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Much before the Solo Leveling anime was announced, the sinister smile of the God Statue was making rounds on the internet. Then, in 2024, after the anime finally aired and the episode showcased the smile in all its sadistic beauty, fans were in a frenzy and unable to get enough of it.
Meanwhile, in 2013, a certain heavy-hitting anime titled Attack on Titan aired. With it came the concept of Titans and soldiers and ODM Gear. However, as for iconic smiles, it had its very own in the appearance of the Smile Titan when she ate protagonist Eren Yaeger's mother. Her face was etched with a similar kind of creepy smile.
Solo Leveling God Statue contends with Attack on Titan for iconic anime smile title
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Now, it looks as if the smile of the Solo Leveling God Statue is in contention with the Attack on Titan Smile Titan to bag the title of iconic anime smile. Both moments oozed utter despair for our beloved protagonists and were the turning points for each of them.
Eren Yaeger joined the Survey Corps and in the case of Sung Jin-Woo, the System revealed itself and bestowed upon him unique abilities. Firstly, the Smile Titan in Attack on Titan - Dina Fritz - was Grisha Yaeger's first wife and Zeke's mother. A Restorationist member, she was captured and charged with treason against Marley and changed into a Titan.
Now, the God Statue in Solo Leveling was in the Cartenon Temple hidden in a D-rank Dungeon. Sung Jin-Woo's group that entered was decimated and only a handful, including him, survived. The Dungeon had 3 rules that needed to be followed to complete it, failure of which would invite deadly attacks from the statues.
Fans ecstatic at smile scene resemblence
When brought to the forefront by an X user, the comparison of the two smiles from each anime garnered plenty of responses from the community. Many anime enthusiasts had incidentally been thinking and comparing the same.
For a lot of them, seeing the Smile Titan gave them a nostalgic feeling, given how long ago the anime aired. In the other instance, many opined that the respective scenes exuded the same creepy and sinister energy that just added to the story's effect.
Another set of fans were dreaming of a crossover between the two. Solo Leveling's Hunters teaming up with Attack on Titan's Survey Corps against the Magic Beasts and Titans would undoubtedly be the collaboration of the century.
Another user pointed out that such scenes heralded the beginning of great things. In the case of Hajime Isayama's magnum opus, Eren witnessing his mother's death set off a chain of events that need no explanation.
Elsewhere, in Chugong's story, Jin-Woo facing the God Statue put him on the path to becoming Humanity's Strongest Hunter.
Final Thoughts
Before Solo Leveling, Attack on Titan may have been running away with the title of the most iconic anime smile. However, the former being animated brings to the mix a serious contender for that title. If not more than the other, both are equally disturbing and despair-inducing.
The final verdict lies with anime fans worldwide and is a matter of time to see which makes it out on top. Certainly, given the reputation of each, it is quite a difficult choice.
