Attack On Titan Fans Agree That This Fight Is Far Too Underrated
"Attack on Titan" is in the midst of wrapping things up for good as fans prepare for the Final Arc of the Final Season in 2023 (via CNET). While Season 4 of "Attack on Titan" has already given viewers legendary moments, such as Eren's vengeful attack on Marley and the malicious brutality of the Rumbling, things are no doubt going to continue to heat up as the story heads into its endgame.
Of course, "Attack on Titan" has been known for epic, jaw-dropping plot twists and shocking conclusions like this since the series began. Another thing the show has been recognized for consistently has been its tightly choreographed and wildly imaginative fight sequences.
Whether in human-on-human combat, titan-versus-titan bouts, or some totally insane combination of the two, battles in "Attack on Titan" are nearly always stand-out sequences that leave the audience reeling from what they've just witnessed. Still, with this embarrassment of riches, some fights are often lost in the shuffle when fans look back at the best scraps in the series.
Fans love the first fight between the Attack and Female titans
On the r/attackontitan subreddit, fans regularly discuss the best fights of the series. u/fahiem123 pointed out the occasionally forgotten first fight between Eren Jaeger (Yuki Kaji/Bryce Papenbrook) and Annie Leonhart (Yu Shimamura/Lauren Landa), sharing a video of the battle with the caption "Underrated fight. Wit Studio at its best."
The user is referring to the production studio that animated the first three seasons of "Attack on Titan," Wit Studio. The series has since switched to MAPPA studios due to scheduling and visionary troubles following its third season finale (via Anime News Network). While some of the style and character designs have changed in Season 4, this fits because the season begins in a new location after a four-year time jump.
Other fans were quick to praise the incredible fight between Eren and Annie. One user immediately noted the progress of Eren's combat skills over the course of the show. "So amazing to see Eren's evolution throughout the series," observed u/Shpaggetti in the top comment. "From running head first, flailing his arms around and putting all his weight behind one punch, to fighting off Reiner, Porco, Pieck and the Marleyan military like it's barely a problem."
Meanwhile, another user thought the fight had simply been forgotten due to the time that had passed since it occurred. "It definitely was great," said u/TrashCrab69. "I don't think it was really underrated, just that it happened so long ago and so many great things happened after it."
Attack on Titan is known for its amazing fights
Of course, this is definitely a natural conclusion to draw. Season 1 alone features another superior take on this fight when Annie and Eren have their rematch in the Walled Cities, destroying buildings and battling with an intense passion along the way.
Another stand-out is the Season 2 bout between Reiner and Eren after Eren learns that Reiner Braun (Yoshimasa Hosoya/Robert McCollum) and Bertholdt Hoover (Tomohisa Hashizume/David Matranga) have been traitors to the cause all along. Both of these fights are notable not only for including titans and humans fighting at the same time but also for being based on different fighting styles.
While the fights with Annie are somewhat based on traditional martial arts, the Reiner fights are more like all-out brawls with some professional wrestling moves, like body slams, tossed into the mix. This is notable because Reiner's titan form was originally based on professional wrestler Brock Lesnar's thickly muscled physique (via Inside the Ropes). For his part, Eren's body is also inspired by mixed martial artist Yushin "Thunder" Okami (via Crunchyroll).
The Rumbling was a massive undertaking for animators
Speaking of rumbles, the Rumbling has undoubtedly been the biggest moment of the Final Season of "Attack on Titan" yet. However, it was also an insanely daunting sequence for the animation and production teams behind the show to bring to life. CGI producer Yusuke Tannawa talked about the challenges in an interview with Anime Pony Canyon.
"One of the themes we were thinking about was how to animate the Rumbling," Tannawa said, "how to portray it, how to stage it, how to show it." The team also discussed how to bring to life Eren's new form as the Founding Titan. "We can't quite tell how he moves in the manga," Tannawa went on, "so we imagined how he'd move from his shape and size."
Even if "Attack on Titan" is widely recognized for its amazing fight sequences and battles, examples like these ones show how much time, effort, and work go into making the bouts and action set pieces of the show feel so unique and memorable.