Attack on Titan (anime)

Attack on Titan is an anime about humanity's struggle against Titans, man-eating giants. The story starts in the year 845, well, of the world's calendar (notice the lack of any mentions to Jesus Christ). A little over one hundred years ago, the Titans appeared, and pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. Humanity retreated into stronghold with mighty walls the Titans couldn't breach. Since then, humanity has been locked in a stalemate against the Titans.

Eren is a boy who dreams of the world outside the city walls. This fantasy is fueled by the fabulous descriptions of his bookish friend Armin. Even Eren's level-headed foster sister, Mikasa, can't talk him out of it. So what if there are human-eating giants outside the city? As long as people know how to kill them, and the city walls keep the giants out, human civilization can slowly rebuild, and eventually reclaim the world. However, shortly after the story begins, a colossal Titan^[1] appears, and destroys an outer wall gate, letting its smaller kin into the city.

It is known for Anyone Can Die, so don't get too attached to anyone. There is a reason why their city is the last human settlement on the planet. Between deaths and the initial mystery sounding the Titans, this show has lots of spoilers to avoid (possibly even on this page). The show goes far beyond simply showing fighting between humans and Titans. Plenty of attention is paid to the virtues and faults found in humans.

Based on a manga by Hajime Isayama. Directed by Tetsuou Akira until the third season. Animated by Wit Studio until the third season. After, directed by Yuuchirou Hashi, and animated by MAPPA.

Tropes used in Attack on Titan (anime) include:

Badass Adorable: Zoe is as good in fighting against Titans as any other experienced member of the Survey Corps, but carries her mission with unusual child-like excitement.
Bunny Ears Lawyer: Pixies is a very respected leader and soldier, but he also has the nickname "The Stranger" because of his behaviour considered odd, like saying he would like to be devoured by a beautiful female Titan (which does not exist).
Cargo Cult: In the five years preceding the story, a cult who worships the walls themselves grew proeminence on Eldia, claiming the walls are a gift from God to protect mankind and must not be touched. They're so feverous about the walls a member violently objects to even have them reinforced because they're supposedly so perfect in Episode 14.
Cruel to Be Kind: Episode 14. Levi kicks and beats Eren brutally so the Survey Corps take him into custody, as to demonstrate to the judge and to his opponents in the trial, the Military Police, that he can take care of Eren if he ever goes berserk in Titan form.
Divided We Fall: Episode 11. Pixies and Eren discuss the concept, and Pixies affirms indeed humans will fall if they keep struggling with each other while the Titans are getting dangerously close to extinguishing them.
Driven to Suicide: By the beginning of Episode 8, Armin was mentally driven in a corner and wanted to commit suicide with a blade. Mikasa throws the blade out and Connie grabs him, despite his warnings that carrying him will make it difficult to advance in a titan-filled area.
Enemy Mine: Discussed and defied in Episode 11. Pixies talks to Eren about how in the past humans used to fight between themselves over reasons like race and ethnics before Titans appeared, and back then some already teorized only a threat big enough to threaten all of mankind would stop it. Eren finds the notion silly and reminds Pixies of how even in the desperate situation involving the Titans humans are still fighting on a small scale.
Establishing Character Moment: Episode 10. Pixies's second proper scene involves him casually strolling along a wall despite the very angry Titans snarling at it the bottom, and making comments about being eaten by a pretty female Titan (such a creature is never seen).
Eye Scream: Armin's plan on Episode 8 involves a group of soldiers shooting titans in the eyes so others can sneak from behind and kill them.
Great Wall: The concentric walls protecting the city of humans. They're dozens of meters tall, and thick and strong enough to have been repelling the titular giants, who are essentially living humanoid siege engines, for at least a century. If built in the real world the outermost wall, Wall Maria, would encompass a roughly circular area stretching from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, or from Amsterdam to the Aegean Sea in Europe. Naturally, the outer rings fall at the start of the story.
Half the Man He Used To Be:Marco dies offscreen during the Battle of Trost, his body mangled in half vertically when Jean finds him in Episode 13.
Healing Factor: When Eren turns back into a human in episode 8, his arm and leg, which had been ripped off him when he was eaten, have regenerated.
I'm a Humanitarian: Taken to the extreme levels, as titans are only seen eating humans and nothing else.
Identity Amnesia: When Eren comes back to his senses as human in Episode 9, he has completely forgotten his time as Titan. Thankfully his Titan personality was still heroic.
Mad Scientist: Zoe Hange is a benevolent version of this trope. She wants to study titans for the good of mankind, but goes it in a way so eccentric that freaks out, if not disgusts other people, like calling them by name or going in long diatribes about phenomenos similar to Titans like cannibals criminals. Interestingly, it was a not a trait she was born with: when she discovered that the heads of Titans were excessively light for their size, she gained interest in studying them.
Neat Freak: Levi is obsessed with cleanliness.
No Sense of Personal Space: Justified. As seen above, Zoe is very interested in Titans. Eren has the powers of becoming one. The result is she trying to get as close as him as possible several times if only to get some more clue about Titans from observation.
The Needs of the Many: Invoked by Pixies in Episode 12, which says that as long humanity survives, he doesn't care if he becomes the biggest killer in history. That is, by sending people to their deaths.
Perpetual Smiler: Several titans are locked on this expression for no particular reason.
Shoo Out the Clowns: Averted. Sasha keeps appearing and not being killed even when the battles commence and things turn pretty serious.
Skewed Priorities: Despite Eren's titan form being the sole reason of why the humans won their first registered battle against the Titans, the Military Police wants to get rid of Eren because he may be used as a threat to the king.
Smart People Wear Glasses: Zoe is the member of the Survey Corps most interested in studying Titans in a scientific way rather than strategically, and is the only member of them to wear glasses.
Suicide as Comedy: Episode 10. A soldier wanting to commit suicide out of fear of being eaten by a Titan is initially sad as you would expect, but then Marcos wanting Sasha to show her perseverance results in her complaining loudly about a pain in the belly, and that only deepens the man's despair.
Tears of Joy: Mikasa and Armin weep at the sight of an alive Eren at the Episode 8.
Transformation Is a Free Action: Justified. Eren's transformation into Titan is so fast that he actually can use as an instant shield, as demonstrated by the end of episode 9.
Transformation Sequence: Eren's transformation into Titan involves the bones, meat and skin growing around his human body.

↑ later named "the Colossal"

[1] ter named "the Colossal"

[1]