Summary
It’s not unheard of for mangaka to incorporate funny side stories in their volumes, and Isayama is no exception. At the end of each volume ofAttack on Titan, two-page fake “previews” were incorporated to lighten the mood.
This went back as early as 2013, during its initial airing - from Hange “bonding” with a Titan, which sacrifices itself to protect her from a speeding car; to Armin befriending a Titan and having to tragically kill it. Strange scenarios, but still funny nonetheless. Come 2017, a new series of fake “previews” would be released titled,Attack on School Castes.
Through The Looking Glass
In an alternate universe,Attack on School Castesis set in a high school based in the United States. Similar to the “ranking” system American high schools are stereotyped for, each character belongs to a designated group; the highest being the Queen Bee or Jock, and thelowest being Target, which any Nerds, Goths, or “Other” are at risk of becoming. Eren falls under the last category, as he’s lacking in ambitions, goals, and is overall apathetic - the complete opposite of hisAttack on Titanself.
After making a pass at Jean (Bad Boy) when Armin (Nerd) is being bullied, the latter and Mikasa (Goth) take an instant liking to him, before he stumbles in on a “deal” between Levi and members of the Survey Corps. Eren would later learn that Levi is actually part of the school’s faculty, and the “deal” he walked in on was just him buying cleaning products. Over the course of volumes 21 - 34,School Casteswould take over as the primary fake “previews”.
Each “preview” has a misadventure of Eren’s that is loosely paralleled to events in the manga. In the “preview” for volume 28,Eren apologizes to Historiaover a rumor she made up out of jealously, so she wouldn’t get in trouble. In this same volume, Historia is revealed to be pregnant with a child - and later on readers would learn that what influenced her decision was Eren passing on Yelena’s information.
Essentially, inAoT, he told her the truth, which upset her. InSchool Castes, he told her a lie, which cheered her up. The next “preview” shows Eren, Mikasa, and Armin using an Ouija board and asking it what Eren likes. Ouija boards supposedly allow the user to communicate with spirits of the dead, andattain any knowledge they desire. Mikasa asks it what Eren likes, and it begins to spell out her name. In the corresponding volume, Eren tells Mikasa that he hates her during the infamous table scene with Armin and Gabi. Moreover, it should be noted that in said scenes, there was a 4th person who was being ignored. InSchool Castes, the ghost (Marco); inAoT, Gabi.
Where Did That Come From?
In an earlier interview, Isayama stated thatAttack on School Casteswas canon to the main timeline ofAttack on Titan, but aside from that they’re parallels, there is one page of interest that stuck out to viewers. In the “previews” for volumes 30 and 31, Eren has a dream that a zombie apocalypse breaks out thanks to one of Hange’s failed experiments (a subtle reference to theBreaking BadandWalking Deadcrossover theory). However, he wakes upcryingafterward. Eren monologues about wanting to leave his “boring” life, and even weighs the possibility ofbecoming a threat himself, just so something can happen. This is a nod to his actions in the main timeline, where he declares war on the world, having the same motive in both timelines. This sparked a popular fan theory that the Eren ofSchool Castesis the exact same one asAoT. As he finishes his thoughts, Gabi and Falco attempt to recruit him to a cult dedicated to Ymir, but he’s the only one who can see her.
In the coming chapters, Eren gets kidnapped, but is rescued by Historia and Reiner asthanks for saving her reputation prior. Amidst all the chaos, Eren blames himself for dragging everyone into it, yet Ymir calmly approaches him. To free himself and his friends, Eren surrenders and states he’s “been enlightened”. Seeing as this Ymir is a deity this time around, fans speculate that she granted Eren’s wish and brought him into the world ofAttack on Titan. However, upon obtaining the memories of the future, he also obtains the knowledge that he’s living in a parallel universe.
Combining this with the time-loop theory, Eren is trapped and can only return to his world if he manages to “free” her. In the newly released,Arc of the Ashesby Kohta Yamamoto, there is a reference toThrough the Looking-glass and what Alice Found Thereby Lewis Carroll, which tells the story of Alice peering into a parallel universe. At the end of season 4, before Eren wakes up in Paths, a few scenes fromSchool Castesare shown in his memories, which implies that they are somehow connected.
Too Many Plot Holes to Ignore
An interesting theory, but there are still some plot holes. Ymir is a supernatural entity, but in the original universe, she was just a regular girl. On the contrary, we can suggest that Ymir wanted to be a human, but got caught up in a world of slavery - effectively making her trapped as well. The final chapters of both universes show Eren accepting that his friends are enough for him, so this could just be a universe that follows similar events in the main timeline. What’s more, Mikasa and Eren arereunited in death, so either Eren can’t go back to his original world, or there truly is nothing more toSchool Castes.
However, fans can then argue that the ending both converges and splits, where the events ofAttack on Titancontinue. TheSchool CastesEren goes back to his world, andAoTEren gets to reunite with Mikasa. Better yet, perhaps Isayama purposely left us room to speculate, as a way to letAttack on Titanlive on and to keep the fan base alive.
Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan is a post apocalyptic themed anime where the world is plagued by monstrous creatures called titans. People live in walled cities to avoid the danger of the man eating titans. After they destroy his home, main character Eren Yeager swears to exterminate all titans off the face of the earth.
