The Role of Propaganda in Attack on Titan

Summary

• Attack on Titan is deeply rooted in propaganda, with Marleyan, King Fritz, and Yeagerist factions all using deceptive tactics.
• The impact of propaganda can be seen through characters like Gabi, Armin, and Eren, shaping beliefs and actions.
• Propaganda is the driving force of the story in Attack on Titan, manipulating characters and driving the narrative in a world constantly at war.

Cambridge Dictionary defines Propaganda as “Information or ideas that are spread by an organized group or government to influence people’s opinions, esp. by not giving all the facts or by secretly emphasizing only one way of looking at the facts.” It is basically deceptions and half-truths used to manipulate people.

Based on this definition and what we’ve seen in the four seasons of this iconic series thus far, we can surmise that there’s a lot of propaganda going on within Attack on Titan. One might even argue that the story of Eren and his friends is deeply rooted in propaganda. So let’s use this chance to look into the propaganda presented in this series, the impact it has on the story, and the true role of propaganda in Attack on Titan.

The Different Types of Propaganda in Attack on Titan

There are quite a few examples of propaganda happening in different stages of Attack on Titan. Of them all, these three are the biggest ones, by far.

Marleyan Propaganda

At the end of the Great Titan War, the Marleyans found themselves in possession of six out of nine Titan Shifters powers. The problem, however, is the fact that only subjects of Ymir can become Titan Shifters. They fully intended to use the Titans for their benefit, but how can they do that when the only ones who can use this power are the Eldian? The answer is through propaganda.

In order to control the Subject of Ymir, the Marleyan put the Eldians into intermittent zones and treated them like second-class citizens. They repeatedly beat into the Eldian’s head that Eldians are the ones who are responsible for all the bad things in the world and that they are the descendants of the devil himself.

The only thing the Eldians can do to atone for those horrible sins is to devote themselves to the Marleyan. Those who are willing to do that will be spared and their families will be guaranteed to live decent and comfortable lives as honorary Marleyan citizens.

King Fritz Propaganda

Karl Fritz was the 145th King of Eldia. He was the one responsible for the downfall of his people, and he was also the one who gathered most Eldians in the world to live in Paradis Island. In his mind, the only way to gain peace in this brutal world is to live in a secluded place, away from everything and everyone.

To ensure his people would obediently live within the walls that he had created without ever wanting to go outside, he used the power of his Founding Titan to erase the memory of the outside world from his people. To King Fritz, living peacefully inside the cage known as Paradis Island is better than going to war with the world.

This was also the reason why King Fritz, or any other royals who inherited the Founding Titan power—who goes by the name of Reiss now—never stopped the Titans that roam beyond the walls despite having the power to do so. Cruel though it may be, it’s convenient for them to have those Titans around. After all, those Titans are like watchdogs to ensure the Eldians won’t be able to leave Paradis.

“How pitiful! To never learn from the mistakes of history, it’s a tragedy how King Reiss stole their memories of the world. That’s why they’re repeating the same mistakes.”

—Zeke Yeager, Episode 54

The Yeagerist Propaganda

After the successful Raid on Liberio, some people from the Survey Corps, the military, and even regular citizens of Paradis Island begin to view Eren as the only one who can save the Eldian people. They see him as a messiah who will lead his people to the top of the world. They call themselves the Yeagerists.

Interestingly enough, despite hating the Marleyan with every fiber of their being, they basically employ the same propaganda tactics that the Marleyan used against the Eldians: The enemies are sinners and you either fight with us or against us.

The Yeagerist declares to the people within the walls that the only way forward is through war, just like how Eren has shown them in the Raid on Liberio. To them, it is the duty of every Eldian to fight for their people. That’s why those who oppose their extremist ideology are not true Eldian and should be punished. If you live in Paradis Island, you are either a Yeagerist or a traitor.

The Impact of Propaganda Throughout the Series

From King Fritz forcing his ideology on his people to the extremist group who consider Eren as their messiah, here are some of the impacts of their propaganda that can be felt throughout the series.

Marleyan Propaganda

To see how well the Marleyan Propaganda works on the Eldian, we simply need to look at Gabi. She is a child who believes with every fiber of her being that the Eldians are sinners and the people who live on Paradis Island are devils in human form. She is ready to dedicate his heart, body, and soul to the Marleyan despite being a pure-blooded Eldian.

In a greater scheme of things, the greatest fruit of the Marleyan Propaganda is the infamous Warrior Unit. These are a group of Eldian who are given the power of Titans. One might think that with such power, it shouldn’t be difficult for them to rebel and wreak havoc against the Marleyan.

But no, the propaganda and brainwashing work so well that they are basically satisfied with their role as the Marleyan’s greatest weapons of war. Despite the power of Titans in the palm of their hands, they follow the wills of their Marleyan overlord.

“Those guys are island demons threatening to destroy the entire world. We all learned about that, didn’t we? They’ve always been just that. Cruel demons who deserve to be killed. They’re not like us.”

—Gabi Braun, Episode 67

King Fritz Propaganda

King Fritz and his ability to erase his people’s memories is the most extreme form of propaganda. After all, why would you try to find the truth if you don’t know that you’re being lied to in the first place? Ironically enough, the one who further enforces King Fritz’s propaganda decades after his death is none other than the Marleyan who keeps sending Titans to roam the island.

Thanks to the belief that there are no humans left beyond the walls and the dangerous Titans that would devour every human who tries to step outside the walls, nobody ever thinks about the possibility of life beyond Paradis Island.

Only the Survey Corpse dares to go beyond the walls and even then, they only do so to learn more about the Titans, not to find a way to get out of the island. As far as we can see, Armin is the only Eldian who ever wonders what life looks like beyond the ocean.

Yeagerist Propaganda

Once the people of the Paradis know the truth about the world, about how the Marleyan treats their fellow Eldians, about how everybody is out to get them and the only one who manages to land a devastating blow to those Marleyans is none other than Eren Yeager, it’s not hard for the Yeagerist to add more people into their ranks.

The Yeagerists use propaganda to instill a sense of nationalism and tribalism to manipulate the people. If that’s not enough, they use the threat of violence to coerce the people into following their dangerous ideology. Both methods prove to be super effective.

As a result, the Yeagerists successfully usurped the government and became the de facto military force of Paradis Island. The death of their messiah and the efforts of Armin and his friends did curb the Yeagerists’ thirst for violence, but by that point, they already considered Eren an Eldian hero and were willing to do all it took to ensure the survival and prosperity of the Eldian, just as Eren wanted them to.

The Role of Propaganda in Attack on Titan

Words are Sharper Than Swords

Attack on Titan takes place in a brutal world that is terrorized by man-eating monsters called the Titans. However, what eventually motivates the people who fight against the Titans and use the power of the Titans in a war that consumes countless innocent lives is none other than Propaganda spewed by those in charge. And as we’ve discussed in this article, every faction uses propaganda.

That means at its core, propaganda is actually the foundation and the driving force of the story. It is the one thing that motivates different characters to act, and it is also the thing that keeps them moving no matter how devastating the path may be.

In a world that is constantly at war, be it with each other or with the Titans, propaganda is the perfect tool to manipulate and influence the masses. That is ultimately the role of propaganda in Attack on Titan. This further proves that in times of war, the most dangerous weapon is not the Titan, it’s the story that you choose to believe.

Attack on Titan is available to stream on Crunchyroll.