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One of the most unique shonen series ever to exist is without a doubt author and illustrator Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan series. As both a manga and an anime, the series was incredibly refreshing and reinventive, and elevated older, more traditional tropes while casting aside their flaws and pitfalls.
One such trope, which Attack on Titan never seemed to touch on, however, was fan service. At no point in the story is there a forced bikini appearance, nor are there any overly-voluptuous women in the series.
It begs the question as to how and why the series avoided what has historically been one of the most popular and commonly used shonen anime tropes. Follow along as this article fully breaks down exactly how Attack on Titan rejects shonen anime’s most controversial aspect.
Attack on Titan’s masterful avoidance of fanservice as a shonen anime partly accredited to overall tone and setting of plot
How Isayama and his series rejected fanservice
Easily one of the most impactful aspects of Attack on Titan, which allowed it to avoid giving into the fanservice trope, was that of the series’ plot and setting. Humanity has been restricted behind three concentric walls, with no beaches or lakes in sight. In the series, technology also appears extremely limited in a general sense, with no electrical infrastructure even for royalty.
These two elements masterfully combine to create an exceptional defense against obligatory fanservice episodes. Most shonen anime series find loopholes by having their characters take a week off and head to the beach for a relaxing day filled with flirting and fanservice elements.
However, Attack on Titan’s characters are afforded no such luxuries due to the nature of their lives within Hajime Isayama’s world. With no beaches to access, such an episode or attempt at fanservice would be incredibly jarring to fans’ engagement with the series. Similarly, one also risks breaking viewers’ suspension of disbelief with such plot deviations, a key aspect in the effectiveness of the plot overall.
On a similar note, Hajime Isayama’s dedication to creating such a cruel and specifically ironed-out world also helps to fill in the gaps of an otherwise already sturdy defense. A key example of this comes when Eren and the Survey Corps actually do make it to a beach at the edge of the island of Paradis.
While this could potentially have been the perfect time for Isayama to give his readers and watchers their fanservice, he instead chooses to maintain the seriousness of the moment. What fans instead get is one of the most memorable and universally celebrated scenes in the series, perfectly portraying the chasm between the emotional highs and lows of the series’ main cast.
There’s also a tongue-in-cheek aspect to this scene, with Isayama showing Mikasa, Armin, and the other Survey Corps members frolicking in the water with one another. In a way, it’s as if Isayama is trying to give his audience a unique brand of fanservice reliant on seeing characters happily fulfill their dreams and wishes rather than frolicking about while scantily clad.
It’s also worth noting that Isayama and Attack on Titan’s avoidance of fanservice is particularly unique within the shonen community. Even the great Hiromu Arakawa, creator, author, and illustrator of Fullmetal Alchemist, gave into fanservice temptations via the character Lust. The series even passes the Bechdel Test when examining the traditional three criteria, proving that even the best-written series can fall prey to fanservice.
Gege Akutami, creator, author, and illustrator of Jujutsu Kaisen, has also been forced to give his readers some sort of fanservice. While very few, if any, instances of fanservice within the canonical series can be noted, Akutami did once draw anthropomorphized female versions of three calendar months, clad in bikinis to boot.
If anything, Akutami’s decision emphasizes how stressful and sometimes important it can be when authors decide to give in to or resist calls for fanservice. Akutami’s decision likely encapsulates the best approach, but still exposes itself to criticisms for things like inventing reasons to dole out fanservice.
Akutami’s decision also emphasizes just how impressive Isayama and Attack on Titan’s devotion to not dole out fanservice whimsically is. The decision certainly helps to maintain the overall darker and more serious tone of the series, as well as show future mangaka that one can resist the temptations of fanservice and still see commercial and critical success.
Follow along for more Attack on Titan anime news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2022 progresses.
