One of the most popular anime out there right now, Attack on Titan keeps fans consistently engaged by not over-explaining every little detail. Though it's now in its final season, the story still has many questions left unanswered that have become fodder for the internet, which is filled with fan theories. Besides current ideas that apply to the final season and how the anime will conclude, there are many other theories centered around the anime's inspiration -- and what kind of metaphors Attack on Titan uses to tell its tale.
One Reddit fan theory, in particular, posted by user u/kingfwf, suggests a thoughtful connection between the Titans and the Roman empire. Though this theory was posted years ago, before the manga and anime fully explain where the Titans come from, it still draws a lot of valid connections between the Titans as oppressors like the Ancient Romans used to be.
Overall, the fan theory suggests the entire plot of Attack on Titan is an allegory for the Roman Empire's struggle to conquer ancient Judea, which is modern-day Israel. The first point the user explains is how the Titans are large, imposing and seemingly everywhere, in the same way that the Roman Empire was expansive, oppressive and around every corner.
The biggest threats to the Romans were from Asia and Judea, which is represented in Attack on Titan by Mikasa and Levi Ackerman. Mikasa is supposedly one of the last Asians in the story, while Levi's clearly Hebrew name reflects the state of Judea. Though the Ackermans' true powers have been revealed in the anime back in Season 4, Part 1, the connection to ancient history does not go unnoticed.
This is also not the first fan theory to draw comparisons of the inhabitants of Paradise Island to the Jewish peoples. It's fairly obvious that the citizens on Paradis were being wrongfully oppressed, especially since they didn't fully understand what was going on vis-a-vis the Titans, and they were kept behind walls, similar to features of the Holocaust like the ghettos and concentration camps. While the content is not at all similar, these small details help form the connection that the Reddit user is trying to make.
Another valid connection u/kingfwf's theory makes is how the Titans go about harming humanity. Like the Romans, they target cities, dwellings and buildings. Instead of going right for the people, the Titans take away their protection and means of survival, similar to how the Romans typically invaded. Similarly, Romans viewed their conquests not as people, but as assets to further their own power. Titans don't view humans as anything other than food, so it's very easy for them to attack without guilt.
The Reddit fan theory is full of other small details that help create the comparison of Titans to the ancient, conquering Romans. While the current plot of Attack on Titan strays away from this metaphor as more and more backstory becomes explained, the connection is not totally unfounded. The Roman Empire was a dominating and seemingly impossible foe to combat, and the Titans are a very real threat that can easily create widespread horror.
