Anonymous
11/9/2025, 6:48:27 AM
No.283645091
>>283645075
Ultra-Nationalist Realism
To be clear, Isayama does not overtly argue that fascism is “good.” Rather, the story presents it as inevitable. This makes Attack on Titan a textbook case of what we could call “ultranationalist realism,” much like Mark Fisher’s “capitalist realism.” Just as Fisher argued that capitalism persists in the 21th century not because people love it, but because they cannot imagine an alternative, Isayama’s narrative suggests that fascist violence is the only conceivable way to survive in a hostile world. An actual anti-fascist story would demonstrate that fascism is avoidable, that cycles of violence can be broken, and that inclusive, democratic societies are possible. Vinland Saga has already done this far more effectively by exploring forgiveness, pacifism, and personal transformation.
By contrast, Attack on Titan offers no hopeful vision, only an endless cycle of ethnic violence, justified through essentialism, historical revisionism, and philosophical fatalism. In doing so, it functions less as a critique of fascism and more as a reinforcement of its core assumptions. I cannot ephasize enough that nihilism is the perfect soil for fascism to grow. AOT’s incredible lack of hope in the narrative actually walks us down to the abyss of ninilism to which if you look down can you see the ugly face of fascism. I think the reason Isayama hasn’t wrote the ending as “and everyone died” is because he too was a little scared of his philosophical worldview’s logical conclusions I.E. fascism/the Law of the Jungle. Because once you accept hopelessness in a cruel world the only choice you have is to start “making sense” of this sensless violence and by the time you realize you alredy started to justify and perhaps enjoy this cruelty as a coping mechanism.
If you want an actually hopeful anime in an incredibly bleak and dark world then watch Orb: On the movements of Earth. That at least knows what hope really is.
(End)
Ultra-Nationalist Realism
To be clear, Isayama does not overtly argue that fascism is “good.” Rather, the story presents it as inevitable. This makes Attack on Titan a textbook case of what we could call “ultranationalist realism,” much like Mark Fisher’s “capitalist realism.” Just as Fisher argued that capitalism persists in the 21th century not because people love it, but because they cannot imagine an alternative, Isayama’s narrative suggests that fascist violence is the only conceivable way to survive in a hostile world. An actual anti-fascist story would demonstrate that fascism is avoidable, that cycles of violence can be broken, and that inclusive, democratic societies are possible. Vinland Saga has already done this far more effectively by exploring forgiveness, pacifism, and personal transformation.
By contrast, Attack on Titan offers no hopeful vision, only an endless cycle of ethnic violence, justified through essentialism, historical revisionism, and philosophical fatalism. In doing so, it functions less as a critique of fascism and more as a reinforcement of its core assumptions. I cannot ephasize enough that nihilism is the perfect soil for fascism to grow. AOT’s incredible lack of hope in the narrative actually walks us down to the abyss of ninilism to which if you look down can you see the ugly face of fascism. I think the reason Isayama hasn’t wrote the ending as “and everyone died” is because he too was a little scared of his philosophical worldview’s logical conclusions I.E. fascism/the Law of the Jungle. Because once you accept hopelessness in a cruel world the only choice you have is to start “making sense” of this sensless violence and by the time you realize you alredy started to justify and perhaps enjoy this cruelty as a coping mechanism.
If you want an actually hopeful anime in an incredibly bleak and dark world then watch Orb: On the movements of Earth. That at least knows what hope really is.
(End)