Hajime Isayama is highly regarded for his planned-out narrative in Attack on Titan, which is why fans couldn’t wrap their heads around this huge plot hole in the series.
SUMMARY
Attack on Titan is generally well-written with proper explanations and history behind everything that happens.
Fans came up with their own explanations to understand this plot hole, and Hajime Isayama’s eventual revelation aligned with those explanations.
Hajime Isayama’s storytelling is considered perfect by many fans for how he gradually incorporates meaningful themes and layers into a seemingly simple story. As a result of his intricate approach, Attack on Titan is perceived as a well-written story that is thoroughly planned out.
A still from Attack on Titan anime | Credits: Studio Wit
There are not many noticeable gaps or flaws in the story, except for one that is too noticeable to be brushed off as a simple coincidence or mistake. What’s more interesting is that fans have come up with great explanations that are quite sensible, and Isayama confirmed the idea years down the line as well, proving the fans right.
This Plot Hole in Attack on Titan Leaves Fans Confused
The Titan powers led to many conflicts between Marley and the Eldian Empire. Initially, the Eldians had the Titan power and the advantage in the fight, until Marley turned the tides in its favor. Marley also occupied most of the Eldian Empire, leaving only the Paradis Island under King Fritz. Since then, Marley and Paradis Island have been separate nations.
Ymir reads the can that Reiner fails to understand | Credits: Studio Wit
The interactions we saw during the Survey Corps training were the first time the Eldians and Marleyans were interacting. They could understand each other without any problems while Reiner couldn’t read the Eldian language, and both these cases contradict one another.
If they spoke the same language, why did Reiner struggle to read the can? And if they spoke different languages, why was it never addressed? Many fans noticed these instances and came up with their own explanations of how languages worked in the Attack on Titan universe. Interestingly, Hajime Isayama also confirmed how things work and fans were surprisingly close to the actual answer.
Here’s How This Plot Hole Could Be Explained
Armin explains the language system | Credits: Kodansha
The simplest explanation is that they used the same language but different scripts for writing purposes. The strife between Marley and Paradis Island was only a few hundred years long. There simply wasn’t enough time to come up with a completely new language for either nation. Moreover, fans believed that their dialects had evolved over time and so was the case for the writing system.
With that explanation, they used the same language but in different forms. Therefore, they were able to understand each other without much difficulty. Isayama never addressed this problem explicitly, but he showed us the differences in glimpses. Armin also mentioned in one scene that they need to be conscious of the writing system and not to let their accents slip. Reiner and the others were likely well-trained and that’s why they never faced this problem, at least not with their accents.
Eren apologizes to Ramzi | Credits: Studio MAPPA
This also explains the scene where Eren explained his plan to the kid, but he couldn’t understand anything as he spoke a different language. However, unlike many other plotlines where Isayama’s motives are quite clear, this one leaves fans confused due to the gaps. What’s great is that the general explanation that fans came up with aligned with the canon storyline as well!
