the way I looked at storytelling.

But Attack on Titan is one of the only shows, animated or not, that made me feel like I was witnessing a cultural moment. At the initial stages of the show, I assumed the story would take place entirely within those walls. It was shocking when it was revealed that that was just a small part of the entire narrative. This show was made to immerse the viewers in a fully realized society that had roots in military hierarchies, underground markets, religious zealots, and class tensions. It was as if I were watching a whole civilization.

I won’t spoil it, but when the scope of the story widened, my jaw dropped. It reframed everything I thought I knew. The mystery unraveled in a way that made me want to rewatch the series immediately, just to catch what I missed. The cultural rules, the politics, the historical manipulation, it all felt disturbingly real, like a mirror to our own world.

One of the biggest reasons why this show is a masterclass in storytelling is how the characters were written. These weren’t just archetypes or heroes; they were complex, evolving people. For instance, Eren Yeager starts off as a kid driven by rage and revenge. But his arc is so much more than that. Watching him grow, break, and transform was emotionally exhausting in the best way.

At some points, viewers try to either support him or question his choices. This show didn’t ask me to cheer for the good guys. It asked me to understand everyone, even when I desperately didn’t want to. No one in this world was safe. Just when you started rooting for a character, they could be gone.

One thing I still can’t get over is how tightly written this series is. I can’t count how many times I paused an episode just to take in all the smallest details into account. This series makes me appreciate the art of anime and storytelling. There is so much foreshadowing that even with undivided attention, it’s nearly impossible to catch all the subtle elements Isayama planted.

Attack on Titan's animation elevates the entire viewing experience

Watching the characters fly through the air with ODM (Omni-Directional Mobility) gear is honestly some of the coolest action I’ve ever seen, animated or otherwise. It’s like Spider-Man meets steampunk, with a dash of ballet and a whole lot of speed.

From a technical perspective, Attack on Titan is in a league of its own. The ODM gear scenes still leave me speechless. Wit’s fluid animation in the early seasons had this almost painterly quality. Then MAPPA came in with a grittier, more grounded tone that suited the escalating darkness of the story.

Final Thoughts

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If you're already an anime fan and haven’t finished Attack on Titan, do it. If you’re just discovering it now, I envy you. You get to experience this journey fresh. This anime doesn’t give easy answers. But it does give meaning, if you're willing to sit with the discomfort.

What began as a survival story about humanity vs. monsters evolved into a layered meditation on oppression, freedom, history, and ideology. Even if the ending remains controversial, it stayed true to the story’s core. Freedom and destruction are two sides of the same coin, and no ending can erase the pain of what came before.

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