It is no secret thatAttack on Titanis a very emotionally intense series, brimming with death, gore, and heartbreak. Set during the war between humanity and the Titans, the mangaka Hajime Isayama pulls no punches when portraying the uncomfortablerealities of war inAttack on Titanand the disturbing lengths people will go to during these hopeless times.
The first episode ofAttack on Titanconcludes with Eren’s own mother being eaten alive in front of him by a Titan, as he watches in horror, powerless to stop the tyranny before him. From this initial act of violence, it became abundantly clear what type of series the animewould be, but surprisingly,one scene from the manga actually never made it into the anime because it went too far, even byAttack on Titan’sstandards.
This Armin Scene Was Omitted From the Attack on Titan Anime
Armin’s Sexual Assault While He Was Disguised as Historia Was Left Out of the Anime
During chapters 53 and 54 of theAttack on Titanmanga, the Survey Corps devise a plot toprotect Eren from kidnappers now that that he possesses Titan powers. Jean Kirstein and Armin Arlert dress up in disguises to appear like Eren and Historia, and this effectively fools the would-be kidnappers and allows the real Eren and Historia to escape to safety. Unfortunately though, one of the kidnappers violated Armin in an unimaginably disgusting way, making the scene even darker than it was previously.
While Armin was dressed as Historia,one of the kidnappers began to touch him inappropriately, before Mikasa intervened and swiftly brought the criminal to justice.Although a one-frame snapshot of this moment is included to provide context, for the most part, it is not discussed at length in the anime like it is in the manga. The manga panel shows the man continuing to harass Armin, even after he discovers his true gender and identity, and reveals Armin’s discomfort that lingers after the sexual assault as well.
Sexual Assault Scenes Can Be Difficult to Depict and Tough For Viewers to Watch
Creators Must Strike a Delicate Balance, Portraying Reality But Not Glamorizing the Violence in Any Way
Whereas the anime barely touches on this event, to the point that most fans forgot it even happened, the manga makes it more obvious and the negative impact on Armin is more stark. Although his friends do intervene to rescue him, the encounter leaves Armin visibly shaken, and shows that humans can be just as depraved as the Titans are. It is an agonizing scene to watch, for an entirely different reason than most ofAttack on Titan’sstandard occurrences of bloodshed.
The encounter leaves Armin visibly shaken, and shows that humans can be just as depraved as the Titans are.
The anime features the deaths of millions of peopleacrossAttack on Titan’sfour seasons, so it is somewhat uncharacteristic for the series to shy away from deeper topics, making it a little surprising that this sequence was almost entirely excluded from the anime. Sexual violence is somethingAttack on Titandoes not explore in depth, and few anime seem to, since it can be an uncomfortable topic for both creators and audiences.
Accurate and tactful depictions of sexual assault that do not glamorize the event are important not just for survivors, but for everyone to realize the negative consequencesthis behavior brings.Attack on Titan’s,albeit brief, representation of this topic, although it is painful to witness, conveys the unfortunate reality of these types of atrocities. Throughout the series,Attack on Titanapproaches sensitive topics cautiously, but also does not sugarcoat painful truths. This Armin scene is dark, and this topic must be handled with respect, so it is understandable that the anime did not feel comfortable including it.
