attack on titan

In Chapter 93, page 6, we are presented with a geographic representation of the Attack on
Titan world:

The region in pink represents the Mid-East Allies The region in blue represents the Nation
of Marley The region in red represents

Paradis, Island of Paradis, or Paradis Island, whichever you prefer to go by, and that is
where most all of the story takes place (where Eren & the titans reside)

Cross-referencing with a world map it becomes clear that

if we are using geography as an identifying feature of the Attack on Titan Earth, this is not
the Earth that we know. Unless the map was drawn in such a way as to purposely hide
defining geographic characteristics, it is likely that the Earth in Attack on Titan is more of an
alternate universe Earth. There are a lot of references that we are familiar with, especially
later on in the manga, but it is clear that the geography doesn't match up to anything on our
current Earth. In addition, the names of these regions are Marley, Paradis, and Mid-East
Allies. And the peoples in the first two regions are called Marleyans and Eldians. So it
further solidifies that the AoT Earth, while similar, is more than likely an alternate-universe
Earth and not the same Earth that we currently reside on. That means that

since this is not the same Earth, we can not use our own timeline to judge what time period
this takes place. It is a completely different world, albeit with a lot of similarities, but it makes
the most sense to stick to the timeline that AoT presents to us throughout the manga and
anime.

Later in the manga, however, we see that

while Paradis Island looks like it's living in our version of the medieval times, the rest of the
world is not.

In fact, we see in chapter 86, pages 146-147, that

during Grisha Yeager's childhood (so some time before Eren), humanity was in possession
of airships and military technology that we might have seen from the 1900s to 1930s or 40s.
Again, we can't compare the timelines in AoT to our own since we know AoT's Earth is not
our Earth but this should help give you a better understanding of the AoT world.
come up with a show like Attack on Titan? What must they be going through to conjure
giant, remorseless beings that gobble up humans left and right without any real
biological need to? The mind in question belongs to Hajime Isayama, creator of Attack
on Titan, and he opened up not long ago in an interview with Japan’s NHK network on
what inspired him as a youngster to write such an out-there story to begin with.

Isayama was originally inspired to write about humanity being forced to build walls to
keep enemies out because he was brought up in a similar way. Except Isayama’s
“walls” were mountains, and not enormous Titans shambling around looking for a new
human snack. The mountainous range in Oita made him feel isolated from the world
around him, and he sometimes wondered if monsters were lurking just beyond the
mountains.

The Titans aren’t even just mindless monsters, according to Isayama. Originally, he
wrote them the way they were to represent frustration. They’re not something that
humanity is able to understand or even parse even in the series, and as such he hopes
they’ve instead come to represent the challenges mankind continues to face out in the
real world. Originally, he made this type of connection when he worked at an internet
cafe and encountered drunken customers who couldn’t really communicate with their
sober friends. Thus, an idea was born that would eventually turn into Titans that we
know (and love?) today in the show and manga.

It’s interesting to think about how such simple moments of happenstance could go on to
inspire a creator like Isayama, but we’re certainly thankful that they did, or we wouldn’t
have the excellent series that we’re sinking our teeth into today. Let us know how hype
you are for the next season of Attack on Titan, while you’re at it!

Isayama was born in Ōyama, Ōita Prefecture, Japan, which is now part of Hita. It was in
high school, Hita Rinko Senior High School, that he began submitting manga works to
contests.[5] After graduating, he matriculated in the manga design program of the arts
department at Kyushu Designer Gakuen. In 2006, he applied for the Magazine Grand
Prix known as MGP promoted by Kodansha Ltd. and a short version of Attack on
Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) was given the "Fine Work" award.[6] At age twenty, he moved
to Tokyo and worked at an Internet café in order to pursue a career in manga.[5][7] This
one-shot would later be included in the series' guidebook and included with the first Blu-
ray of the anime adaptation.[8]

 
In Chapter 86, page 156-157, we are presented with military uniforms that look sort of
similar to WWI/WWII era uniforms. In the same frame we can also see the soldier smoking
a cigarette while taking a break on a mowed grass lawn. In chapter 94, we can also see the
type of firearm that this child is carrying which is an excellent example of more sophisticated
technology. I blocked out the text in the frames as it wasn't necessary.

Two captured Titans are named Sawney and Bean, which is stated in-universe to be based
on the legend of Sawney Bean.

If we use that same evidence as part of a timeline, there's two possibilities:

 The year 850 means that we are at least 850 years following the aforementioned
legend, putting us no earlier than year 2350 A.D. This seems possible but unlikely, as
their technology shows no signs of being derived from our own.
 The year 850 is some marker to an event that happened prior to the legend, in which
case we have no frame of reference other than that the story must take place in or after
the 1500s. This seems to be the more likely answer.
 Keep in mind, though, that in the Attack on Titan universe:
The oriental races are wiped out; Mikasa has her mother's oriental blood, but is the last
surviving member of the Asian races.
With this in mind, it is highly unlikely that it is in Japan or even nearby (though the
location is also unstated). However, seeing how many names are European (Jäger is
German for "hunter", Armin is a Germanic name, cf. Arminius & Herman), it's most likely
that the story takes place in Germany, or at least in Europe, where the remaining
survivors of the Titan catastrophe are now cornered.
 assuming it would be in Germany and/or the surrounding European countries. The
architecture of the districts within the Maria and Rose walls (including their outliers like
Shiganshina District) looks to be very much like traditional German architecture.
However, the Stohess District resembles Czech architecture and Utopia resembles
Parisian mid-rise styles.

The tall 80m-treed forests which are both in & outside the walls could be the Black
Forest in Germany. There is also a small alpine section within the walls & outside, which
could be the Swiss/Italian Alps. Not only that, but the characters have German names
such as Reiner, Bertholdt, Jaeger, etc.

So first of all, the story cannot possibly be taking place 2000 years in the past. I am not
going to talk about technology development or the size of the characters (2000 years
ago, Levi Ackerman wouldn't have been considered as short).

Anyway, Sasha gave me the first part of the answer. In the trainee corps arc, we can
see her eating a potato, and the potato was imported into Europe from the South
America, which proves the story takes place after the discovery of the American
continent (Europe really started to grow potatoes in the 17th century...).
But then I ticked on how they calculated the size of the titans. They used "meter-class",
which mean they have the metric system. The metric system having been invented after
the French revolution in 1789 and was finally accepted by the French Academy of
Science on 26th March 1791.

The story should take place after this date.

I've also noted that Mikasa (in the trainee corps arc when Eren seems unable to have
his "natural balance") speaks about "artisans" who make the 3D maneuver gear, and
with a look with the general development of the city (no trains, no steam boats). This
suggests that the industrial revolution (~1840) has not yet taken place. My theory is that
titan have appeared (year 743 in the story) between 1791 and 1840 (and that because
of that new-found enemy, the industrial revolution never took place...). The story starts
with the colossal titan 102 years later (year 845 in the story), which means between
1893 and 1942 in our calendar.
Little is known for certain about his early life, however Sawney Bean is believed to have
been born in East Lothian in the late 15th century, and was a tanner by trade. The latter
part of his life is a little better documented following his relocation across country to
Ayrshire and his marriage.

The newly wed Mr and Mrs Sawney Bean set up home at Bennane Cave, by Ballantrae
in Ayrshire, Scotland. Bennane Cave was rather an imposing abode, with tunnels
penetrating the solid rock and extending for more than a mile in length. In addition, the
accommodation featured lots of side passages where a young couple could extend into,
and convert over the next 25 years, to accommodate a growing family. The cave’s
entrance was flooded for several hundred metres, twice a day at high tide, a nice
draught exclusion feature!

Lacking a trade, it was Sawney’s plan to support his new wife on the proceeds of
robbery. It proved a simple enough matter to ambush travellers on the lonely narrow
roads that connected the villages of the area. Then it dawned on him that in order to
help make sure that he could never be identified for his crimes, he should murder his
victims. To avoid those unnecessary visits to the shops for provisions whilst at the same
time disposing of any evidence, he came on the bright idea of butchering the bodies to
provide a high protein diet of human meat for himself and his wife.

The high protein diet seemed to have been effective as Mrs Bean began to produce
little baby Bean’s. Fourteen little Beanie babies in total, each with a very unhealthy
appetite for human flesh. As the Beanie babies grew up and in turn, through incest,
produced Beanie babies of their own, their cooking pots increased in size dramatically.
Over two decades, generations of Beanie babies grew up in Bennane Cave, refining
their skills of murder and cannibal cuisine including, the now lost art of salting and
pickling the flesh. Finds of curiously preserved but decaying body parts were discovered
washed up on the surrounding beaches in the area.

The local authorities had by now established what must have been, and what must still
be to this date, the longest missing persons list ever produced. Although mass searches
of the area were carried in order to locate either the missing people or their murderers,
nobody ever thought to search the depths of Bennane Cave.

As the years went by the family grew older and thanks to their high protein diet, bigger.
And as the family grew so did their appetite. As many as half a dozen victims would be
ambushed and killed at a time in military style operations by the Sawney Bean army.
The bodies were taken back to the cave to be carefully prepared for the larder by the
women folk.

Even in the best-planned operations however, things sometimes go wrong. It happened

one evening for the Sawney Bean army, when they attacked a man and his wife as they
were returning home from a nearby fair. One group pulled the women from her horse
and had her stripped and disemboweled before the other group had chance to wrestle
the man to the ground. Realising the fate that was about to fall him he fought
desperately to escape, driving his horse into and over his attackers. As he fought for his
life, a group of twenty or so people also returning from the fair happened upon the
scene. After a brief and violent exchange the Sawney Bean army found itself, for the
first time ever, at a numerical disadvantage and promptly retreated back to the cave to
consider this situation. As they retreated they left behind the mutilated body of a woman
as evidence, a score of witnesses and one very angry husband.

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Sawney-Bean-Scotlands-most-famous-
cannibal/

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-reason-behind-using-German-words-in-the-Attack-on-Titan-
soundtracks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-poMNAxic7g

https://www.geek.com/anime/heres-what-inspired-attack-on-titans-creator-to-write-the-series-
1739401/

https://manga.tokyo/otaku-articles/14-brilliances-of-attack-on-titan-creator-hajime-isayama-part-2/