Theory Time Leap

[Utsune]

Note: Though it's only a theory and not like it'll definitely happen, please turn back a page if you don't want to regret reading spoiler!



The Coordinate (as of Chapter 47) by Bandreus (The discussion continues after Bandreus makes his point.)

Spoiler

I can't be helped but think about how weirdly the way Reiner's talk in the latest chapter is worded.

Here he seems to be implying that they initially thought the "coordinate" they were looking for was Eren. But R&B are not at all sure about that being the case. Also, "when the time comes, the search will definitely be much easier if Christa is here" on their side.

Also, in the following page, it's made clear they can't go on with the mission just yet, but "the next time we come here...". They are positive about the additional info/resources they are gathering. Berth: "and then... we'll never come here again". Reiner: "yeah... and then all our work will be done".

C'mon, are they really planning to return to the wall at a later time? After blowing up their cover? And managing to rescue Annie and win Christa over to their cause as well?

Also, the words "time", "here" and "then" pop up an awful lot in a few sentences.

This is essentially why I'm more and more thinking the Warriors group can travel through time and are in a loop of sorts. They are looking for a "coordinate". I find that very strange. They are not looking for a "person", a "thing", a "place", a "target" or for "something". They specifically use the "coordinate" term (although I hope this is just not a case of sloppy translation).

Coordinates have sense when you consider them in a spatial sense (ie a geographic location), but time is a coordinate as well (from modern science we do know the space-time, understandable as a 4D coordinate system, is a very actual thing).

So in my mind, R&B are looking for something important which they know should be happening/presenting itself somewhere inside the walls at some point in time.

They thought they found the "coordinate" in the person of Eren, hence they opted to kidnap him. But still, it's very evident they are not at all sure Eren is what they were looking for. In fact they do try and make provisions for their next attempt, if it turns out Eren was not the "coordinate".

They did collect additional intelligence during this expedition: they found out about Christa's true identity, and also about /THAT/.

They are withdrawing for the time being, but the next time (ie. in the next loop) they come here (ie. in this place and time).

Oh, and I would say their "hometown" (another recurring word which often pops up but seems like holding a much deeper sense then in the usual usage for the term) might be a place in another time too: they always talk about it like they've been missing from it for an awful lot of time, and also is somewhere they won't be able to easily return to anytime soon. It's been said they'll be able to return to their hometown only after completing the mission, and finding out about the Ape location seems to be part of that as well. So, maybe they're stuck in the time loop until the mission is completed.

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Original Post (Speculations prior to Chapter 46):

Not sure if anyone's made a similar post here before, but in any case, random theory as follows, bash all you like lol. I've decided to update this post along the way to keep ideas nice and tidy. Last update time should be shown in the "Last edited" time tag below.

Time Loop:

Based on the manga author's confession (link at the end of the post)

Spoiler

What if they were in some sort of time loop, in the future humanity has finally lost to the giants, and then someone with time-travelling powers (probably Mikasa) sends Eren back into time (year 845.) In that future, Mikasa looks firmly into his eyes while sending him back to Chapter 1............

That is why at the very beginning, there's this random Mikasa dialogue: "See you later, Eren," and Eren wakes up crying (because humanity lost in the previous loop, as well as the farewell to the Mikasa from that timeline.) And then he says, "Mikasa, your hair's gotten longer, hasn't it?" Notice in the first panel, Mikasa(?) has short hair, and wearing a shirt with buttons on the front. After Eren wakes up, nothing Mikasa wears has buttons (and she has long hair.)

So the whole thing goes something like:

1) Humanity loses to titans. Eren gets sent back in time (not shown in manga.)

2) Eren wakes up to Mikasa's waking-up call (Chapter 1.)

3) Many many chapters later, we finally see how humanity loses the first time, Eren gets sent back.

3) Shingeki no Kyojin - main story + conclusion.


Basically, Eren will have gone through at least 3 loops.


Btw, the "See you later, Eren" in the original language is "Itterasshai Eren," which some of you may know "Itterasshai" can mean anything from "Have a good day," "See you later," "Take care," to "Bon voyage."

Though I say "Time Loop," Eren doesn't necessarily have to physically time-travel. The Steins;Gate approach works just as well (updating your past self with future experience, a purely mental time leap.)

Also, the title "To the You 2000 years from now" is so full of implications. As to what it could suggest, the basis for those arguments are too frail because there are so many possibilities.

I tend not to bring up the anime version since this is purely manga-based, but since they stick pretty much to the original, other than Mikasa's first two lines being replaced by some horrific flashback (which Eren calls a "dream,") I might as well mention it here.

Additional notes:

Spoiler

Not sure if this would be related, but the 'seal' (possibly a tattoo) as mentioned in Volume 2 (Chapter 5) that Mikasa's mum is working on Mikasa's arm, this could be a key to the whole time-travelling thing. The seal might not do anything special, but the clan from which Mikasa holds the blood to may be the answer. I don't think the seal has been revealed yet. The thing is, though I say Time Loop in the title, there are many other methods to achieve a similar result. For example, it could be as simple as sending memories/experiences/consciousness/soul/whatever-you-call-it across time.

Volume 7 (chapter 27,) conversation between Armin and Jean (just going by online translation):
Armin "Jean, Everyone can make a choice after they've learned what it will result in. It's so easy to say 'We should have done it this way' afterwards. But, you can't know what your choice will result in before actually choosing [...] But the time keeps moving, it won't stop just because you want it to! And there surely will come a time when you'll have to make a choice, even though you have no idea what the result will be!"

Although they are mainly talking about Commander Irving, I wouldn't be surprise if this were a premonition to future events. The last sentence in bold totally hints at the time when the characters will finally make different decisions to previous loops, should this theory be true.

I totally stole the basics of the theory from some random Japanese thread, but my heart feels so heavy as I was typing this up lol, because it makes so much sense to the scene at the very beginning.

Another 'theory,' which counters the Time Loop theory, is the Dream 'Theory.' All that weirdness presented in the beginning of the first chapter is dispelled simply as a dream. (Not really a theory, but it sounds more epic that way.)


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Time Travel:
Very similar idea to the Time Loop but different (and more developed) speculations than the one above ^^
http://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/1eua5q/shingeki_no_kyojin_attack_on_titans_theory_eren/


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Time Skip (Atlantis-like civ from past):

Spoiler

When did they even build the walls, if they were made of Titan material? Surely they wouldn't have been able to build something like that after the Titans appeared 100 years ago seeing how desperate the situation should be. And for so many buildings to locate within the walls, this civilisation must have settled here for a long time. Finally, surely the people are bound to know the truth when you're building the walls? (I means, that's a LOT of material needed!) If so, it must have been during a time when Titans are common knowledge.

Walls are made of Titan material. Maybe in the past, they have successfully made Titans, but deemed it too dangerous. So they sealed away that technology. The walls are made during that first fight with the Titans, and have been standing since then.

The Pastor said something about, 'maybe Historia will know something even they don't know about.' This highly suggests that different Families are entrusted with different secrets, from generation to generation. Although this in itself doesn't tell us anything new, this idea slots in perfectly with the "Technologically advanced past" plot line, where they could have made a blunder and tried to hide away a dangerous history as they were.

Eren = 2000 years old (as of Chapter 49) by mirrorstorm

Spoiler

There's another theory that I also find appealing though. Maybe the thing described by the title «to you in 2000 years» is Eren himself. Provided that he would have obtained the titan power before the destruction of his home, it's possible he wouldn't have aged at all during 2000 years. It is possible that the injection is father gives to him wasn't the cause of is transformation but had some other purpose.

Also, I always thought that the forests of giants tree have to be related to the titans in some way.

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Titan from 2000 years ago (from Graydient's post):
To be developed.
Grisha: "...As for the way to use [the power], their memories should teach you..."


Assassin's Creed development (as of Chapter 49) by TheOwl

Spoiler

I didn't read all the posts (only the OP), however for some reason I think (and hope, I don't really like time-travel fiction) this is the one.



Grisha's quote made me think of the famous "Assassin's Creed" game franchise. "Why?" some of you may ask, and I will explain, but for the sake of those who may be currently playing one of the games, or are planning to start and play them in the near future, I will try to be vague when it comes to the details of the games. So, in "Assassin's Creed" the protagonist repeatedly enters a machine named the Animus, so he can "travel back in time" (not really) and relieve the life of his ancestors through genetic memory. Genetic memory is a kind of memory that it is locked deep within our subconscious and it contains the memories of our ancestors instead of ours (this is not 100% true IRL, but the game creators have come close enough). The Animus, however has a side effect, which is caused by prolonged usage of the machine.

This side effect makes the user go crazy, have visions of the memories of his ancestor even outside the Animus, forget who he is and in which era he is living, and ultimately act like his ancestor for a brief period of time (usually a few minutes). During these lapses the Animus-user gains even the skills of his ancestors, and through careful usage of the Animus one can gain the skills of his ancestors without having to forget who he is.

I previously said that this was not possible to relieve the memories of your ancestors, however for the sole reason that they did not have the technology to send their memories to us through the DNA. It has been discovered that we can use parts of our DNA as a biological Flash Drive for pretty much everything and anyone in the future can use it(however it costs tons of money and it is thus not worth it). The serum Grisha gave Eren could have held genes filled with memories on Titans from an advanced lost civilization. This civilization may have created Titan-shifters, however things spiraled out of control and we have a Titan apocalypse.

I know it's sort of pathetic to make a theory based on another franchise and real-life facts that were proven true after the manga had started, but I truly can't think of anything else.

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"The Big Rock that has been here (on this land) (since) before the town was built." @SnK Language Thread (+ posts after this)

Even wondered how the boulder got there in the first place? Or how the boulder was exactly the same size as the hole? Did you know the sub-heading for this section is actually engraved onto the sign next to that boulder? Why not make your brain implode with the help of the following post?

Spoiler

At first I thought "oh I guess that boulder was just there then" but it then occurred to me: "Isn't this kind of suspicious?" I mean what other reason was there for a boulder to be there, before the town was even built (which I'm assuming was not long after the outer wall towns as people migrated inward from Wall Maria to Rose to Sina)? Why aren't there other big rocks that were too heavy to move, from before the town was built? Why did someone feel the need to put a sign in there specifically mentioning the boulder was in place before anyone even got there? I realize there's room for doubt, but I think it's like someone knew what was going to happen.

I know I'm getting ahead of myself here with the hypothesizing but I think there's a good chance the rock was put there by someone who knew what was going to happen, even 100 years ago when the humans first migrated into the walls. Or rather, a group of people like the wall cult that knows about the secret of the titans in the walls. I think I'm going to start from around chapter 10 and start rereading all the way through, because I want to separate canon from filler, AND look more closely at what the cult was saying in court...

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And finally, extra information (spoiler) from the author himself:

Big Fat Spoiler that's engraved onto the inside covers of the Manga by the author: (Thanks Georgie for the link!)
http://calorescence.tumblr.com/post/51450703198/did-you-know-the-inside-covers-of-the-japanese


Big Fat Spoiler that the author confesses in a mini-interview (This is the main basis for my support of Time-related theories):

Spoiler

Apparently this comes from Volume 7 of another manga called "Muv-Luv Alternative." Its author is a good friend of Isayama Hajime, author of Shingeki no Kyojin.

『進撃の巨人』は『マブラヴ オルタネイティヴ』を
パクって作ったことを白状しなければなりません。
本当にすみませんでした！　ものすごく影響を受けてます！

人並みに漫画や映画を観ていましたが、
作品の作り手に殺されると思ったのは初めてです。
その悪意的姿勢に衝撃を受け、僕も自分が殺されたように、
世間に何か強い衝撃を投げつけてやりたい、
壊してやりたいといった衝動に駆られました。

その衝動が自分のやりたいことだと気付いたのです。


I must admit, I stole from "Muv-Luv Alternative" in creating "Shingeki no kyojin."
I'm really sorry! I have been greatly influenced by this piece of work!

I have seen the manga and anime just as anyone else did,
but this is the first time I ever think of killing a series as a creator.
Being taken aback by this vicious attitude, even feeling as if I've killed myself,
I want to cast a strong impact on the world,
motivated by the urge to destroy.

I realise this urge is exactly what I want to do.

Sorry for the crude translation, but the main information is the bit underlined above. Isayama admits to 'stealing' ideas from this series. Well, I guess 'be inspired' is also a phrase in place of 'steal.'

Now, the interesting thing is, the Muv-Luv series involves giant robot aliens and whatnot, tons of violence...... as well as Time-Loop, funnily enough.

Whether Isayama has faithfully transferred certain ideas from Muv-Luv, recycling certain elements, or just generally inspired by Muv-Luv, that is to be known as the series goes on. I haven't played the visual novel myself, but I have seen texts from the game that is exactly like what happened in an important scene in Shingeki no Kyojin, lol, so I'm really curious whether it should turn out to be true or not. Although personally, in any case, I don't mind at all whether the same things should happen because I really enjoy that 'urge to destroy' from Isayama (thus expressed through his own world of Titans,) though now that I know Time Leaping is a possibility, I won't be taken aback by it or anything should that really happen.





About Muv-Luv:

Time Loops, fighting big-ass aliens, blood and gore, main character getting sent back in time to change the fate of the world.... you name it. Below is the opening scene to one of the visual novels in the series, Muv-Luv Alternative, the one Isayama-sensei mentions in his interview above↑:

【Takeru】 "E, Eh......?"

......Why am I crying, I wonder?

All of a sudden, reason unknown......

Tissue...... Tissue......

【Takeru】 "gHa........."

......Somehow......

【Takeru】 "........."

......Somehow...... it feels like I've just seen a tremendous dream.

It was a......ridiculous dream.........

Enrolling into the army, flying fighter jets......
And then...... abandoning the Earth......

Even so, I couldn't do a thing, except being swept away......






(Again, excuse my crude translation)
Takeru is the main character of the series.
Resemble anything much?? :P *coughchapter1cought*

 

[Georgie]

Re: Theory: Time Loop

Very interesting. Yeah, there is something very fishy going on in that first scene.
I love all these theories. We should have just one theory thread to keep all the theories organized or something.
Anyways, as I said, very interesting. I have read theories similar to this, involving time skip.
In my opinion the setting is not earth as we know it, but an alternative universe similar to earth. If you notice they never mention countries. They are not in Germany, Mikasa is not Japanese but "oriental". They don't even call the planet that they live on "earth" but they say "humanity" idk...just something to think about.

 

[Utsune]

Re: Theory: Time Loop

Also, the title "To the You 2000 years from now" is so full of implications. As to what it could suggest, the basis for those arguments are too frail because there are so many possibilities.

I tend not to bring up the anime version since this is purely manga-based, but since they stick pretty much to the original, other than Mikasa's first two lines being replaced by some horrific flashback (which Eren calls a "dream,") I might as well mention it here.

 

[Georgie]

Re: Theory: Time Loop

^yup.
Sometime I think that maybe they are humans who have settle on some planet in the future. They took over the pure titan's planet or something. The Titans retaliated and forced all the remaining humans to settle in those walls. But then....the walls are made of titan material. so idk..Again, I have no idea. lol. So many possibilities.

Also...a few things that bug me...
Sasha eats a potato:
Potatoes did not exist in europe until potatoes were discovered in the americans back in the 1500s and then brought to europe. So maby they are in the future...or an AU where potatoes exist.
Those gas tanks and weapons:
For such a civilization that looks like medieval Europe, they sure got pretty advance technology. So yeah, again future or au.

 

[Utsune]

Re: Theory: Time Loop

@[USER]Georgie[/USER]
I like the time skip idea (they're in the future,) but I don't know too much about it so maybe you can shed some more light on it if you know more? :P

At the moment, I like it mainly because of one thing that bugs me a lot. When did they even build the walls, if they were made of Titan material? Surely they wouldn't have been able to build something like that after the Titans appeared 100 years ago seeing how desperate the situation should be. And for so many buildings to locate within the walls, this civilisation must have been here for a long time. Finally, surely the people are bound to know the truth when you're building the walls? If so, it must have been during a time when Titans are common knowledge.

I might have missed something, if so, feel free to correct me.

 

[Georgie]

Re: Theory: Time Loop

I like the time skip idea too.
I don't know anything. It's all speculation and I was just trowing ideas. Anything is possible at this point.
The wall thing bugs me too. Ok...someone had to build the wall, and it takes time to build a wall like that. So I wonder who built it? how long did it take? what were the other humans doing and where were they living while the walls were being built? Did someone with high political power decide to build these walls in the middle of wherever and just told everyone to move there? Who are Maria, Rose and Sina? blablabla.

 

[teioh]

Fascinating theories. I like them all.

Imo the "how they built the WALLS" topic must be the focused one. Probably the answer to this question will clear up a lot of things in the future about who the titans are, who built the walls and why, when all the story began and so on.

Rereading the first chapter imho that "See you later" was said by Mikasa before leaving Eren to his nap. BUT I know this would be too much "granted" even "stupid" for a shonen like this.
Maybe Eren had some sort of premonition about the incoming future, nothing happy but a lot sad, and that's why those tears.

About that "To you in 2000 years" reminds me about another manga, BLAME!, that began with the emblematic phrase "Maybe on Earth Maybe in the Future". Like the author would say "This is a vision of what could/will be the Earth in a far Future 2000 years since now".

 

[Fayte]

Re: Theory: Time Loop

V
In my opinion the setting is not earth as we know it, but an alternative universe similar to earth. If you notice they never mention countries. They are not in Germany, Mikasa is not Japanese but "oriental". They don't even call the planet that they live on "earth" but they say "humanity" idk...just something to think about.

It is Earth, for precisely the same reason you gave. Not only does the story reveal the time period they live in (850 A.D), but like you said, Mikasa is noted as an Asian, contrary to someone like "Eren Jager," or "Sasha" or "Jean" or "Annie," which are clearly not Asian names. Mikasa is the only Asian in this civilization, and she was noted to not being full Asian because she has the last name "Ackerman." There is no doubt about it, we are supposed to believe this is Earth during the European middle ages. They do not have to specifically say "Mikasa is a Japanese girl on earth" for that to be true. It is already implied.

Another theory, which counters the Time Loop theory, is the Dream Theory. All that weirdness presented in the beginning of the first chapter is dispelled simply as a dream.

That is not a theory lol. That's what the story naturally leads you to believe. You don't have to do much thinking to say "Eren must have been dreaming/ having a vision." It is common knowledge.

 

[Georgie]

I don't know where to put this, so I'll post it here since we were talking about the walls anyway.

http://calorescence.tumblr.com/post/51450703198/did-you-know-the-inside-covers-of-the-japanese

So, have you guys seen this? Pretty interesting eh? This makes things a little clearer. The walls were already there when humans settled there. On ships. To a new world. That's why the religious people worship it so much and call it a gift from god.

Editing to say that I reread the earlier chapters and Armin has a book which talks about the world outside the walls and well....it's basically earth. oops at me. my bad.

 

[teioh]

This is SPOILEROUS as HELL!!! Well if the author put those info there probably he wanted the readers to find them nope?

And this explain a lot of things about the walls but the majority of questions about titans origins remain.

Now about this "New World" and his "Great (Holy) Walls": someone built them for the high caste of humanity, "the rich and powerful", than this implies that someone "knows" about the Titan threat and "made" this world before the things were worst.
Than Titans could be made by the humans themselves as a weapon or as a failed experiment that in a zombie-like way plague the earth driving the humanity to extinction.

And actually people live out of the walls and some of them (Reiner/Berthold/Annie faction) wanna take revenge on the offspring of the rich people who closed within the walls leaving the others die at the titans teeth.

Well thinking about the titan into the walls the same people that take refuge there must knewn a lot about titans... What if someone (a government leader/scientist/general etc) commits a BIG MISTAKE (and crime against humanity) creating the titans and than try to save himself and others rich (paying) people moving to a place defended by the same titans bodies built as a wall?
Maybe Maria, Rose and Sina were his daughters name or something similar.

A lot of stuff here, maybe too much! ^^

 

[Utsune]

Re: Theory: Time Loop

That is not a theory lol. That's what the story naturally leads you to believe. You don't have to do much thinking to say "Eren must have been dreaming/ having a vision." It is common knowledge.

Lol might as well make everything more dramatic and call them all theories! hehe :P

I don't know where to put this, so I'll post it here since we were talking about the walls anyway.

http://calorescence.tumblr.com/post/51450703198/did-you-know-the-inside-covers-of-the-japanese

So, have you guys seen this? Pretty interesting eh? This makes things a little clearer. The walls were already there when humans settled there. On ships. To a new world. That's why the religious people worship it so much and call it a gift from god.

Editing to say that I reread the earlier chapters and Armin has a book which talks about the world outside the walls and well....it's basically earth. oops at me. my bad.

Oh wow thanks for the link!!! Wowow, "walls have previously been prepared" really solves a lot of the questions (although only to present more haha.) This will really help in more speculations in the future!

I also clicked on the link to the original post, and guess what? the language on the canned herring in chapter 38 is also upside-down Japanese! (it says "nishin," which means "herring.") Makes me wonder if there really were a race of Japanese out there before a huge gap in time with a lot of knowledge/technology gone loss. I would at least expect that 'Japanese' race is part of the Oriental group from which Mikasa also descended, and the language is designed based on the real Japanese Katakana.

 

[teioh]

I think that the reverse katakana is only a way for the author to conceal incipit into the series nothing related to Mikasa or some sort of japanese people who live before the titan century...

 

[Utsune]

I think that the reverse katakana is only a way for the author to conceal incipit into the series nothing related to Mikasa or some sort of japanese people who live before the titan century...

The author concealing things is one reason, but the reverse katakana is also on the can of herring Ymir finds in the old castle (it says n-shi-ni on the can, which is ni-shi-n in reverse meaning herring lol.) But personally I really don't consider the world of the Titans the same as our world either, resemblance yes, but cannon no.

 

[teioh]

Never read Hunter x Hunter?

In that manga there's an alphabet made by the author using HIRAGANA (same syllabic alphabet of KATAKANA but with different writing and use), a simple cryptography that imo SnK author used as well.

 

[Utsune]

Never read Hunter x Hunter?

In that manga there's an alphabet made by the author using HIRAGANA (same syllabic alphabet of KATAKANA but with different writing and use), a simple cryptography that imo SnK author used as well.

Ah what I want to say is, the fact that a 'made-up language' is written on canned food suggests to me it's not about concealing so much (or not just about concealing, depending on how you take it,) but it actually belongs to a race of people within the SnK Universe. For a start, I wouldn't think anyone would try to mass produce canned fish labelled in secret codes lol :P

Since Mikasa, who is of "Oriental decent" (as the manga puts it,) has a Japanese name that resembles that of our real world, I make a bold assumption by saying this Japanese-looking language is the native language of Mikasa's race. If not of Mikasa's race, then it has gotta be a language of something, since Ymir can read it too. As I say, I don't really relate SnK Universe to our real world, but I am lenient when it comes to designs and concepts inspired by our real world.



Just for the reference, I've flipped the panel in question, pull up the contrast, and highlighted the part of interest in the following picture:

ンシニ
which is basically ニシン (herring) in reverse (remember that I've flipped the picture upside-down!)



As an aside, I haven't read Hunter x Hunter, so I'm not too sure of the details. What is that alphabet about? Where does it come in it the plot? or is that just a language of their universe?

 

[Fayte]

As I say, I don't really relate SnK Universe to our real world, but I am lenient when it comes to designs and concepts inspired by our real world.

Why? I already pointed out this is supposed to be our real world during 850 A.D. They wouldn't use the term "oriental" if this was a different universe. They wouldn't have the same common names, if this was a different universe. They wouldn't have the same military structure, if this was a different universe. There is really no reason to believe it is any different than the world we know it. That's the whole point. We are supposed to believe these giants existed back then, and we are supposed to learn how giants don't exist anymore. Simple as that.

 

[Utsune]

Why? I already pointed out this is supposed to be our real world during 850 A.D. They wouldn't use the term "oriental" if this was a different universe. They wouldn't have the same common names, if this was a different universe. They wouldn't have the same military structure, if this was a different universe. There is really no reason to believe it is any different than the world we know it. That's the whole point. We are supposed to believe these giants existed back then, and we are supposed to learn how giants don't exist anymore. Simple as that.

Ah I guess it's a kind of personal thing, I'm a bit picky on the details. By all means, I do understand what you mean, and if the author did mean it your way, I'm more than welcome to accept the setting!

But for now I just couldn't get pass a few facts:

For example, the Japanese evolves in such a way that it's written upside-down.

And secondly, if there were ever Titans on our timeline, the Oriental race would have been scarce and I probably wouldn't exist today myself, not to mention the whole history from ~9th Century AD onward would run down a different course. This could mean that there is mostly likely no Crusades, no Hundred Years War between England and France, Tokugawa wouldn't have established his Shogunate (if he existed in the first place,) no Spaniards interfering with the Aztecs, no British Empire, and so on. There may be parallels to real events, but it's hard to think that they would be exactly the same.

Since many important decisive factors in the fate of history (such as the ones listed above ) are changed, the world today would have been a very, very different place.

 

[Yumpo]

I was thinking of 8500-850 BC not AD. But we still don't know whether there are other humans living outside the walls though. For all we know, if there were humans outside the walls, then there's probably a variety of races out there. But nah. This theory is way too unlikely.

 

[Fayte]

Ah I guess it's a kind of personal thing, I'm a bit picky on the details. By all means, I do understand what you mean, and if the author did mean it your way, I'm more than welcome to accept the setting!

But for now I just couldn't get pass a few facts:

For example, the Japanese evolves in such a way that it's written upside-down.

And secondly, if there were ever Titans on our timeline, the Oriental race would have been scarce and I probably wouldn't exist today myself, not to mention the whole history from ~9th Century AD onward would run down a different course. This could mean that there is mostly likely no Crusades, no Hundred Years War between England and France, Tokugawa wouldn't have established his Shogunate (if he existed in the first place,) no Spaniards interfering with the Aztecs, no British Empire, and so on. There may be parallels to real events, but it's hard to think that they would be exactly the same.

Since many important decisive factors in the fate of history (such as the ones listed above ) are changed, the world today would have been a very, very different place.

You are having a hard time understanding because you're trying to look too deep into details. From a literary perspective, you do not have to include or acknowledge actual historical events to make your fictional story fit into the real universe. I could simply say "different choices were made, and it didn't happen that way in this story." There are all kinds of zombie movies that take place during the time period of the past 20 years. Does this mean we are not to believe they took place on our earth, in our universe, simply because we know zombies don't exist? Do you say, "Wait! all the humans got killed in this zombie move, yet I still exist?" A story being fiction automatically has the rights to change things.

I was thinking of 8500-850 BC not AD.

If it was B.C, it would have been specified. If one were to simply write "850," it would instantly imply A.D because the A.D doesn't technically need specifying. 850 B.C is never called "The year 850" because it works in reverse ever since Jesus Christ. When Jesus came on the scene, our concept of recording time had changed. Since the author of this manga is living after this change, you can bet on him using the current timeline

 

[Yumpo]

Oh yeah. I totally forgot BC works in reverse! T-T

I still doubt that the theory though. I mean if the author had the right to change history in the story, then they wouldn't be using our current timeline, but an alternate one. Unless the civilization inside the walls are just experiments and that the world isn't actually roaming with plenty of titans, or time machines were used, that is.