Every day I discover something new to love about Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan, and I never get tired of revisiting the series through such revelations. This time around, a Reddit post highlighted four trilogy arcs from the series. Some of the episodes mentioned in it are my favorites and rank among the highest-rated episodes.
For a story that spanned over a decade, it’s interesting how such a satisfying arc can conclude within three episodes. Many long-running series would fail to achieve that including One Piece. Moreover, the pacing doesn’t help the anime’s case either.
Although if we speak about the manga, then One Piece might have an edge. But, what’s the need to even compare? For me, comparison is the best way to make sense of things. So here’s why I think Attack on Titan has the best trilogy arcs that One Piece could never achieve.
Attack on Titan has the best trilogy arcs
The seasonal format of Attack on Titan has made the story more consumable than many other mainstream titles. While the initial seasons of the series had a distinct charm, the final seasons barraged fans with shocking revelations.
It was almost difficult to keep track of how quickly things escalated, and a seemingly simple story became a commentary on humanity and the world at large. This Reddit post highlighted the twelve episodes that made all the difference.
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The four trilogy arcs mentioned here include the events surrounding Erwin’s death, Reiner and Eren’s confrontation, the revelation of Eren’s true plan, and the final fight between Survey Corps and Eren. Out of all these, I still remember how Erwin convinced the crowd of young soldiers to march towards their deaths.
His speech gave me goosebumps, and Levi’s choice to let him rest while saving Armin was both brave and heartwarming. The conversation between Reiner and Eren brought out a new, ruthless side of the latter and it was the most vulnerable Reiner had ever been. However, the most shocking trilogy for me was the revelation about how Eren was responsible for everything.
Zeke wanted to save Eren, but he didn’t know that the only person Eren needed saving from was himself. The three final episodes showed us the characters reflecting on their choices and wondering if they could have done something differently.
Following their journey and knowing how brave these teenagers were, it broke my heart to see them contemplating their choices. And that doesn’t include Eren, he could’ve done better. All of these trilogy arcs marked some major turning points in the series. These mini-arcs show how much can be achieved through three episodes.
Here’s why One Piece could never compare to Attack on Titan in this respect
One reason I think One Piece can never compare to Attack on Titan in terms of Trilogy arcs is the anime’s terrible pacing. Things that could be summed up in three episodes or less get dragged on forever. There are filler scenes within canon episodes. The Gear 5 reveal in the anime is a good example.
I loved every bit of that glorious animation, and seeing Luffy bounce around made my heart smile, but that didn’t need to be dragged so much. Similarly, Eiichiro Oda has the tendency to reveal the lore in snippets. He would make a big revelation and then skip to a completely unrelated storyline. Leaving fans in wait for the rest of the lore.
The manga is better because every chapter in the final saga comes with shocking revelations. Both before and after the time skip, I have had a series of episodes and chapters that left me thoroughly entertained and fascinated. However, when it comes to mini arcs, I simply can’t think of anything better than Attack on Titan.
One Piece and Attack on Titan are available to stream on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
