Why does Attack on Titan have so many German names?

Question

Finally rewatching the whole series before the final season reruns and it's wild how German everything is, reiner, bertholdt, historia's real name, even the survey corps oath. Is that just Isayama liking how it sounds or is there an actual reason he gave in an interview somewhere?

milkbread · Answer

isayama actually talked about this in an interview! he said it ties into the story's whole theme of oppression and colonization, the idea that the "strongest" language becomes the universal one in that world, kind of mirroring real history. so it's not just an aesthetic choice, it's baked into the worldbuilding on purpose. always thought that was a nice detail once you know it.

Why does Attack on Titan have so many German names?

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