The final season of Attack on Titan is coming soon, and with it comes new merchandise, including an armband worn by the residents of Marley that was almost immediately pulled after the racist overtones carried with the item were pointed out. Attack on Titan follows Eren Yeager as he joins the military to fight the Titans, gigantic humanoids who attack and eat humans for no known reason. Marley is a large empire introduced late in the series, whose rulers wear red armbands, and force non-Marley citizens to wear yellow armbands with a nine-point star, invoking imagery of how the Nazis forced Jews to wear the Star of David on their clothing during the Second World War.
With the second part of the Attack on Titan's final season coming in January, fans are eager to see how the anime will end, with the manga that the series is based on (of the same name) wrapping up in April 2021. The manga has inspired not only the anime, which has aired 75 episodes, but video games, a live-action film, and a series of light novels. Attack on Titan has has a major impact on pop culture, with the series being a popular choice for cosplayers and other artists around the world.
The Attack on Titan official Twitter (@AoTWiki) account announced that the controversial armband of Marley would be immediately removed from sale, after just being announced on November 15, following an outcry from fans over the racist overtones associated with the piece. The armband was meant to replicate the look of the character's costumes but was quickly seen as inappropriate due to the fact that all who wore them represented a repressive political force. Attack on Titan was quick to apologize for the offensive merchandise.
Attack on Titan has served as a growing point for anime in western culture. Its popularity has led to the explosion of Crunchyroll and Funimation as streaming services, encouraging multi-national marketing and licensing opportunities. It also allowed for other anime properties like My Hero Academia to grow in popularity, leading to theatrical film releases, and for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train to become the highest-grossing film of 2020.
Attack on Titan has been accused of sketchy messaging in the past, as the Marleyans and the people they oppress (the Eldians) are a metaphor for Nazi Germany and the Jewish people respectively, with the Eldians wishing to take bloody revenge on the Marleyans and lay waste to their empire with military might, a scenario that sounds like it would come from the ravings of alt-right QAnon trolls. The show is also cited as a favorite for said white nationalist groups, but such arguments can be countered with the fact that people will see the message they want to see, ignoring all evidence to the contrary. Despite some dodgy ethics, Eren and his friends are portrayed as the heroes, trying to fight oppression and better the world as a whole. In the end, Attack on Titan's final season should serve as a grand and exciting finale that fans demand.
Source: @AoTWiki