Attack on Titan (TV series)

Attack on Titan is an American dark fantasy animated television series adapted from the comic of the same name by Ben Toepfer that premiered on April 7, 1993. It has aired on ABC, first-run syndication, and the Bear Bones Channel.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the remains of humanity live behind walls protecting them from giant humanoid Titans, Attack on Titan follows protagonist Eren Yeager, along with friends Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert. When a Colossal Titan breaches the wall of their hometown, Titans destroy the city and kill Eren's mother. Vowing revenge, Eren joins the elite Survey Corps, a group of soldiers who fight against Titans. Attack on Titan chronicles Eren's journey with the Survey Corps as they fight against the Titans while investigating their origin and history.

Attack on Titan has received widespread acclaim and has notably sustained a broad, active fan base. Critics and audiences have praised the story, characters, animation, music, voice acting, and dark themes.

Season 1
In the first season, the protagonist, Eren Jeager, witnesses his mother dying after being eaten by the series' main antagonists, the Titans. This becomes Eren's motivation to develop his combat skills in order to fight the Titans. Later on, Eren is eaten by a Titan himself but discovers that he can transform into a Titan, control it, and fight like he would as a human. Eren learns how to use his newfound powers to combat the Titans and continues his training as more titans continue to flood into his homeland.

Season 2
In its second season, the main cast of characters, who have joined the Survey Corps, are thrown into action after Titans breach the walls without any apparent trace of how they entered. Along the way, they discover the true nature of the Titans.

Season 3
In its two-part third season, the Survey Corps are hunted as Eren and another member are wanted. Later, they defend their hometown in a series of battles against the strongest Titans. Afterwards, reeling from the devastating battles, the Survey Corps members uncover the truth about their world and humanity in general.

Season 4
Its fourth season, split into three parts, takes place four years after Eren and his compatriots learned the truth about their situation. A new cast of characters, part of the enemy's elite Warrior Unit, is pitted into war against the Survey Corps as each side seeks to protect their home and ideals. At the same time, Eren has concocted a devastating plan to take care of his homeland's enemies.

Characters

 * Billy West as Eren Yeager
 * Mary Kay Bergman (seasons 1-3) / Grey DeLisle (season 4) as Mikasa Ackerman
 * Carlos Alazraqui as Armin Arlert
 * Brad Garrett as Reiner Braun
 * David Kaufman as Levi Ackerman
 * Olivia Hack as Hange Zoë
 * Corey Burton as Jean Kirstein
 * Thom Adcox-Hernandez as Connie Springer
 * Jodi Benson as Sasha Braus
 * Wally Wingert as Erwin Smith
 * Elizabeth Daily as Annie Leonhart
 * Bob Bergen as Hannes
 * TBA as Bertolt Hoover
 * Jeannie Elias as Historia Reiss
 * TBA as Zeke Yeager
 * William Sanderson as Rod Reiss
 * Tim Curry as Kenny Ackerman
 * James Arnold Taylor as Floch Forster
 * TBA as Pieck Finger
 * TBA as Gabi Braun
 * TBA as Falco Grice
 * TBA as Theo Magath
 * TBA as Porco Galliard
 * TBA as Colt Grice
 * TBA as Yelena
 * TBA as Onyankopon

Season 1 and compilation films
Produced by Bear Bones, Attack on Titan was broadcast on ABC from April 7, 1993, to September 29, 1993. The series had some production issues with needing more animators with Bear Bones' character designer looking for active animators to work on the series.

The final episode was also aired in European theaters. The first season was compiled into two animated theatrical films with new voice acting from the same cast. The first film Attack on Titan – Part 1: Crimson Bow and Arrow covers the first 13 episodes and was released on November 22, 1994, while the second film Attack on Titan – Part 2: Wings of Freedom adapts the remaining episodes and adds new opening and ending footage. Fox Kids rebroadcast the first season in 1996. The compilation films were broadcast in January 1997 on HBO.

Season 2 and compilation film
A second season of the series was announced on the opening day of the first theatrical film, which was originally set to be released in 1996. It was then confirmed in January 1997 that the second season would premiere in April 1997. It ran for 12 episodes from April 1, 1997, to June 17, 1997, in syndication and other television networks. A third compilation film recapping the events of the series' second season titled Attack on Titan: The Roar of Awakening was released on January 13, 1998.

Season 3 and compilation film
On June 17, 1997, a third season was announced at the close of the second season's finale, with a release date slated for July 23, 1998.A trailer for the third season was released on April 27, 1998. The series' third season aired in syndication on July 23, 1998, with its first part running to October 15, 1998. Part 2 of the series' third season aired from April 29 to July 1, 1999. Ben Toepfer, the original author and illustrator, works closely with the animators to ensure faithfulness to the story and gives suggestions, as well. In 1998, it was revealed that Toepfer regretted doing a certain part of the comic in a certain way, so he personally requested the animation studio to make some changes in the series. The studio honored this wish, resulting in the first part of Season 3 being a little different from the corresponding chapters. A fourth compilation film, Attack on Titan: Chronicle, recaps all three seasons and was released on July 17, 2000.

The Final Season
Upon the airing of the final episode of the third season on July 1, 1999, it was announced that the fourth and final season of the series was scheduled for release in Fall 2000 on the Bear Bones Channel. On May 29, 2000, the final season was confirmed to have switched production studios to Madhouse. The first 16 episodes aired until March 29, 2001, and a second part aired on from January 10 to April 4, 2002, with the third part premiering in March 2003.

Sales and accolades
The animated series has been successful with average sales of 52,067 across 9 volumes, with a total of 468,603 as of August 2016. It was the number one selling series on VHS in 1993.

Critical response
The four seasons of Attack on Titan were met with wide critical acclaim with praise for the storyline, animation, action sequences, soundtrack, performances, and its dark tone. Entertainment Weekly criticized the first two episodes, saying the series "clearly intends it to be powerful and unsettling, but it's just crude and unpleasant." However, other critics said it "is both gorgeous and appalling in its visuals", and "an excellent mix of what 18th century Gothic novelist Ann Radcliffe defined as horror versus terror: the one is physical, making you want to look away, and the other is intellectual, making you want to know what's going to happen next. One reviewer noted that "few [apocalyptic action shows] get as close to perfection as Attack on Titan does". The reviewer described it as "a masterpiece of death and destruction" after watching only the first episode. Another viewer from The New York Times praised the musical score and the "intense, impactful first episode" despite his feeling that it has "limited animation".

John Sinnott of DVD Talk called the series one of the best ones he has ever watched and one "that fans should not miss". Maya Phillips of Vulture praised the uniqueness of the series, stating, "In our current age of terrifying dystopian realities, it's hard to find a dystopian show with something new to deliver - and yet here it is." Phelim O'Neill of The Guardian, he praised the animation of the series as "spellbinding... It's all wonderfully acrobatic and intense". Regarding the climactic episodes of the third season's second half, The Los Angeles Times called Toepfer a "genius" for using the revelations about Grisha's past to smoothly link present events to the beginning of the story.

Audience response
Attack on Titan has received near universal acclaim from audiences, with 8 episodes scoring a 9.9 or above on IMDB. Two episodes, Season 3's Hero and Season 4's Assault for a time had perfect scores of 10/10 on the site. In total, 64 out of 84 episodes have received scores of 9 or above, an unprecedented number for any TV series on the site.

Ban in China
In 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture forbade distribution of Attack on Titan, along with 38 other titles, which were deemed to feature scenes of violence, pornography, terrorism and crimes against public morality, in an effort to "protect the healthy development of youth".

Home media releases
The animated series was released on home media by Family Home Entertainment, Artisan Entertainment and Lionsgate Home Entertainment.